Awesome İstanbul

Still in İstanbul...trying to cope wıth a random Turkisk keyboard. Well, at least you can join my journey by that..çğüı..

İt has been really good time, very relational, relaxed but effective since we have progressed in planning quite well and also got exposed to some local spırıtual issues. We went to pray in the place where the city was founded, Yedikule and ended the time praying in the Mosque of Vıctory (over Christians when the city was conquered by muslims). We have visited Ottoman palace of Topikapi, and wondered the remarkable archıtecture of Aya Sophia and today been on a cruise on Bosphorus in the wonderful sunshine. So it's been really hard, work believe me ;)

We have noticed how life ıs quite relaxed on the European side, busy on the busıness centers on the Asıan sıde, and has its very own flavour on Asian sıde where the locals lıve. It's just a beautiful experience to take a boat over to the other side. Everywhere there are frıendly people to help you. So many streets to wander.

Today İ happened to run into some local believers. Most of the believers that İ had met this far were Amerıcan missionaries. Actually, today İ run into an American guy whom İ met two years ago in a YWAM conferense ın Rovaniemi, north of Finland. Well, it's a small world you never know whom to run into! İt was very encouragin sınce he knows very well an other guy İ will meet in Lebanon where İ'm heading tomorrow.

In the evening when sun was setting Marc and İ were tryıng to film an invitation to the next Connect Europe gathering where will explore some of the issues conserning Constantine and institutionalizing the church(since this is THE city of Constantine), east meeting west. what it really means to be a church in a non-western culture with equal but different mindset. Actually most of the coffee houses, back yards and ...even mosques seem much more relevant as meeting places for a community than churches with benches where İ have been. İ just love settings wıth carpets on the floor and the wall wıth lots of pillows..and çai of course! 

Comments

[Tim the Enchanter]

You present an attractive description of Istanbul Niina. Have a good trip and God bless you!