NOTE: Lots of basic, introductory facts in the first full paragraph. I'll write more intelligently after that!
I'm an American citizen (and so thankful to be one)! I'm a teacher. I'm a Christian. I'm middle-aged, single with two cats. I consider myself a politicial conservative. I live and work in Turkey. Turkey is a secular democracy. Religious freedom is allowed, though the nation is becoming less secular. Some say there are 100,000 Christians in Turkey (0.1%) but there are less than half that amount. Turkish Christians may be shunned or attacked by their families, though some find acceptance.
I've lived in Turkey for the better part of six years. I live in a large city that is much more Western in appearance than one might expect. Things have changed so much in the last six years. At first, we had only dial-up internet. The big news when I arrived was the opening of the city's first Starbucks. Now we have DSL in our homes, wi-fi in most homes and in most of the dozen shopping malls, and more than 20 Starbucks. Public transportation is doable, though never comfortable. Unless you're in the boonies, you can find a “Western” toilet and not be forced to deal with a Turkish squatty-potty.
I was asked by a friend, “How does it feel now that you are back in the states? Any interesting observations that you didn't see before?” Later, he reminded me (lest one could forget) that we as Christians, with the rest of the world, are going through birth pains. I decided to address the two together. While some of what I say will likely be funny, I'll tell you the conclusion now: please pray for the individual, oft-overlooked people of Turkey.
It's a long-standing joke with our mostly-American school staff: “When I get to Wal-Mart (or Target), I'll...” “Wal-Mart” is symbolic of “America” in the sense that both hold so much that we cannot get while we are in Turkey. I had not been in the US since August 2009—about 10.5 months—but knew I needed to take things slowly. It's not just the particular items for sale that we miss (Oreos, Fritos, socks that actually fit, Curad band-aids, shoes I want to wear, all things pork!) but also the variety. Did you know that there are 80 different salad dressings for sale at Wal-Mart? Ranch, Lite Ranch, Bacon Ranch, Buttermilk Ranch, FatFree Ranch...and that's just a few of the options from one company. In Turkey, the most well-stocked store has 4 flavors: 1000 Island, Caesar, Greek and Italian. If variety is the spice of life, Turkey has no spice. That's not true,though, because there are plenty of spices here. Red-pepper spices are pretty common, and dried mint is used in many dishes. Kimyon (cumin) is popular, as is tuz (salt). One spice you can't get? Plain ol' black pepper. There is pepper, and it's black, but it is not the same; it's about twice as strong as what I grew up using.
It's relatively inexpensive to live in my city, and I cook 98% of what I eat. Stateside, though, I am spending what I feel is “lots” of money on eating out. The fanciest place we've visited is Red Lobster, so we're not talking gourmet. However, hitting the drive-thru on the way home from a shopping trip, grabbing hot-wings at the bistro and (finally) Chick-Fil-A before the movies is expensive. It's also wasteful, if you think about it. I could have put that money to good use (like buying more travel-safe bacon to take back with me) or more humanitarian / eternal pursuits. I did decide to spend a little money as a monthly sponsor of a child through one of the well-known agencies. This particular boy lives in another part of the Middle East. Like most teachers, a portion of my salary goes for stuff for school.
Gas is cheap here, isn't it? $2.50/gallon for unleaded is four times what it was when I started driving, but it pales against our $8.73/gallon we pay in Turkey. Perhaps that's why public transportation is so much more prevalent; costs just over $1 to reach some malls, $2-$3 for others. In Turkey, I live less than ¼ mile from two small grocery stores; each is about the size of a gas-station food store, but include a plentiful fruit/veg section and at least one butcher. I walk to the grocery store, and I walk to and from school each morning. Truthfully, the neighborhood is such that I walk to school uphill both ways (and sometimes in the snow)! Last week, I walked about a mile to a drugstore to buy a soda and get Mom's prescriptions. I felt completely out of place walking to the store, though I do that almost daily in Turkey. No one else was walking; everyone rushed by in their cars and trucks.
I was able to attend my “home” church for the first time in more than two years. It was great! I saw lots of old friends, got to hear the organ play, and I even sang with the choir. As we left the parking lot, a policeman thoughtfully directed traffic since the church across the street was also finishing their morning services. We rushed to the restaurant so we could beat the crowds from all the other neighborhood churches. If you don't like what the pastor preaches, or you don't like the music, or the paint color in the bathrooms, you can find another church very easily. (Note: I do live in the “Bible Belt” when stateside; not all US cities have a church on every corner.) In fact, some folks I know well were contemplating finding a new church for this reason or that. In my city in Turkey, there are 3 places for foreigners to worship: two Protestant, one Catholic. My church is not on diplomatic grounds (the other two are) and is fully “approved” by the Turkish government. We worship in English and the service is open to all (including Turks). We also have a separate service in Turkish. Other than our church, I know of less than a dozen total churches in the city. Each church (none with membership over 200, many a tenth of that) that is open to Turks has the practical responsibility to reach nearly one million citizens in this city with the Gospel.
Turkey as a nation is becoming more interested in technology and in Western goods. My section of Turkey is filled with blue jeans and Nike shoes, exercise equipment in the local parks, iPhones and satellite TV (including “Chuck”, “Castle” and at least one baseball game each week during the season). However, Turkey is still culturally about people. Restaurants are for eating, but also for hanging-out with a cup of tea and some baklava or mixed nuts. People spend time together, even when they ar working 54 hour, 6-day weeks (the norm in Turkey). The way to make friends is to spend time together. You have lots of time to do build relationships: waiting in line at the store, waiting at the security station to renew permits, or crammed in a bus or dolmuş. They have shared values and goals. Of course, it helps to know the language. Even after six years, I'm not fluent, so communicating deep thoughts is a challenge. I'm ok with that, because my purpose is at the school. There, English is the only language I need, other than agape, now more than ever.
Matthew 24:4-13 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains. Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.
“Wars and rumors of wars” is certainly an apt description of the current state of affairs. There are definitely earthquakes occurring on a regular basis, in the US, Turkey, the Philippines, and around the planet. Many religions attempt to discourage and deceive those who follow Truth. Israel, where Jesus walked and talked during his earthly ministry, certainly seems to be hated by many nations. The nation of Turkey is changing, and the articles I read make it sound less hospitable to Americans, and to Christians, as time passes. However, I know that I was sent to Turkey and that I must be there for some time to come. Do I expect to be “handed over to be persecuted?” I truly pray not, and the “rational” part of my brain assures me that my company and my country would somehow prevent such a serious event. There are Turkish Christians who do face or will soon face such trials. There have been Christians martyred in Turkey, including foreigners.
Will Turkey go to war with Israel? Will the US go to war with Iran? I cannot answer either question. I just know that the war for the souls of men is raging. Turkey is a nation of more than 70 million people. Those people do have strong opinions and feelings, and they are very much a collective society. In God's eyes, though, each Turk is a unique creation, and God desires that each soul in the Turkish nation come to know him.
Battle against Islam, but pray for the people.
