Our guide, Cengis, always starts his speeches to us with "Dear Friends..." I tell you that because he is treating us like we are his family. He is on the phone to Istanbul even now, and he assures us we are still very safe staying in the quarter of Istanbul where we will be on Thursday and Friday night. Cengis and all of the Adult Leaders had a long talk last night-- we are staying on the European side of Istanbul at least 1 hour away by car from Taksim square. The rest of the city is peaceful. We will not even have any trouble getting to the airport. Really, Cengis treats us like we are his family and will not take us anywhere near Istanbul if there is any trouble where we will be staying. All is well.
The headlines are reading stuff like "The unrest has spread to 78 cities..." I will tell you what the "unrest" looked like the one time we have seen it. There was a concert, a peaceful parade with lots of Turkish flags, a gathering, and then everyone went home and went to sleep. We, of course, stayed in our hotel and were very safe.
So sorry that I could not blog last night. The wireless is really spotty where we are staying and I could not get it to work in my room last night. I wanted to publish a couple of blog entries from two of our Pilgrims to give you some really wonderful bedtime reading. Incredible things are happening here-- this pilgrimage thing works on so many levels to get these wonderful children of God into the Fold and and living as a community with one another. I might even venture to say that Youth Pilgrimage is one of those times when the church is
really the church. Thanks be to God!!!
--- Tim -- Entries below::
A Single Stitch- Louisa Boswell
Everywhere I go, I seem to make one serious, meaningful connection with at least one person unexpectedly. Today, our wonderful tour guide, Cengis, took us on an unexpected side trip to a Turkish rug store, where women from around the countryside come and hand-make tons of exquisite wool, cotton, and silk rugs and carpets. They showed us the process of dying and weaving, and we got to sit next to a weaver at work. In fact, all of us got to tie a single stitch in one of their masterpieces. The woman that I sat next to, Zehra, had the biggest smile of every person I've seen here, and though we couldn't communicate in the same language, I felt so much love from her. After they showed us the process, they took us into a room and showed us all the completed ones for sale. Once I showed interest in the very small ones, I was taken into a different room where a man showed me all the others in my price range. The room we were in didn't have much light, so we took the ones I liked into the hallway so I could get a good look at them. Just when I did, Zehra saw me and rushed over, smiling, and pointed to a beautiful rug I had picked out and motioned that she had made it. Of course I had to choose that one.
Though I haggled myself into a sweat before I even knew she created it, the fact that she did made it the most meaningful purchase I've ever made. We hugged and smiled and took pictures and passed a few words through the English speaking man who sold it to me, and it brought tears to my eyes in the end. I didn't plan on buying a rug here. I didn't plan on making a friend that I'll remember forever. But I'm extremely grateful that I've done both of these things. My stitch is in one of Zehra's carpets, and now I have a wonderful possession of hers to remember Turkey by.
Mom, sorry I ruined the surprise for your present :) I love you all, and I'm having a great time. See you soon.
Henry Harris: An Impression
So I got some new shoes a few weeks ago called Chacos. I came home post-purchase and my mom's first reaction was, "Ew..." (which I am hoping is not the reaction that she has when she sees the present that I may or may not have purchased yet for her from Turkey....hint: I haven't bought it yet), so I was like "Thanks Mom!! Don't worry I was sure to buy my own birthday present with your debit card!" Aren't you glad that I am calling you out in front of all of these people that after 20 years at the church you convinced to like you? Well anyway, the shoes. Chaco's are sandals with straps, and the ultimate goal of a Chaco-struttin'-pilgrim like me is to get a Chaco tan where your whole foot has felt the wrath of the Turkish sun except for the pure white skin that was covered by the straps. It's a good look, trust me. Don't worry I am getting to the point...I started thinking today after the 9 days it took to get to Turkey why I am truly here. Is it because everyone's favorite Senior Warden made me come? Or is it because both my sisters were All Saints Pilgrims, Helen being in the charter group of pilgrims? Well maybe both of those reasons are why I am here now, but what am I going to make of it. (Side note, we just left a carpet manufacturer where the manager and tour guide of the place always said mid-lecture things like "This is where it gets interesting/exciting," which is not necessary because who is not always on the edge of their chairs at a carpet manufacturer!?!?) So, "here is where it gets exciting," I looked down at my feet about 15 minutes ago at the impression that my Chaco's had left on my feet and decided thats why God brought me here was to leave an impression. To leave an impression on Turkey, Turkish people that I meet, my fellow pilgrims, and especially myself. Next I need to figure out how to do that which now that I am writing I have realized that I might have to improvise this next part because I'm not sure how I am going to do that...however i gave out my second gift to a guy who left an impression on me and literally an impression on his brother when he called his brother over after I bought a journal from him to show me the tattoo that HE himself had put on his brother yesterday. The gift that I gave that guy was a CD of my favorite tunes. When told me that his favorite American music was Puff Daddy and Tupac Shakur, I realized that he might be disappointed in my CD that is littered with Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon, and my other favorite acoustic artists. Oh well! Also in terms of that journal I bought, I was supposed to go to CVS the morning we left god ol' 'Merica to retrieve one, and well that did not happen, but today touched me enough to the point where I really wanted a journal. You might see a lot of pictures of me standing/climbing on tall objects that may or may not be on top of mountains. I decided to make this my signature for the trip because every time I get to the top, I look around and say, "Wow, I'm in Turkey right now!" LIke Ferris Bueller said, "Life moves fast, if you don't stop and take a look around you might miss it," and this is an experience that I do not wanna miss. (Side note: I am realizing now that my English teacher was right when she said that I am bad at knowing when to start a new paragraph....psh who needs English teachers anyway?)
(Hey look, I did it!) But now that leaving my impression is my final goal, I need to figure out how to do that, and I have realized that the way I'm figuring that out is appreciating and watching the people that have left an impression on me. For example, our bus driver, Murat. Murat has built up an awesome resume in my eyes by, you know, just being awesome. These actions, such as surprising us with food when we get back on the bus, mocking what we say in his funny american accent, and even more, landed him the prestigious prize of my first gifted CD, which is currently our soundtrack on this 4-hour bus ride from, uh...let's just say from point A to point B. So impressions, that is what I have realized I am about on this pilgrimage, and through that I decided that I truly became a pilgrim today when I realized my goal.
("Henry, your paragraphs are not even close to being the same length" - angry English teacher. "I'm doing my best! And look I made a new one, and it even starts with another bad joke!" - angry Henry.) I thank you all for reading this most likely freakishly long entry, and I hope to have made an impression on someone by the time you read this, and I hope that I can make an impression on each and every one of you when I return home!
The word of Henry
Thanks be to God
