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| Fat Fred with the beautiful people |
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| with the Hagobians. Great people |
We have now been out for nearly 8 months and I truly am not sure why we are here. This is the strangest life. For every good thing that we enjoy, there are 10 things that are not so good. I guess our 10% is all we should expect.
Well even in the confusion of my mind, we still have some remarkable experiences, our 10%. Perhaps experiences are what it is all about. Just a collection of odd events and unique circumstances. It just seems like the intent of a mission should have more situations related to Gospel issues and not just life issues. Are they the same? I would have expected 90% good to great and 10% not so good.
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| The gate of the Kadafeke looking over Izmir Bay. |
I have several stories that I could share, but it would take pages to share the events of last week. I factitiously referred to last week as "magic week" and thursday, June 13 was "magic day". Every time we needed information, support, help, facts or direction over the past months, we were told that after Elder Nelson's visit we could have support. Well the day was set for June 13 and so I declared it "magic day". Elder Nelson, of the Quorum of the Twelve, came to Ankara, met with someone, we have no idea who and now we still have no idea why or what happened, but magic day has come and gone. Now we will see what happens.
We are guessing that in reality nothing will happen and life in Turkey will just go on as before and the Area Authorities and all the minions of Church employees will now just ignore everything like before, but now without an excuse. Oh well.
The great thing about the visit was we were allowed to go to Ankara to the devotional and it was great just to see a room full of members. We were able to visit, nearly all night, with the Hagobians and we met a new refugee family, the Tazehabadi's from Iran. They have two teenage daughters and will be in Ankara for a few weeks until the Turkish government sends them to an assigned refugee city.
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| My great 8 year old Simya Herdsman I have made myself the primary teacher. Love it!!! |
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| My fantastic 4 Year old, Levent Herdsman We used Brit's idea in our Primary class. |
I have come to look at this assignment to a resident city as being assigned to the bottom of a garbage can with no knowledge of how to get out. You are just put in the garbage and told to stay there until someone tells you something else. You are not to get out of the garbage and you are not to complain. You have no clue when or where you will hear something and you can not create a life because you are to remain in the garbage can.
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| Goats at the Cistern at the Kalafeke. quality of tourism. |
I can not even pretend to understand the indignities that these people suffer. They are subject to total disregard after having risk their lives and security for a mere glimpse of hope. Why? Well because they had the audacity to convert to Christianity. Then unfortunately, they could get into no other decent country so they come to the only country where they are at least not killed for their beliefs, they are just treated like dirt. of course all the fanatics from their own countries come here as well to find the life that the country of origin does offer and then they continue to abuse the Christian population along with the abuses bestowed by the country of Turkey and the incompetent United Nations.
Ok, there is my 90% bad, here is my 10% good. We sat in the hotel with the Hagobians and were able to answer questions about the church that they never get to ask and have not experienced in their isolated life. We got to laugh and hug and just be good friends. We have written a letter of support and sponsorship for them to take to the UN and maybe it will help get Sheraak a position to go to the US. Even if we have to provide some personal funds, we cannot let them live in the garbage can.
They are also so courteous and seemingly grateful for the opportunity just to talk. That is actually the introduction to this post. We took all the time they wanted just to talk and listen even though we wanted to go to bed.
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| Stork nest in Selçuk |
I wish I could spend my life truly ministering and that I had the authority and means to truly help the righteous needs of good people. I wish I could discern the truth from the lies and the good from the evil. There must be a way to really help those in need. I wish we could do more than just toss a few coins and provide a few meals. I wish I could figure out how to really serve. Perhaps in the next 10 months that will happen.
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| Downtown Selçuk, just another vehicle, no problem |
I was excited to see the picture of your adorable Primary children! I'll have to tell my friend Natalie to look so she can see how her idea taken from Pinterest is being implemented in Turkey.
ReplyDeleteIt might be hard to swallow, but even if your whole mission was just so you could have one night visiting with friends like the Hagobians, doesn't that make it worth it? I think you don't give yourself enough credit-- you just being willing to be there blesses lives of even just those few who are precious to Heavenly Father. Even if it was just one night, it's not something that a tourist could do in a quick trip. Because you have planted yourselves there for now, people like the Hagobians place confidence in you.
I'm sorry it's hard, but it sounds like you are making a significant difference in some individuals' lives.
I literally spent 20 minutes writing a response that just disappeared suddenly, so here goes again... I appreciate the honesty in your blog Dad. I know that it probably doesn't help to hear me commiserate, but I used to say that the mission was 99% misery and 1% joy. In fact I remember a man that my companion and I had to tie down to his bed so that he could sober up. He spent 8 days locked in his room, screaming obscenities and puking in a bucket, he did sober up though for a while. He married his long time girlfriend and the mother of his 2 children. He got baptized, and was eventually called as the ward exec secretary. I went back to the area later in the mission and was excited to visit him. Unfortunately I found him passed out on the lawn in front of the Jalapaneca (the local cantina)just like old times. I broke my heart. I literally wanted to walk over and kick him in the teeth for breaking his covenants. It took me a long time to get over that one. I felt on most days like I was spinning my wheels teaching people who I thought would never understand the gospel in the way I thought that I understood it. It turned out that I was missing something. It wasn't until I became a father that I realized that life is supposed to be about disappointment and opposition. Really wouldn't you say that life is 10% 90%? I can honestly say that the 10% makes it worth it. Ethan and I had a discussion about his mission a few days ago and he said that he hopes he doesn't get called to somewhere that has a lot of insects. I laughed and said that I hope he has more than just insects to afflict and torment him. I figure the more miserable the mission the deeper the growth. I hope he feels truly miserable on his mission at times. That way he can feel more joy as well.
ReplyDeleteI figure that your Turkish Delightful mission at least got you out of your routine here, that you are in an exotic place, and you got to choose your companion. If nothing else that is a success. I mean how great is it that you are literally pioneers in a country that is so far from home. I love to hear your toils. If you blog was full of happy, success stories I would know that you were either lying or in the wrong mission. I love you and mom and I am grateful that you chose to serve a mission. I know that having you in Turkey is influencing more people that you may not even know, especially my kids. I think that your service has influenced the Anderson's and the Ricks' as well. The Andersons (Fred and Kathleen) just left to serve in the Hermosillo Mexico Temple.
Your mission sounds a lot like how I felt when I was a scoutmaster. I didn't think I was doing any good at all, or very little good. Sometimes you don't see the effects of your work for years. Most of the time, you don't get to see the results of your work. But every now and then, you get a glimpse of what your work may have meant--maybe it's a card from a former scout apologizing for being a pill, or maybe it's getting to see one of them as they go on a mission and they thank you for helping them out. You are doing a work, and you may see only 10% of the good you want to do, but you are accomplishing much more than that. No service or good deed is ever wasted in the Lord's economy, especially not on the one giving the service.
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