2006 trip to Europe

We spent the most time in Istanbul, Turkey.  The five families and two single men we visited with are very actively reaching out to the people of Turkey and to foreigners from many other countries.  From building a church to distributing food to the hungry to conducting intercessory events for the nation to studying local languages to making friends in the marketplace they work long hours to introduce Moslems to the love of a gracious Savior. 

When I am asked what it’s like to be in Moslem places I answer that most Moslems are about as Moslem as most Americans are Christian.  They grew up under Islam, were exposed to its teachings and its culture and take it for granted.  They've heard of Jesus but couldn’t tell you much about Him. 

Most Americans have gone to church, celebrate Easter and Christmas, and believe that God wants people to be good.  The average Turk is the same with Islam.  He works hard, wants to provide for his family, have a comfortable life and be a good person.

But there are exceptions.  There are fundamentalist extremists who promote open hostility toward westerners.  Well meaning Turks hear these calls for militancy and assume that Christians must be up to something bad.  But the vast majority of Turks are more focused on the local economy and whether Turkey will join the European Union which translates into better jobs and more food on the table.      

But because of the radicals, Turkey can be dangerous for westerners, especially identified Christians who openly promote Christianity.  A small percentage of Moslems are violent.  Missionaries live with this and choose to trust God.  Turks who embrace Christianity risk greater animosity.  Converting from Islam is not treated as a private affair of the conscience but is a major betrayal of family, friends and nationalism.  

Much of the work of the missionaries is to create a community where Turkish Christians can be safe to grow in their new faith.  It must be like what Paul saw as he traveled through Turkey almost two thousand years ago.  Believers met together for fellowship, teaching and worship.  The church lived with a tension between the larger culture and the followers of Jesus.  They knew too that following Christ might cost them their lives.  Things aren’t all that different in Turkey these days. 

So many of these people groups live lives so amazingly different from what we experience.  The casually materialistic world we come from doesn't exist for most of these people.  Some of them suffer daily.  We met a 30 year old Kurdish Turk who is a wonderful man who had been tortured years ago for his ethnic background and his health still suffers but his faith in Christ is so genuine and so deep that he risks being persecuted again willingly.  There are only a few thousand Turkish believers across the whole country (remember Istanbul alone is 17 million people, the capital, Ankara is multiple millions, Izmir is multiple millions, Adana in the south is multiple millions--this is a big country.)  In Istanbul there are only a half dozen Bible believing Christian churches and most of these aren't more than about 50 people.  Crossroads Church in Vancouver is twice the size of all of the true Christians in this whole country.  Some of these believers never have a church to attend and some don't know more than one or two other Christians and have no one to teach them.  Factor in poverty and illness and pressure from their Moslem families and friends and you get a sense of why it is hard to reach the people of Turkey.

The believers we met in Istanbul are really fortunate since they are close enough to attend at least one church though they may have to travel an hour or two to get to services.  But for them spending time with other Christians is their true delight. Maybe you can sense why they seemed so genuinely happy to meet us when we arrived.

There is so much more to tell, about the international church, about the food distribution to the Kurds and the craft classes and the prayer teams and the persecution and the discouragement and the friendliness of the Turks and the great food and the sites to see and the crazy drivers and on and on but all I can say is that the harvest is great but the laborers are few.  The land of Paul's journeys and the cities of Revelation need to take back their Godly heritage.

From Istanbul we traveled to Macedonia and Albania.  Like Turkey, both of these countries are Moslem.  Our missionary family in Macedonia works with the Roma people--the gypsies.  Skopje has the largest Roma community in the Balkans, maybe the world, with over 40,000 living on the outskirts of the country's capital city.  The Roma speak their own language, have a distinct culture and are descended from India.  They are largely rejected by the ethnic nationals of any country they are in and often live the poorest life styles.  We visited a Roma family of about 12 living in a home of under 500 square feet.  They have very little but they were warm and gracious to us and the children were happy and playful.  The Roma  no longer live in horse drawn wagons or make money telling fortunes though they are often itinerant and their religion includes a lot of mysticism and what we might think of as superstitions drawn from numerous religions.  Our missionaries are at work on audio based gospel messages since so few Roma can read. 

As we drove from Skopje west to Albania we passed through nearly a third of the country which we learned had no Christian presence at all.  We saw Moslem mosques and minarets every one to two minutes for a good hour but never a church.  600,000 Macedonians on the west side are ethnically Albanian and don't relate to the rest of the country.  In Tirana we learned that Christian Albanians have plans to reach the Albanians of Macedonia.  Because of the recent history of ethnic genocide in the Balkans they are realistically the only chance that Albanians in Macedonia will listen.  

Unlike the former Yugoslavia, Albania's recent history has been atheism.  They were Marxist to the extreme that even Moscow rejected them.  At one point Albania's only allies were communist China and North Korea.  And then they offended China.  The country is still dotted with 750,000 small military bunkers built to defend Albania against the expected invasion by the west, especially the US.  They knew the US was anti-communist and Albania was communist, therefore the US would eventually invade.  These bunkers are everywhere and Albania has no money to remove them so some local villagers decorate them with paint and flowers.

Yet the work of the Christian church is thriving compared to Macedonia.  Albania has open public ministry, churches across the country, several Bible schools and an active community of foreign workers representing many missions groups.  The country is predominately Moslem but Albania is much more western in its culture than Macedonia. 

In fact, one of the curiosities about Albania is that, while a very poor country, so many drive Mercedes Benz’ and BMWs.  We learned that in Albania one can license a car simply by presenting it to the authorities regardless of whether you have the proper ownership papers.  So there is a huge business in stealing cars from other countries (apparently a popular choice is a Mercedes Benz or a BMW from Germany ) smuggling it into Albania and then selling them to locals for a fraction of their actual value. 

We visited wonderful missionaries who are involved in a Bible college and work with Albanian orphans and teaching high school.  We stayed at a retreat center in the heart of the city run by local Christians with a restaurant with an American menu.  It's business is hotel and food but it's purpose is to be a community center for Christian foreign workers.  It was amazing to meet people from around the world who were working in Albania and Eastern Europe . 

We are invariably asked to come back soon.  I pray we can.  Being with people like this in their world is when I feel alive.  At the same time most of their stories break my heart and I wish we could do more.  I love that we have been able to distribute about 50 or 60 Beanie Babies as we travel.  We've also passed out books and worship CDs and treats of favorite foods.  We try to take the missionaries out for a meal and we listen as they tell us about the work they do and the people they serve and we try to encourage them.  They are doing the most incredible work while trying to manage all the same kinds of challenges we all face: marriages, children, paying the bills, staying healthy, making meals, only they face so many more difficulties than we ever do with less support. 

In Turkey their greatest request is that they get more help from America.  They pray for more workers.  Not money so much as just workers who will stay and make friends with normal everyday Turks.  Our missionaries in Macedonia are one family of only two in the whole country here to minister to the Roma people.  The need is overwhelming.  The Bible talks about the harvest being great but the laborers are few.  Pray, we are told, to the Lord of the Harvest that He send forth more laborers.  That's the biggest need here.  I've been in public ministry for over 30 years and I've never felt the need so keenly as I do when I make these trips. 

From Albania we took a ferry to Bari, Italy and were greeted by Matteo Calisi and his team from the Community of Jesus, a Catholic renewal ministry who hosted us for the most enjoyable day.  We learned of the ministry's work around the world, prayed together and shared several incredible meals.  Matteo also took us to tour the Basilica of St. Nicolas which may not mean a lot to you until you realize that I'm talking about THE St. Nick of Santa Claus fame.  The historic Nicolas lived and died in  Turkey but after his death 1500 years ago, his remains were relocated to Bari where they were treated as religious icons and a beautiful basilica was built to house them.  Ever since, Bari has been known as the City of St. Nicolas.    

When it came time for me to return to Washington, Cathy flew on to Ireland.  When her Irish friends heard she was coming they arranged for a time of prayer with women from different cities.  They love Cathy and God has used her to bless the leaders of the Irish Aglow ministry during several visits.  They met at the famous Hill of Tara northwest of Dublin, the traditional site where 142 tribal kings were crowned by Druid priests for hundreds of years.  It is also the site where St. Patrick confronted the druids, converted the high king and saw his ministry to Ireland begin.  To this day, Tara is a sacred site for people of many religions including occult and new age groups.  Christians gather there too because it represents a visitation of God's power to the people of Ireland.  The women who prayed there with Cathy sensed the presence of God and were greatly blessed.  And did I mention that they met on March 17th, St. Patrick’s Day?

As with Turkey, there is so much more to tell about the various stops on this trip.  Macedonia and Albania, Italy, England and Ireland.  Even seven hours in Slovenia laughing hilariously while pulling our luggage through the snow.  The whole trip was amazing.  But I know that for many this report has already been longer than they have time to read.  So I'll quit now with this final comment:

We are so privileged to make these trips and to meet these incredible people.  We know from what we hear that God uses our visits to encourage these precious people in their work and to support them in their families and their personal lives.  We don't go as tourists and most of what Cathy and I do while with these missionaries can't be told and must remain confidential.  Many of you support us in prayer and some help financially.  We couldn't do it without both.  We go where we are asked.  We already have requests to do public ministry in Turkey , Italy , and Ireland as well as a standing invitation to Wales and Spain.  But we will be seeking God as to the where and when of our next trip and we're sure He will direct.  

Heaven keeps records of your participation in the purposes of the kingdom.  You are blessing dozens and through them thousands and through them untold millions by your prayers and giving.  Cathy and I deeply thank you for your love and your help.

In His Grace,

Mark and Cathy        

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