Last week, our team had the opportunity to go out into a
local village, with the intentions of meeting the local people, praying for
them as we were able. Justin Beal and I were paired up, and we decided to just walk
down the main street of this village and try to start up conversation with
everyone we came in contact with.
It was difficult at first, since we only know
a few basic words and phrases in Turkish, and with this being a small farming
village in the mountains, virtually none of the locals spoke any English. Despite
that, we still wanted to do our best to reach out and start up conversations
with the people we saw, trusting that God would direct our steps.
After a few
brief conversations with several people, we kept walking and praying our way
down the road, until we passed a small restaurant that looked more like someone’s
home and beautifully kept garden. We both looked at each other as we walked by,
and inside knew this was where we were supposed to stop, so we went in.
There was just a man and an older woman eating breakfast at a
table, along with a woman preparing food in the kitchen, and a man watering the
plants in the garden (presumably the owners). We decided to take the table
right next to the 2 people eating, in hopes that we could strike up a
conversation, and ordered some tea (definitely the most popular drink in
Turkey).
We said hello to everyone, and the man at the table next to us began
talking to us in very broken English, but enough for us to communicate the
basics across, stating that we were from America, and were happy to be visiting
their beautiful village.
After a little bit, the conversation died down, and
Justin and I looked at each other and just started praying for them in English
since they really didn’t understand it, and it would just look to them like we
were having a normal conversation.
We got our tea, and just sat back taking in
the scenery, and then decided to try conversing again, this time with the aid
of Google Translate (a must have phone app for international travel, if I might
add). This allowed us to really get to know more about the man and woman next
to us, which were actually a mother and son enjoying breakfast together.
After exchanging stories, we decided to ask if either of
them had any pain in their bodies that we could perhaps pray for. For me, it’s
always been a struggle just to openly come up to someone and ask if there was
anything I can pray with them for, just because it can feel so awkward and
uncomfortable, that it is easier to avoid than to just do it. Nevertheless, we
proceeded to ask, and the man (named Ali) seemed to light up and said yes,
pointing to his kidney area. After several minutes of trying to diagnose
roughly what it was he was trying to explain, we realized that his mother was
having kidney issues and they were happy to have us pray. We prayed a very
simple prayer in English, just asking that God would heal her kidney, and that
He would bless them both and show His love to them, and then we finished.
After
that, they thanked us, and actually invited us over to their table to have
breakfast with them. He even called the owners over to sit down with us, and we
all ate breakfast together! It was such an awesome experience, and is really
nothing like I’ve ever seen back home in America. Despite the language barrier,
in that moment, it felt like we were all friends just enjoying each other’s
company, eating together. It was amazing!
We sat and talked (or mainly listened) for a while, trying
to understand some of the Turkish conversation, but we were really just happy
to be sitting there eating breakfast. Ali actually ended up letting us know
that he owned a market in a nearby town, and invited us to come by anytime, and
even gave us his cell phone number to contact him. He and his mother had to go,
but the restaurant owners insisted that Justin and I finish our breakfast, so
we sat there and finished eating, while the shop owner went back to watering
his garden.
The owner's wife was still at the table eating with us, and I just thanked
her for her hospitality and for the wonderful food. We decided to ask if we
could pray a blessing for them and their business, to which she agreed and
called her husband back over so we could pray together with them. We prayed
another simple prayer, just asking that God would bless them and their
business, and again that he would just show His love to them.
We finished, and
went to pay and go back to walking around the town, but when we asked how much
the bill came to, they informed us that it was free of charge, and that it was
their pleasure to share with us. We tried again to pay for the meal, but they
would not accept, and so we thanked them again and said our goodbyes and left.
It was such an incredible experience that would have never
happened if we had just kept walking and decided to stay in our comfort zone. We
were able to not only be a blessing to others, but to also be blessed. It was
such an encouragement to me as well, because even though there is a language
barrier, God is still able to move. Even if it means that there will be awkward
moments, and extra time spent trying to communicate through Google Translate,
it’s worth the time and even the momentary awkwardness. I just have to be
willing to share his love, to step out of what’s comfortable, and be a light.
Mark 5:21, “Would anyone light a lamp and then put it under a basket or
under a bed? Of course not! A lamp is placed on a stand, where its light will
shine.”
-
- - Matthew
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