Thoughts

I have just finished reading Crazy Love by Francis Chan. If you haven’t read it, you should. It is a great book and really gets you thinking. This life I live is not my own, I was bought with a price and I desperately want to live it to glorify the Father. The entire book has been convicting and good, but one chapter in particular stood out to me.

You probably know that I am in the process of packing up to leave Turkey. I am moving back to the states on June 23rd. There are many things I am looking forward to, but also many things I will miss. To say it is all “bittersweet” hardly does my feelings justice. Anyways, because I am leaving and am only allowed one 50 pound bag (I am paying extra to check 3 total!), I have been forced to go through and leave a lot of things here. At first this was a very hard process. I wanted so badly to keep all the things I have accumulated here – my skype phone, printer, picture frames, decorations from IKEA, etc. For a brief time I thought I would put these things in storage, just in case I come back. How silly!

Then I read chapter 7, in which Francis encourages us to hold our possessions lightly. They are very temporary things and they are just that – THINGS! He says “We are loaded down with too many good things, more than we could ever need, while others are desperate for a small loaf of bread. The good things we cling to are more than money; we hoard our resources, our gifts, our time, our families, and our friends. As we begin to practice regular giving, we see how ludicrous it is to hold on to the abundance God has given us and merely repeat the words thank you.”

He also encourages us to see the connection between giving and loving. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave...” We can see right there that one of the best ways to show love is to give.

In light of all, last week my roommate and I packed up all our “random” possessions that we didn’t want to take back to the states (picture frames, candles, toiletries, lotions, American foods, etc). We took 3 big boxes to school and within a couple hours EVERYTHING was gone. And I mean everything. It was the best feeling, knowing that I was able to bless people through my giving. We could have had a garage sale and sold the items…none of it was junk. But instead we just gave it away and as a result I was blessed. In Acts it tells us it is more blessed to give than receive. I am sure many of us believe that, but do we really live like we believe it?

It has really challenged me and made me think about all the STUFF I have waiting for me when I get back to the states. I am looking forward to going through it and getting rid of a bunch of it. And not just because I don’t want it anymore or it doesn't fit, but because I can bless someone else through my giving. If you are reading this, I want you to keep me accountable. When you see me ask me, “What have you given away?”

See ya’ll soon :)

Weekend of Good-byes

This past weekend was FULL of good-byes (and some tears). Friday night I hung out with one of my Turkish friends for maybe the last time. Saturday, I had a good-bye party for a family that is moving back to the states. I went straight from the good-bye party to the Teacher Appreciation Dinner. It is always fun to see everyone outside of school - dressed up and enjoying themselves.

As a way to honor teachers that are leaving, they ask another teacher to share stories or encouragement for the leaving teacher. My sweet (and quieter) friend, Meghan, who teaches 4th grade was asked to share about me. She decided to rewrite the lyrics to "God Bless Us Everyone" and sing it in front of the entire restaurant. It was so cute and precious. I kept thinking , "I cannot BELIEVE she is doing this!!"

Sunday was the last house group before everyone dispersed for the summer. They chatted over me and sent me out well. It was a very special time - I am so grateful for the opporunity I have had to meet with this group the last two and half years. They have become my family here and I will miss them dearly.

I went straight from House Group to school for a good-bye party for two British families that are returning to the UK. They asked me a few months back if I would lead line dances for them. They didn't want their good-bye party to be sappy and sad, but happy and fun. I have enjoyed getting to know them and their families - and have especially enjoyed having British friends :)

Day in the City

Last Saturday I spent the whole day out in the city with a group of my girlfriends here. It was a day full of many "last" experiences. We caught the boat in Çengelköy and road it up the Bosphorus to a restaurant on the European side. Best Turkish breakfast ever. There are so many things I love about Sütiş:

1. The View - this restaurant sits right on the Bosphorus


2. Breakfast appetizer plates - cucumbers and tomatoes, honey and butter, kaymak (clotted cream) and honey, borek, olives and cheese, and fresh breads!


3. Sütiş Latte - INCREDIBLE! This white chocolate latte comes in a tumbler type class with 3 beautiful layers of goodness.


4. Menemen - kinda like an omelet but way better. They bring it to you in the frying pan they cook it in.


5. Eating breakfast at 11am and knowing I will not be hungry again until at least dinner.

The pictures do not do it justice, nor my descriptions, but believe me it is awesome! After breakfast we walked along the water for about an hour until we got to Bebek - which is another one of my favorite parts of this city. (Istanbul is kinda like NYC, except that it has 11 burroughs). Anyways Bebek is this really cute part of town with a Starbucks that sits right on the Bosphorus...like you can sit and dangle your feet in the water. Lovely. After sitting outside for a while reading and getting some sun, we played Phase 10 for the rest of the afternoon. We played a lot of Phase 10 my first summer here - so it felt like a walk down memory lane.We caught the boat back to Çengelköy, where we ate Kumpir (loaded baked potato) and a Waffle. Other dishes I will greatly miss! Now I know what you are thinking, "There are waffles in America." But not waffles loaded with nutella and other creams, fruits, nuts, chocolate, and whatever your heart desires. Oh. my. gosh.

While walking to the bus I noticed that cherries were only 5 lira a kilo (about $1.5 for a pound). I have been waiting for the price to go down, and was thrilled to purchase some. It was the perfect end to a perfect day.

Cooking

Well after living in Turkey for over 2 years I finally learned how to make a couple Turkish dishes. I had been telling my friend, Nildeniz, that I wanted her to teach me how to make a few things. We are both so busy with work though, that we often meet in the city between her classes or after my school. But since I am leaving in less than a month and time was running out,
we made the time last weekend for her to come over to the apartment and show me. First, we made börek (pastry filled with cheese, potato, spinach, meat, etc). So yummy! This one has spinach and beyaz peynir (like feta cheese). Then we made baklava (sweet pastry filled with chopped nuts and syrup - what I thought was honey). This is very typical Turkish dessert and dates back to the Ottoman Empire. First, we did several layers of yufka (like filo pastry) and walnuts.Next, we had to cut the pastry into nice squares - through all 20 layers. We poured melted butter along the edges/cracks and then cooked in the oven for 20 minutes. After cooking the pastry, we allowed it to cool for a few minutes before pouring the syrup (water, sugar, and fresh lemon juice) on top. What fun this was for me...I can't wait to try making these things in the states. It was a great afternoon with a sweet friend. One of the many reasons I am going to miss Nildeniz!