A Turkish Treat

Lauren Ashley here: Turkey has gotten better by every passing day. We have done everything from baking pies to making friends on the street and all of us have had our ups and downs but overall I think we have all thoroughly enjoyed our stay here in Turkey. One thing that I am truly grateful for is that I have learned how to fight while being here. Since arriving in Istanbul I have felt as though I have been pulled in multiple directions by different culprits at all times and because of this I have had to learn how to fight them off. My old tactics and tricks did not fix the problem but to me this is all apart of the refining process. Unfortunately, by the time I felt like I had gotten my bearings in Istanbul, a metro area of 17 million, it was time for us to leave on our break to Ephesus.

Atilla’s Getaway located in Selçuk, a small town outside of Ephesus, is where the eight of us had the privilege during our three day break and we had a delightful time. The first full day at Atilla’s we were able to walk the ruins of Ephesus where I had a revelation of the Father’s heart when it comes to the worship of idols; I was nearly moved to tears (my eyes actually did tear up) and for those of you who know me know how rare that is. I am not sure what precise thing struck me he hardest but seeing the idols that the Ephesians worshipped years ago and knowing Papa’s heart it just hurt and then I started to think of all the idols we have put in our lives and I was virtually sick just at the thought of how we have hurt the Father by the things we have put before Him. My hope is that this feeling would not pass and I would continue to look at things with the perspective that Papa should ALWAYS be first. Other than Ephesus, my favorite thing that happened on holiday; is one afternoon Jemma and I were shopping where we started to talk to the only lady store owner in town. She was surprisingly open with her beliefs and we had the opportunity to speak an extra measure of life into her and her family and it was quite the treat for both Jemma and I.

Since Yemen ended up not happening we have an amazing opportunity to stay in Turkey an extra week so now we are staying in Söke a town less than .6% of the size of Istanbul. I am excited to see this other side of Turkey. We are nestled in between a mountain region and the Aegean Sea is just a short drive away. In our short time here alone we are getting an array of opportunities to serve by: taking care of household chores, us girls are getting to meet with women’s groups and we may even have an opportunity to meet the mayor and police force of Söke. I am excited to see how everything folds out in our few days here in Söke before we head out to country number three: Tunisia!