Moving Right Along

It has been about a month since I last posted and that time has flown by in good rhythm. Things have remained stable at LAC as we reach the halfway point of third quarter. This stretch has flown by and it is hard to believe that it is already March. As we pull away from winter we have been left with beautiful weather for the past couple weeks. We endured one of the coldest European winters in recent history and I am very glad to no longer feel cold all the time. For the past few Saturdays I have been able to put the spare mattress out on the roof to do some reading, studying, and resting in the sun. This year my expectation and joy at the changing of the season and the returning warmth of the sun is the greatest it has ever been. I have been able to sleep without worrying about my wrap strategy keeping tight and to teach without wearing a winter coat. This means that the tie has returned allowing me to feel a little more professional and colorful.

 The warm weather has led to an increase in activities. Last weekend, the teachers took a large group of students up to the castle on a beautiful morning. It was a day after Prime Minister Berisha had come to town to commemorate Beselidhja, the signing of a defensive alliance against under the leadership of national hero Skanderbeg to resist the Ottoman Empire in 1444. The road up to the castle was completed in time for the celebration marking the end of a notable process for Lezha. At the top we ate lunch and played dodgeball, volleyball, and guitar. On the way down I got a surprising phone call from a local friend asking if I wanted to play American football on the beach. I could not miss this opportunity since it would be the first time playing football and the first time back to the beach since the fall. Playing was a lot of fun, but it showed how out of shape I had grown because I was exhausted and very sore for days. It was an interesting experience because these guys were athletic, but they had little idea how to play football, so it was a little unfair. It felt really good to get out into an open space to run and throw my body around a little because winter had kept me closed up.

Over the past month I have grown attached to a simple breakfast of two clementines and half a banana. At school, we have replaced the catering with one of our student’s parents bringing in sandwiches, burek, and pizza. I usually get a sausage sandwich with a cheese burek for lunch, which costs $1. Two weeks ago I decided to go out and buy some new things to eat so I found sliced cheese, sausage, mayonnaise, pickles and chips to go along with bread, lettuce, tomato, and hot peppers to make sandwiches. It felt good to revive this food that had been nearly an everyday mainstay in college. The warmer weather has also brought a return to my desire for salad that I have been eating with olives and feta cheese. As a side note, I have completed last three seasons of Seinfeld this year since I usually watch an episode while eating dinner and I have now moved onto watching the Office. The girls and I have made it a Friday custom to go out for pizza on Friday night, which is usually accompanied by a new personal favorite, red wine and coke. This is a great way to spend some time in non-school conversation with each other and relax around some great food to kick off the weekend.

 At school we have begun to incorporate new things and figure out our after school schedule. All the kids are involved in this online math program that customizes itself to the needs of each student. This is intended to fill in some of the content gaps that may have been left by the Albanian school system and prepare them for taking more advanced math classes in the coming years, particularly since math has been our most problematic subject. We have also begun student clubs including basketball, volleyball, Ping-Pong, soccer, music, public speaking, and bible. There are a lot of complications involved in working these into the school routine but these clubs represent great opportunities for interaction with the students and education in the future. We fastened some screws into the side of the building and conveniently placed tree along with painting lines on the stone to produce an impressive volleyball court in the courtyard.

 Bible club has met twice on Friday evenings in an attempt to create a youth group type atmosphere and give the students something productive to do on Friday night. We have been playing a lot of games with them to create a relaxed and fun atmosphere. Linda Miller, one of the summer class teachers, had returned for a couple weeks and she brought a bunch of American games including Yatzee, Uno, Imagine if, and Catch Phrase. This last week we played Capture the Treasure and Duck, Duck, Goose with the kids before having a conversation about what questions they had about religion. Conversation was limited at first, but then Jessica shared her testimony as the students listened closely and they began to ask a lot of questions. They understand very little about religion and their affiliations are mostly due to family and traditions rather than faith and knowledge. We have so much to cover and it will be an adventure to see where God leads us as we begin to share our faith with them and open up in meaningful conversation. Please pray particularly for this time and ask God to reveal Himself and use us to share his love to these students.

The clubs have completely filled up all of our time after the school day. In addition to evening classes, meetings, and Albanian class, these clubs mean that I am busy until 6pm every school night. Although I am changing and adding resources, I am glad that I have a strong handle on my history class and that I do not have to learn all new content for class. My two sections of World History class have progressed through an introduction to history and the ancient civilizations of the Near East, China, and India. We are still playing with some changes in school discipline and have had to incorporate in and out of school suspensions since some students have been having problems adapting their behavior to our school environment. Despite some difficulties, overall the students are doing well and it is very exciting to see them improving and growing to appreciate this school community. My evening classes have been fairly relaxed and I have been taking my Tuesday conversation class out for coffee every other week and one night we went out for pizza. We usually have some very good conversations and they feel accomplished since they have been able to understand and contribute in English. Our evening classes are gaining students, so it feels like we are well established and have a pretty good reputation in the community for evening classes as well.

 Three of our students were chosen to represent Lezha in the regional final for a public speaking competition that will take place in Tirana. They each wrote essays and now the teachers are working with them to improve their essays and public speaking skills. We also had a parent teacher conference day last week. Each of the parents come into one by one to talk to the group of us teachers about how their student is doing. This is something that does not happen in the public school system and most parents seem to be very appreciative of the support and attention that we offer to the students. They are all very supportive of our suggestions and they do not question our teaching ability as a reason for why their students are not performing up to their expectations. I think we have built a good reputation and created a largely supportive community of parents. While Linda was here, she also worked to start a women’s group with the mothers of the students and they are planning to meet at least once a month. It is important that we are able to reach the community outside of the school and this is an incredible opportunity for ministry and conversation in the future.

 Last month, Kaitlyn had her birthday and the students planned another surprise party for her complete with a treasure hunt, gifts, cake, and a video from the students. That night I had planned for one of my evening class students, Reni, to pick us up and take us to his parent’s restaurant. We never told Kaitlyn what was happening, but we drove out to the nature preserve lagoon and braved the dirt roads in his Mercedes to reach this beautiful retreat restaurant situated on Albania’s mini Everglades bordering the ocean. The location would have been better taken advantage of in the light of day, but that was not a possibility and this added to the mystery of it all. Reni showed us around and then joined us along with his fiancé for a spectacular dinner of fresh salad, fish, eel, and duck. I believe that fire simmered fish was the best I had ever had and the others thought the same…caught that day, wonderfully cooked, and perfectly seasoned. We enjoyed some great conversation before making our way back home.

 One annoying issue we have encountered is with our residency paperwork. Klementina and Dini have been working with a residency officer who is constantly assigning them new tasks to fulfill for the paperwork to go through, likely in hope that they will pay some money under the table to get it taken care of. Dini and I had to go to Tirana to clarify some details and everyone seemed to have a different idea of the requirements. Finally, a few of us went to the US embassy to get some paperwork that should wrap up the process, but you never know with the system here.

Just a few days ago, we got a big and sad surprise. Klementina came into my classroom and told me that the Troyer’s would be going home. At first, I thought she meant home from school for the day, but then I realized she meant all the way home. Milt has been feeling sick the past couple of weeks and he has not been able to shake his flu. He had visited the hospital last week and gotten some anti-biotics that had been having some negative side-effects and then he was having some chest pain. A doctor visited him, and with his past heart complications, it was decided that it was time for them to go home to find out what was wrong and ensure his safety. This all happened very quickly because one day they were here, and then the next day before I finished teaching they were gone. We have received news that after a night in the hospital, it was determined that his chest pain was likely because he had been coughing a lot. Please pray for Milt as he continues to recover and for both of them as they transition out of their period of international service into life in Ohio again with their family. I would like to say thank you to the Troyers for all their care, willing support, and effort in starting this school. They definitely played a crucial role at the beginning when we were in over our heads in new issues and challenges and we appreciated Milt’s input as an experienced school administrator. We will miss them as a staff at LAC, by the students, and I am sure by their English class students, which they so dedicatedly taught over the past half-year.

 I have continued to spend a lot of time in the evening on studying my content, creating resources, planning my lessons, and following other topics of interest. My lifestyle here is so different then anything I have experienced in the past because when the school day is over, I always have the evening to myself for studying, eating, working, and entertainment. One thing that I had recommitted to during my reflection while in Turkey was a more regimented schedule for time with God. The craziness of January led me to forget this goal as I was praying often throughout the day for support because we needed it right away. With the coming of Lent, I have been reminded of spiritual discipline and instead of giving something up, I decide to commit to a basic schedule of prayer and bible reading every night in addition to my devotionals in the morning. I have spent some time every night trying to fulfill this goal, but has often been difficult because I feel closed in by work that I want to get accomplished, distracted by many things, and very tired by the time I am ready for bed. I certainly want to improve my efforts and commit to spending more focused time to reading scripture and listening for God’s voice and I hope to feel like I am in more of a natural and productive rhythm by the end of Lent. I also believe that God will bless our time if we give more of it to Him, but this is not something that I have practiced much in the past. Please pray that I will have the discipline to take time out of my evening to spend with my Savior and the focus and discernment to have meaningful and deep interactions with the Lord of the universe.

Thank you to all of you who have continued to support LAC. I have been noticing that I have less Facebook and email activity than I did toward the beginning of the year and I think it is easy for people to become focused on what is in front of them. Part of this is simply because as I separate from college life, I will also begin to separate from many of the people who I spent a lot of time with in those days. Either way, I especially thank those of you who have committed a part of your life to continually working with us, supporting us, praying for us, and remaining interested in our lives here. We feel so blessed to have been given the opportunity of ministry in this place, and the tools that we have been provided to work here have allowed us to create an loving and professional environment in Lezha. Pray that our influence continues to grow and that we will remain true to the path that Christ is laying before us. God bless each of you and I hope you notice and enjoy the coming of new life and opportunities in the spring.

Zoti ju dhëntë gezim! – “May God give you Joy.”

Through the Washing Cycle

I mirepritur. Cfare po ben? – “Welcome. What are you up to?”

God has been faithful. The past month has seen a lot of struggles, joys, and periods of growth. The stretch from mid-December to mid-January was the most exhausting month of my life, but it was so great. I am walking the life-long path of learning to fully lean on and rest in the Father because the real world is too complicated and frustrating for me to go at it on my own strength. I have really found value in pausing in the morning and at night to put things in perspective and hand over my doubts and struggles to God. “Be still and know that I am God.” The Lord is always beside me and He will prepare me for everything that is on my path if I focus on Christ. “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Everyone has struggles, but I am slowly being transformed by the renewing of my mind. I am working at handing over all of myself as a living sacrifice, but because of the sinful human condition, some parts are holding on tight. “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” By learning to accept the inconceivable Grace given to me, I no longer carry this burden. Despite the challenges, I move forward in humble confidence, for Christ has already won. I can rest assured that I am in the capable hands of the Almighty. In the presence of our Creator and Sustainer, we are fulfilled to live in joy and peace despite our circumstances. We are each called to live in this victory to work toward bringing the Kingdom of God to fruition on this earth. Why should I live in fear and doubt? “If our God is for us, then who can ever stop us? And if our God is with us, then what can stand against?” Let’s go people; it’s time to get outside of ourselves and realize what we have been given.

Coming back from Turkey exhausted the day before school was a lot to handle, but fortunately I had worked hard to get ahead. I hardly had time to anticipate the arrival of Elaine Moyer, former principle of a pretty great high school that I attended. She is a member of the LAC board of directors who has been a supportive friend to all of us and has such extensive experience and ability in education and communication. One day I dropped into the office running about my business only to find her sitting and talking with Mrs. Shahini. Elaine also brought my world history textbooks and way too much treats sent from home (in overweight luggage – none of which was charged). She had agreed to spend 10 days with us to offer her distinctive assistance. Her qualified and stable presence was just what we needed during such a hectic time.

Over those days we met as a staff nearly every day to work on our story, vision, approach, misunderstandings, disagreements, policy, curriculum, and scheduling. It was difficult and tiring at times, but we were able to resolve many important things that we needed to move forward as an established school. Despite the mental and physical strain having these meetings in addition to our school responsibilities, we persevered and were able to be very productive. Dini and Klementina went to the States for five days in the middle of this period to be a part of important meetings and fundraising efforts, so they were exhausted as well. Ultimately, the progress and understanding that came from this time rejuvenated all of us. We are so thankful to Elaine for her assistance and encouragement at a critical time that allowed us to refocus as a school.

On a Saturday, Elaine and I decided to hike up to the local castle as the others were incapacitated. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed the fresh air, dramatic views, and insightful conversation along the way. During our conversation at the top, we were interrupted by a few kids who seemed excited to meet Americans. I tried converse with them in broken Albanian and they were very friendly, but soon more and more kids showed up. All of a sudden, there was group of around 15 boys on the wall above us in addition to the ones around us. The nature of this interaction quickly changed with the added numbers as they began asking for money, cursing, making unpleasant gestures, and dropping rocks. With no other people around, we figured it was time to get out of there. Unfortunately, we had walked around the wall to get a good view of the city below meaning we were far from the path to get down. We began to walk quickly away, but I kept one of them close by making deliberately confused and friendly conversation to make sure the rocks did not drop too close to us. It seemed that they were trying to intimidate us to get some money and the kid I was talking to told me he told Germans. I continued smiling and told very pleasantly told them I had no Dollars, Lek, Pounds, or Euro (I actually didn’t). Eventually, we made it to the path and, after some more asking for money, the kid I was talking to pointed down the path. I was relieved when they stopped following us, but soon they starting lobbing rocks at us. Elaine and I commented about not wanting to have a similar experience as Stephen (first martyr) so she made her way down the slope as quickly as possible while I tried to watch for, dodge, and deflect approaching stones. Even when we were far away, there were still stones whizzing close by as one or two of them had solid arms, which made me nervous because I could just see one of these cracking one of our skull. We made it down without any direct hits, reflected on how pervasive gang mentality can be, and decided it was time to get some food and coffee. Just another day in Albania.

Arriving just before Elaine was ye old David Jost. Things were crazy busy and he was sick and exhausted from traveling so we did not have much time to talk at first. Before he could recover, we had entered the cyclone of meetings. It soon became apparent that he was dealing with debilitating nerve issues that had reemerged in the past few weeks. He was in constant pain (heightened by the cold), sleeping most of the day, frustrated, severely limited, and distracted. Although he was not the same presence he had been during the summer, I appreciated having a fresh presence and perspective. I am glad to say I have lived with Dave to witness his humility, relaxed yet disciplined style, unique combination of passions, and what I label as a binge/famine approach to the material world. Our interactions were classic, as always, because his irrefutably unique approach to life brings out an intensively sporadic side of my personality. We generated gospel jam sessions and ridiculous imagery, while discussing about renewable energy, world events, spirits, ministry, liberalism/conservatives, Mongols, ancestral-proprietor imperialism, nerd topics, education, and Mennonite hegemony. I think it is safe for me to say I have never had a friend like Dave, and it is my guess that he would say the same, which created a distinctive bond. As we planned for the coming semester, it became apparent that his physical condition would keep him from performing effectively in school and he needed to return to the States to receive medical attention, recover, and just get warm. I wish him the best during this frustrating time of life and all of us at LAC hope to see him return. Please pray for that his problems could be identified, for recovered strength and diminished pain, for healing and comfort, for guidance as he moves forward, and for peace of mind.

LAC is as strong as ever. We have begun the second semester after successfully completing our first semester with 31 students. Our reputation seems to be high and gaining a sense of durability in the community. With the departure of David, each of us teachers has a full load of morning or evening classes, clubs, and other responsibilities. I am officially teaching two morning blocks of World History, two sections of evening English classes, and will be starting Bible and sports clubs after-school. It is comforting to have a semester of school under our belt and many of the kinks worked out. Although we are always encountering new things, this semester is more concrete allowing us to function more efficiently. It is an exciting time of dreaming, experimenting, fitting pieces together, adjusting, growing, and having our mission slowly unfold before us. Please pray for us as we plan and implement an organized after-school program with the students with a combination of tutoring, programs, and clubs. I will be starting a Bible club as a way to begin discussing religious issues and ministering to the students. Pray for the Holy Spirit to be present in our meetings and for the hearts and minds of the students to be opened. We hope that this time will help to build a strong sense of community that can be shared by everyone involved in this school.

With reaching the half-way point, I now have the ability to look back and adapt my approach, expectations, pacing, and discipline to better fit the needs of the students and the school. It felt fulfilling to adjust my syllabus and rules handout, while recognizing that most things worked well. I finished history class with 11th grade by using a combination of a verbal exam and timeline project as the final exam, which I gleaned from my high school experience with Mr. Joe Hackman. The verbal test was something new for the students who got worked up, but in the end did fairly well. Teaching this class was mostly a fun time and I was pleased with the outcome, but I am also looking forward to getting the 10th graders back and starting fresh. I believe my students were able to develop skills in critical thinking and writing, while working on character development, behavior, and understanding the complexities of the past. Pray for strength and encouragement for each of the teachers as they start their new classes and continue to build this school. May we be quiet and receptive to the Lord’s guidance amidst the busyness of the school year.

Please pray that plans for the future of ministry here would be revealed. There are different ideas floating around (expansion, facilities, activities) that people are getting excited, but we want this project to remain in line with God’s scope and timing. As a part of this, pray for guidance in the recruitment of staff and the development of the roles they will serve next year. Continue praying for me as I wait and discern God's will for next year. Pray that I would be open and listening to hear God's voice if He wants me to stay. May I be taking in all I am supposed to learn and experience while I am here. As the end of the year draws closer, pray for wisdom as I seek what is the next step and how I will move forward with the confidence that I am in God's path and not my own.

Life in Lezha is quite cold as Europe has been experiencing the coldest winter in 30 years. My patented sleeping method is still holding out and conserving energy. The cruel weather apparently coincides with a drastic worsening of power supply as we have been experiencing school days involving long periods without electricity. As if it was not cold enough, no heating or light in the classroom makes for a different school environment, but that is Albania. To go along with this we have also had some problems with leaks and flooding in the building, which always provides a chilling and frustrating work-out.

Although the temperatures drop, my connectedness to the community has started to rise after a couple months of mostly isolation. I have been able to find time to go out for coffee or out to eat with Dini, the girls, Tori, or others from church. I also probably doubled the time I have spent playing Ping-Pong in the past few years by playing for a couple of hours one night with Tori and Dini. Because Rafael has returned to Brazil for a couple of months, I have taken up playing guitar in church to lead worship with Norma. This is good because it has forced me to practice at least once a week, which I had not been doing for months. The other thing I had been neglecting during these months was physical activity and I began to notice dismal changes in strength and appearance. In an effort to combat this downward slide, I played soccer with a group of students last week and have worked out the past two weekends.

As a staff we have also been making some visits. Unfortunately, most of them have been for deaths in the family, but they still provide an opportunity to learn, experience the culture, and interact in a genuine way with members of our community. During the initial days of mourning, the close family members will weep loudly for a couple days while visitors come offering condolences and often give money after drinking raki and coffee. These donations serve as a way to aid the family and pay for funeral expenses in the absence of social security. When we went to Adelajda’s house for a quick visit we were expecting warm hospitality and we got it and then some. At first we socialized around a table eating fruits and drinking, then they brought out some deserts as I began interacting with her two younger brothers (one Mr. Vogelushi). After a couple hours, her mom insisted that she was going to make fish for us. Soon we were eating a full course meal, playing poker with the boys, and digging up interesting items from the house. We all had a great time interacting with this family in their home and experiencing generous Albanian hospitality that was crowned by the bestowing of food gifts that probably weighed around 50 pounds in total (olives, fruit, wine). Just this past weekend we were invited to Irena’s house and her family includes Armelda, her younger sister from my evening class, and Ermelinda, her cousin…they are two excellent students who are rarely separated from each other. This time we knew we would be eating, but again a warm hospitality was poured through a wonderful variety of food and friendship.

As things begin to slow down after a whirlwind of experiences, I sometimes reflect on what I left behind in the States. I realize that many things are happening at home without me and that some things will be different. The most exciting thing is that my sister Laura gave birth to a beautiful boy named Luke making me an uncle, but I will not be able to hold him for 6 months. The other female types of my family had another meaningful trip to Haiti, friends are meeting, people are making important decisions, and others are getting married. After my trip, I got some Christmas packages at home containing letters and snacks from friends and family. Pretzels, trail mix, and cheez-its are even better when you have not seen such food in many months. This made me think of simple things I love at home and the people that I have not seen in some time. While I am not missing home, I am beginning to realize how long a year is and how much can happen in that time.

One person I have kept in close contact with from home is my cousin Pat. He is living in his own place, working at a great new job, and living the post-college American life that I have left behind. We graduated together, so he is going through many transitions as well and one he has encountered is a renewed spiritual inquiry. We have been discussing the Bible, science, other faiths, and theist philosophy. Not only is it really exciting to see him become passionate about his faith and get involved in ministry, but it has encouraged me to learn more as well. The last two weeks I have been looking online to read more about philosophy, science, Mormons, and Mennonites. The busyness of starting a school has left me little to study anything other than history, but I hope to be able to commit more time to this type of inquiry to have more knowledge to work from as I continue into the next steps of life.

I will include some initial reflections to my study on Mormons, which I decided to research because in the past I have said I dislike their faith stance of claiming to be Christians because I believe they twist my beloved faith perspective too far. I will say that there are different LDS streams and not all may share these exact points of doctrine, but they are generally accepted. My study suggests they may be followers of Christ, but they do not adhere to some of the most basic doctrines of Christianity and have all sorts of, what I consider, distorted theology. Apparently, God lives on another planet, we are all eternal spirit children of God, Jesus was the first of these and was not part of God - He was anointed as Christ at the age of 30, in order to be saved you must be baptized by this Melchizedek priesthood (originating from an interesting passage in Hebrews 7), we can earn our salvation through works, we can become gods just like Christ, Jesus blood covers those who reject him, the early Church fell into total apostasy after the death of the original disciples, Joseph Smith is the "Prophet" of God who brings His final revelation, and they claim devout Jews left Jerusalem during the Babylonian captivity and traveled to America to eventually restore the true Church. They may follow Jesus and be good people, but because of these beliefs among many questionable others, I am not comfortable with labeling LDS folks as "Christians", even though most of them would call me a “ignorant bigot” because of this. Hope you found that interesting, particularly with the religious narrative that always follows presidential candidates during election season in Christian communities.

That is all the relevant and interesting things I have to say for now. I cannot mention enough how present and faithful God has been during this time. All the success we have goes to Him because truly none of this would have been possible without our Father. He has been working through issues that none of us have the ability to solve on our own. Please continue to pray for wisdom, encouragement, and empowering for each of us at LAC. We are moving forward, but we need God to remain our conductor who can lead us to the destination of His choosing. Thank you for all the support and I hope you are each able to feel surrounded God wherever you are in life.

“God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good.”

New Frontiers: Turkey

Greetings to all of you! I would like to preface my description of my travels in Turkey by letting you know this post is very long. However, I believe it has a lot to offer those who brave this text. First, you'll be able to understand what I have experienced and live vicariously through me. And secondly, I learned a lot on this trip so I would like to pass on some of my learnings to you! 

Finally, if you would even consider going to Turkey, this can act as an excellent detailed travel guide for you on what to do and expect as well as revealing a lot of important historical background. Despite some difficulties, I feel like this trip was executed well and it really changes the way you view yourself when you take on the risks of such an undertaking and tackle it on your own (of course with some help from the Guy upstairs). There are so many upsides to traveling by yourself that I have discovered and I would challenge anyone, who thinks they are willing, to try it for yourself sometime. Now, I would suggest reading this in parts, as I certainly did not write this beast in one sitting. If you are going all out, perhaps you should grab some coffee or Red Bull to keep you progressing. Enjoy.

My story about traveling to Turkey starts with travel arrangements. I had planned on taking the bus, but about 10 days before I found out the bus schedule was about as inconvenient as it could be. They had buses leaving on the 22 (day of the Christmas program) and 25. One was a several hours too early and the other was late, so I decided I needed to buy a plane ticket. However, this presented a problem because I had not done any research and did not have any sort of itinerary in mind, so I did not know what dates to choose.  On Saturday night I spent about 6 hours reading my tour book and came up with an aggressive plan and decided I needed as much time as I could get. That night I booked a flight for the afternoon on the 23rd and would return the morning of January 2 giving me 10 days and New Years in Istanbul.

After a late night with the Christmas program I packed up and readied myself for anything. There was a lot of unknowns as I would be traveling alone, in winter, and without any reservations. I was hoping that it would not rain much, that I could get from place to place, that hostels would be open and available, and English speakers would be available to help me.

Day 1

Thursday afternoon I flew to Istanbul and took the metro to the bus station. When I went outside it was pouring rain and I did not see any station. No one seemed to speak English to help me find the station. Eventually, I found a long row of buildings with hundreds of signs listing different destinations and located the name of my first destination. Relieved I asked for a bus ticket, but the man said it was full and that there were no other buses until tomorrow night. I was a little disheartened because things were not working out and it was cold and wet. However, after asking around someone pointed me to a man who spoke good English who told me I could take a bus that night to a city nearby where I was planning to go. I walked the long row of buses until I located the bus and got on board. For the next 11 hours I sat on the bus trying to read my tour book and to sleep. My neighbor was a large Turkish man who pointed to himself and said “sergeant”, but he was friendly and bought me some tea.

Day 2

The long bus ride left me with a sore tailbone, but I caught the next bus to Goreme in Cappadocia, which was only an hour and a half. The situation I found myself may have been an act of God because I heard someone speaking English. I decided to introduce myself and see what I could find out. Turns out that the women, Sharon, was an American who was teaching English at a Turkish university and other guy, Arkhan, was her Turkish teacher. Arkhan was a native of Goreme and had agreed to meet Sharon to tour the area over the weekend and they asked me if I wanted to join them. I said there may be a few places I would want to get to, but I would definitely be interested in hiking the valleys with them.  After a shaky start to the trip, I felt comfortable and fortunate.

We arrived in the late morning and I quickly found a cheap hostel to check into before heading by bus to the underground city of Derinkuyu with Sharon. The city was 10 levels of rooms carved out of stone, over 80 meters deep, and could hold up to 50,000 people although most was no long accessible to the public. The city been used successively by Hittites, Romans, and Byzantines as a hideout from invasion, persecution, and the harsh elements. We walked through the rooms and winding passageways as a tourist officer explained some things to us. There were churches, burial rooms, wells, stables, and lots of large circular stones that could roll to function as doors.

After exploring the countless passageways we slowly headed back to Goreme where I ran to visit the Open-Air Museam. This was an area with dozens of churches carved into the interesting rock formations by communities of monks. Most of the chapels had been beautifully painted with icons and Biblical scenes in a diversity of colors that were awe-inspiring. As the night fell, I ran back into town and walked through a couple of shops and realized how much I liked Turkish decorations such as lamps, candleholders, tea sets, fabrics, and hookah. Some day when I have a place of my own I am thinking I will devote a room to Middle Eastern décor.

Exploring town at night, I thought about how it was Christmas Eve. It was my first Christmas away from home it would be quite unique. I walked around the lit town singing some carols to myself as a light snow began to fall. I sat down on a curb to think and take in my surrounding when I realized I was right across from a mosque. Celebrating Christmas in a country where almost everyone was Muslim meant I carried the reason for the season in my heart and I spent some time praying for the Muslims entering the mosque as the call to prayer echoed through the valley.

The three of us travelers had agreed to meet that night and Arkhan took us to his house for dinner. This experience added to the distinctive atmosphere of the night as the whole family was devout Muslim. The women wore coverings and served us homemade food as the family came into to fellowship with each other. My first time in a Muslim household was on Christmas Eve and I was very thankful to have this opportunity to experience, learn, and reflect. Arkhan and his family were so hospitable and wanted to provide everything for us.

To cap the night the three of us went to a hookah bar to relax, converse, and listen to live Turkish music. This was such a rich conversation as I unloaded many questions on Arkhan, who was not only a devout Muslim but also a Fulbright scholar who had taught Turkish at Cornell for a year. We talked about Turkish culture, politics, history, religion, and some of the intricacies of Islamic practice. He completely supported all dietary/health constraints, believed Mohammad was actually transported to Jerusalem from Mecca and ascended to heaven one night, but he did not stop to pray during the day. I learned that Turkish is an identity very fiercely separated from both European and Arab realms. The people had carved out a unique worldview and history by living at the crossroads between both worlds. I also learned that many Turks no longer wan to join the EU because of recent problems and noticing how it could cause them to compromise their identity. It was difficult to stop thinking about how abnormal and awesome this Christmas Eve had been. I returned to my room in anticipation of sleep because I had gotten very little the past two nights.

Day 3

The next morning as I opened the door of my room I was greeted by a white Christmas. There was about 4 inches of snow on the ground and it would continue to fall the rest of the day. Although a white Christmas is always coveted, I was not sure if I wanted it this year as it would affect my ability to tour the area. Nevertheless, the three of us set out for the local castle and climbed it for what was supposed to be one of the best views in the world. Unfortunately, the snowstorm reigned supreme and there was no visibility…I was disappointed because we could have been on the top of a mountain anywhere.

As we descended through the town and made our way into the Pigeon Valley the storm began to calm and we were left with a peaceful snowfall with much improved visibility. My disappointment began to ease as I looked at my gorgeous lunar-like surroundings covered in white snow, a truly remarkable sight. The snow-capped tree limbs would hang over either side of the path framed by outlandish canyon walls on either side. It was very slippery navigating the valley in my sneakers, but I was surprised how well my old faithful classic Nikes held up in the snow. After hours of hiking, the moisture was only beginning to make its way to my socks.

Back in town we visited my hostel so that I could warm up, put on some new socks, and cover them with double plastic bags. During the break we had an interesting conversation as some others asked me all about Anabaptism because I had mentioned being Mennonite. We set out for the Love Valley after lunch, which was more peaceful until we lost the main path and decided to glide down a slide-shaped slope to reach the valley floor. I realized again how fortunate I was to have two adventurous companions who were willing to go off the beaten path to explore the beautiful surroundings. This valley was full of the narrow chimney shaped rock formations that make Cappadocia so unique and we explored a couple that had been used for shelter in the past. As the sun set over the canyons, we walked back into town and Arkhan again invited us for dinner. Eating warm home-cooked food was a welcome experience after hiking all day in the snow. We then parted ways before I boarded an 8-hour night bus that would take me west to Pamukkale.

Day 4

The bus arrived while it was still dark and freezing cold. I soon found another American who was willing to travel with me for the day and we discussed our plans. He was a small, red-haired liberal fellow from Wisconsin who was taking a break from his studies in Denmark. In the morning we walked up on the side of the travertine slopes covered in white calcium deposits up to the Roman city of Hierapolis. We first took off our shoes and walked along the steaming blue hot spring pools that cover the slopes before entering the Necropolis. We took our time exploring the extensive ruins including an agora, stadium, latrine, temples, amphitheater, and churches.

The coolest remains were from a church built over the site where St. Phillip is believed to have been martyred. The site was at the top of a hill and had a long staircase leading up to an impressive structure with great views of the city and landscape below. We enjoyed climbing into and on top of many of the ruins to satisfy our adventuresome urges. The sun was warm in the afternoon and we relaxed next to the calcium pools before making our way down the slopes barefoot (required). That night we gathered some fruit and ate in a restuarant in town before I boarded my afternoon bus to Seljuck. The bus arrived at night and I quickly found a hostel where I had a conversation with a Turk and two girls from Austria before going to sleep…turns out they have never seen the Sound of Music.

Day 5

The next morning I decided the easiest way to see everything in a day was to take a tour. The first stop was the temple of Artemis, which was one of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World, but has now been reduced to one pillar and a few stones. It was interesting to imagine what this massive temple would have been like; the guide mentioned it had similarities to the great hall in Karnack Temple where I had been in Egypt.

We then traveled to the ancient city of Ephesus, where Paul traveled (Ephesians) and where St. John likely ministered. The city used to be the center of commerce in the region and this was perhaps the most extensive Roman remains that I had seen. There was a stadium, a massive amphitheater, long streets, terraced houses, temples, baths, colonnades, latrines, fountains, statues, a huge agora, and the famous library of Ephesus. Most of the city had been buried a few decades ago and it was interesting to imagine life in this bustling city. There was evidence of gladiators, churches, and the guide told us there was an underground tunnel from the library to the brothel for the wealthy men who wanted to secretly indulge in this amusement while protecting their image by telling others they were doing research. There was also a ton of cats all around the ruins that functioned as tourist attractions in their own right as many got distracted from the guide and began taking pictures of or playing with the cats. I noticed that there are a slew of cats and several dogs throughout Turkey.

After spending hours exploring the ancient city, we went for a buffet lunch that was included in the tour price. Obviously I enjoyed getting my money’s worth, but I also met three girls from California and we discussed higher education. Next, we drove up a winding mountain road to a small house that is believed to have been the place where Mary lived out her final days. The main reason it has been traced to this area is because scholars believe that John the disciple, who was charged by Jesus to take care of his mother, spent part of his ministry in Ephesus around the time when Mary is believed to have died. So Mary would have accompanied John on this journey and other signs have pointed that she would have retreated to this peaceful location on the mountain…she must have been in good shape to hike up there.

Following a quick visit to the house, we were taken to a Turkish carpet shop where we were shown how silk is extracted and spun, how the distinctive double knot is executed, all the different kinds of carpets and embroidery, and of course asked to purchase some of their wares.  After watching some Koreans throw their money around, we were dropped off for a quick visit to the ruins of the Basilica of St. John before sunset. Tradition holds that St. John was ministering in Ephesus where he wrote his gospel before he died and was buried at the site of the church. That night I walked around with the three ladies and then had a conversation with a young local man over hookah before jumping on my 9-hour night bus to Istanbul.

In the middle of the night I was surprisingly awoken when the bus drove onto a ferry. I had not thought that the fastest way to Istanbul would involve crossing the Dardanelles back into Europe. This was a welcome surprise because this was the point where the armies of both Xerxes and Alexander the Great would have crossed to invade each other’s territories. It was hard to imagine how the Persians would have constructed a pontoon bridge across such an extensive area of water, but the army was so huge that this was the only feasible way to cross the Hellespont. It was also nearby the site where the infamous battle of Gallipoli occurred during WWI, which plays an important part in both Turkish and Australian/Kiwi national consciousness.

Day 6

Within a couple hours of landing in Europe, we reached Istanbul where I was dropped off in the morning in the old part of the city named Sultanamet.  After shopping around a little, I found a hostel that I was satisfied with and booked a bed for the next five nights…finally I would have a bed and a sense of being settled.

I would like to take a break to point out some trends that I noticed during my time in Turkey either by chance or reality. The first is people had frequent difficulty answering their cell phones. I cannot tell you how many times I heard someone say “hello, hello” in a loud voice and proceed to hang up. It happened everywhere and it made me wonder what was the deal. The second was public relationship drama. In Istanbul I observed two arguments, and I think I saw one guy try to propose. It was New Year’s Eve and he was down on one knee, the girl was walking around evidently thinking hard. It seems she did not say yes because when I returned I saw them part ways and he was having trouble walking. He had to prop himself up with a tree, so I felt really bad for this guy.

The third was people thinking I was Turkish. Many people would start talking to me and, when I responded in English, they would either look at me confused or tell me they thought I was Turkish. It was nice sometimes because many of the shopkeepers would not bother me while they hassled others who looked more touristy. With the help of my kaffiyeh, I had some English speakers ask if I was Muslim, while others joked that I was a part of the Kurdish resistance. One man told me that my eyebrows were what made me look Turkish.

Another thing was how liberal all the American travelers were. The majority of those I interacted were vegetarians, they talked about stratified income taxes and social security, made cracks at George Bush, and studied modern art, education, or psychology. I began to notice (during thanksgiving as well) that a majority of travellers seem to be liberal, particularly when you look at those staying in hostels, and they criticize how so many Americans never leave the country.

The final thing was how those I traveled with commented about how I served as their religious and historical guide to sites. I got into a few conversations about Church, Roman, and local history in which I did a lot of explaining from my past studies. People were very impressed by my knowledge and I thought it was really cool how even my teaching at LAC had prepared me with the understanding I needed to more fully take in my visit.

When the first morning in Istanbul arrived, I went to breakfast that involved a satisfying buffet of coffee, hard-boiled eggs, olives, granola, yogurt, and French toast. I set out for the sights of the old city starting with the Aya Sofia. I bought a 72-hour pass that would get me into most of the main sites and looked to hitch on with a tour guide group, but after being frustrated I decided to buy an audio guide, which was exhaustive but satisfactory.  This place is amazing. Built by Justinian in the early 6th century after the previous churches had been burnt down, the church in all of its grandeur still is present today. The central room has to be one of the largest indoor open spaces in the world because there are no pillars to support the ceiling and the massive dome. The church was converted to a mosque when the Ottomans conquered the city in 1453, but the mosaics and frescoes were preserved because the Muslims covered them in plaster rather than destroying them. Now everything has been uncovered and partially restored to reveal an interior covered biblical scenes, colorful designs, and beautiful Islamic calligraphic script. The collision of faiths with such a magnificent space forces one to wonder about the events and history that has occurred in and around that sight.

Although I did not want to leave, eventually I made my way out of the Aya Sofia to explore the streets of Sultanamet.  I walked into decorated tombs of former sultans, down a central street where obelisks from Egypt stood over the site of the ancient hippodrome, and into many gorgeously decorated mosques that were hidden gems dotted across the city. I eventually descended to the coast and walked along the shores of the Bosporus enjoying the sun and atmosphere of the city on my way back to the Aya Sofia. Across the square, the Ottomans had built a new mosque to rival the grandeur of the Aya Sofia.

The Blue Mosque, having avoided the chaos of constant reconstructions, was more impressive from the outside with its uniform design, six minarets, countless domes, and large huge courtyard. The inside was beautifully decorated with Islamic designs and script on a background of wonderful blue tiles, from which the mosque got its nickname. However, to again attest to the architectural genius or craziness of the Byzantines in the achievement of the Aya Sofia, the vast open space in the Blue Mosque requires the support of four massive pillars. As I walked through the mosque I could not stop thinking about how beautiful the Islamic decoration was without any use of images. Furthermore, the sheer number of massive, beautiful, and historically rich mosques within Istanbul is astounding and perhaps unmatched by any other city in the world.

My day continued as I made my way to another impressive structure. The Basilica Cistern, also built by Justinian, is hidden under the streets of the city. After descending down the stairs my eyes took in an seemingly endless space supported by countless pillars. Over 100,000 sq. feet of space to hold nearly 3 million cubic feet of water, this was the largest but only one of several large underground cisterns that were necessary once the cities sources of outside water were cut off from the aqueducts. This stupendous network of water supply is one of the components that made this city nearly impossible to siege. 

When I resurfaced, the sun had nearly set and I made my way to less touristy part of the city to grab a cheap dinner on the street. I ate a lot of dóner (shaved chicken sandwich) because it is cheap, delicious, and decently filling. There was a lot of bustle in the evening along the alleyways of the city and I spent some time exploring before being confronted by another huge mosque glowing in the night. The call to prayer had just sounded so I made my way in to observe hundreds of local Muslims observing their prayer time. There was a steady stream of believers who would come in to pray next to one another as the “Ummah” or community of faith. I sat there observing, listening to the chanting, and reflecting on Islam, practice of faith, discipline, and my experiences of the day. I was certainly in a unique place. I felt so blessed to have reached Istanbul safely and was looking forward to sights and learning experiences to come in the next days.

Day 7

After asking for some traveling advice and eating breakfast, I took the train to Yedikule Fortress (Fortress of Seven Towers). Although very few tourist go to this out of the way site and the tour guide mentioned it is in a questionable part of town, I think this was an essential stop. This fortress formed the main entrance by land into the city during Byzantine times, in fact, at one time there was a triple triumphal arch that was plated in gold. I was disappointed to be charged an entrance fee into such a run-down location, but I was glad there were few people around as I navigated the ramparts. Climbing up the towers and running along the walls offered a glimpse into the ancient past of the most defensible city in history. The views were likely some of the best in the city as I was high over all my surroundings and the new and the old of Istanbul surrounded by water. I was really able to take in an appreciation for the organization and size of the ancient city.

From the towers I was able to look down along the triple wall network that protected the western land approach to the city. There was a moat with a raised wall on the inside, a small defensive gap before a higher outer wall that could support the defense of the first layer, and another gap before the massive inner wall that could support the outer two levels and that was impressive in its own right. With the land side sealed by this impenetrable network, the other three sides were protected by a single wall built close to the shore to prevent enemy forces from being able to land. Furthermore, the northern approach by the Golden Horn was sealed off by a massive chain that stretched across the water to a fortress on the far side. Attacking the city was hardly feasible before the invention of the cannon and siege was nearly impossible since the city had stored huge surpluses and could be supplied from the Black Sea, Mediterranean, across the Bosporus, or from the land side. To cap it off, this fortress protected the main gate with massive towers built along a wall to enclose an additional defensive field. This defensive network created a slaughterhouse for anyone stupid enough assault it directly as each level supported the outer defenses. Since I had just taught about this in history class, it was awesome to be taking it all in directly and experiencing this masterpiece.

Next, I walked into the heart of the city through countless streets where thousands of people when about their daily business with barely any tourists in site. Eventually, I arrived at the Grand Bazaar which is a massive enclosed space with countless shops. There are so many colors, scents, and noises in that place that the atmosphere was certainly unique, but I was not about to get caught up in it all and begin shopping. Being naturally critical of spending money on material goods, not knowing what type of traveling opportunities I would have in the future, and not having room to fit it in my pack, I was limiting myself to very few purchases. However, I did spend time wandering around the streets and into the shops to experience this highlight. The bazaar was so huge that trying to pass around it was a serious time commitment and hassle that I encountered when I returned on Sunday and it was closed.

After exiting I continued to walk around the walls of Istanbul University and soon encountered the wonderful Suleymaniye Mosque. This mosque had a beautiful courtyard and some of the most elegant internal decorations that I had seen. Continuing on I soon came to the main entrance to the university, but noticed a nervous energy in the square. I spotted a squad of well armored police equipped with gas masks and noticed a small group of students assembling. Soon these students walked to the steps above the square and began shouting “Allahu Akbar” among other things. I asked around for someone who spoke English and eventually someone told me they were protesting against the universities apparent enrollment discrimination against conservative or radical Muslims. I also noticed they had an inflated suicide bomber Santa and a sign that said “Noel”, so I gathered that they were suggesting that while the city allows Christmas to be recognized for tourism, they do not allow devout Muslims to enter the university. While no violence occurred, the situation seemed a little tense and it was an interesting thing to encounter while roaming the streets.

After having some serious struggles at the bus station finding the correct bus, I eventually was helped by an English speaker to board a bus that would drop me nearby Chora Church.  The site is an old Byzantine Church that had been covered in plaster when the Ottomans took over, but was recently discovered to be one of the most stunning examples of Byzantine art in the world. The walls and ceilings were completely covered in vivid frescoes and mosaics portraying images of Christ, Mary, the Saints, and dozens of biblical scenes. It was very cool to be completely surrounded by art and to decipher what the meaning of all the depictions were.

This site was very far from everything else in the city, but since I did not want to spend money for a taxi individually, I decided to take a crack at the bus system. This aggressive step came back to bite me on the return journey. Losing track of my direction in the winding streets I boarded a bus with the location I wanted to go posted on the front. I had not thought at the time that I had boarded it going the wrong way and that during rush hour, this loop could take around three hours. In addition, I did not have a ticket and when I tried to purchase one from the driver he seemed to suggest that this was not allowed. No one on the bus spoke a word of English, so people kept staring at me and I believe the driver, initially thinking I was Turkish, assumed that I was trying to sneak a ride without paying. I knew I had really missed something when I was the only one left on the bus and the driver pulled over and turned off the engine. I tried to explain that I was an English tourist who spoke no Turkish and he became very understanding. He bought me some tea, I tried to explain where I wanted to go and he acknowledged that I was on the right bus. I no longer felt like a complete idiot. It took over another hour crawling through traffic before we arrived at the stop where the driver emphatically motioned that this was the place, so I thanked him for being understanding. Hey, if nothing else, I got a free ride and a learning experience. Little did I know that the busing fiasco would be trumped by a far more difficult learning experience later that night.

Feeling like I had wasted a lot of time, I was glad to have five days in Istanbul so that I would not miss seeing anything important. I grabbed some fish sandwiches by the water and decided to take the much simpler tram into the new part of the city across the Golden Horn. When I got off, I knew that where I wanted to explore was far away, but I was not about to take a bus so I took out my map and began making my way through the city. It was nice to get a feel for the everyday more modern part of the city before reaching the bustling pedestrian center of the new city along this long cobblestone street where no cars were allowed.

This place was cramped and there were people everywhere. I had my map out trying to make sure I did not miss anything and attempting to locate a good place to sit and drink or eat something. During this time I Turkish man approached me and asked what I was trying to do. I told him and we began to converse about all sorts of things. Eventually, he asked if I wanted to join him for dinner and I agreed. We sat outside on an overcrowded street lined with restaurants. He asked me if I had tried fish and suggested something, later he suggested we get some salad and local liquor, and feeling as if he was trying to host me I agreed. He also ordered some fruit and additional fish to cap the meal. When the check came it was $55 dollars and he said we would split it since we were both men…I was a little surprised because he was ordering things on his own, suggesting things to despite me saying I just wanted something small, and was talking about how money was no issue for him, but I did not see it as unreasonable as I had agreed and had shared in most of the meal. While during our conversation he made some ignorant remarks and seemed to be focused on material things, I found it interesting listening to him talking about his life and gaining another Turkish perspective.

After dinner, he asked me if I had been to a Turkish pub. When I said no, he said I should try it before I leaved and invited me to join him. I figured it could be interesting to experience a more local atmosphere that could be found at a pub, so I agreed. I followed him into a building and down some stair into a dark lounge type bar area with tables. He quickly lead me to a table and asked if I liked wine or liquor more, when I responded “wine” he asked white or red. This all happened very quickly and I had little time to assess the situation, but now that we were sitting and I had removed my coat I looked around and did not like what I saw. I noticed the waiters were wearing ritzy suits and that there was a empty pole in the front of the room (evidently for female entertainment).

I began to feel uncomfortable and while thinking what to do, the man asked for some fruit to be brought and told me to relax. Well it was too late for that, and my discomfort only mounted when the wine was poured and he requested a new glass because he was a little smudged. I kept thinking who is this guy and what is this place I am stuck in? How could this be classified as a Turkish pub? And I had just told him how I could not really afford to spend money like I did on dinner on a normal basis. I did not eat anything and I decided to tell him I was uncomfortable and wanted to leave. He was a little put off, but said no problem and asked for the check. I tried to escape by suggesting that I did not want him to have to leave because I felt uncomfortable, so he could stay, but he said we would leave together.

Well when the bill came, my fears proved true as the bill was around $350 dollars and he again lightly remarked that we would split it. Now I was put off. I tried to explain how I had not ordered anything, eaten anything, had told him I did not have much money, was expecting to go to a pub for a cheap drink, that I felt it was wrong to ask me to pay, and that I could not afford this. But in front of the waiter he asked if I was drunk (infuriating), said that I was acting like a child (vexing), told me I had agreed to come with him and to drink (exasperating), and that we would split the bill (enraging). I was about as upset as I could be, yet I tried to keep my cool.

I tried to think if there was a good way out of this, but I figured going to the police would not help because I had been with the man for a while and had agreed to go to the “pub” with him.  I also did not want the money to be such a big deal, but I had been working so hard to keep this trip affordable and that was about to burst open. I was grabbing my head and swaying back in forth in my frustration. I took out my wallet and told him I did not even have enough money. He looked at what I had and I offered all the applicable currencies I had available (not Albanian Lek or Croatian Kuna) and when I pulled out all my small bills, he even had the audacity to push them back at me and tell me they were good for nothing. Well, I put all my “adequate” money on the table, about $120 and the manager said it was fine, that they would cover the remainder…what a noble sacrifice considering we didn’t eat anything. They told me to stay and enjoy myself (are you kidding me?), but just wanting to escape I got out of there as quickly as I could.

I ran across the street to find a place to sit and try to process. I felt about as angry and disgusted as I had ever felt in life. The whole way the man acted and talked combined with the atmosphere of the strip club made me feel sick. I felt used and I hated sin very emphatically at that moment. I prayed that God would give me peace, use this occurrence as a learning experience, and to keep this anger from sowing bitterness in my heart. I cried a little and punched a wooden post a few times. I began to ask why I didn’t deny his invitations and why I did not react quicker and with more assertiveness? I knew that these questions were mostly unfair on myself because I could not have known under the circumstances, but there had to be a reason that situation occurred. I learned that I have to be more careful and assertive in my interactions with others away from home, and that every situation may not result in a genuine atmospheric experience.

I began to walk and consciously made the decision to try to forget about the money and move on to enjoy the remainder of my vacation. This did not happen very quickly, as in my anger I had lost all track of time because suddenly I was at a landmark that seemingly was supposed to take much longer to reach. The Galata Tower marks the highpoint and only remaining part of the Genoese fortifications that built across the Golden Horde during the decline of the Byzantine Empire. The way the tower was lit and glowed above the city gave me a sense of encouragement and I continued to ask God that He would work to make this a result in something good.

I took the tram back to Sultanamet and headed for my hostel, but I had some fear that overcame my anger. What if this guy was upset and came looking for me? During the course of conversation I told him where I was staying and what I was planning on doing tomorrow. I discussed these concerns with the guys at the front desk, but they assured me he would not come looking for me and if anyone did ask for me they would tell them I was not staying at this hostel…a lie that I felt fine with (perhaps an interesting discussion topic).

Before bed I talked with one of my crazy roommates who had been traveling throughout Europe for about 4 months. I asked him about his experience a couple of places, but all he talked about was the price of beer and chances of getting laid. He did have an amusing story about getting deported after flying into England because he did not have a return flight and the customs officer suggested that he was trying to steal coveted English jobs. Hearing how something really sucky had happened to someone else made me feel like I could relate and helped me to move on.

Day 8

The next morning I awoke with no fear and took delight in my French toast with honey and jam as there was no syrup, but this was delicious. I first headed to the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art, which I found out was famous its collection of carpets. There were a few rooms that really were quite impressive displays of huge, old, and beautiful carpets. Other displays included beautifully decorated Qur’ans, jewelry, and other luxuries.

Next, I decided to sneak in my tour of the Bosporus before the predicted rains came. I decided to take the hour and a half tour rather than the all-day venture, which was a great decision because it got quite frigid, I had seen enough, and I needed to save some time in order to see everything on my museum pass before 72 hours expired. The boat cruised by the Dolmabahce Palace, the sprawling modern city, and the two mighty suspension bridges that crossed the Golden Horn. The sight I was most interested in was Rumeli Hisari, the fortress built by Mehmet the Conqueror opposite of the existing Ottoman fortress on the Asian side of the Bosporus. These twin fortresses were used to cut Constantinople off from supplies coming from the Black Sea. With Ottoman control of the Mediterranean and the surrounding lands, the city was isolated and soon fell after a lengthy period of cannon barrage.

The cruise gave me the opportunity to experience a crucial part of the identity of the city as the Bosporus has been an incredibly important strategic trading point for much of history. It was great to be able to see both sides of the city sprawled out before me in order to take it all in. In addition, I met some Iraqis while wearing my kaffiyeh and they seemed very excited to meet an American. They told me how they loved America, I figured they were business men who were profiting from our liberation and had not experienced any of the fighting directly. When I inquired about the national opinion on American interaction, they said they thought it was a fairly even split. Good to know our “shock and awe” campaign was not a waste.

I made my way back to Sultanamet through the famous Spice Bazaar; rows of shops dedicated to spices, nuts, and other delicatessen. One guy called out to me from a shop and asked why I was wearing a kaffiyeh. When I explained that I had studied in Jerusalem he inquired about my stance on the conflict over Palestine, when I suggested that I saw problems and justifications on both sides he gave me a hard time. He explained how he hated Israel and that, if I was Israeli, he might have killed me. While I found that unlikely, I asked him why he hated Israel so much and he responded by saying they stole land and if they didn’t have America supporting them, they would be eliminated in a second. It seemed that he was unaware of the fact that Israel without support had overcome a couple attempts by Arabs to wipe them out. Either way, I decided that he amused me and that I would buy some of the nuts and dried figs that he was selling to snack on.

The next stop was one of the crown jewels of Istanbul, Topkapi Palace. In fact this could be taken literally as it functioned as the royal residence of the Sultan until the 19th century and it contains both crowns and jewels. This part of the city is walled off from the rest of the old city and only the sultan could pass through the entry gate mounted. The first court was massive and was open to anyone who wanted to enjoy some time in the gardens near the royal residence. The second court was only for people on royal business, the third court was for select officials and members of the Sultan’s family, and the fourth court was the Sultan’s residence where few other people could venture.

The entire palace is just ridiculously elaborate and there is gold everywhere. There is an extensive harem that would not only house hundreds of the sultan’s concubines, but would also be the residence of much of the royal family, most notably, the mother of the Sultan. The council chamber contains a grate in the wall through which the Sultan would listen to the proceedings and he could end the meeting at any time by drawing the curtain in front of the grate. The royal treasury contained many rooms devoted to things covered in jewels, gold, and ivory. There was one of the largest diamonds in the world, several incredible thrones, and many elaborate weapons. Even more fascinating were the religious artifacts the palace claimed to hold including: the sword of David, the rod of Moses, the turban of Joseph, the brain of John the Baptist, the beard and teeth of Muhammad, the footprint made in the stone by Muhammad before he ascended into heaven at the site of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, the swords and Quran’s of the Prophet and the 4 Caliphs, and the keys to the Ka’aba in Mecca.

It took forever to explore the palace as each new room involved taking in the elaborate artwork and rich furnishings. The Ottomans must have had too much money at their disposal in order to concentrate such a ridiculous amount of wealth in one place. This place drew quite a crowd, for even in the winter the lines were long and the corridors were packed with people. It made me appreciate the benefits of traveling in the winter because the religious artifacts would have likely taken all day in order to see up close. It was difficult even then as people were packed into the rooms and were pushing and growing impatient to see the relics. At least there was an imam to chant soothing melodies to lighten the mood.

That night I grabbed dinner on the street and headed to see the Whirling Dervishes perform. I was glad that I had reserved the ticket the first day I was in Istanbul because I had a front row seat to this unique opportunity. The brochure that was given to us helped to explain the fairly complex Sema ceremony. Dervishes are Sufis, a mystical branch of Islam, who believe in achieving union with God through ritual and asceticism. There are sources that describe dervishes piercing themselves, drinking venom, and eating hot coals without being harmed. This ritual was more sterile and was aimed at achieving union with God through perpetual spinning.

The ceremony started with music and chanting of verses from the Qur’an before the dervishes removed their outer cloaks and began to salute each other in procession. Their initial rotations around stage represent the creation of life on earth and the breath of life entering mankind. Eventually, the dervishes began to spin with one hand facing up and the facing down to symbolize receiving from God and giving to the earth. No one faltered even when they suddenly stopped whirling and bowed. I actually had an opportunity to talk to one of the Sufi musicians after the performance to inquire deeper into the ritual, but his English was not good enough to understand my questions. He mentioned that the Sufis train physically for this, but I would assume there is a spiritual element involved. In order to achieve union with God, their mind must leave the spinning body behind to encounter God. In other words, they forget that they are spinning and only focus on achieving union with God, which aids them in spinning for several minutes and to not fall over when they suddenly stop. If the ability to perform the ritual was totally physical, then I am not sure what the point would be.

Later that night I wandered around the city at night. I talked with a Portuguese couple about traveling for a while and ventured into another mosque to observe evening prayers. I located a bar that had a free dervish show, but it was a guy by himself using a recording. When I exited the bar, I meandered down some steps and suddenly found myself underground surrounded by remains of the old Byzantine city. I walked the corridors for a short time before arriving at the door to another cafe. In how many cities do you venture through ancient corridors while directly bar hopping?

I continued to wonder through the city and eventually laid down on a bench between the Aya Sofia and Blue Mosque, both glowing spectacles in the night, dueling for my attention. To my surprise, as soon as I lay down, a cat jumped on to me. I started petting it and it got really affectionate quite quickly. It was purring and gnushuling (anybody know the real word for when cats spread their paws against when they are happy – apparently a reflex from when they used drink milk from their mother) in no time. I was happy to have a companion and was quite amused by the quickness at which this cat was completely comfortable with me. Some of the locals found it odd and were wondering how I got it to be that way. They were trying to catch other cats to take a photograph, but they were completely ignorant of the way to appease animals. I started playing with the cats in the area by making rustling sounds and sticking something over the edge of the benches. I had a few chasing me around and then caught one for the Turks to take a picture with.

The next morning it was New Year’s Eve and I had dedicated the morning to visit the Istanbul Archaeology Museum. This was certainly an underestimate, as I would spend most of the afternoon there as well. There was the Museum of the Orient that contained statues, carvings, and treasures from Hittites, Babylonians, Persians, and Egyptians among others which was interesting because, again, I had taught these civilizations in history class. The other smaller building was the Tiled Kiosk, the only remaining classic example of secular Seljuk architecture, which housed collections of beautifully decorated pottery.

The main museum was a large undertaking for someone interested in the local history. The first hours were spent looking a sarcophagi, sculpture, and reliefs that were found in various tombs including the sarcophagus of Alexander the Great. It was cool to see how many things depicted everyday life in ancient times with such clarity and skill. The next stage was devoted to the findings at Troy and trying to decipher the meaning behind the many settlement layers to uncover which is most likely the city from Homer’s Iliad. The final and most consuming phase of surveying came with the rooms devoted to finds from the Byzantine era of the city. I read all the displays describing the city’s organization, defenses, and importance and took in all the related artifacts. There were more mosaics, statues, and reliefs giving me glimpse into life in the ancient past. Constantinople was also essentially the heart of Christian development for many years, so the Orthodox Christian component adds to the grandeur. I did not think I could get so psyched about a museum, but when I realized it was nearly 4pm by the time I was exiting the complex, the evidence suggested the contrary.

After making some wandering observations within the city, I returned to my hostel to garner information and plan a New Year’s Eve touring route so that I would not feel like I missed out. I asked a few locals what they suggested but heard no consensus or anything that excited me, so I set out with a plan of my own.  First I walked through the streets of the old city on my way to the Golden Horn to find passage across the Bosporus to the Asian side of the city. This allowed me to take in the city at night from the water and to scope out all the action. My thoughts were confirmed when the main source of light came from the general direction of that pedestrian street in the new city.

I bought some dinner on the street at much lower prices and walked around a bit before hopping on another boat around 9:30 to take me back across to the new city. From there I made my way to the city center and found thousands of people cramped onto this single street. I paused for a bit before walking the street among people whistling and shouting in anticipation of midnight. Then I took the tram around 10:45 back to Sultanamet and walked back to my hostel which was supposed to have a great party. Not only was the party at my hostel lacking, but there was not really anything exciting on the street. There was music but not enough interest to get dancing going, so people were just awkwardly interacting with each other. Around midnight we all went up to the roof of the building to watch the fireworks, light some sparkles, and share salutations. I decided there was no point in lingering and was in bed by 12:30.

Day 9

The entire city was asleep and so was I until about 10:30. I ate breakfast and ventured out wander the city one last time and to indulge in the Grand Bazaar again. I considered trying out a massage at a Turkish bath, but it was 60 euro. While walking a man greeted me and asked where I was from. We started talking for a while and then he asked me if I had been to a carpet shop. I told him yes but explained that I was not interested in buying a carpet because I did not have the money, the space, or the desire. After some more talking he insisted I come to his shop with no obligation to buy but to have some tea and conversation. I had told him plainly I was not interested and had assessed the situation to be clean, so I followed him to his shop.

He gave me tea and talked with me about his business and showed me a bunch of carpets throwing a lot of hypothetical questions at me like, “If you were interested, which design would you choose?” I reminded him I was not interested and suggested maybe I could get his business card in case my travel tales raised someone’s interest. He insisted I choose my favorite and then he began to bring down the price. Despite me saying not interested, he eventually cut the price down to a 1/3 insisting he could not profit on this price, but since I was the first customer of the new year, he needed to sell it for good luck. Remarkably, when I insisted and got up to leave he got agitated. He said it was stupid to miss out on an opportunity like this. After walking a bit he asked me for money for the tea…I looked at him, he wasn’t joking. I said, “You invited me despite my insistence on a promise of hospitality and no obligation, now you are pushing me to feel obligated and going back on your hospitality. This is disrespectful and not good business.” He didn’t like that very much and said that only 1 tea is hospitality, but I had 2 or 3 and that I was not an American because I was rude and like a child. There it was, a second time being called a child by a truly admirable character. I told him thank you and to have a good day and he responded by telling me to shut-up…alrighty. I laughed to myself saying, “some people”.

Istanbul is the urban center of Turkey with the noticeable European influences, but I felt that I had a much better experience with the people the farther east I went. In Istanbul, shopkeepers and other people in general seemed to put on a friendly cultural facade for the sake of profit and did not really deeply engage in the traditions of place where they lived. Despite talking to several people, I did not have any deep or meaningful conversations there as people seemed to be consumed by materialism or worldly concerns and distractions. They did not seem to be interested in me as a person, but just as a source of temporary entertainment. My New Years’ experience only confirmed this feeling as all around me I did not see any constructive reflection or conversation. All people seemed to be concerned with was drinking, finding some girl, and themselves. Instead of having good conversation and celebrating with dancing or song, these people sat around looking at their phones waiting for something to happen.

When I combined this blahness, the lack of integrity I felt in conversation, and the disgust I felt after throwing my money away, I saw poignantly how empty the world could be. I saw a lack of purpose and inner joy. I felt the heavy curtain of sin all around me and I felt so blessed to have been saved by grace. I thanked God for giving me a sense of call, security, hope, purpose, peace, and joy. I had experienced the other side at different moments during this trip and it strongly galvanized my attitude of combating sin in the world and in my life. I saw the importance of maintaining righteousness and grace in the face of mistreatment, of trusting only in God to keep me from drowning in the swamp of communal sin. I wanted to break through the deceit, emptiness, and immaturity that surround us and to make a hole for God’s light to shine through.

Well after that episode I was disappointed to learn that the Grand Bazaar was closed on Sundays because I was thinking of buying a few things. I walked around the bazaar and it seemed like forever until I had gotten around the thing after being trapped by seemingly unlikely dead-ends. Having enough of the city after the days experiences, I headed back to my hotel to rest. On the way back I decided to visit the Blue Mosque again since it was free and take in the Islamic splendor one last time. 

I spent the evening writing my previous blog and organizing myself to leave very early the next morning. Before bed I was drawn downstairs by the sound of a saxophone. There were some Spaniards who had arrived and were musically inclined. I talked with a few different people from Poland, France, and Spain while listening to some guitar and experimental sing-a-long attempts.

Day 10

In the morning I took a shuttle to the airport, where I think partially because of being exhausted, I got tired of seeing Turkish faces and was very ready to return “home” to Albania. Within a few hours I was back and thrown back into my life at school with all its work, complexities, and joys.

My ten days in Turkey were such a blessing and an experience that I will remember for the rest of my life (with the help of this blog). I felt intellectually, spiritually, and psychologically stretched and rewarded by what I encountered. Another thing that I have pondered after experiencing the regimented life of a devout Muslim who has the discipline to stop and come to prayer every day is the role of rules. While I have always believed that freely choosing to do something is better than only doing something out of regimen or habit, I believe that certain parameters are needed. In my spiritual life over the past few years I have approached time with God as when I desire it. While this has worked sometimes, a lot of the time this allows me to push it off or forget about it. Like a call to prayer, maybe I should set certain times that are non-negotiable for spending time with the Lord. I am glad for the new perspectives to remind and motivate me to pursue likeness with Christ. I will never come close, but there is no better model or purpose in the entire world.

Ah-salaam alaikum. Peace be with you!

Christmas Away From Home

It is now officially cold. I have usually been wearing a jacket to teach. It can get warm in the classrooms, but the rest of the building is cold and my apartment only functions as a wind-breaker. I do not heat the apartment because there is no insulation and plenty of ventilation so it is inefficient and expensive. I do have a gas heater that I use in the morning when I get changed to pump some direct heat so that I do not start the day frozen. I spend the majority of my time after school in the teacher’s lounge where I work, eat, and use the computer. For survival I execute the human wrap strategy with my blankets at night by tucking all the edges underneath of me and sealing any air holes. It usually works well but I often wake up toward morning because I have moved during the night creating an opening the cold to come in. Since it is likely to get colder still, I am thinking I will leave off my refrigerator because my apartment does the job on its own. It has also has begun to rain more which makes me glad that I do not have to go outside to get to school.

I have really enjoyed teaching and interacting with the students the past few weeks. During history class I am still experimenting with how to use Power Point effectively for English as a second language students. At the beginning I noticed that when I put up a slide, they stop listening to me and write word for word what is on the slide. As I mentioned before, they have major issues summarizing and processing information so I quickly noticed that writing words they did not understand was getting us nowhere. Much of the information was not essential and it was taking too long to get through the material. I soon demanded they not write anything unless I specifically told them to. We began to work on summarizing the information together in order to model strategies for taking notes. In the past months we have covered the Byzantines, Arabs, the Islamic World, and Africa.

As an integral part of this subject matter I also taught a day on each Judaism, Christianity, and Islam in the context of their historical development. These days were great because I taught a few things and then allowed much of the time for questions and discussions following student interest. The students were competing to ask their questions because a lot of this material was new to them. They have a lot of misconceptions about religion, culture, and belief so I tried to keep the material very basic to allow them to grasp the development of these faiths. For primary sources I used scripture: Genesis 17 (Covenant with Abraham), Exodus 20 (10 commandments), 2 Chronicles 36 (destruction and exile), Isaiah 9 (prophesy of the Messiah) to summarize the development of pure monotheism in Judaism and the position of the Jews; I used Matthew 5 (Sermon on the Mount) to emphasize the radical teachings of Jesus and how He came to complete the Old Testament covenant along with short excerpts from John 1 and Acts 2 to help explain the development of the Trinity; I used Surah 23 (“the Believers”) from the Qur’an to discuss how Islam is a continuation out of these prior two traditions, while being clear that Muslims reject the divinity of Jesus and that Muhammad is the last of the Prophets who was given the final revelation from God in the form of the Qur’an. It was interesting for me to teach religion at a basic level to see how each of these faiths is historically interconnected, while noticing the differences that make them unique lead to different understandings of God and His relationship with humanity.

One special event that the teachers attended with the Shahini’s was the Vogelushi contest. This is basically a beauty pageant for young children with other routines by adults mixed in making for a long and interesting program. There was some comedic dialogues which were obviously rendered useless as a result of the language barrier, a number of popular sing-a-longs by our student Ardit who helped to host the event, and a costume walk along with a random vocal, rapping, or belly dancing performance by each of the contestants. After about four hours, several awards were handed out including “Mr. and Mrs. International” which were presented by us on behalf of LAC. We got up on stage and read the winners of the award and congratulated them, which was a good promotional for the school. It was very cool to see that the winner of Mr. Vogelushi 2011 was the little brother of one of our students.

The week prior to the week of Christmas Ken and Aaron Kauffman from VMM along with Sam Skaggs came to visit and meet with missionaries. They brought some Christmas presents with them including routers for improving our wireless connection, ink cartridges to take advantage of our other printers, and some new novels for English class. There are many changes that are being worked out as Rafael is returning to Brazil for 3 months and the Shahini’s will be going to the States for a week. It has also been decided that Elaine Moyer will be coming over in January to support the development of the school as we continue to encounter issues and viewpoints that are not meeting at the same place. These struggles are common in the mission field, particularly when the devil realizes the threat to his dominion that this opportunity could provide. This school is a very unique thing in Albania and it is experiencing some growing pains and resistance just like any new idea aimed at change. If we are able to separate ourselves from this undertaking and give it completely to God, the impact will be awesome. We believe that God has called each person involved in this project into his or her role for a purpose that only He can see. Pray for us as we continue to work toward the point where God wants us.

Because everyone was in Lezha during the time of this visit, at the end of the week we had a small Christmas celebration. We squeezed into the main room of the girls apartment and had a buffet meal. The delicious prize goes to Allen Umble and his superb hearty meat dish in a creamy broth accompanied by delicious fresh rolls. We fellowshipped during the meal and I got to know Sam and Aaron a little better through conversation. We also sang Christmas carols including some 4 part harmony, which was a first for my time in Albania. Later I read the Christmas story and we had a time of prayer for each of us as we returned to our duties throughout the world. The few month old son of Rafael and Solange, Paulo, was a living example of the Christmas gift with all the weaknesses and quirks of humanity. He would cry, talk while others were sharing, or distract people by making cute faces. It was amazing to look at this boy and think that Christ came into this world in such a limited and humble fashion in order that the love of God could be revealed to us in a physical form that we could understand and connect with.

That Sunday I went to the other main Catholic church in town. Xhorxhina, one of the most spiritually inquisitive students, had invited me to go to her church along with Milt and Ann. The church was much smaller than the other, but this gave the building an older and more intimate atmosphere. The building soon filled with attendees, but what surprised me this time was the amount of children. At first one large group of children came in and sat at the front around the altar, but then another group, and another until the space was crowded with a multitude of children clearly not in proportion to the amount of older members. My explanations for this juvenile presence included: they came because they attended a local Catholic school, the church offered them programs, or maybe they were more inclined toward religion because they had not lived through communism. No matter what the reason, they were there and gave the service more of an informal feeling than I had experienced in past Catholic services. Even though I did not understand most of what was going on, I could feel the movement in the service of leaving this world behind to join in the Eucharist. Apart from my observations I mostly used the time during the service for prayer and reflection. After the service Xhorxhina invited us to her house where we talked for some time in the living room. When we were ready to leave, she insisted that we stay and hinted at waiting for lunch. It turned out to be quite the lunch with more variety of food at one time than I have seen for quite some table. We were thankful for their generosity and hospitality, but we could hardly put a dent in the feast that was laid before us.

I have been very busy over the past few weeks, too busy to blog evidently. Teaching two evening classes means that I am in school mode from 7:45-6:00pm except for Friday when I have no evening class. However, I am still enjoying the change in pace of evening class and this last week before Christmas we watched some excerpts from Seinfeld and I took my one class to coffee practicing conversation and discussing American culture as a break from our exhaustive make-up schedule preparing for Christmas break. Having three blocks off in the morning is a lot of time, but I am not usually very productive towards my teaching and lesson planning. First block is spent greeting students, supporting classes in the computer lab, setting up things in that school for the day, finalizing the lesson details, setting up my classroom, and pausing for prayer before the students come. I have made it a point to pray over the doorway and the room for protection, blessing, and that the Spirit could be felt working. After class is activity period where I watch over and interact with the students. Third and fourth block usually involve me taking care of some details for the school, making and eating lunch, discussing student issues or lesson plans with other teachers, with some time mixed in for lesson planning and preparing for my back-to-back evening classes. The past few weeks we have had Christmas program practice with the students for an hour, I have tried to find some time to learn a little bit about the sites of Turkey before I depart, and there has been a surprising amount of random errands to be run.

I have also been kept busy by my newfound responsibilities as school techy working on the computer lab, establishing a network, and creating a new school website. Kledia and Mark have been very helpful in working with me and supplying some of the advanced cognition needed to set up the network, but this technology stuff can really eat up time. One Friday night I spent almost 6 hours in the computer lab setting up the network, registering student profiles, and Skyping with my American techy cohorts. After school I sit for a little and eat and it is like the day is nearly gone. I use the rest of the time to work on lesson planning and grading. In addition to this, I wanted to use all available time to stay ahead on my lesson planning because I would have time taken out of my schedule by Christmas events, spending time with Ken, Aaron, and Sam, and of course by my looming 10 day trip individual excursion to Turkey which was full of unknowns. Because of this and without Tori who is studying in Shkodra to pull me from my school duties, I have mostly been shut in the school the past few weeks with no time for coffee or soccer. It is nice to have Dini and Klementina living downstairs to provide breaks in the evening when they are needed.

And then there is Christmas program practice with the students. This hour was usually a constant struggle against a lack of cooperation and attention spans among the students. Part of this struggle can be explained by the fact that this type of performance was something new to the students and they did not know what to expect or how to conduct themselves. We did our best to give them the basics and keep the program as simple as we could while maintaining the message we wanted to portray. We first practiced the carols, Jess talked about character development and expression, and then we ran through the skit without ever really achieving satisfaction. There were always some details needing to be tweaked and some of the students would not always show up to practice. Things slowly began to come together, but quickly enough for us as teachers who were unsure if the program would collapse during the performance in front of the parents. Thankfully, Everything came together in the end. I cut some simple rifles and a fire from cardboard, found some barbed wire to string across two posts at the back of the stage, and used a textbook as a drum for “Do You Hear What I Hear.” The students put enough effort forward in costumes to achieve a noticeable difference between the colors of the costumes (jackets) for either side. We created the trenches with a line of chairs and added some newspapers, cigarettes, and candles to achieve a degree of reality in our production.

I was proud of the program that we teachers had developed and would like to perhaps see it used in the future. It started with an introduction to the celebration of Christmas, a reading of the Christmas story, followed by the Christmas Truce skit with carols sung by either side in the trenches. After the skit came the reading of prophecy about the coming of the Messiah, lighting of candles in the dark, and concluded with some songs.

The night of the Christmas program on the 22nd was crazy. I was scrambling for hours trying to transport the students to the venue, set up the stage, and clarify logistics with the students about their parts and with the staff in the room. When it was finally time to sit and enjoy the buffet, I was called upon to run back to the school for the student stocking presents. After returning, I shoved the food down and got the students organized for the program. I was nervous but the students must have been more so because they were cooperating and being fairly quiet. It was very fortunate that the DJ had two microphones available for the students to pass around and use for their parts because I knew that some of them were too quiet to be heard otherwise. Everyone was able to follow the order of the skit and no one forgot to read their lines…this was the first time it had gone so well. It was a great feeling to watch the students be successful in carrying out the program and to hear them singing Christmas songs. Although it was not a Broadway performance by any means, it was all that could be expected from these students under the conditions. Soon we were passing the flame to the families and singing Silent Night. No matter how many times I sing this carol by candlelight it is always special. I felt peace as the students smiling faces were glowing from their individual flames. They may be a handful sometimes, but each one of them is special and an appreciated part of our school community. As the students finished reading the prophecy about the kingdom that would be established by the Messiah, we sang “Joy to the World” and capped the program with the apparently universal “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.”

I am not sure whether the true message of the skit and the program was grasped by the many of the Albanians who were present, but the gospel was presented to them. Hopefully this experience will have an impact on them either for this season or in the future. It was certainly a relief to have the program finished without a flop. There was a time where students received their stockings from the school, swapped gifts with each other as part of an organized gift exchange, and then they surprised us teachers by giving us gifts. We each said a little something thanking the parents for their involvement and describing how special we thought the students were.

Then the dancing came again. Before the program, we decided as a staff that we were not going to advocate “party dancing” and would try to maintain a professional approach by abstaining. This was the result of talk about how some of the more conservative parents disapproved with some of the dancing that had happened at Thanksgiving. We did not regret or see as inappropriate anything that happened before because there was control and it helped us to form a more relaxed community with the students. However, we recognized the potential problems that could arise and tried to limit the dancing and not be involved. However, we were not going to keep the students from having a good time so we started with some Albanian traditional dance songs. Dini encouraged the families to join in and soon we had many parents and siblings dancing, which did not really happen at Thanksgiving. Eventually, the music evolved into more party style but many of the families continued to dance and have a good time. After refusing many student requests to dance and after they dedicated a song to us as teachers, we felt obligated to join in. Once I get on the dance floor, it is difficult for me to not have a good time and so I did. Once again many of the young siblings were flocking to me to dance including Mr. Vogelushi who could not separate himself from me after getting a dance rid on my shoulders. The dancing was shorter and more limited to keep an atmosphere of control, so it was a successful and fun evening.

Things have been absolutely flying by and I almost cannot comprehend that it is now 2012. I am writing this on my last night in Istanbul from the terrace of my hostel over looking the Bosporus and the Asian side of the city beyond. I will be writing about my vacation as soon as possible, but step-by-step is the game right now. With the pace of life I am realizing that it has been hard to pause and to take in the moment to create memories. I know that as I get a grasp on returning to school and have a sense of control, things will begin to sink in and photos serve as great reminders. Please pray for the school as we enter into a new year and confront the struggles and blessings that will come. Pray also that we will all find the time to be still with the Lord during this crazy time in life. I have it in my mind that I am leaning on him for guidance, protection, and strength but often struggle to be still and let His presence sink in. We will need his presence for the coming year. Thank you again for all your support, I am sure your prayers are working towards the glory of God through this school. Blessings to each of you for the year ahead.

Gezuar and Mutlu Yıllar – “Cheers and Happy New Year” (Turkish)