My Trip to Istanbul!

April has, traditionally, been a hectic month for our family.

When the kids were little, summer activities would begin and juggling between here, there, and everywhere was a normal routine.

Even though our children are all grown, this April still proved to be a hectic month. Both Danielle and I celebrated birthdays. We went out of town for Easter - the first time in 15 years! And I travelled to Istanbul.

The trip was such a blessing. I was able to experience firsthand the work that my daughter is doing. I was so encouraged by her passion and love for all the people there. 

I'm still processing all that I witnessed there and how that is affecting my view of the local church in Canada and the role we play in our society. 

But while I process, let me share a little of what I did during my week.

My trip included a 23-hour layover in London, England. I have never been to London before. I've only seen its rich history on television or in pictures at my grandparents' house. Using ChatGPT, I planned out a full day to see as much as possible. I was able to plan out all my transportation using the tube (subway system), trains, and on foot! I walked about 30,000 steps that day :)

I was very pleased with how easy it was to get around! I was a little concerned that I would have spent the majority of my day just waiting around. I did geek out a little when one of my stops happened to be named BOND Street :) 

I visited Parliament and saw Big Ben. I did a tour of Westminster Abbey. I popped over to Buckingham Palace. I relaxed in St. James Park. And I finished off the day with a pint and fish and chips.

Westminster Abbey was INCREDIBLE to see. The art, architecture, and sculptures are just breathtaking! What struck me the most, even though it is still a functioning church with a ministry to bless and impact the community, the building itself really leads one to focus on "the pride of man" and our earthly accomplishments. Tomb after tomb of great men and women of history filled the place. But I kept asking myself, "Where is the glory of God? Where is the work of God on display to be praised?" Psalm 103:15-16 says: "As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more." 

I managed to get a few hours of sleep at a funky little hotel room in the airport. It was just perfect to get some sleep before the next part of the trip!

All of my flights were smooth and free of any hassles! Praise God for that! I'm a bit of a nervous traveller, so when it goes nicely like this trip, it makes me very happy, and much more open to doing more travel :)

I left home on Monday evening and arrived in Istanbul Wednesday morning. My arrival perfectly aligned with an earthquake! Because of this, our plans for the first day were completely disrupted, and I ended up meeting up with Samantha at the other end of the city, which was deemed more "earthquake safe". Thankfully, there were no major aftershocks, and we were able to return to where I was staying the following day.

It was such a joy to be with Samantha! Her love and passion for this part of the world were contagious! I was just amazed at how she has been picking up the Turkish language! Everywhere we went together, people would compliment her on her speaking. I was incredibly impressed! She is an incredible woman, just like her mother!

Our week was a balance of sightseeing, relaxing, praying, and meeting wonderful people. I loved sitting in a cafe having a tea and just watching SO MANY people pass by. 

In Istanbul is something known as the ezan (or adhan in Arabic). It is the Islamic call to worship, announced five times a day from loudspeakers mounted on the minarets of mosques throughout the city. The call to prayer is a regulated, state-managed religious practice. It's not just a religious custom—it’s part of Turkey’s public life and legal structure, tightly overseen by the government through the Diyanet. Any public disrespect toward it can be considered blasphemy or incitement, which is punishable under Turkish law. Disrupting the call to prayer or mocking it may lead to fines or criminal charges under laws protecting religious values and public order.

(All of that I learned and copied from ChatGPT)

During one of these calls, respectfully, I went to a Mosque so I could spend time praying. While I'm obviously not Muslim and have no knowledge of the customs of what happens in a mosque, I found a quiet place to myself and spent about an hour praying.

I prayed for the people of Turkey. I prayed for those who are suffering. I prayed for any civil unrest. I prayed for the marginalized. I prayed that the peace of God that transcends all human understanding would touch the hearts of the people there. I prayed for the religious tensions in the region. 

As the mosque filled up more and more, I decided, in order to not be seen as being disrespectful, to go outside to continue praying a bit longer. This was a beautiful area where there were stations for people to be able to wash their feet. Again, because I'm not familiar with the customs, security guards began to walk that area outside the mosque and required that all women (tourist or citizen) leave. Only men were allowed in that area. 

I prayed for the women. I prayed for any woman mistreated or treated as "less than" because of her gender. I then prayed that the Holy Spirit would descend powerfully and that he would transform and change hearts.

No word of a lie, but as soon as I finished that prayer and opened my eyes, two doves flew down and landed on the two large doors that served as the entrance to the mosque. This species of dove, according to my bird app, is called Laughing Doves. I nearly teared up. In the Bible, we read about the baptism of Jesus. It is one of the clearest moments of the Trinity of God. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Matthew 3:16 says: "And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him." I was so blessed by this time of prayer.

Samantha and I went to visit the Hagia Sophia. It is one of the most iconic and historically significant buildings in the world. Its history spans over 1,500 years, crossing the boundaries of empires and religions. It was built in 5 years from 532-537 AD. It was the largest cathedral in the world for nearly 1,000 years and the centrepiece of Eastern Orthodox Christianity. In 1453, Constantinople was conquered by Sultan Mehmed II, marking the fall of the Byzantine Empire. Hagia Sophia (which means Holy Wisdom in Greek) was converted into a mosque. Christian mosaics were covered (but not destroyed) with plaster or Islamic calligraphy.

After the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the Republic of Turkey was established under Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. In 1935, Hagia Sophia was reopened as a museum as part of Turkey’s secularization efforts. Many of the covered Byzantine mosaics were uncovered and preserved. In July 2020, Turkey’s highest court annulled the 1934 decree that had turned Hagia Sophia into a museum. Soon after, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan signed a decree converting it back into a mosque. It remains open to visitors, but now functions primarily as a mosque. Some of the Christian mosaics are covered during prayer times, often with curtains rather than permanent alterations.

(Again, I learned and copied all this from ChatGPT)

The place is incredibly beautiful, but I could definitely feel the spiritual tension in the place. While the Christian heritage of the building is respected from a tourist funding raising perspective, the spiritual heritage is not welcomed. Even though pictures of Jesus were everywhere, acknowledging him was not permitted. 

I did get to visit some old churches as well. This region of the world is rich in Christian history. Beautiful churches were open to all. I found one Orthodox and one Catholic church.

The Catholic service was guarded by the military! The church is behind a HUGE gate. The entrance was protected by armoured vehicles and a dozen men and women heavily armed! This was a powerful reminder to me to never take religious freedom for granted. Sadly, here in Canada, I believe we are seeing that eroded more and more. As I was leaving the church, several young muslim men were mocking the service from the back of the church. If that had been the other way around, young Christian men mocking an Islamic service... I would not want to see what would have happened!

I'm so grateful for the opportunity of this trip. I've been trying to do my sabbatical as cheap as possible in order to not add any financial pressure on my church or in our personal finances. I'm grateful to my mom and step-dad, who gifted me the plane ticket. I'm grateful to Samantha's contact, who got me a room for $15 USD a night! And I'm very grateful to God for putting it all together and teaching me so much!