On Mondays

Today was a somewhat typical Monday.

Normally I would meet with the Filipus students in the morning before class, but class was cancelled for today so I got up with the kids and gave them breakfast. Ruby had a waffle from the waffle maker we gave her for her birthday. Jonah had cornflakes.

I left the house with Stephanie, one of our interns from England. We went to the annual book fair which is going on this week at the Ataturk Culture Center. Two of the Christian publishing companies have stands at the book fair this year. We helped carry in some books for them. When we got back to the stand some government officials were giving the Christian publishing company employees a hard time about their permits for participating in the fair. They scrutinized the books and claimed that they were pirated copies. It was an un-subtle way to discriminate against us. In the end they went away.

While I was at the fair I met with a fellow worker to talk about the mentorship program at Filipus. It was a good meeting... encouraging for both of us, I think. He's the kind of friend who helps me to see things about myself, both good and bad...

After the meeting I browsed the books at the other stands and noticed something strange. The music playing over the loudspeakers was worship music... some Chris Tomlin, some Crystal Lewis, etc. The entire book fair, hundreds of vendors and customers, were listening to Christian worship music in english. Obviously the fair organizers didn't understand the music they were broadcasting. This kind of thing has happened more than once since we moved to Ankara. It sometimes feels like a reminder that God has invisible ways of penetrating a people and a place. His influence works from the inside out... and although only one or two of us were able to recognize the music, it was a kind of deep consolation for me... God's influence is written into the fabric of this place.

Stephanie left the fair to spend a few hours volunteering at the Christian radio station and I headed toward the subway to go to my pastor's office where I was to meet with another intern and to talk with the pastor. From the subway platform I made some phone calls to each of our five students in the training program to say hello and to ask how they had been using their day off.

The pastor's office is in his business, which is both a travel agency and a media production company. Our other intern has been helping with some media production projects there.

I met with our pastor to talk about the upcoming visit by William Lane Craig. The travel agency will make hotel reservations for us, and some of the churches will coordinate to host an apologetics seminar that he will give while he is here. And we talked about Martin Bucer Seminary, a distance seminary program that our church hosts for Turkish students. My pastor was scheduled to teach next week for one of their seminars, but he is going to be out of town so I will be filling in for him.

Then, when my pastor found out that my computer completely died this week, he lent me an extra laptop that belongs to the business. It was a generous offer, and I accepted.

I left with Daniel, our intern, and we headed home at around 5:30. Jonah and Ruby were waiting at the door to greet me. I like that part.

Jonah has been long overdue for a haircut, and I promised to take him, so before I took my shoes off we put his coat and shoes on to take him up the hill to the barber. Ruby wanted to go for the walk, so Daniel, Jonah, Ruby, and I headed back out the door and up the hill to the barber. The barber is a friend so we chatted for a while and then tried to get Jonah in the chair. He protested for a while... and cried... but eventually he sat nicely and enjoyed the haircut. I got my hair cut, too.

Two hair cuts later we all crossed the street to the grocery store to do some shopping with the list that Ness gave me on the way out the door... sugar, peanut butter, raisins, diapers, crackers, and coffee.

When we got home Beth, our Brazilian teammate, and Stephanie were waiting for us. Ness got dinner ready and we had Turkish meatballs, mashed potatoes, and some baked eggplant with squash and tomatoes.

After dinner the interns, Beth, and I sat down in the living room for a time of reading and discussion with Henri Nouwen's The Return of the Prodigal Son while Ness got the kids ready for bed.

When we were finished I went in to tell the kids a bedtime story... another in the ongoing saga of our invented "Mortimer the Frog" stories.

And now we are in the living room at 11 pm watching "Slumdog Millionaire" while I write a blog entry and catch up on some e-mail.

... and tomorrow is Tuesday.