Sunday, April 10, 2011

From our partners in Turkey

Ramazan and Karen amaze me... they have an awesome story of how our great God redeemed their lives and they live a life of sacrifice for the gospel.  I am inspired by the way they have counted the cost (potentially even their own lives) and found Him worthy of it all.  And plus... they have THE CUTEST kid in the world :)   Enjoy!


Greetings brothers and sisters in Christ, our dear faithful prayer warriors. We are so grateful for you and as we see answers to our prayers, we praise God for providing each one of you as an intercessor for us.
Our 7 weeks back in Turkey have been very busy. We have been catching up with our friends and family. It has been a blessing. It has been especially encouraging to see how the Lord has worked in individual church members’ lives as well as in the church as a whole Body. Since Christmastime, three new people have committed their lives to Christ. It has been such a blessing to see the Lord working in their lives.
Our old meeting place, St. Paul’s Cultural Center, continues to be closed and we continue to be a “homeless” church. However, the Lord has provided a full-time meeting place for us! It is the upper room of a restaurant on the same street as St. Paul’s. We are now renting this building with the international church and can use it every day rather than just Sunday mornings. Praise God for provision! We organized a calendar with the international church which allows us to share the time we have in this building. This is a 6 month solution with hopes that the St. Paul’s Cultural Center will be reopened soon. Continue to pray for that. 
This week a new young adults group will begin. The church youth group has been attended by students and young adults ranging in age from early teen to mid-thirties  For some time now, the older members of the youth group have been ready to split off into their own fellowship group. There are several married couples and some singles, about 20-25 people in total, who will move on into the new group. Everyone is very excited to start meeting together. Please pray for our first meeting this week and that the fellowship of this group will be a blessing. Pray that the Lord would knit our hearts together and that even more people will join us. 
As you may recall, we have asked many times for prayer to begin a church in Alanya. A few months ago, our church sent a missionary couple there and they are now meeting with the Alanya believers on a weekly basis. Our church sends delegates to Alanya once a month to encourage the believers. Please pray for this missionary couple working in Alanya. Please also pray that more people would join the church and come to Christ. 
We are looking for a flat to buy. This process has been quite frustrating for Ramazan. The most important thing for us to consider when buying an apartment is its location. Because Ramazan is a Christian pastor and quite well-known in the city, not many neighborhoods would be eager to have us living among them. There are many conservative areas in Antalya and we want to buy a flat in the area where business professionals live. These people are typically less Islamic, more democratic and open-minded, and probably more willing to accept us living among them. Unfortunately, the cost of apartments in this area is a bit high. Please pray that the Lord would provide a reasonably priced flat in a good neighborhood. 
Joshua is now seven months old. He is a joy and blessing to us and keeps us both laughing and smiling. 
Thank you again for blessing us through your prayers. 
Much love,
The Arkans



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