Gateway Update
January 12, 2009
Sersala we pîroz bê! (Kurmanji) Mutlu Yıllar! (Turkish) Happy New Year!
To all our prayer warriors and supporters, thank you for partnering with us in the ministries in Turkey.
1. Christmas at Beytel East[1]: 16 of us gathered at Beytel East for a special Christmas celebration with E.[2] and K.[3] K.’s mother and sister[4] joined us for the Christmas Eve meal, prayer and singing. We all had a great time, killing our own turkeys and preparing all from scratch! Prayer requests: While there, J.[5] of G.E.S. had the opportunity to share the gospel with around 10 people at a local mosque and was well received. Pray for those who heard and asked questions. One of the discussions was whether or not J. and other Christians performed the ritual cleansing before prayers. J. replied, “If the outside of the body is clean but the inside is dirty how would God accept the prayers? The inside must be made pure”. He went on to explain Jesus’ teaching on the condition of the heart. The response was very positive in fact many said, “this is better than Islam”, and that “many return from the Hajj and still lie, cheat, go to prostitutes, gamble etc.. and you are right, the heart is the most important”. The imam of course was there listening and tried to defend Islam, one woman said, “but what he said was better!” J. replied, “That it was Jesus that spoke these words.” Those at the mosque were there to make vows, sacrifices and venerate the dead Muslim saints, so they could become pregnant and be healed etc… They asked J. about why he didn’t have children and that if J. prayed at the mosque he may have children. J. responded with the Biblical understanding of the sovereignty of God and how a Christian responds to such challenges. This again was received with much favor by all who heard[6]. Please pray for those who heard and for further discussion with those at the mosque.
2. Christmas at Beytel West: Christmas at Beytel West was celebrated by the members of the church there led by pastor Abdullah and Kürşat. Many gathered for a Christmas meal, fellowship, prayer and song. Abdullah gave a Christmas message to all. Baptism certificates were presented to the six who were recently baptized. The father of the two young girls that were recently baptized now wants to baptized. Two other individuals said that they would also like to be baptized. We are planning three more baptisms the end of January!
3. Prayer Needs: Beytel East and West have been under intense spiritual attack since September of 2008. There have been many that have disapproved of[7], and even threatened , our ministry. They have even said that they would kick us out of the areas where we work. We have had many gossip and slander us out of jealousy and because God’s hand of blessing is upon us. We have had to confront many of these agitators face to face. And still have much to deal with. Unfortunately this has disturbed the Zacchaeus projects in the East.
4. Zacchaeus projects: The Lord provided two persons that have decided to dedicate their time to teach English in Ovacık, the province where we have been doing medical missions. J. took them out to that province this past November and we spent time with Dr. Müjdeci[8] and others from that province. The English program should begin this spring. J. and the other workers were harassed by the authorities during this trip, pray for continued protection as we go to these areas. Please pray for Dr. Müjdeci as he has been under spiritual attack as well. This spring we also are planning on having a Dutch team come to this province to do a sports camp. Pray as we make the preparations for this as well.
5. L.’s [9] prayer requests: L. has successfully finished her first semester of her doctoral program in Educational Psychology and Special Education! L. also has had the opportunity to use her beautiful voice as a testimony to many this past Christmas season. She even was able to give a testimony of Christ at a prominent foreign consulate this year. At the school where she teaches, after years of a strong testimony, she is the ‘go to’ person for interpersonal relationship counseling. Right now she is sharing with many women. Please pray for her and the women that she is helping.
Thank you for your continued prayers and support! We really appreciate it as you are our logistical support from back home.
J. of G.E.S.
To support Zacchaeus Projects, Beytel and Christian Resources in Turkish please make your checks payable to:
New Horizons Foundation
(FBO Gateway Missions) and send to:
New Horizons Foundation, Inc.
4570 Hilton Parkway, Suite 203
Colorado Springs, CO 80907
Website: www.gatewayeducation.org
[1] Beytel East is 900 miles away from Beytel West. [2] E. is a Gateway employee and a Turkish Evangelist. [3] K. was newly baptized this last summer. [4] K.’s sister this past fall professed faith. [5] J. is an employee with Gateway. [6] One woman there was especially receptive, her name is Hayriye. [7] Working with Kurds is a hot issue as well as a new church plant! [8] Dr. Müjdeci is a Turkish medical doctor that has devoted his life to the work of the Lord using his medical skills. [9] L. is also with Gateway.
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