Okay, as promised: my blog post on Turkey. There's no way I can remember everything that happened, and honestly, some of my favorite things that happened just couldn't be captured on camera. But I will try to describe those in detail, so there's no need to worry. And I took pictures of just about everything else.
I learned some amazing lessons this trip. I made some amazing friends. I feel like my class and I got so close. At first I was upset that my group was going to Turkey instead of Egypt. But then I talked to my friend Keri who went to BYU-Jerusalem last semester, and when I told her I wished I had gone with her, she looked me in the eye and said, "Jefferson. You weren't supposed to go to Egypt. Heavenly Father knew you'd be going to Jerusalem, and He knew you'd be going this semester. If you were supposed to go to Egypt, you would have gone." I knew she was right.
And truly, I had some amazing experiences. I saw an ancient theater and library at Ephasus, I experienced an earthquake in Hierapolis, I went inside the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophya, I tried all sorts of food I never thought I'd try, I took various boat rides, I rode a boat between two continents, I had a gladiator duel in Troy, I watched the sunset over the Aegean Sea, I felt like Indiana Jones in an underground Roman cistern, I saw the "cotton castle," Pamukkale, I spent four hours in natural hot springs, I saw the most beautiful views and countryside in the world, I went swimming in the ocean, I went swimming in pools, I had a dance party on the beach, I met some amazing people, and so much more. Honestly, it was amazing. But here were my three favorite parts that WEREN'T captured on camera:
3) The bus rides. Goodness, these were so much fun. I can't even describe. If you want to know the behind-the-scene details you have to ask me personally, because I refuse to reveal them on my public blog. But it was a blast. My teacher, Brother Judd, is hilarious, and he started a competition on the bus, saying that whoever could get the best picture of themselves with me while I am asleep on the bus gets a prize. So the constant joke on the bus was, "Jefferson....go to sleep...." It's hard to explain over the computer. But it was hilarious. Trust me. Also, dance parties, getting to know people, playing games with the entire bus, singing Disney, karaoke, Bulent (our tourguide), class lectures, making friends, and so much more made the bus rides fantastic. And seeing as we spent a good 8 hours each day on the busses, it was good that I had so much fun on them.
2) The people. Not only did I grow close to the people who were in my group - I gained a love for the Turkish people in the mere week that I was there. The people in Assos had so much experience and wisdom. There were also people who didn't speak English at a carpet-making factory that we went to, and we got to help them, and it was such a neat experience. Our tourguide, Bulent, was one of the funniest people I have ever met. Other people were fantastic as well.
One of the neatest experiences I had was our only night in Ephesus. It was my friend Becca's birthday, and I gave her a phone card so she could call her family. The only problem was that we had to find our way into the city so that she could find a pay phone to use it. After some problems communicating with the man at the front desk, an 18-year-old bellhop, who spoke very little English, offered to take us into the city. He walked us all the way there, for 5-10 minutes. I believe his name was Aytuk. I wish I'd gotten a picture with him. He was 18, just finishing up high school, and working at the hotel for a summer job. With his broken English, we talked a lot about ourselves. It was his first week at the job, and he was so kind and considerate. He had a light in his eyes that just took me by surprise.
While we were trying to figure out Becca's phone card, we met yet another man who, once again in broken English, tried to help us to the best of his ability. He was so nice, and did it so selflessly.
A third person that was met that night was a restaurant owner named Deniz. He. Was. Hilarious. My friend Kerri Allyson and I talked to him for a good twenty minutes while Becca was on the phone with her family. He was so.funny. He had other customers to attend to, of course, but something in him made him want to just talk to us. He likes techno music, running his restaurant chain, and meeting people. And he loved talking to us. He did some break dancing for a bit, tried to teach us how to break dance, taught us some Turkish phrases like, "I miss you so much," "I love you so much," and "kiss my a**." HAHAHA.
Why do I tell you about all of these people?
Because I was sad that I couldn't share the gospel with each one of them. Honestly, I was. But in a way, it strengthened my testimony. Hear me out. With each one of these people, I could see a light in their eyes. I wanted them to receive the gospel. But, Turkey is 99% Muslim (there are more mosques there than churches in Utah Valley), so not only was I not allowed to teach them the gospel, but in a sense they weren't ready. This was so hard for me. Later that night I was talking to my roommate about it, and he helped me realize something that strengthened my faith. He told me to channel my love for these people, and my desire for them to receive the gospel, into faith in prayer. When Elder Pieper was here, he told us that it would take a bigger miracle for the countries that are predominantly Muslim to receive the gospel than the miracle that it took for the gospel to be taken behind the iron curtain. I want so badly for these people to receive the gospel. But I know they can't. So I will strengthen my prayers. I know that one day they will be able to receive it, for the gospel will be preached to all people in their own tongue. I know that one day, each of these people will have the opportunity that I want so badly for them to have. But for now, all I can do is pray for them. I really did have a love for each of the people I met while I was there. I just want for them to be able to receive the gospel.
1) Sacrament Meeting. We had Sacrament Meeting in a bar. Seriously. And let me tell you, this was one of my very favorite parts of the Turkey experience. The guys preparing the sacrament actually prepared it on the bar. Haha. We had Sacrament Meeting on a Friday night, because we wouldn't have a break on Saturday (our regular Sabbath) to do Sacrament meeting, and Sunday was our travel day. So we had it on Friday night. The only problem was that we had to find a place in our hotel to do it. Our hotel was rather small, and the two biggest rooms were the restaurant and the bar. The restaurant was already serving customers so we went to our only option - the bar.
At the time, the bar was closed. We received permission from the hotel owners to have a church meeting in there. Brother Judd and Brother Chadwick stood guard at the door while Brother Muhlestein conducted and Brother Jackson presided. It was amazing. It was taking them a while to find bread to use for the sacrament, so we just sang hymns until everyone got there. It invited the spirit so strongly.
After the men preparing the sacrament finally came, we had our meeting. We started with yet another song, an opening hymn, had our announcements, then did the sacrament. For our sacrament hymn we sang hymn # 169, "As Now We Take the Sacrament," which is actually my favorite hymn. Not just my favorite sacrament hymn, but my favorite hymn.
As I was sitting on the floor of the bar (there weren't enough seats), preparing to take the sacrament, I just had such an amazing, spiritual experience. I wanted to make myself better than I was. I wanted to be a better person, and I wanted the gospel to be spread to all people. I felt closer to my Savior, something I never thought could happen in a bar. And I felt closer to the people around me. I felt the spirit so strongly in the bar that evening.
After the Sacrament, Brother Muhlestein had asked three people to bear their testimonies. It was so spiritual. Everyone seemed to bear testimony about something they had learned on the Turkey trip, and it seemed as though other people had had the same feelings about wanting the gospel to go to everyone. As they were bearing their testimonies, people were passing in the crowded streets behind us. Everyone was moving at a rushed pace. And in 2-3 minutes time, about 100 people would pass the window, which was more than the number of people sitting in the room. Turkey is a country of over 70,000,000 people, and I was just thinking about how badly I wanted each and every one of them to at least be able to hear the gospel, and feel the joy that I felt in that room that day.
At the end of Sacrament Meeting, we sang "I Am a Child of God" as our closing hymn. It was beautiful. During the closing prayer, you could hear so many people crying. Everyone had felt the spirit that day. None of us except for the men preparing the sacrament were dressed in Sunday dress, we had spent 8 hours on the bus that day, and we were in a bar, but it was one of the most spiritual experiences of my life. It just goes to show that, in a very real way, Christ holds to His promise when He tells us, "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." His presence really was felt that day, even in the most unorthodox of places and situations. It was amazing.
Anyways, those were probably three of my favorite experiences that I had while I was in Turkey. Also a favorite was singing "All Creatures of our God and King," in front of a crowd of 200 or so people in Ephasus. It was really neat.
For the last part of my blog, I will post pictures that I took! I didn't have my camera during Sacrament, which was a shame. But I had my camera almost all the rest of the time. Thank goodness. So enjoy the pictures of some things I saw and some places I went! Everything really was so amazing. Sorry if this post was a bit long - I just wanted to share the experiences I had. I love you all!
I learned some amazing lessons this trip. I made some amazing friends. I feel like my class and I got so close. At first I was upset that my group was going to Turkey instead of Egypt. But then I talked to my friend Keri who went to BYU-Jerusalem last semester, and when I told her I wished I had gone with her, she looked me in the eye and said, "Jefferson. You weren't supposed to go to Egypt. Heavenly Father knew you'd be going to Jerusalem, and He knew you'd be going this semester. If you were supposed to go to Egypt, you would have gone." I knew she was right.
And truly, I had some amazing experiences. I saw an ancient theater and library at Ephasus, I experienced an earthquake in Hierapolis, I went inside the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophya, I tried all sorts of food I never thought I'd try, I took various boat rides, I rode a boat between two continents, I had a gladiator duel in Troy, I watched the sunset over the Aegean Sea, I felt like Indiana Jones in an underground Roman cistern, I saw the "cotton castle," Pamukkale, I spent four hours in natural hot springs, I saw the most beautiful views and countryside in the world, I went swimming in the ocean, I went swimming in pools, I had a dance party on the beach, I met some amazing people, and so much more. Honestly, it was amazing. But here were my three favorite parts that WEREN'T captured on camera:
3) The bus rides. Goodness, these were so much fun. I can't even describe. If you want to know the behind-the-scene details you have to ask me personally, because I refuse to reveal them on my public blog. But it was a blast. My teacher, Brother Judd, is hilarious, and he started a competition on the bus, saying that whoever could get the best picture of themselves with me while I am asleep on the bus gets a prize. So the constant joke on the bus was, "Jefferson....go to sleep...." It's hard to explain over the computer. But it was hilarious. Trust me. Also, dance parties, getting to know people, playing games with the entire bus, singing Disney, karaoke, Bulent (our tourguide), class lectures, making friends, and so much more made the bus rides fantastic. And seeing as we spent a good 8 hours each day on the busses, it was good that I had so much fun on them.
2) The people. Not only did I grow close to the people who were in my group - I gained a love for the Turkish people in the mere week that I was there. The people in Assos had so much experience and wisdom. There were also people who didn't speak English at a carpet-making factory that we went to, and we got to help them, and it was such a neat experience. Our tourguide, Bulent, was one of the funniest people I have ever met. Other people were fantastic as well.
One of the neatest experiences I had was our only night in Ephesus. It was my friend Becca's birthday, and I gave her a phone card so she could call her family. The only problem was that we had to find our way into the city so that she could find a pay phone to use it. After some problems communicating with the man at the front desk, an 18-year-old bellhop, who spoke very little English, offered to take us into the city. He walked us all the way there, for 5-10 minutes. I believe his name was Aytuk. I wish I'd gotten a picture with him. He was 18, just finishing up high school, and working at the hotel for a summer job. With his broken English, we talked a lot about ourselves. It was his first week at the job, and he was so kind and considerate. He had a light in his eyes that just took me by surprise.
While we were trying to figure out Becca's phone card, we met yet another man who, once again in broken English, tried to help us to the best of his ability. He was so nice, and did it so selflessly.
A third person that was met that night was a restaurant owner named Deniz. He. Was. Hilarious. My friend Kerri Allyson and I talked to him for a good twenty minutes while Becca was on the phone with her family. He was so.funny. He had other customers to attend to, of course, but something in him made him want to just talk to us. He likes techno music, running his restaurant chain, and meeting people. And he loved talking to us. He did some break dancing for a bit, tried to teach us how to break dance, taught us some Turkish phrases like, "I miss you so much," "I love you so much," and "kiss my a**." HAHAHA.
Why do I tell you about all of these people?
Because I was sad that I couldn't share the gospel with each one of them. Honestly, I was. But in a way, it strengthened my testimony. Hear me out. With each one of these people, I could see a light in their eyes. I wanted them to receive the gospel. But, Turkey is 99% Muslim (there are more mosques there than churches in Utah Valley), so not only was I not allowed to teach them the gospel, but in a sense they weren't ready. This was so hard for me. Later that night I was talking to my roommate about it, and he helped me realize something that strengthened my faith. He told me to channel my love for these people, and my desire for them to receive the gospel, into faith in prayer. When Elder Pieper was here, he told us that it would take a bigger miracle for the countries that are predominantly Muslim to receive the gospel than the miracle that it took for the gospel to be taken behind the iron curtain. I want so badly for these people to receive the gospel. But I know they can't. So I will strengthen my prayers. I know that one day they will be able to receive it, for the gospel will be preached to all people in their own tongue. I know that one day, each of these people will have the opportunity that I want so badly for them to have. But for now, all I can do is pray for them. I really did have a love for each of the people I met while I was there. I just want for them to be able to receive the gospel.
1) Sacrament Meeting. We had Sacrament Meeting in a bar. Seriously. And let me tell you, this was one of my very favorite parts of the Turkey experience. The guys preparing the sacrament actually prepared it on the bar. Haha. We had Sacrament Meeting on a Friday night, because we wouldn't have a break on Saturday (our regular Sabbath) to do Sacrament meeting, and Sunday was our travel day. So we had it on Friday night. The only problem was that we had to find a place in our hotel to do it. Our hotel was rather small, and the two biggest rooms were the restaurant and the bar. The restaurant was already serving customers so we went to our only option - the bar.
At the time, the bar was closed. We received permission from the hotel owners to have a church meeting in there. Brother Judd and Brother Chadwick stood guard at the door while Brother Muhlestein conducted and Brother Jackson presided. It was amazing. It was taking them a while to find bread to use for the sacrament, so we just sang hymns until everyone got there. It invited the spirit so strongly.
After the men preparing the sacrament finally came, we had our meeting. We started with yet another song, an opening hymn, had our announcements, then did the sacrament. For our sacrament hymn we sang hymn # 169, "As Now We Take the Sacrament," which is actually my favorite hymn. Not just my favorite sacrament hymn, but my favorite hymn.
As I was sitting on the floor of the bar (there weren't enough seats), preparing to take the sacrament, I just had such an amazing, spiritual experience. I wanted to make myself better than I was. I wanted to be a better person, and I wanted the gospel to be spread to all people. I felt closer to my Savior, something I never thought could happen in a bar. And I felt closer to the people around me. I felt the spirit so strongly in the bar that evening.
After the Sacrament, Brother Muhlestein had asked three people to bear their testimonies. It was so spiritual. Everyone seemed to bear testimony about something they had learned on the Turkey trip, and it seemed as though other people had had the same feelings about wanting the gospel to go to everyone. As they were bearing their testimonies, people were passing in the crowded streets behind us. Everyone was moving at a rushed pace. And in 2-3 minutes time, about 100 people would pass the window, which was more than the number of people sitting in the room. Turkey is a country of over 70,000,000 people, and I was just thinking about how badly I wanted each and every one of them to at least be able to hear the gospel, and feel the joy that I felt in that room that day.
At the end of Sacrament Meeting, we sang "I Am a Child of God" as our closing hymn. It was beautiful. During the closing prayer, you could hear so many people crying. Everyone had felt the spirit that day. None of us except for the men preparing the sacrament were dressed in Sunday dress, we had spent 8 hours on the bus that day, and we were in a bar, but it was one of the most spiritual experiences of my life. It just goes to show that, in a very real way, Christ holds to His promise when He tells us, "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." His presence really was felt that day, even in the most unorthodox of places and situations. It was amazing.
Anyways, those were probably three of my favorite experiences that I had while I was in Turkey. Also a favorite was singing "All Creatures of our God and King," in front of a crowd of 200 or so people in Ephasus. It was really neat.
For the last part of my blog, I will post pictures that I took! I didn't have my camera during Sacrament, which was a shame. But I had my camera almost all the rest of the time. Thank goodness. So enjoy the pictures of some things I saw and some places I went! Everything really was so amazing. Sorry if this post was a bit long - I just wanted to share the experiences I had. I love you all!
Me in front of the Blue Mosque.
A fish that I ate on the first night. You can see its teeth!
My first bite of Turkish Delight. On a moonlit night.
Me with some random sheep we found on one of our eight-hour bus rides. There was a cool shepherd who spoke no English who let us pet his sheep. I sanitized thoroughly afterwards, but it was super neat. I'm sure there's a gospel lesson in there somewhere.
My friend Amber and me after battling things out in a gladiator stadium in Troy.
My friend Sara Siddoway and me watching the sunset from a pier in Troy.
My friend Amber and me in front of the same sunset. I'm sorry. I couldn't help it.
Some people spelling Turkey in front of the sunset.
A woman in Assos.
One of the amazing views of the Aegean Sea from Assos. I could have spent all day in that tiny village.
Me overlooking the theatre in Pergammon.
Me at the Asklepion.
Me in front of the Ephesus library.
Me in Pamukkale.
The mineral deposits at Pamukkale, whose name's literal translation is "cotton castle."
Amber and me with our tickets in our mouths....Bulent told us to....
My friend Becca and me inside the Hagia Sofya. It was so big you could fit the Statue of Liberty inside and it wouldn't even touch the ceiling!
I loved reading this post. I have so much to tell you about it but most of that will probably be in an email rather than a blog comment. So prepare for that. But things I loved were your amazing stories... sacrament in a bar and all the different feelings and impressions you had. I loved hearing about the light in the eyes of those you met and the selflessness of the people. I love the picture of a woman in Assos!!! Oh my gosh! From an artistic viewpoint it's absolutely perfect, and from a spiritual one it's even better. It's so encompassing and beautiful that I'm saving it to my hard drive. Ah. I'll send you a huge email back soon :D That's all for now! Love you boy. (PS: At the theater in Ephesus I sang "At Least I'm Not as Sad As I Used To Be" by fun. I think a hymn would have been more fitting. But I can definitely say I'm the first, possibly the only person to have sung it there.)
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, your photos at the Asklepion and at Ephesus look almost exactly the same and like you're posing for your senior portrait. I was amused. (P.S. I like the photos which you posted: I can see you and the thing you're talking about! Yay.)
ReplyDeleteJefferson, you are innately a missionary. You love people, and you love the gospel, and you love combining the two. Whether that will turn into a mission (I'm sure you'd be a powerful force for good) or not, I think sharing the gospel will be something you do no matter where you are or end up.
Also, I think the Lord is pretty mindful of you (and His children in general), and you can find the most spiritual experiences in the most unexpected places. Sometimes the unexpectedness makes it even better; it reminds you to be humble as well as how God's design isn't going to be hindered by anything.
Oh Jefferson I am so jealous that you got to go to Turkey!! I recently finished a book series called The Mark of the Lion. They take place in ancient Rome and Ephesus. So when I saw your pictures of you in Ephesus it made me really jealous. Despite my jealousy, I am happy for you and this amazing opportunity :)
ReplyDeletep.s. Please post more pictures if you can! I love to see your smiling face :)