Ephesus and Beyond! (think Buzz Lightyear)

What a crazy week this has been! I have so much to be thankful to the Lord for in all His provisions and blessings even in the hard times. Bri and I have been blissfully (sometimes blissfully uncomfortable) traveling around the Northern Aegean Coast of Turkey, reveling in the sunshine and salt water and ancient history. Ive seen quite a few museums, an incredible amount of really old rocks, some of which are carved into the shapes of people and animals, and have met more neat people. Absolutely wonderful! My apologies for not updating this site more frequently, and I will do my best to give you the best rundown possible on the last few weeks events. My time in the previous city will have to wait to be shared in its entirety, but I will do my best here. :)

So Bri and I returned with our team to Istanbul after an incredible amount of time serving the Turkish people, being served by them, and building relationships. I have been incredibly blessed by the people I met there and our whole team is dedicated to praying for them from now on. As I was listening to many of the workers share their insights and experiences, it was continually impressed upon me the intensity of the Holy Spirits work here and the imperative need for this country to respond to Him. The King of Kings is returning for His people and Turkey plays a very interesting role in the end times. Workers here have seen evidence and believe the Lord is bringing events to pass even in this land as we speak. It is incredibly exciting but sobering as well when I realized how many unreached areas there are here. Word is penetrating, but there are so many who have never heard. Please pray for the workers here, for their encouragement and support, as well as the work they have ahead of them. We spent a good majority of our time interceding in prayer every day, which was both a blessing and eye opening for me.

The Lord specifically, quickly and lavishly answered our prayers in ways that still blow my mind! Someone I have been praying for since I came to Turkey has come to Christ and the difference in him over our time there was so special to see. Others came as well and our team experienced an emotion similar to guilt as we saw the fruits of others' labors for many years. Work here is slow and requires so much of those here and it is SO incredible to be able to witness the fruits of the Holy Spirit's work! Praise our Lord! Please pray for the growth of these people into leaders of the work here.

Since that trip Bri and I said our goodbyes to our team and spent a night or two in Istanbul. Adding to our "firsts", we bought a plane ticket to Izmir less than 24 hours before we were to leave! A note to my parents; the following may cause you some stress post event. :) We had absolutely no idea where we were going to stay or what we were really going to do once we got to wherever we decided to go. We had a few destinations in mind but other than that the week was a blank slate! Sorry Mom and Dad - but no worries, we were very safe and under the blessing of an elderly couple who outfitted us with a cell phone and some directions to places they had been to before.

The day we left for the airport Bri became super sick again, throwing up on the plane and generally feeling terrible for about 24 hours. We found a hotel and recouperated before heading out again. It has been absolutely crazy how the Lord has provided us with places to stay (people have literally come running to us offering us crazy deals, even for Turkey, to have us stay in very comfortable places), free meals, very hospitable and nice people to help us find a bus, a taxi, a restaurant, how to get to the ferry, how to pay for the ferry, and so many other countless blessings that have made our trip easier and more enjoyable. I am SO SO grateful! We leave tomorrow back to Istanbul relaxed and rejuvenated. We will spend a few days with friends, resting from our relaxation, and seeing a few last sights. I fly out in a few days for the states and Bri is off to more traveling adventures!

Thank you SO SO SO much for all of your prayers - they truly have blessed me and I have clearly seen the Lord providing in innumerable ways. I have learned in the last three weeks the very specific and powerful nature of prayer and would encourage you all to continute seeking the Lord in this way. He delights in blessing His children and is already working to build His Kingdom. My time has run out but I will continue my report about Ephesus the next time I can. Again, thank you so much for taking time to read this and pray for the people here. It really changes hearts by the power of the Spirit. Blessings!