Merry Bulgarian Christmas (we sang in front of church today)

Because of God’s tender mercy, the light from heaven is about to break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace.
Luke 1:78-79 (NLT)

Truly we were once sitting in darkness, beneath the shadow of death; but just as truly, Jesus Christ came into this world to show us the way to life. This season we celebrate the birth of Christ – not simply the birth of a cute baby, but even more so, the birth of the God of the universe born in human flesh. He lived with us. He ate with us. He celebrated with us. He cried with and for us. He loved us, no matter who we were.

Where once we were dying in our inability to follow the commandments of God, Christ came to fulfill these commandments on our behalf. And because of this perfect life Jesus came and lived, he was able to offer himself as the sacrifice (pure and spotless) that was acceptable to God. He took the complete punishment for our sins on the cross. Three days later he rose from the dead, an open display of his authority over all things, even death itself. Through his victory of death, we can know life.

This is why Jesus came into our world, and this is why we can find reason to celebrate this season, no matter where we may find ourselves.

We have all benefited from the rich blessings he brought to us – one gracious blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses; God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ.

John 1:16-17 (NLT)

(we are currently residing on the fifth floor of this building)

I write to you now from the fifth story of a Bulgarian apartment block. It has been quite the chain of events to arrive here (overnight bus, overnight train) but we are being fully cared for by both new and old friends here in Pazardjik. We are being constantly blessed by the hospitality of the couple that is allowing us to live with them during this time.

Bulgaria is cold. As we got of the train at 3AM to cross the border from Turkey to Bulgaria, I really felt like I was in a Cold-War era Russian movie. Rock hard bits of snow mixed with garbage on the railroad tracks. Thick fog hiding most all of our surroundings from our view. Train conductors that didn’t understand any of my English questions. It was a fun experience.

It has been really cool to see that friends from my last visit here are still growing and hungry in their relationship with Christ. So many people in their generation have become caught up in the mindset of the world (materialism, pop stars, etc.) but it is a blessing to spend time with young people who are wanting to invest in God where he has placed them.

(krassi: busdriver extraordinaire)

(victor: gypsy dance extraordinaire)

Also with me here from the track are John Paul and Aaron. We’ll be spending this week here in Pazardjik, and Saturday we will begin making our way down to Athens to catch our flight to Cairo, Egypt where we will begin our next phase of studies on January 3rd.

I pray that this Christmas finds all of you well, and that you are experiencing the life that is gifted to us in Jesus Christ.

turkish photo exhibition and a wild christmas ahead.

(a local cobbler)

Even though it’s just been a week, it seems like so much has transpired since the last blog entry. It has been a really enjoyable week as far as the projects we’ve been working on for our class and for the exhibition, as well as just meeting different people around town.

In class this week, as we are still learning about design, we worked on making mini magazines. For these, we had to find and issue of injustice in the world, and show what the bible has to say about that specific issue of injustice. We were divided into groups of three, and after praying, our group felt that we should make a small book about poverty. It is obviously a very broad and often times complex issue, but we attempted to display God’s heart for this in as simple a way as possible. There are surely a lot of statistics out there on the state of poverty in our world, but we wanted to focus more on God’s heart that longs to care for the poor (physically or spiritually). It was definitely a challenging experience, working with three different personalities, styles, and opinions and to make a document that flowed together in one style, theme, and message. In the end though, it was really cool to see a finished product come out the time and energy that we put into it, and I look forward to using these skills in any future publications we may be creating as a school.

We also spent some time this week preparing for the exhibition that we were able to do this last Friday in the city center of Selçuk. As a school, we decided on the theme of “Exposing Beauty” in Selçuk. Each of us displayed one or two pictures, and for each picture, we chose a word (which had to be translated into Turkish) that reflected the beauty that was shown in each specific picture. With our pictures we wanted to show how each part of the community comes together to make the whole of the community. As I talked about in last week’s entry, it was difficult to do this without simply saying things are beautiful the way they are. So many of the qualities in the people are beautiful, but are not yet being used for God’s purposes. I really feel that so much more of the beauty will be evident when they have revelation of all that God has created them for. He hasn’t made them for a set of do’s and don’ts; rather, he has made them to live and delight in relationship with himself.

(the exhibit in the city center)

(aramak is turkish for seeking. this was the photo I used for the exhibit)


(prayer time at the central mosque in selcuk)

(Nurettine, my new kadesh)

I am brothers with a 64-year-old Turkish man. One day this week, as I was sitting outside the mosque on a bench, I suddenly found my eyes covered by a pair of unfamiliar weathered hands. I continued to be blinded by these hands for a few seconds, until I was finally released from the grasp of the unknown trickster. As I got up, I saw it was a man by the name of Nurettine, who I had met last week at the washing area. Nurettine doesn’t speak a bit of English, but I was able to understand that he wanted to take me to have tea with him. So, I followed him to his regular hangout spot, a large smoke-filled tea house with various other old men, playing rummicube, reading newspapers, and watching the National Geographic channel. Nurettine introduced me to some of his friends and bought me a couple cups of Turkish çay (tea). We sat for a while, sometimes just sitting, other times attempting to communicate without the use of a common language. It probably would have seemed to be a little weird, awkward, bizarre, etc. to anyone who was watching, but I really found it to be quite enjoyable. One thing I was able to understand from the conversation is that he said we were Kadesh (I don’t know if this is the correct spelling, but it’s the way it sounds), which is Turkish for brother.

I loved spending the afternoon with Nurettine, but it was hard to not feel as though I could portray in my words the life I’ve found in relationship with Jesus. I don’t necessarily know how I can do this, but I hope my interaction with Nurettine has helped him to see the infinite value that he holds in God’s eyes. It’s in instances like this that I have to believe that God has the ability to reveal himself in much more deep and personal ways that I can ever do for him.

(nurettine, watching the national geographic channel)

(nurretine, taking a picture of me on his cellular telephone camera)

So, this has been our last full week here in Turkey. This Wednesday we will be taking our Mid-Term exam for the SBS portion of our trip, reviewing the study in the bible we have done over the last couple months. After this, we will have a couple weeks free for Christmas break, until we begin our studies again in the beginning of January. As some of you know, a couple years ago I was able to spend a few weeks working with a church in Bulgaria. During this Christmas break, God has put it on my heart to return to Bulgaria to see these friends and spend time with them and their families. We are also hoping that there will be some possibility of going to some of the gypsy villages with the pastor of the church while we’re there.

I really feel like my friends from the church there can use some encouragement in their faith, as much of the Christianity in Bulgaria is still seen as dry, stale, and inapplicable. My friends in Bulgaria have certainly expressed the great importance of Jesus in their lives, but it seems as though it may be difficult to find people their age who are similar minded. When I left Bulgaria two years ago, I didn’t know if I would ever see any of those friends again – I am so excited that God has provided a time where this looks to be possible.

(krassimir, myself, danail and blago in bulgaria)

I really believe that your prayers have been and will continue to be effective in the different ministries God has been putting in my path. Some ways you can continue to pray:

• That God would be revealing himself in the hearts of the people here in Selçuk, specifically Nurettine and those in similar situations as him.

• That God would bring smoothness to all the details of travel over this Christmas break, both for those in our school who are headed home for the break and for those of us who are traveling elsewhere.

• That the break, and the time in Bulgaria would be fruitful, whether we’re spending time with friends, or going to the gypsy villages.

• Health. They tell me it is very cold and snowy in Bulgaria right now.

I look forward to the next update I’ll be sending your way. I’m not sure exactly when it will be, but there is a good chance I may be writing the next blog to you from a snowy Bulgaria. This will most certainly be a very interesting Christmas season, and I hope you will find encouragement this time of the year as you remember Jesus’ coming into our world to bring us life, in all it’s fullness.

Timothy

(photogenx students and staff - photo: john paul vicory)

i never knew I would make so many visits to the mosque in one week

(the central mosque in selçuk)

…The truth is, you can go directly to the Father and ask him, and he will grant your request because you use my name. John 16:23 (New Living Translation)

This last week has been a little bit of a transition into learning more about the design aspect of Photography. Stephen Bryde, from the YWAM Townsville Base on the northeast coast of Australia, has come to run us through some of the basics of some of the software we may be using in producing a publication. It has been eye-opening to learn about all the different aspects that go into making a good publication.

While our school has been here in Selçuk, we’ve been blessed to have contact with some of the community and provincial leaders in the area. This week we’ve found out that we will have the opportunity to put on a photography exhibition in the city center next Friday afternoon. After praying for more direction, we have felt that we should focus on the many different people and activities around Selçuk, showing the beauty that can be found in each area as they come together to form the greater body of the community as a whole.

The National Newspaper came in this week to do an article about our school and our exhibit in Selcuk. It’s written in Turkish, but you can see it here:

http://www.efestenhaberler.com/index.asp?gorev=haberdetay&id=3353


God put it on my heart to be in a group focused on taking pictures of the Mosques in the area, as well as the people who are involved with the various activities around the Mosque. This may seem interesting, considering the focus of our exhibit is to portray the beauty of the different aspects of the community. And surely, I will agree that it is not beautiful that these people are lost in a commitment to a religion that is taking them nowhere closer to the God they are seeking. This has challenged me in the photos I am taking. I have seen that I am not just supposed to be taking pictures of the people at the Mosque and saying they’re beautiful for the sake of beauty. I have found however that there are certain things about the faith of these people that could have value if they were used in the right direction.

Here’s a small list:
They are seeking.
They are committed.
They are friendly.
They are loving.
They are reverent.
They are welcoming.
They are hospitable.

(muslim prayer beads)

And surely there are also things among them that aren’t perfect, but this could also be said of us as followers of Christ. What I seek to say is that by seeing the good things among them before they even know the God who loves them, how much more could these good qualities be redeemed if they were to come into relationship with the God who loved them before they even existed?

This is something I pray to show with the pictures I have been taking – to show the qualities that are beautiful, but also to show how these beautiful qualities have still yet to be fully redeemed.

(mustafa, one of the local imams)

(inside the mosque where mustafa prays. it was built in the 14th century, and is in the process of restoration.)

(ali)

A lot of times, due to the language barrier with many of the people, it is hard to know how to portray to them a relationship with a God that loves them. We met one man this week by the name of Ali. Christina, one of the girls also taking pictures at the mosque, had seen Ali the previous weekend at the market in a nearby village. He knew very little English, but after the afternoon prayer, we gathered that he wanted to take us out for tea. So, Christina, Ellie and myself all went with Ali for tea, a few games of crazy eight’s, and then a few games of a Turkish card game we somehow learned to play. Ali told us he was in Selçuk to go to the hospital, because of problems he had been having with is stomach, as we also noticed by his touching his stomach throughout our time with him. So, before he left for the hospital, we were able to pray for him. We weren’t even sure if he understood we were asking to pray for him, but we prayed a short prayer. Not elaborate. Not long. Just a small prayer, being sure to mention the name of Jesus multiple times to he knew who we were praying to. I am believing that God can use this to work healing in his body, not because of some fancy prayer I was able to pray, but because of the authority that resides in the mention of Jesus’ name. Your prayers for Ali would also be much appreciated.

(before reading the koran, everyone must wash their feet, hands, and face.)

(afternoon prayer time - the mosque was a little full this day)

(sunset reflection at the washing area)

As a school, we have just received the cost for the next quarter of tuition for this trip. In January, we will begin our travels through Egypt, Jordan, Israel and Ethiopia. We will begin the next quarter in Cairo, Egypt on January 3rd. When we arrive, we are responsible for paying $3,330, which will pay for the expenses of food, lodging, and other travel expenses and course fees through March 27th. I try to bring such matters up as little as possible, but I feel I should be clear in communicating that I am still in need of financial assistance at this point. I have been blessed to have already received a portion of this money, but I am still in need of help for the remainder of these funds. I request that you take this to God in prayer, and if you feel he has put it on your heart to contribute towards this, please feel free to contact me for further information.

Thank you all for your continued support in my travels thus far. It has most certainly been an amazing blessing to be learning how I can be using the skill of photography and communication in a way that honors God. I am excited to see what God will do with the places we've yet to go, and the people we've yet to meet. I look forward to keeping you updated on all the ways that God will continue to work.

...And I hope you're enjoying the snow (for those of you who have access to it).

corinth to athens to chios to izmir to selcuk

(corinthian temple to apollo, greek god of the moon)

The last couple weeks have been full of travel.

Upon arriving in Corinth, we settled into our hotel for a couple days, and were able to go on a couple excursions to some of the ruins of ancient Corinth. Learning about the culture of the time, it became more clear as to why Paul wrote the things he did to the believers in Corinth. In the early first century, Corinthians were known everywhere for their drunkenness, debauchery, and general lifestyles of immorality. They were also known for their worship of Aphrodite – the Greek goddess of love. To worship this goddess, the people would go to the temple area at the top of the hill above Corinth and spend time with any of the 10,000 sacred priestesses, who could more realistically have been identified as prostitutes. In this way they thought, they were worshipping the goddess of love.

(Paul stood here before Gallio in Acts 18)


(acro-corinth, where the temple to aphrodite would have been located)

In I Corinthians 13, Paul writes one of the most well known definitions of love in all of history:

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged. It is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, it is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

Keeping in mind that this was written to the people of Corinth, these words take on a whole new meeting. It is no longer an overused verse used only for weddings; but rather, it is a radical, new declaration of love to a people who have always had a counterfeit form of love.

After Corinth, we traveled to Athens, then boarded a ferry that would take us to the Greek Island of Kios, where we stayed last Saturday night. Paul stopped briefly on the island during his third missionary journey (Acts 20:15). We mainly just saw the port of Kios, but I enjoyed seeing a little bit of the Greek fishing culture while we were there.

(boats docked in chios)

From Kios last Sunday, our class boarded a smaller ship to make the quick trip over to Turkey, where we then took a couple hour bus ride to where we are now staying in Selcuk. Selcuk is very near the ancient city of Ephesus, where the apostle Paul spent much of his time in ministry. On Wednesday, our class got to go on an excursion to see some of the sites where Paul was while he was in the city. Paul stayed there for more than two years on his last missionary Journey, and wrote many of his epistles from the city of Ephesus. It was amazing to be able to see with my own eyes the exact same places where Paul himself spoke to people about the life that is found in Jesus.

(ephesian amphitheatre, where the ephesians rioted for two hours in Acts 19)

(more ruins in ephesus)

I am challenged by the heart of Paul in a place that was so engulfed in the worship of their goddess, Artemis. It was probably very overwhelming for Paul to begin ministering in such a place, and it probably took a while to see progress. However, because Paul was so devoted to ministry in Ephesus, a great many people came to know Jesus.

…people throughout the province of Asia – both Jews and Greeks – heard the Lord’s message.
Acts 19:10

The Turkish people are so friendly, and we are frequently blessed by their hospitality as we are often invited in to have the oh so delightful apple tea (basically instant apple cider) that they drink here.

(turkish carpet, found everywhere in selcuk)

72.6 million people live in Turkey,
99% of these are Muslim
(75% of which belong to the Sunni sect).

(market day in selcuk)

It may seem overwhelming, as Ephesus surely did to Paul, but it is evident that there is much room for God to move here. There is so much about this culture that our God desires to redeem. These people are beautiful, but they have yet had a personal revelation of the love of Jesus in their lives. Please pray that we would make the most of the times we get to spend with people while we are out in the community - that God would bring us into contact with people who are ready for an encounter with his perfect love.