God is faithful

So, again, amazed at God’s hand in EVERYTHING! This is a much needed update on my sweet neighbors only to show God is so amazing!

Where to start? Well, after my initial meeting of my neighbors, we have slowly built a relationship. Here are a few of my favorite times and stories with them so far. After meeting them, I went home for the weekend. As soon as I returned to Auburn, my sweet friend was waiting outside on her bicycle. As soon as she saw me pull in, she waved and stood by my door until I got out. She asked me, “Do you have microwave?” I was confused as to why she asked. When I told her that I did she ran into her apartment and came out with a bag of popcorn. Now, it seems so silly, but I truly feel that they bought microwave popcorn as a way to start a friendship with me. They obviously do not have a microwave, and at this point…I have popped so many bags for them, that it is such a fun part of my week! :)

Next, a few days after the first popcorn popping Zehra and Hulya came to my door at about 8 o’clock. They asked me to come and join them for Turkish tea. I was a little nervous at first with it just being me going over there not knowing the language, but it was such a blessing!! We talked for hours, even with the language barrier. She made me hot tea, and she let me try Turkish delights (I feel like I have heard of that somewhere before). The whole family gathered around, and I don’t think that I got home until midnight. During this amazing time I was able to find out several crucial things about them.

- They may be moving back to Turkey soon. :(

-They are Muslim. Which means they are not closed off to there being a God, but they are currently worshipping a false god.

-They are just starting an English class. The kicker for them is, it is at Lakeview Baptist. The way that they learn English is through reading the Bible!Amazing, right?

-They are open to talking about religion , but seem to be very dedicated to their beliefs.

- Hulya sometimes gets lonely at the house with Zehra and their 3 month old, Mehmet sia. Which opens the door for more opportunities to spend time with them!!! So, we are going to the park!!

The next day, Hulya, Zehra, Mehmeht sia and I went to Town Creek Park to spend the afternoon with Ashley and her Korean neighbors, Grace and Peter (LOVE their names). Something got lost in translation, and sadly Grace and Peter couldn’t make it to the park. It ended up being a blessing though, because that allowed Ashley to get to know Zehra and Hulya. We fed bread to the NASTY turtles, and they LOVED it! Something so sweet and beautiful when people are simply enjoying the small things in life! It ended up being a hot day, so we sat down on a blanket and ended up talking for a lot of the time. We were able to continue to build a friendship and open up discussion about our beliefs.

AMAZING!!!