So if you are wondering why I went M.I.A for the last few days it was because I had a nice vacation. The kids are on their way back now and so I thought I should catch you up on what I did.
Friday I slept late and didn’t do anything until that evening. Friday night the Brit picked me up and we went to meet some of her friends. We went to her friend Missy Manager’s apartment sat on the terrace, which was way cool, and drank beer. It was an interesting crowed. We talked about music, health care, being a nanny, and all kinds of stuff. Half way through a friend of Missy Manager’s stopped by and hung for a little while. She was cool. Studied at Duke. She was sort of the Turkish version of my friend Jamie and so I was eating it up. Turkish Jamie left and Missy Manager started telling the nannies how lucky we where in our jobs. We had security. She plans events so she never knows if she’ll win or loose when it comes to money. We all looked at her like she was crazy. The Brit told her at least you have job satisfaction. Then Missy Manager said that maybe she should just move back to London, get a flat, and settle down like she was supposed to. But then she started talking about a friend who did that and was still unhappy. Then they started talking about drugs. Apparently weed and coke are okay to do here but not pills. The pills here are bad. Then as if it was no big deal they moved on to dieting. Turkey is full of broken people. I like it. I can’t wait to see God radically change it.
Saturday I met up with a new nanny, also from England, to have dinner. We took the bus to another part of the city and just walked around for a while. She is a little skittish. We were an odd pair because as a friend once told me, “You walk around Lincolnville in the middle of the night because the freaking hand of God is over you like its not dangerous.” We were not in a dangerous part of town but when you can’t speak to anyone around you or understand what they are saying it can be a little disorientating. The bus ride back was great because the bus was having some gear shifting problems and she was panicked. I was just chilling saying its fine relax and she was ready to jump off the bus. I smiled a lot. We went back to her house for a while and talked. We talked a lot about Jesus. How he actually was and what he did. The example he set for us. So once again I am sharing the gospel. Flat out explaining why I am in Turkey. She is from England and is well educated. She studied literature in college. But some how she still had no idea about the true story of Christ. Church why do we let the media instruct people on who Christ is? Why are we not known by our love? How is it that we believe that most people know about Jesus and simply choose to reject him? I would reject the Jesus those people know. Where is the truth and why don’t we care that it seems to be lost?
Sunday I met up with Mrs. Dixie. She and her husband our Florida kids and belong to the Southern Baptist Convention. I went over to their house for lunch and had tacos and sweet tea. I almost died. I had just written to someone that I would give a kidney for some tacos. The Lord is full of blessings and his love is ridiculous. We played cards and hung out until it was time for church. That’s right I got to go to church. Well I really love Dawn and Scott but church was interesting. They have a separate meeting for the Turkish Christians so it was a room full of whities. They also had a group in from Georgia to volunteer and it was like a deep South Church had picked up crossed the sea and transplanted itself in Turkey. I was laughing. Dixie was asking me what she had missed and what was wrong with me. I just kept apologizing. She told me it wasn’t normally like this. All I’m saying is when its time to worship lets get excited about God. Not stand as stiff as a board and sing opera falsetto. We rushed through those hymns so fast you would have thought the building was on fire. At the end I was talking to one of the ladies and asked what they do in the community. She looked at me kind of puzzled like and said, “We hand out packets.”
“Ah and how is that going?”
“Good. It’s hard because you don’t usually see these people again. Maybe you’ll get an email address and correspond but that’s it.”
Are you joking me? You have a group of believers in the middle of one of the darkest cities on the planet and your solution to sharing the love of Christ is a packet? When I told Dixie I was praying that the family would be saved by the time I left she looked at me like I was crazy because in the ten years they have been here they haven’t seen a convert in the people around them. No offense but know wonder. I am not saying literature is bad but I just don’t remember Christ hading any out. And don’t complain about the language barrier because most of the congregation has been in Turkey for years. It’s silly because while your handing out literature the mosque down the street is giving food to the poor, a huge soup kitchen. Pamphlets are you joking me. I don’t mean to belittle what they are doing because they at least are here but at the same time what is going on? Ours is a kingdom of power and if people don’t see that power why would they leave what they are already comfortable with. Paul judged the church based on power. Where is our power church? If the resurrection power of Christ, that is the power that raised Christ from the dead the hinge point of our religion, why don’t we see it? Why don’t we walk in it? Well self what is your excuse? I might not understand it all yet but I will not stop seeking until I find it. Even then I know it will not satisfy it will only make my appetite for God bigger and to that I say yes and amen.
Monday I slept. My throat feels a lot better. I also listened to the Women’s Conference tapes from my church back home. Christy Wimber spoke and my heart was jumping around in agreement. I was so encouraged. Then I had dinner with the staff and after drinks. The driver Lenny came over with two of his pals and it was Vodka time. I sat with them and attempted to communicate and laughed a lot at their crazy antics. Lenny tried to dance with me while sitting down and I obliged. After words he was like, “ Caitlin: Lenny why?” and did a very funny impression. I laughed very hard. I love learning about Caitlin from all these random people. Lenny’s two friends got on the trampoline and it was hilarious. After a while I went inside and Mother Hen and Cinderella tried to get me to dance to this awful Turkish club music. The thing is I don’t dance. When I dance before the Lord I just kind of jump around and flail about and hope it counts. The problem is I couldn’t explain that. So I just awkwardly laughed a lot. The best part though was when Cinderella imitated Caitlin’s dance. Her face and body movements were spot on. I was on the floor I was laughing so hard. Magical.
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