Adventures WorldRace SethBarnes Sponsorship Giving

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Merhaba! Hello from Istanbul, Turkey! 
Grace and peace to you from Greater Grace Church in Istanbul on the European side. 

Culture

Even though 99.8% of Turkey claim affiliation with Islam, most are Turk first then Muslim, with a stronger affiliation and identity as Turkish than Muslim. Most Turks do not practice Islam or follow Islam’s 5 pillars and beliefs: 1) “there is only one God and his prophet Muhammad,” 2) give to the poor, 3) Ramadan fast, 4) five daily prayer times, and 5) pilgrimage to Mecca. While many of us, Americans, have witnessed and at times even bought into propaganda against Muslims, the media often misrepresents Islam by exclusively covering the actions of Suni and Shiate extremist groups to the exclusion of the average believer. Despite our many differences, I was surprised to find out how much Christians and Muslims share in beliefs. For example, most Muslims believe Jesus is the prophet and the Messiah. However, unlike Christians, Muslims believe that Jesus was a prophet who will return again to judge the world with the prophet Muhammad interceding between man and Jesus. During a conversation with a Muslim background believer (MBB), she shared how she grew up not believing in sin or guilt and didn’t understand the need for payment of sin. In fact, she grew up believing that she was an angel, for real! It wasn’t until shortly before Christ captured her heart that she truly realized the depths of her need for him. 


Ministry

During our month in Turkey, we have partnered with Greater Grace Church for Noel. We have already decorated the chapel for Christmas, begun preparations for Noel Gecesi (pronouned no-el ghejessee) service, and will sing in an international Christmas choir, performing on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night (Dec. 18-20) at several different churches in Istanbul. In addition to bringing our Christmas spirit, we are also bringing the love and joy of Christ to many isolated Christians through home visits and prayer ministry. Because Muslim culture frowns upon cross-gender interactions, I have had special opportunities to partner with female missionaries of Greater Grace to visit and minister to Christian women isolated from the church by their non-believing families. 

Still, my greatest ministry this month may be teaching kindergarten, mostly the English alphabet, to a couple of refugee children from Uzbekistan, who cannot enroll in school in Turkey because their refugee status has not yet been established. So during this time that they are in limbo with the Turkish educational system, I have been able to step in the gap to share Christ with them by holding classes three times a week. Just this week, their mother shared her vision for a Greater Grace School, saying, “today’s class will be with my two children and the future classes will be with many more.” What a privilege to be a part of the seedlings that God is growing into so much more! 

Language

Turks speak Turkish, a rather phonetic language that follows similar sounds to the English alphabet with a few exceptions: c is pronounced like “j” in “jolly,” ç is like “ch” in church, ð has no sound but lengthens the preceding vowel, ý sounds like uh, ö sounds like ur, þ is like “sh” in ship, and ü sounds like ew.   A few helpful phrases:
  • Teþekkür ederim (teshek-kew edereem) means Thank You
  • Lüften (lewtfen) means please
  • Türkçe bilmiyorum (tewrk-cheh beelmeeyoroom) means I can’t speak Turkish
  • Nasýlsýnýz? (nassuhl-suhnuhz?) means How are you?
  • Evet (evet) and Hayir (h-eye-uhr) means yes and no respectively.

Our Christmas choir sings in both English and Turkish, with a tidbit of Italian and French thrown in for International flair. While we’ve figured out how to sing in Turkish pretty well, we still don’t fully understand what we’re singing! 😉

Food

Since we’re living independent of any Turkish families, most of our daily fare consists of whatever we decide to cook, mostly American fare. However, in true Turkish hospitality fashion, we’ve had the privilege to partake in some of the traditional Turkish dishes and even Uzbekistan pilav thanks to our friends in Turkey. Here are a few must tries when you come to Turkey:
  • ayran: a sour milk beverage, not too popular among Americans
  • baklava: a layered dessert with walnuts and honey
  • çay: traditional Turkish tea is usually served with sugar and cookies
  • mercimek çorba: red lentil soup
  • döner kebab: thinly sliced lamb on a spit
  • köfte: meatballs
  • lahmaun: pancakes with spicy meat filling
  • lokum: Turkish delight, mentioned in C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
  • simit: popular street food, ring-shaped bread covered with sesame seed