After ministry in Turkey, my squad and I entered into our ATL time where we ask the Lord to guide us and show us where He wants us to go. At the beginning of Turkey, my team and I were excited to step into fun and exploring with the Lord. A quality that I have loved about God is that He is fun and has created this vast earth for us to explore! His creation and everything in it is worth stepping into, and allowing Him to meet us there is worth it. With that being said, my team and I felt called to explore the beautiful country of Turkey. This country is special because the Bible talks about Turkey and these stories from the Bible are alive and real to this day.
One of those being the seven churches in Revelations. With excitement to explore and to see that Bible come to life, my team and I set out to step into the churches that the Lord referenced to. We were able to travel to Izmir and visit three of the seven, Ephesus, Smyrna, and Pergamun. Seeing these churches was very surreal, to be in the place where the Lord addressed the people was awe strucking. Even just the building of these churches and structures was amazing to see in person. We were able to read the book of Ephesians and the portion in Revelations that was addressed to the church of Ephesus. To read about the church forgetting their first love and for John to tell the church to repent and to be sitting in the seats where the people sat, woah! We were able to sing the doxology in the middle of the ampitheater and were able to have Spirit filled conversations with several people. We were able to read both portions addressed to the church of Smyrna and Pergamun as well. Reading that the church of Smyrna will be tested, but that the Lord remains faithful and reading about Pergamun’s idolatry made everything so real. It was incredible to be in the places where believers walked and where the Lord spoke.
God showed up in many ways during our visit to the three churches. Whether it was making ways for us to go and visit them, or bringing people in our paths to have Gospel conversations. Touristic places are one of the greatest places to preach the Gospel because you have people from all over. Each one of us got to have conversations in our native languages or secondary languages. It was truly encouraging to see that no matter where we are, the Lord goes before us and send us people to witness to.
Along with exploring the churches, my team wanted to cross off a bucketlist item and ride on hot air balloons. So, we left Izmir and traveled to Cappadocia. We were able to see the beautiful landscapes and views that the Lord made and just soak in everything. Even in moments where the team wanted to explore, the Lord still brings people in our path to speak Jesus’ name. At this moment, some of my teammates are having lunch with people they have met in the small tourist town of Gerome. Even in the three days we have been here, God has been working. All glory to Him because His name is being preached and it is so incredible to witness.
The Lord is fun and He goes before us. He is moving and working through us to reach His chilren. Being able to stand in places spoken about in the Bible was amazing to exprience. Having fun and riding a hot air balloon made my perspective on how vast the earth is was warming to my heart. But, seeing that my team is filled with adventure and fun, but most importantly with hearts ready to preach the Gospel is inspiring.
Blessings,
Joana Quintana
