I knew I would be bad at this!

Everyday that I am on the bus or something really funny happens I think, "Oh I should blog about that." When I get home I crash and never do that.

Officially I haven't worked in a week. It has been a fun filled adventure this week. I have done a whole lot and spent a lot of time with some good friends. I realized this morning though I really do not like having all this free time. I enjoy working and being busy. Maybe if I was home and surrounded with all my family and friends I would enjoy all this free time a lot more but I am here and I want to begin my new job.

There are a lot of highlights living here. For instance, my laundry is done for me along with cooking and cleaning. I am living like a queen here, but only for 10 more days. My view out the front window is breathtaking. The sea and the far off islands is just beautiful. I will have a friend take some photos next time she is here.

With highlights there are also lowlights, I really miss my family, my friends, my car (it takes me no less than an hour to get anywhere), all the good restaurants in Chicago...

It is true absence does make the heart grow fonder. I look forward to being home in 33 days, hooray!

Change

Life is always about change.

When I started college I knew I wanted to be a teacher yet after 7 years, on and off, I graduated with a degree in Communications. My first job was an assistant 4th grade teacher. So I went back to school and began a masters program and earned a teaching certificate, which I was able to teach one year in the classroom. The second year I lost my position and had to substitute teach all last year. I ended up coming to Istanbul for the summer to be a private tutor for a family, that only lasted a month and now I have a contract to teach for a year here. I have moved two times this summer and after August is over it will be 3 times.

Don't get me wrong I do enjoy the change no matter how stressful it can get. As I reflect on all these changes and adjustments to my future I see God's hand there in the midst of everything.

I am extremely blessed and excited to see how much more life continues to change. Who knows where I will end up next? I am thinking I will be here for more than a year, but that may change tomorrow. So I praise God for what He has done for me up to this point and try to reflect my gratitude in service to Him today and try not to think to much about tomorrow.

Focusing on The Positives

First of all want to wish my good friend Abbie a Happy Birthday. I would post a good picture from our past here but I didnt bring any photos with me and so I cant do that :(

On Abbie's birthday I signed a contract to teach at a school for ONE year in Istanbul. How exciting!!! I can see God's hand in this entire situation and how He provided me the opportunity to do this and protected me in many situations. Today I decided to read Psalms and sometimes I choose one by just opening up to a random one and today one of the verses says: Psalm 146:9a The Lord watches over the alien

Now although I am not really an alien in terms of science fiction, hahahahaha, I sure am an alien here in Istanbul. I do not know the language and really I thought I was street smart but not here. The whole situation of hopping into a strange man's van just put things into perspective for me.

TO end it all I feel like Satan is attacking a lot here at the same time that God is opening doors and growing me in my faith. I pray that I remain obedient and sensitive to the Lord's leading.

A Life of Comfort

As an American citizen I never realized how easy and comfortable we have it. We can go to almost any place in the world and someone somewhere will speak or at least understand a little bit of English. We can choose whatever religion or none at all to follow. If we want to pack up and sell everything and move to a foreign land we can do just that, with some limitations!

Living in a foreign place I have discovered this reality. It makes me praise God for putting me in this situation and pray for those who do not have these freedoms I was born into. At the same time it also makes me realize that although I have this comfort now, it can be taken away at any moment. What would I do without this freedom? I have never been put into a situation where I had to choose my faith or comfort.

I praise GOD for this grace He has bestowed on me and my family and friends in America. I now pray for the many people I meet here so far away that do not have these same rights. So many of them have fled their homes in search of freedom and lost everything material on the way. It is a challenge to me in my faith to be willing to be uncomfortable in situations in order to serve and love the people I am blessed with meeting and share God's love.

Please pray for the people in Istanbul who are refugees and are living a life that lacks comfort, safety and freedom. I pray that the truth of God's word would be brought to them and that they will realize that this life here is temporary and if they should choose to believe and follow Jesus Christ, they can share in a life of hope of a future in the presence of the Almighty.

I pray for you all back home and hope that you are having a great summer. I miss everyone terribly and can't wait to finalize a job for the fall in order that I can come home for a short visit in September. Love you all!

Friends

Me and Whitney on the Bosporus

Avat and I at church

Adjusting

Since I have arrived I have felt like a true foreigner. From getting off of the plane and not being able to communicate with anyone to find where my driver was or from jumping in the wrong car, to forgetting my cell phone on the bus and trying to coordinate getting it back. I have witnessed God's grace again and again and I praising Him in everything.

I have found a great church here and the fellowship of believers is so encouraging. I enjoy Sundays the most. I am refreshed, encouraged and find strength from the sermon as well from the time we have together at lunch. I have met some really great people as well at church, which is a HUGE answer to prayer. In fact I met two good friends. My friend Whitney, who is from New Zealand and is nanny for a family from Texas. I was blessed with the opportunity to stay with them this past weekend. It was so nice to be in a house with six kids who all spoke English! I loved it. The other person is Avat. He has an amazing testimony and we spend a lot of time talking and getting to know each other more and more. Please be praying for him as he grows more in his faith and also seeks God's will for his complicated life. A life that we in America would never have to experience. My heart is burdened by his pain and suffering but encouraged as well by his desire to grow in knowledge of God and His word.

This week please pray for me for wisdom in choosing what school I should accept a position at and whatever school I choose, that the paperwork for my visa will be completed quickly. Also I am going to have to tell the family I am living with that I will not be here full time any longer. Lastly, that I can find a nice apartment in a SAFE and quiet neighborhood.

Thanks for reading and praying for me. Today I really miss my family.

I have broken down and started a blog!

So I thought that I could just survive this new journey to Istanbul with just updating my status on facebook but after yesterdays encounter with "lost in translation" and getting in a van with a stranger I thought maybe I will just write a blog.

Life here is going well. I don't really love living at my job, but just like life here on earth, this is temporary at the moment. It got me here and after this week I will have been on three interviews. It is amazing how after a few years of patience I am finally being offered jobs that I really want to do, teach!

It will be interesting in the next few days to see what happens in terms of offers from the school and where I will end up working. I can truly say that this past year of working at a different school has really prepared me for my career here.

Also, for those of you who don't know I had been praying that I would meet some good Christian friends who I could grow with. Well God has answered that prayer as well. This Friday I will be going to Bible study at the church I have been attending, Praise God.

One last thing if you could pray for me as I would like to make a decision soon as to a job for the school year, some friends who are praying about joining me here that God will open the door for them to come, and one prayer request I am can not broadcast on a public sight. SO thanks to everyone home in Chicago and anywhere else who is interested in what I have to say.