My team, S.D.R. out on a hike in Avanos.

For our time in Türkiye, my team is working with a church in Kapadokya (Cappadocia), known as the land of horses. The Hittites from Biblical times, lived in this region, and they were known for fighting on horseback. The small town we get to call home for five weeks is called Avanos. Although I can’t say I’ve seen any live horses in this town (there are many statues), Avanos is known for its beautiful pottery, rugs, and hot air balloons! The region is chock full of beautiful mountainous landscapes that seem otherworldly. Needless to say, the sunsets have been breathtaking.

The landscape was perfect for the early church who hid during periods of persecution. There are beautiful underground cities, and churches carved into the side of cliffs. Our host even told us – pointing up to small openings in the cliff face – that monks would stay up there for up to a month in a solitary time of prayer and fasting. They would climb a ladder, the ladder would be removed by their brothers, and then a month later, their brothers would bring the ladder again and they would climb down.

Our host pastors a church here and he is working on finishing his seminary degree. We get to partner with him to minister to the congregation. We get to grow relationships and encourage fellow believers in their faith. The community – although smaller now, as some have moved away because of the recent earthquakes – is very close and familial. We help to clean the church space each week, we lead worship (this past week, we learned and sang a song in Turkish!), and we lead kid’s time during the sermon (we have been talking to the kids about the fruit of the Spirit, and practicing verse memory).

We also do house visits throughout the week to families who have recently evacuated from the areas where the earthquakes were bad. They have lost their homes, possessions, and sometimes family members. Some families are split up. Some have families living in camps with limited resources, where nights are cold and sometimes there is very little water. Others have husbands living in another city trying to work and reestablish their lives. Each visit is different. Each person is responding to and dealing with grief in their own way. Some maintain a lighter tone, and even joke; some  have a positive outlook; some are visibly hurting; some sit in silence; some want to share their story, and others voice frustrations at the current situation. In all spaces, we pray for wisdom and try to meet the people where they’re at. In some cases, we have been able to pray with families. In all cases, my heart breaks for and goes out to the people I sit across from. On each of the visits, our host passes out gift cards to help families.

I pray that the church will continue to receive resources to continue to help families, even months out as they continue to get back on their feet. I love that my team has a heart & hunger for prayer. Outside of scheduled ministry time, we have been pressing in every morning to set aside an hour for prayer and worship – intercessory prayer for Türkiye, Kapadokya, Avanos, our church community, our new friends, the families we visit, each person we meet and interact with, and for family and friends back home. Our God is so big and so loving. His heart is for the people of Türkiye, and He is already here, working. I can’t wait to see what He’s going to do!