Sisters In Another World

Monday, October 9, 2006

“All my life, all I ever wanted was a sister,” said my new friend in Christ. She waved her hand to gesture around “and look what I have! Sisters in Fort Lauderdale—sisters in Turkey. I never dreamed God would answer my prayers with so many.” I sat amazed. I had never really looked at my friends as my spiritual sisters. I mean, I saw them as kin, maybe—but definitely not sisters. To me, sisterhood carried with it a connotation of closeness and intimacy. I’ve never had a sister— how would I know?

My new Turkish friend was giving praise for the closeness she feels with other women who are believers in Christ. She was telling me, you can be my sister, and I will be yours. As we prayed together for the women’s sessions, in English and in Turkish, I understood what she was talking about.

This was to be the second day of the Women’s sessions—we’d covered suffering and the sovereignty of God in the first session and would move on to what I think is the truly hard stuff, which is the personal pain involved. How does one manage to find faith in a sovereign God, when pain is so excruciating that it seems unbearable? Definitely a heavy topic. I wondered how many women would return for today’s meeting.

We rose at 7 to prepare to travel to the Asian side of Istanbul once again. The men traveled over with us, and would be visiting some sites while we met with the ladies. Marla had been a great traveler so far and she was looking forward to seeing some more of Turkey with her Daddy. She’d made most of the steps we’d taken, but occasionally needed a lift. We got to the meeting place around 10:00 and prepared for the women. We were thrilled to see that most of the women returned.

The teaching session ran for about two hours, and then we broke into small groups for discussion and prayer. This is the time that stands out so strongly in my mind. Pain is universal, and these women had experienced their share. I was so grateful to the other members of our team during the small group time as I listened to them share their wisdom and the comfort of Christ with these dear women from the other side of the world.

A luncheon had been planned for the women of our team and some of the leaders of the conference at a beautiful restaurant on the Bosporus. We sat on an elegant patio and were served delicious food in a very European setting. It was great to sit and chat, laugh, and puzzle through vocabulary as we ate and reflected on the past two days. A few of the women asked if we could stay a bit longer to possibly counsel with them over issues that had come to the forefront during the sessions. We stayed and talked in this beautiful place for another hour and a half. It was incredibly humbling to be used by the Lord in such a way.

It was nearing 5:00, and we needed to get back across the Bosporus Strait, so we walked back to the Ferries and just missed the one pulling out. About 15 minutes later another pulled in, unloaded, and we were able to board. The ferry ride is really a beautiful thing, if you can overlook the smell of diesel fumes. There’s even a gentleman who goes around with a tray of Çay, for purchase. The best place to sit is on the upper deck of the ferry, where the wind and the view are refreshing.

We docked in Europe at the busiest time of the day, and decided to try the tram system to get back to the hotel rather than walking through the crowds. The men were waiting for us at a local buffet near one of the tram stops, so we ventured forth. The tram was incredibly crowded, and we were quickly separated into groups of two and three.
Moving quickly along, we counted stops and got off at the third. The buffet where the men were waiting had outdoor tables set up on the sidewalk. Imagine sitting at dinner, in the midst of what seems like millions of people, horns honking constantly, calls to prayer sounding, and the human noises of traffic and conversation all around you. Our tables were like islands that the sea of humanity parted around in its incessant flow. The food was outstanding, and we quickly decided as a group that we might like to eat there again, if time permitted.

Don had decided to call it an early evening and had stayed at the hotel with Marla, hoping to get her to bed early and catch up on a little sleep. When I got in she was still up coloring, but was ready for bed. It took just a few minutes to get her down and then prepare to join her. Tomorrow would have an early start—we’d be leaving the hotel for the airport at 5:00 am, and would be traveling to Cappadocia. Don and I packed up our things and set our alarms.

Each night when I would lay down to sleep, my head would spin with the images and events of the day. We were experiencing so many things in such a short time and it was beginning to become overwhelming. This night my heart was amazed at the goodness of God in the women’s sessions and in the times of personal dialogue that followed. Culturally, there was a tremendous gulf between us, but personally, we all struggled with the same issues. Once again I was reminded of how Christ connects us to one another, and was humbled to be useful to Him. I walked away from our time with these women with new friends to pray for and sisters in Turkey. This night, when I dreamed of crowds, I also saw the faces of my sisters among them.