Turkey { week 2 }

We are almost to our halfway point for our time in Turkey. We are just beginning to feel at-home and comfortable and familiar with everything here. The journey so far has been full of emotions – everything from excited and eager to overwhelmed and stressed. As we share what we have experienced, we want to be completely honest with successes and struggles we have experienced. Although we cannot share specifics about the brothers and sisters here, we can assure you that God is working and moving in their lives and ours.

This past week has been full. Eli and I keep asking each other what day it is and how long ago we saw someone / did something / went somewhere… It all starts running together! 

(I don't have too many pictures from this week, mostly just words. But we'd love for you to read along and join our adventure!) 

We started our week by going to a different pazar (market). This one was so much more relaxed and less crowded. One thing we have enjoyed is supporting local farmers and growers by buying fresh fruits, veggies, cheese, eggs, nuts and spices from them. The distance from farm to table is so short and I know I’m giving my family the best! I could get used to shopping for produce like this. Plus, it just tastes so much better!

One thing that is essential in this culture is spending time together. And a big part of life here is meeting people where they are. These go hand in hand and often lead to great conversations. A favorite way to spend time together is to sit on the porch, talk and drink çay (tea) together. You can almost always find a pot of çay steeping in houses, waiting for conversation to spark and time spent together. Let me just say, we have had more çay these past two weeks than we ever have before!

I said earlier that we want to be honest with struggles we have come across. Three main struggles come to mind as we live daily life here – the language barrier, parenting an independent and strong-willed toddler, and feeling like we are doing very little with our time here. We ask that you pray for patience and wisdom in these areas.

We are learning words here and there, but our understanding of the language is far from adequate. This is very frustrating when we could be talking to people, getting to know them and sharing our stories, but instead all we can do is say hello, thank you, and a few other random words. We experienced our first all-Turkish "fellowship" time in a home this past Sunday. To be perfectly honest, it was probably the hardest day we have experienced yet. We wanted to be present and focused along with the others, but discouragement crept in and kept us from having a good attitude. We have also had major struggles with the language in a train station, restaurants, and at the grocery store. Each time we haven’t had someone to translate and have been pretty overwhelmed.We are slowly learning, though. And people here have been very gracious, trying to help and understanding that we aren't exactly from around here.

I know every parent deals with this, and we fully expected it, but it still takes a toll on us daily. Sarah is growing and becoming more independent each day. She has tested our patience and even made us question if we should have come to Turkey. Her molars are coming in and she’s in the middle of a growth spurt (aka, she cries at the drop of a hat). But then we remember why we are here – to learn and grow as a family and to honor God through it all. How many times do we frustrate our Father? How many times do we try to exercise our independence because our way seems better? And how many times does he welcome us back with love and forgiveness? Eli and I are still learning how to do this parenting thing. It’s not always pretty, but we can honor him even through the messy parts.

The third main struggle we have faced is feeling like we aren’t accomplishing much here. Like I’ve said before, this is not a typical trip with a focus on teaching children or doing construction. We don’t have a task or service that we are bringing to offer to people here. We won’t have blisters or lesson plans to bring back with us. Instead, we are coming to learn how to live life in a different cultural setting, with its ups and downs, and seeing what He has in store for our family. If anything, instead of giving something to the people here, they are giving us so much more. We are inadequate in our own ability to change people. But we are getting to see, first-hand, how our Father loves his people, us included.

On a different note, we got to celebrate our fourth anniversary last week! Spending it in Turkey is definitely going to be hard to top in future years! The Smiths were so kind and kept Sarah for the day while we went on a breakfast date at a quaint little restaurant in a nearby mountain village. Best breakfast ever. It’s not your typical American pancakes / waffles / bacon / eggs kind of breakfast. We had a full table of cheese, olives, honey, jellies, bread, fruits and vegetables, pastries, and the most delicious fresh fruit smoothie. We felt so pampered!

 

After breakfast, we walked around the village and had good conversation about life and what we see for the next few years. God is so good to us. I have a wonderful, thoughtful, and godly husband and a beautiful, smart, and independent daughter. I couldn’t ask for more.

I want to keep typing and tell every last detail, but this post is getting long... Our days and our hearts are full. God is working and we are grateful to be invited to be a part of it all.

I keep coming back to this verse and want to share it with you. Wherever we find ourselves in this journey, we have hope in Him and he will provide.

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” Romans 12:12

Ps. I am working on a post full of pictures from our trip to Ephesus! Should be up in a day or two.