Turkey Update

Dear Friends,
Merhaba from Turkey. Its Krista, Mary, and Jamie here… chillin’ around the kitchen table having some afternoon snack after a day’s work. These last two weeks we have been preparing and teaching English to children though arts and crafts. Today we made some pretty tight dioramas complete with stamps, glitter, and glue, and mod-podge (picture a cereal box with a hold cut in the front like a stage). We are praying that we continue to encourage Bill and Lydia (the long-term missionaries and new business owners.) They have finally gotten some rest and are enjoying a quiet house for a break. Last night, we babysat sleeping baby Josiah so that they could go out. We watched a movie and enjoyed girl time.
We are praying for children to come to the English club whose hearts God has been working on as well as the store. The opening of this store is important for building integrity, to show that two different cultures can work together. It is also important to have believers permanently located here, dealing with ordinary life struggles like raising a family, making a living, etc.
Bill’s friend Ali is an English professor and has requested that we come help out at his company’s English clubs. After kids graduate from high school here, they study for one year and then take a very difficult exam that places them in a university. These classes can help. Starting next week, we’ll switch off going to help out with a couple night classes. We’re excited to go =)
Our friend Mirve, a cute 17 year old girl we met in our store is going out with us tomorrow afternoon to show us around. Mirve hopes to become an English teacher and is in the process of studying on her own for the university exam. We are excited to improve our limited Turkish, especially our very own linguist, Jamie.
We have started a weekly bible study with us three girls, Lydia, and their cousin/our friend Rebekka. Since they’ve been so busy, it’s really nice to spend some time with Lydia apart from a hectic business setting. She’s a lot of fun =)
Last weekend we visited Pamukkale, the limestone-laden hot springs 45 minutes from our house in Denizli. It was packed with people but exciting to wade, play in the cascading waterfalls dribbling over the white rock. It was so near our house, but an entirely different world- the tourist world… a.k.a speedos and string bikini’s (a huge contrast here in Turkey). We also got our first dose of ruins and climbed all over an old theatre in a really fun downpour. Everyone let Krista run around in it before we left, and Jamie and Willem (the cute 6 year-old) joined soon after they saw the fun she was having. The next day we did the water park and got sunburned. It was fun. Bill got dad time with his kids at the park and we helped give Lydia some alone time to rest.
This weekend we are off to Antalya! We’re excited for our weekend touring (Sunday & Monday). We are all doing well and appreciate your prayers.
Love,
Team Turkey