My life in Istanbul seems full of new experiences and challenges. Two days ago I told myself that I could stay here for a long time. Yesterday I was over it. So there are clearly ups and downs. Last Sunday my friend who I had met on the metro came to a Turkish church with me and he continues to be interested in learning about life in Jesus Christ. He introduced himself to the church telling them all that he felt welcomed by them and a warm presence with the community. Unfortunately, he is heading off to university tomorrow in the capital city so I won’t see him for a while, but hopefully he can get connected with some people there that will help him as he seeks God. The good news is that he’ll be taking the Bible we gave him! He’s already begun reading it and the theological study keeps his interest—I just can’t wait for him to get to the New Testament. When we hung out last night one of his other friends told me that he too wanted to come to church. Hopefully, when I’m not at work, I can keep getting to know this group of guys who are seeking to know more about God.
It’s weird having a 9-5 job. It’s still a tough transition as I enjoy late nightlife but it’s also a blessing to have all my evenings free. Working in a high school is a completely different experience too; I don’t think I could have been prepared for some of the challenges here. I teach 21 periods throughout the week. The majority of the students here are boys; of my seven classes only two have a couple girls. In the classes that are all boys it’s evident that there is at least one student who wants to learn English. It makes me so sad to see their eagerness and watch their comrades continuously disrupt learning. I’m throwing around the idea of an English club that would meet after school in order to help the earnest students of different levels speak in English more often in an environment that would further facilitate language acquisition.
So glad it’s almost the weekend again, just one class left. I don’t have plans, but we are in the process of getting our work visas from the government so that we can officially work at the school. Then once I have my visa I’ll be able to leave the country and return without issue. This November we have about two weeks off for a holiday, Kurban Bayramı. Apparently, there is a lot of blood in the streets as it’s the time for sacrifice. It’d be intriguing to see and learn about the culture, but I also am considering getting out for a time, maybe visiting a friend nearby since we have such an extended break. We will see, but either way, continued adventures await!
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