Embassy



Wednesday afternoon at Filipus is reserved for prayer. Normally we eat together and then pray at the students' house. Often we pray over a world map and choose a region or a country. This past Wednesday was just that kind of day. After class in the morning we walked to the students' house and we ate lunch together. Then, I rolled out the map and asked them if there was a specific place that they wanted to pray for. They immediately, and unanimously, decided that we should pray for Israel/Palestine.


Turks have reacted very strongly against Israel's recent operation against Hamas. There have been protests in the streets nearly every day. Student groups and non-profit organizations have been distributing flyers depicting Israel as a murderer. Today, for example, I saw a flyer depicting a star of David being used as a knife to cut up a bloody Gaza. Newspapers are referring to the conflict as the "Gaza Massacre." As with so many current events and issues that get the attention of the public, the church in Turkey has been absent from the discussion.


When the students decided to pray for this region I realized that this was an opportunity to ask God to intervene in this situation... but it could also be an opportunity to set an example for our neighbors and communicate our concern for the deaths of so many people. I told my students to put their coats back on and we headed out the door. We were going to pray outside the embassies of Palestine and Israel.


Ankara is unique (at least among European countries) in that it has a separate embassy for Palestine and for Israel. Our first stop was Palestine. The Palestinian flag was flying at half-mast outside the building, which looks run-down for an embassy. As soon as we approached the building the security guards came out to ask what we wanted. I explained that we had come to pray and the guards face lit up. "You are welcome here!" he said, "Please, pray!" So, we formed a circle and spent a few minutes praying for peace. Passers by wondered what we were doing and we could hear the guards explaining. Eventually one of the diplomats came out to greet us. He asked where we were from. It's an eclectic group: one American, two Iranians, and three Turks. He thanked us for coming and invited us to come back again. We had prayed for this region before, but today felt different. It felt more "real" to be praying for Palestine outside the embassy, under a flag flying at half mast as a people mourned the deaths of their brothers and sisters.


Our next stop was the Israeli embassy. Because of the constant protests and threats, the embassy was sealed off two blocks in every direction. We picked a spot on the corner not far from one of the police blockades. Dozens of officers were standing by with riot gear. It was somewhat surreal to be praying while a group of men with batons, guns, helmets, and riot shields looked on. One of the plain clothes security officials quickly approached us to ask what we were doing. Again, we explained that we had come to pray for peace. The officer, a Turk, also expressed his gratitude. He asked whether we were going to hold a press conference, and we assured him that our only intention was to pray quietly for peace. He invited us to continue, saying "May God accept your prayers."


Amen.

Comments

Susannah said…
Wow, that is cool that you guys were so welcomed at both of the embassies. Thanks for sharing this story!
January 16, 2009 at 12:38 AM
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