Merhabalar! I am sorry it has been so long since I updated! I have been so tired lately and forcing myself to sift through the last week or so is not my idea of relaxing or restful. Praise Jesus that Seth has a much different blogging style than me, otherwise you would never hear about our trip at all! I'm sorry. BUT Seth tells all the details and I tell everything that I'm feeling; so you get the true male and female perspective, facts and then feelings!

So very much has been happening like I said that it really has been difficult to process everything, but what I do know is that Jesus IS AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!! Absolutely, positively, perfectly amazing. Our Turkish friends decided to join us at Young Adult Church last night again when Seth, Ashley and Esther were sharing. My job was to intercede in prayer and MAN did Jesus put me to work! It was really cool and a great experience to serve my team and my new Turkish friends in this way. We are forming some really great friendships and Jesus is providing us with indescribable joy at the end of every day, even if it has been a horribly exhausting day. I am noticing that even our friends leave us with a joy that I didn't really see in them when we first met. I have a quick summation of praises.

PRAISE JESUS for: water (even though its always warm...it is affordable and makes me appreciate home); singing in the streets with my new Turkish family; for curing Theo of amoebic dissentary and saving everyone else on the team of runny, green pooh; for clean laundry and even for the hard work to get it that way; for rest and hours and hours of laughter (I'm going to have hardcore abs!); for brother/sister-hood; for the beautiful hearts of Turkish people; for joy in abundance and spiritual renewal; for making Turkish a living and lovely language to me; for an open future and endless possibility; for shattering all expectation; for spontaneous prayer in the Spirit that lasts; for Gods assurance that my prayers are heard and that He is moving in huge ways before the words even leave my mouth; for curious friends who, to most people, don't belong in the house of the Lord; for the fact that those friends will always belong and are wanted and loved; and last,but not least, for Jesus' abundant love that is seen in His word, my believing comrades, my Turkish family and felt deep within me.

I seriously almost deleted this entire thing because all of the computer junk is in Turkish...can you imagine?!?!? I barely had stuff up already but I wouldn't even have had this up! Praise Jesus that I saved it right before I accidentally hit some silly button. Thank you all for your continuous prayers, I am getting somewhat homesick but praise God we are staying so busy that I dont have a lot of time to really think about it. I hope you all are enjoying our updates, I will try to do better :-) I love you all and may God's blessings shower you all and may your hearts be as filled with his joy as ours are.

With all of the love in my heart,

Erin Leigh

PS A few different Scriptures we have been exploring are Psalm 67, 139, 145; Philippians; 2 Corinthians and much more I just cant think right now. LOVE LOVE LOVE!