Turkey T-shirts For Sale!

Andy & the band are going to Turkey in September... and to help raise money to cover costs, we are selling T-SHIRTS! The text says "God loves Türkiye" (which is the Turkish spelling of Turkey) and the crescent & star above the wording is from their flag. The design is printed on American Apparel shirts. Cost is $20 each.
If you are interested in buying a T-shirt, shoot me an email a t x a n n a @ g m a i l . c o m with the following info:

QUANTITY:
COLOR: (red or black)
SIZE:

Orders need to be received by MONDAY, August 10th.

Turkish Delights

Everytime I have seen the famous Turkish candy called "Turkish Delights," I admit, I've been afraid. My first time in Turkey, I refused to try them. What were they? Strange, scary, squares of WHAT?

Then my Turkish friend here in Austin had a baby and I went to see her in the hospital. I walk in the room and immediately had a box of Turkish Delights shoved in my face. "This is how we celebrate!" they told me. I was backed in a corner. My cross-cultural friendship meant more to me than my fear of this "thing". So, I tried one. And it turned out to be really good. It's basically like a soft gummy bear type thing covered in either powdered-sugar or coconut flakes. Some have nuts, and some are just solid jelly-ish.

On my recent trip to Turkey, I was walking through the spice market shopping. A man selling Turkish Delights began to call after us, saying:

"Get your Turkish Delights here! Famous Turkish Delights!
They'll make you... (he paused, fumbling for the best pitch),
they'll make you... (still thinking),
well, let's be honest-- they'll make you fat!"

I laughed out loud. Gotta love his effort!

Funny Moments with Michelle (brought to you from Turkey)

I had a great time hanging out with Michelle last week in Turkey. We laughed a lot, saw a lot, gabbed a lot, and even prayed some in between. Sadly for Michelle, she was often the object of my camera since I prefer to stay behind the lens. So, here's a montage of Michelle moments from our travels...

Michelle in a wildflower field at Laodicea waving to everyone back home in the States.

Michelle, disapproving of the Sultan's HAREM chambers.

Michelle bringing the heat from atop an ancient pulpit from the Hagia Sophia church.

A: "Michelle, go stand by that wall."
M: "Ok. why?"
A: "So I can take a picture of how they tried to change the engraved crosses after they turned the church into a mosque."
M: "I didn't even notice. That's interesting... they just scratched off the top half."

Please email Michelle and ask her what this is all about. Or look on her blog for an update coming soon!

Michelle pointing out the "Extra Love Tea" for sale in the spice market.

Michelle learning how to make a carpet.

Much to my surprise, Michelle is a germ-a-phobe. They rarely use sheets in Turkey, just a bottom sheet and a comforter in our hotel. She refused to let the comforter touch her so she slept under her raincoat all night.

Two girls, 5 bags and a guitar. For 1 week.

Michelle waving to "her subjects" from the throne in Sardis, which we later learned was used to display the Holy Books (faux paux).

Topkapi Palace, Istanbul

During our sightseeing last week in Turkey, Michelle and I got to visit the famous Topkapi Palace, built by one of the Sultan's of the Ottoman Empire in the 1400s. Among its grand collections were:

• an 86 carat pear-shaped diamond
  
• the beard & sword of the Prophet Mohammed
• the wooden staff of Moses
• the sword of King David

• an assortment of fine silk robes from the sultan's wardrobe
• the harem quarters, with 400 rooms for its residents
• a building used for one of the Nicea Councils
• the rotted flesh and bone hand of John the Baptist
• old keys to the Kaaba (Muslim shrine in Mecca)
• a footprint of the Prophet Mohammed
• a diamond encrusted chainmail armor-suit worn by a sultan
• gigantic jewel-encrusted plumes used to add splendor to the Sultan's turbans

Just an interesting assortment of "sights" to see. Photography was not allowed in most of the exhibits, but I found a few online images. For the most part, you'll just have to take my word for it- just as I had to take their word for it (really? John the Baptist arm? how? and why?).

7 Churches of Revelation

(from the sights in Laodicea.)

I just returned home from sightseeing the Seven Churches from Revelation. The common theme was: they were all once a church and they are now all ruins. I must admit, it was a little upsetting to see nothing but broken pieces of rubble in places that once had a thriving church. Some were off in the fields, and others in the middle of modern city blocks. They are empty spaces that once were beacons of light. How sad.

But praise God that He is risen, and that the Word is living and active, even when human creation falls and human relations fail. We did a short Bible study of each site and what I realized is that all the problems Jesus addressed in His letters to these churches are, sadly, still things the modern church struggles with today.

The main street in Laodicea.

The library in Ephesus.

The cisterns of Smyrna.

The stadium in Pergamum.

The gymnasium of Sardis.

The ruins of Thyatira.

The remains of the church in Philadelphia.