June Fourth

So we have spent the last two days with my Turkish brother Michael and his siblings. Mostly Michael. We went up to his restaurant in Watford yesterday evening for dinner with former teammates and their kids. Michael took us back to the kitchen and then proceeded to have me show him how to make Turkish coffee for the students. Hilarious. He KNOWS how to make coffee; he was just being my kid brother and showing me off - how much he taught me and how much I have become Turkish. Today we spent the morning in Southall and the guys made two new friends. The girls and I shopped for Salwar Kameez, while looking for people to begin conversations with. Meredith made a new friend in the shop where Mandie found her outfit. We had an interesting time looking for Salwar for Meredith, since she's 4 ' 7. It's hard to find kid's sizes that don't look like kid's suits (frilly, pink, overly dramatic).Meredith, in exasperation, turned to the lady who owned the store and said, "Do you have ANYTHING my size?" The lady smiled and said, "Well, I am your size"... At that moment, we all noticed that they were looking eye to eye. Meredith asked her if she'd be her new best friend. We will return later to talk when it's less busy and we can chat over chai. This afternoon we went back to Michael - at his other shop in Camden Town. Rather than being so duty oriented, he sat with us, and ate with us, and then actually left the shop in his brothers' hands and we roamed Camden together for a couple of hours. He's SUCH a flirt.
Beautiful boy - I blinked and he turned into a man while I was gone.

At five, he had to leave to close the other shop. Matt and David went with him and decided to hang out for the rest of the evening, making deliveries, washing dishes, whatever he needed them to do. Car time is good deep-talking time. Meredith, Mandie and I went back to Turnpike Lane to pray through my old stomping ground. Tomorrow, we go to Gwyn's. Gwyn is also a Turkish Kurd, one of my former students and a very dear friend. I asked Gwyn if she wanted to come to church with us, and she has a driving lesson at 11, but instead she will ask off work and go with us next week. She has come such a long way in her journey. I talked to her on the phone today and she asked when I was coming back permanently. She's been counting down the days, since I said it would be "only one more year".

I come here and I move right back to where I was when I left. There's so much to do. There's so much that needs doing. I speak to Gwyn and Michael, and I see two people who fill up their lives with work because there is no longer anyone to play with. They have no one to talk spiritual questions through with. They long to go to church with someone, to learn more about our Best Friend, but no longer have anyone to ask. There are few churches that are relevant to their culture or generation. The families here have children and not the time to go to a Turkish club to celebrate a birthday until all hours of the night. Here I get to rejoice with people, walking with them as they journey their way into the Kingdom.

Daryl has resorted to "TerriMartin"...I live in a different world here. I am the woman I have known. There is purpose here. They need us here.