Two Wheels are not for me :)

Hello all! This is Molly speaking to you directly from Cappadocia. Thus far, Cappadocia has been my favorite stay the whole trip. As a matter of fact, today was my favorite day of the whole trip. Sadly, it is our last full day here in Turkey before we start our travels back home.

Today, I and six others rented out some Mo-peds. I initially wanted to dominate the two-wheeled contraption with ease, but alas! I failed. I was pretty much cursed the whole two hours. First, my brakes were not exactly in the best shape. Second, my helmet did not fit properly so it kept falling off my head when I was going about 70-80 Kilometers/Mile out on the high way... :) AWESOME. And third, I did not anticipate off-roading with this dainty little machine. I biffed it TWICE right in front of our cute Turk guide, Edgoon. It was grand!

The first fall was more of a graceful fall. I was a little shaken, but then I got right back up again determined to dominate. The second fall was a bit more brutal. Which in turn, resulted in two amazing battle wounds; one on my right arm and one on my right leg. Once again, I got up and drove that baby like nothing even happened. The older guide, James, was a tad bit shocked at how smily and happy I was through out the whole cursed experience :P Edgoon just egged me on (and the rest of the gang) to go faster and faster even though he had already saved me about three times already. (The other save is insignificant. He just rode my Mo-ped out of a rocky area for me.) The two of them are too much fun. At one point, James let me lead the group... but then he told me to slow down... haha...

Through out this lovely fun filled afternoon, I was absolutely giddy to be out on the open road looking to what is ahead and at the beautiful Red Valley Turkish terrain. In the same way, I am looking ahead to what God has planned for me and my life and what beauty lies there. I am ready to be that better person and live life in the fast lane on the open road with God (in todays case: James) leading the way.

I am not sure why today was my favorite day... It really isn't normal for one to think that the only day they got hurt was their favorite day, but it was for me. James and Edgoon are still joking about how I need help traversing around our hotel so I don't trip and fall. Whenever they are around, I tend to trip up or down stiars, on an uneven tile, or run into a tree branch... oh dear! I laugh when I think about what they must think of me. It will be sad to leave them and my other Turkish friends behind. But, as said before, I am ready to move right on ahead into the great unkown and let God be the one to save me from my falls in life.

The Potter's Hands

Merhaba everyone! This is Jennica! I wanted to share an awesome story I was blessed to experience today. Just a few hours ago our team visited a pottery shop. We were able to watch a potter shape a lump of seemingly boring and normal clay into a beautiful plate in just a few minutes. It was incredible to watch just a few simple and smooth hand motions form an amazing new creation. I was totally drawn into the movements of his careful and gentle hands. After I thought I'd seen the most amazing thing in the world, we were brought to another room where we witnessed the potter make a beautiful vase and I was struck again!

The man showing us around saw my dropped jaw and invited me sit next to the potter to watch and told me that I was next! They handed me a pair of long and poofy pants so as not to dirty my jeans - so kind - and I sat down at the wheel with a piece of clay spinning in front of me. The potter showed me how to shape the clay, as I had absolutely no idea what I was doing, and I started to get the hang of it - well, sort of. I smooshed my beginnings-of-a-vase once but the potter helped me smooth out the rough patches and mold it back into its proper shape. After a few minutes work, and to my amazement, I had a pretty decent (if I do say so myself) bowl in front of me! I thanked the owner and he said he had never seen anyone so interested and amazed about the pottery, and therefore I was merited a try at it myself. What an incredible experience!

The team was frequently laughing at my silly awestruck facial expressions as I watched the potter work at his wheel, but more than being amazed at his work, I was truly taken by the vivid pitcure of God as our Potter - THE Potter. As I watched the potter of the shop carefully yet firmly molding his clay into the vase that was hidden inside, I was reminded of how God molds us, his clay as we grow with Him in our lives. Though we may only see ourselves as an ugly and common lump of clay, God sees his beautiful creation inside. He pushes the wheel of life, and lets us spin around as his hands gently start to form our being.
Sometimes, we may stray from his design and mess up - causing an ugly bend in the smooth surface. The Potter willingly welcomes us back into his tender hands and uses that bend to create a new detail in our shape.

Sometimes, we feel that we are becoming dry and cracked, whether from weariness or resistance. The Potter, knowing all of his creation's needs, continues to add water to makes us wet and moldable again. God is constantly molding us throughout our lives, sometimes with a firm hand when he is trying to teach us to be willing to bend or stetch ourselves out to form a new curve in our shape. However, he never ceases to mold with care, precision and softness.
Other times, The Potter may feel that in order to further our shaping into perfection, we may need to enter into the kiln, where we will experience extreme and seemily unbearable heat - up to 3,600 degrees Farenheit. However, The Potter knows that we will never burn into a crisp or break apart. He knows we need to be refined through fire. It is a process that must happen in order to be brought to perfection. Just as it says in 1 Peter 1:6 -7, "In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed".

The Potter knows what is best and sees our finished product even before we are near our glazing stage. Then, after we have lived our lives reflecting the work of our Potter's amazing Hands, we will join him in His shop, with His many other completed and beautiful masterpieces. Praise the beautiful Hands of our gracious and loving Potter!

"Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand." Isaiah 64:8

A Song of the Desert

Hey everyone :)
This is Emma. I'm making my blogging debut. One of the things I have really enjoyed during this trip has been the JAM ( Jesus And Me) time. It sounds a little silly but when every day you go go go it is such a blessing to have some quiet alone time with God and rejuvenate with His word.

Throughout my JAM times, God has kept bringing me little snippets of poems. Never a full poem or anything explicit but usually just phrases or little thoughts.
However, as I was having my time with God this afternoon, all my little snippets all fell together to form a coherent poem that for me really sums up what I've learned in my devotions these last three weeks. I actually feel it is pretty fitting and actually really cool that God brought it all together for me on this last full day here.

Thus, Amy and Mulv asked me to post it for you so you could all get a little taste of what we having been learning over here. Also thank you again for all your love and prayers. Without them, this poem would never have had a chance to be born ;)

A Song of the Desert
By Emma Beyers

I hear a voice calling out.
A piercing cry in the desert.
"Trust me for I am the
First and the Last.
I am the Word made flesh.
The only true Amen.
Who are you to fear,
O child I created?
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand,
And give rest to your weary soul.
Your Bridegroom waits
With a hand outstretched-
'Come my Church.
I have prepared a Way.' "
Oh God, I hear it
In the desert.
Now give me an ear
To hear it at home.

Only days to go...

We have arrived in Goreme, Turkey in the region of Cappadocia. It was fun to see the reactions of the students as they entered an area that is strange enough to be called another planet.

We have began our final stage of the trip; debriefing. During these days the students will be preparing their hearts and their minds for returning home. You may not think this is a difficult transition, but it is. It may even be the hardest transition that some of our students, your children and friends have ever faced. They are returning home excited to share all their stories, yet they are a little scared because they have experienced so much, they have learned a ton and their lives have been changed in some way that no one at home experienced with them. For some, they are returning a new person with a desire to live differently, with a desire to glorify God and not themselves. This can be difficult to do when home remained the same and no one is there who experienced things with them. So pray for us as we begin to prepare for home and for the students as they make goals and have new desires for their lives at home.

Here are a few pictures for you of the area. Today we visited the Open Air Museum in Goreme and in Zelve.

The students had fun climbing in the old houses and monestaries. Look closer at the picture below, you will see similar faces in each little hole!!

During debriefing you will see a variety of blogs from the students. They will be sharing what they learned, thoughts about the different sites they saw, and ministry times. We are going to try to fill you in on the details that you missed not being here with us.

I want you all to know that you have amazing children and friends. It has been an honor serving with them here in Turkey. I will miss each of them very much.

I hope you enjoy the summary and have enjoyed the blogs they were able to post. It has been a full, fun, tiring, God honoring 3 weeks-so be prepared for them to need lots of rest!!

Make sure you check out the last blog, we finished up the bios and keep posted for fun stories and picts about their time in Turkey.

Blessings,

Amy

Meet the rest of the Troops!!!

Here's the rest of the team, sorry for the slight delays...

Jacquie, Rachael, Cody, Jennica & Blake

Jamie, Nolan, Amanda & Amy

Jacquie is one of the sweetest people any of us have ever met. Her heart is so genuine and real, and her compassion for others is alive. Jaquie loves going for long walks by the river. She has realized that her love of coffee frappucinos is not necessary back home, but is a nice perk. She finds Islam to carry many similarities to Christianity. When she hears the call to prayer she reflects on how they pray - that they put off everything and it becomes solely them and god. It encourages her to pray and acknowledge that God is really ALL she needs!!! He Truly is Everything!! Jaquie summarizes the trip as incredible, eye opening, and special. Her favorite scripture is Isaiah 41:13. The strangest food she has had is the yougurt and pasta. And if she was behind a truck that gets in a wreck she would preffer it to have a petting zoo inside that gets loose rather than a bundle of bowling balls.

Jamie loves to read. She realizes that she does not need her TV, computer, and pop culture from back home, even though they are enjoyable and come in handy. The three words Jamie uses to summarize the trip is that this is an eye opening experience. her favorite verse is from Psalm 23:5 " Even though I walk through the valley..." Jamies first impression of Islam that it is rather interesting and she would like to continue to learn more. When she hears the call to prayer the thoughts that run through her head are more of a curiosity - what are they really saying and how sad it is that they are filing into a mosque that is empty. Ministry here has been different from her expectations, but she is loving it! The weirdest food she as tried is a fish - the entire thing - eyes and all. Jamie has a sincere heart and an amazing voice. She has brought so much to this team. If Jamie were to laugh when she was to cry or cry when she was to laugh, she would prefer to cry when she was supposed to laugh - cause that what she already does!

Amy Drown is a such a woman of faith. She is so encouraging to the team. She brings up passages of scripture at the times the team needs it most. In fact, this is her favorite hobby - getting into the Word of God - especially with a group of Believers over a cup of java. She loves to sing and play piano as well, which she has blessed us with as she helps lead worship on this trip. She is thankful that God has unveiled her blinded eyes to the Truth of His Gospel whenever she has heard the call to prayer. Her first impressions of the Islamic faith is that it is empty and steeped in tradition and ritual. It comes so close to the truth and yet it is so far from it at the same time. Her trip is summarized in Christ, Freedom, and Hot. She is guided by 1 John 4:19 which states, "We love because He first loved us." When it comes to ministry Amy is so excited and feels incredibly priveledged that God has chosen her to glorify Himself. She too had an interesting time with the whole fish a couple of towns ago - sharing most of it with Drew! Amy would also like to laugh when she cried, because laughter is good medicine!

Nolan. Nolan. Nolan. A man of so few words. He truly is like a safe - full of knowledge but so hard to crack. He keeps all he learns in his mind and locks it up, only giving it to those he knows. Nolan loves to read, we have found him with a book on every bus and plane thus far. He doesn't really have anything that he has at home that he realizes he doesn't need - just food and shelter - which he has here. Nolan finds the call to prayer rather loud. He finds himself out of place, being a white American in a Turkey culture. He describes this trip as cool, Muslim, and Turkey, and finds the ministry very relational. Nolan loves the verse ames 2:10. The clothing that the children wear during the circumsision celebration is rather unique and interesting. And well, if he were to go to a ball in an orange jumper, he could choose to wear no shoes. I wonder if this would change if he were to play another roung of extreme spoons??? (he hurt his foot last time we played)

Rachael Kowalchuk loves to read and hang out with her friends. She too has brought so much to the trip. She is willing to share what is on her heart and it is so neat to hear and to be encouraged by that. Her first impression of Islam is the similarities it carries with Christianity, and yet she is saddened by how far off they really are at times. When she hears Muslims pray she wonders what they say and how they pray to a god that doesn't listen or even exist. Being on this trip has opened her eyes to the amount of clothing and shoes she has at home but may not really need. Who needs more than a pair of running shoes, sandals, a handful of shirts, and a pair of shorts??? Turkey has been a challenging, stretching, and exciting time for Rachael. She has realized that the term ministry doesn't always mean sharing the gospel, as her experiences with a group of young women has revealed - it is so much more than that - it is abut prayer and building relationships. If Rahael was to go to a ball in a fuzzy orange jumpsuit she would chose to wear matching orange shoes. I wonder where she would get those??

Cody is a man who is strongly dedicated to his family and to his sports. He goes gaga over the Matthew and carries him around whenever he can. (Ladies is this a good thing - quite possibly??) But no really, he is a dedicated man and is willing to be upfront. He finds Islam to be "insane" at times and really doesn't think of anything when he hears the call to prayer in the background. He summarizes the trip in perfectly fun everyday. Cody has found ministry fun as he has gotten to know a few fishermen and tried to catch a few fish. He brings so muc life to the team is hardly afraid when talking with Turks. Cody would also rather listen to classical music over Barry Manalow for 24 hours straight.

Another sweetheart on the team is Jennica. Her hobbies include sleeping, eating, reading, piano, and baking. She has found that she truly does not need a tv in life. This trip for her has been beautiful, stretching, and HOT. As hot as it gets, Jennica has delt really well with it, and hardly complains. She has found so much appreciation for the little things in life - like a gentle breeze!! Her heart breaks for the Muslim people, that they are praying to a god that does not exist, that their faith is so close to the True faith in Christ and yet so far. Jennica is encouraged by Hebrews 4:14-16. She has realized that ministry can simply be investing time into some else's life. this can be as simple as wasing a shop's windows with a smile on her face or asking how someone is doing. Jennica would like to laugh when she is supposed to cry - its one of her favorite things to do - we enjoy seeing her beautiful smile quite often.

Bekah is here as Jake and Amy's nanny, but she too plays a vital role on this team. We are so greatful that she has been able to join the team on some ministry outings and historical sites. Her words of wisdom are encouraging to hear and can bring a different perspective to life. Bekah loves to read, watch good movies, dance, and play tennis. To her, Islam is an appealing religion, however it just holds no hope. People are praying to a god that carries no hope and can't help them. She prays that Christ will shine in their darkness. She describes the trip as stretching her heart.Her minstiry on this trip is to Jake and Amy. She absolutely LOVES every minute of it - even when Matt is fussy. She feels so blessed to be able to serve them, plus she has had so many opportunities to share with Turks because of Drew and Matthew. I wonder if this trip for her determined this answer - would she rather a have a third arm or leg - definitely the third arm!!

so much learning...

Luke 19:10 For the son of man came to seek and save what was lost.
Again my apologies for the delay in blog updates. First off everyone is dong well, very tired for the most part but to me our fatigue is a proclamation of all we've been seeing, learning and experiencing. Everyday our team is exploring new sites and the statement the Bible has come alive really falls extremely short of ur team's endeavors. There is so much scripture that blows me away with new meaning when the culture and lifestyles are better understood and examined. We've had a mixture of history, cultural, family and biblical instruction lessons each day. Our group remains strong and I believe our prayer lives are growing as well. I realize we are down to the last 5 days so to include everone the team member bios will be doubled up on each remaining blog entry.

Emma Beyers is a 09 graduate of Meadow Creek and her hobbies include cooking, eating, lauging, and learning. She has a vast knowledge of desserts and would be happy to discuss that large amount of information over a large amount of desserts. Her three word summary of the trip is stretching,breathtaking and sweaty. yes, sweaty. Emma is very well organized and likes to maintain a strict schedule when teaching but does a wonderful job adapting to changes or unexpected time conflicts. When she hears the call to prayer sadness sweeps over for the many, many Muslims who were born into this gilded religious lifestyle, which seems very attractive on the outside with the beautiful mosques and pretty words, but hopelessly empty and unfulfilling on the inside. Emma's favorite verse is Psalm 73:26 which says, "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." beautiful. She believes that ministry comes in all forms and tht prayer and relationships are just as important as blatant street evangelism.

Our next team member is me, Danny(Boy) Hogan. I'm the guy responsible for many a night with no blog entry so feel free to aim your frustration at me. My hobbies are everything outdoors, hunting and fishing are huge, along with walking my doggies. I feel closest to God when I'm enjoying many of his natural creations. I'm also an avid reader and my favorite topics for discussion are international current events. My first thoughts on Islam were extremeism due to what the media feeds us. I was shocked when i learned of the many similarities between Christianity and Islam. i enjoy hearing the call to prayer and the discipline of ceasing your current task to speak with God but I don't agree with some of the details it includes, such as you can only speak to God during these times. i have many favorite verses and consider myself a permanent "Christian under Construction" so narrowing it down to just one is impossible but I love the book of Corinthians and reference it most often. Describing this trip in three words is difficult but I'll go with discovery, love, and Christ.

So we're coming down to the final stretch but thankfully tere are a few more sights to study. Tonight we will be going to Heiropolis to learn and watch the sunset which will be amazing. Throughout the trip each team member was divided into groups of three and given the task of leading for the day. Yesterday was the final group so that part of our assignment is finished. Each day of leadersip brought with it unique obstacles and challenges but were always met head on with teamwork, discipline and a healthy dose of prayer. Again, concerned and loving parents, you would be extremely proud at the thoughts and actions of your children. Thank you for your support and prayers, HAPPY 4th of JULY!!! We'll see you soon, Turkey Team!