Rescuing The Lost in Turkey
An update from Mark, our missionary in Turkey (full name concealed for safety reasons)…
Nearly four years have passed since we moved to Turkey. The Lord has shown himself faithful and gracious every step of our journey. He paved the way for us to get here. He met all our needs. He sent help in unexpected ways. He has taught us and shown us much. As we celebrate what he has done, we also remember the challenges he has carried us through. Most days we have felt like we’re trying to move a mountain with a teaspoon.
That picture regularly came to mind in Turkish language class. My Turkish teachers would ask me questions about Christianity, Easter, the Protestant church, etc. With broken Turkish, I did my best to get to matters of first importance—Jesus Christ and his death on the cross for sins. Yet, I was all too aware of my inability to communicate it well. Like trying to move a mountain with a teaspoon.
The mountain looms large when we consider the lostness of people all around us. Turkey is 96% Muslim and 99% unreached. The evangelical Christian percentage is less than 0.04% of the population. The people here have been told every day of their lives, “To be Turkish is to be Muslim.” Sadly, most are convinced of that lie. Gospel advance has moved at a snail’s pace in this field for a long, long time.
The situation feels additionally desperate when I consider the advice given us by a Turkish lawyer. Given the ongoing changes in Turkey’s residency program, his opinion is that we will need to buy a house to stay here long term… a house which quite frankly we don’t have the money for. Once again, a huge obstacle and a teaspoon of visible resources.
Yet, the Lord gives ample evidence and encouragement that he is on the throne. We realize that this awareness of our inability is actually his grace and is by his design. It casts us on him again and again. It keeps us asking for miracles. We have already seen him work miracles in the lives of people here who came to faith. The situation keeps us asking for his provision. We have certainly seen his provision time and time again as well. He is helping us to lift up our eyes away from the mountain and away from our teaspoon onto the Lord of Glory himself.
As we reflect on the last four years, we also anticipate the next four years (and beyond). We pray the Lord grants us the opportunity to continue our work, making disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ in this unreached land. We want to continue helping Turkish Christians keep their eyes on Christ.
When we dream of our future, we can envision a Sovereign Grace Church here, holding out the gospel for the glory of Christ. We long for that. We also recognize the challenges such an endeavor faces. And so we pray to the Lord who can move mountains with a word. Would you pray for this with us? Would you ask the Lord, who is able to do more than we can even imagine, to make this dream a reality?
What a comfort it is to pray bold prayers to our God who hears us and who promises to be with us until the end, no matter what happens. What a comfort to know that he guarantees one day there will be a multitude from every nation, language, and people joyfully worshipping around the throne.
Come, Lord Jesus!
