We Love These People

            Hey friends, it is me Derek, I know you haven’t heard from me in a while. While I’d love to make a great excuse to the reasoning behind my lack of blog post. The fact is, I just never did… It has nothing to do with lack of stories or incredible opportunities but rather the assumption that everyone knows exactly what I am doing at all hours of the day. Which is insane to imagine because you are all thousands of miles away from me and have absolutely no idea what I am doing day to day. So here it is, a nice update on the recent months!

            To start off this update, let’s talk about Jordan! Such an incredible country rich with culture and history! So many amazing things happened during our short time in this country! We started this time in ATL (ask the Lord), so in a sense, we didn’t have a host! Just a bunch of crazy kids running around Jordan meeting with local shop owners, drinking coffee with those who used to be strangers and are now friends and eating lots of chicken wings! We met so many amazing people, were invited into homes and restaurants to have coffee/tea and simply talk about life.

            We spent the first week and a half doing this for ministry, then we had a little debrief in Wadi Rum during Christmas! We spent this time living with the Bedouin people, drinking a lot of tea, and stargazing at a night sky most dream about. We had the opportunity to Worship while we were there while the Bedouin people watched and listened, they responded with one thing, they felt the love. They didn’t know what we were singing about, they couldn’t understand our words, but they understood WHY we were singing, it was beautiful.

          The remainder of our time with my team specifically was spent with a Ministry Host, this specific host worked with the Iraqi refugees. Giving them opportunities to work and make a living, not only this but they created a school for refugees from many war-stricken countries. Why is this so special? In Jordan there are laws preventing refugees from getting work unless it is at a church, or even going to school, unless it is private. The issue is private school are expensive especially for those who can’t work. While we were there, we did many things alongside the refugees, me specifically, I helped with product photography for their website!

            Now we are in Turkey, and again operating in ATL (ask the Lord). We still have some time here, but we’ve already seen amazing fruit and relationships during our short stay here. We spent the first week and a halt in Istanbul for debrief and quarantine. Followed by a week in Eskisehir, which is a huge college town flowing with coffee shops, tattoo parlors and burger joints! After that we spent time in Cappadocia (the famous place with the balloons). We got to ride around in a hot air balloon, meet a ton of dogs and met some incredible people who are now our friends as well!

            We are now back in Istanbul for the next two weeks. Although we’ve only been here for a few days, we have already met a ton of incredible people! From a restaurant manager who I have hung out with daily for tea, to shop owners who just want to have a conversation. We can’t wait to see all the seeds that are planted during these next few weeks!

            Thank you for your prayers thus far, they have gotten us this far! We can’t wait to keep you updated throughout the next few months! Love y’all!