Brothers in Antep

The Tea Garden mentioned in my last post was raided sometime Friday! We were all severely saddened, as we need a new hangout spot. But another American, working at a local middle school contends that that’s just the way things work here in Turkey, and that it will probably be back in operation in no time.

Last Sunday and today, I experienced a Turkish fellowship group. It was a small, intimate affair, since the majority of people are Muslim, but it was enjoyable. It’s always a joy to find brothers and sisters with whom you can barely even communicate. But the assurance that they are closer to you than family remains nonetheless. You may have thought your congregation was tone-deaf, but I assure you, they’ve got nothing on these guys.

In fact, it’s quite difficult for them to be Christian in an Islamic country. They face the disapproval and rejection of their families, the scrutiny of a suspicious government, and they aren’t very likely to find an eligible spouse! The group was almost all men, with the exception of one whose wife was there as well. There were also a couple of Korean girls and Australian ladies, who, as I understand, were just visiting.

The difficulties these Turkish men face but which fail to overcome their faith drives it home that walking with Christ must really be worth it.

I returned again today, and even helped lead worship with my guitar. It is such a joy to be reminded of the beauty of the gospel, even when I can’t understand the language in which its beauty is being proclaimed.

I got connected to the with these friends through two independent sources. First, I had my church at home working their connections to find some kind of local body here with whom I could fellowship. Second, I met a lady and her grandson in the Chicago airport who were going to the same place I was. Turns out that both sources led to the same guy, and the same place. Knowing this city as well as I have come to know it so far, it doesn’t surprise me that there’s probably only one such body here. There are almost no Westerners here. But that’s actually a wonderful thing, because it means the city is unspoiled by endless catering to tourist, and it turns out to be a much more authentic experience, than say, visiting Istanbul. Of course, that’s a visit I do intend to make as soon as I can, and it will even be nice to have more and better English speakers readily available. But I’ve enjoyed Antep so far.