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Wichita, KS 67203 - © 2009 Olivet Baptist Church,
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The past couple of days we have traveled, met new people and seen historical sites. On Friday, we stood in the middle of the street where the Council of Chalcedon met and determined that Jesus was fully God and fully man. It was a response to the Arian controversy where Jesus was taught to have been created by God and not God Himself. This site is now located in the middle of a walking street in Kadikoy in Istanbul.
Saturday, on the way to Eskeshir, we stopped in Iznik. The ancient name of this city is Nicea. We were able to walk inside the churchh building where bishops from around the Christian world met to adopt The Nicean Creed which was the forerunner of the Apostles Creed. This creed established a standard of orthodox beliefs that, to this day, are held by millions of believers around the world. It was an incredible experience to stand in that place and know that our spiritual forefathers met, prayed, discussed and made a decision that stands today in the Christian world.
We entered Eskisehir around 5:00 PM yesterday afternoon and were met by a member of the church fellowship who took us to our hotel - the same hotel we stayed in last year. After getting checked in we met Pastor Salih and his wife, Joyce, at a restaurant and then were invited to their home for chai and dessert. I have been telling Mark how good the food is in Turkey and I think he is fully convinced now - except for the ayran (unsweetened yogurt mixed with water and salt)!
Today we are worshiping with the fellowship in Eskisehir and then prayerwalking around the city. Eskisehir is a university city with close to 70,000 students. In addition, we will be meeting with local businessmen, most of whom are non-believers.
In the coming three days we will continue to prayer walk and visit small villages doing ethnography work - identifying people from minority groups who have absolutely no access to the Gospel. One of my conversations in the coming days with Pastor Salih will be how we can partner with him and his fellowship for future trips. Pray that God will give wisdom as we have this discussion.
Before we left Istanbul we picked up a local believer who is traveling with us and helping with translation work. His name is Ercu (”airjew”). He is part of a fellowship in Istanbul that planted the work in Eskisehir several years ago. Ercu is a close friend to Salih.
Come back for more later! Keep praying and asking the Father to use us for His glory and the honor of His Name.
