Sweating, panting, running through the airport to the constant clicking sound of my carry-on pulled behind me on the tile after they already had already made the final boarding call for Luke Holder, I hoped that there would be a way that I would somehow make my last flight home. Knowing that I could not do it without the help of a friend and those in charge of the flight, I prayed that God would make a way, because I desperately wanted to be going home to Emma. This wasn’t the way that things were supposed to work out, we were supposed to have a couple hours of a layover, but things don’t always go the way we think they should or hope they will, especially when we aren’t in charge. God reminded me of that as I sat on the plane ride home jammin’ to some David Crowder reflecting on this trip.

As I left a little over a week ago, I asked for prayer coverage for safety, that God would prepare the field and go before us, for people of peace, and for the laborers who are on the ground working among the Alawite People in Turkey. Let me tell you how good our God is! This was my first vision trip to an unengaged people group within a muslim country, and it was fruitful for our work as well as for me personally.

The Alawite People of Turkey are a Turkish Muslim unengaged people group who are very hospitable and based on the conversations that we had are open to hearing stories of Jesus. The people of Turkey are about 99% muslim and have been for generations now.  One story we heard from one of our co laborers on the ground was about a man who started to follow and after being ostracized from his family for leaving their religion later spoke truth about how he was not leaving their family’s religion, but rather returning to that which their family followed generations prior.  This even stirred up my heart for good, faithful family discipleship for generations to leave behind a legacy of following Jesus.

There are some laborers on the ground that we stayed with who want to see God move throughout the Alawites and we’re excited to see a way that we shared Creation to Christ using a tool that was simple enough for the person who heard it the first time could tell their family. We were very encouraged upon leaving them, expectant about what God is going to do.

We met and connected with an American, Chip*, who moved to Turkey about 6 years ago with a heart to reach the Turks. One of the Alawites that we would meet named Joshua* is like a son in the faith to him. They are excited to continue sharing Jesus’ story among the Alawite people in hopes of seeing people start gathering in groups that would study to know, love, and follow Jesus more.

Joshua shared his story of how the hardest things that he wrestled with in starting to follow Jesus was about loving people and understanding Jesus’ love of him and others. He shared how this was so counter-cultural to the Alawite Muslim background he grew up around. Joshua translated for us sharing Creation to Christ with Teddy*, he helped Teddy practice sharing Creation to Christ in preparation of telling his wife and mother, and asked him if he would be open to meeting in Teddy’s home so that they could learn another story together. Joshua was amazed at this and loved the way that Teddy was able to share the story back.

Leaving Turkey we were encouraged from hearing the hearts of the laborers on the ground and their desire to see God move in their midst. Join me in continuing to pray for them.

• Pray for more gospel seed to be sown, that from it there would be a mighty harvest, 30-60-even 100 fold (Mark 4:8).
• Groups to start gathering, like one in Teddy’s home.
• Some of the groups that are already gathering to reproduce as they become more Kingdom minded (2 Timothy 2:2, 1 Corinthians 1:11).

Lastly, I owe you all a thanks for continuing to pray for us while I was in Turkey and here after to see God move among people groups for the first time in generations, if ever. Excited to see what God will do as He is able to do exceedingly, abundantly more than we can ask or imagine (Ephesians 3: 20)!