Drains and other matters

Before we left England, some people commented that we were ‘brave’ to be coming to such a dangerous country as Turkey. Ironically, the first ‘terrorist’ attack in recent months took place in London. It’s a reminder that nowhere is ‘safe’ these days. And it is so important to remember that the great majority of Muslims are as opposed to mindless violence as most of us are.

One of the disadvantages of returning to a previously visited place is that there are few ‘new’ things to see or do. In the Izmir region, public transport is somewhat limited, and so we are unable, in the free time available, to get to some other places we would love to visit. But there is some compensation in the fact that we can take time to reflect more  on the culture we experience. One of the most visible contrasts with all European countries is the absence of churches. Before 1922, when the ‘Greeks’ were expelled, many towns and villages will have had Orthodox churches as well as mosques; hardly any survive. That probably accounts for the frequency with which St John’s is visited; it is almost the only church in Izmir (and probably in Turkey!) that is not protected by walls and barriers.

The large Turkish flags we reported last week have mostly disappeared, so they were obviously flying for a particular event. There was a large public meeting on the Kordon yesterday, which we assume was something to do with the coming referendum on presidential power; the road was closed to traffic, and there were coastguard boats and others keeping watch. The government have banned most meetings planned by the opposition, and at least some statements have linked a vote for No with a vote for terrorism. So it is not exactly a ‘level playing-field’; but there does appear to be some doubt about the likely outcome. We shall see; referenda can achieve strange results!

We had an ‘interesting’ diversion at the end of the week. The woman living in the first floor flat came up and managed (eventually) to tell us that she was getting foul water coming up into her sink and toilet and asking us not to use our toilet or sinks! We enlisted the help of our Turkish-speaking churchwarden, and it appeared eventually that there was some kind of cess-pit underneath the shop unit on the ground-floor. This had got blocked and raw sewage was coming up into the shop as well – there are some advantages in being on the top floor! We exercised as much discretion as possible to avoid adding too much to the problem, and all was finally sorted by Saturday evening.

Otherwise, it has been a largely routine week. Bible Study continues to go well, and we are enjoying wrestling with Paul’s thought in Ephesians. We are missing a number of regular members from Sunday worship – we’re a bit of a remnant at the moment - but those who do come seem very committed. We visited the American minister who had done such a good job of helping to maintain preaching and sacramental worship. Sadly his health has now deteriorated. But it was good to see him and his Turkish wife, and enjoy the views of the Aegean from their delightful and interesting house.

Spring has officially arrived – and been marked by some warm sunny days, which is good. A beneficial effect of the arrival of Summer Time in UK is that we are now only two hours ahead, and so communications with home are easier – and we can catch a few radio and TV programmes as they are broadcast! (Certainly, having WiFi in the flat has made life much easier than it was last summer.).

We took advantage of the sunshine to pay a return visit to Foça, on the coast north of Izmir. It’s in a lovely setting, surrounded by clear blue water. The journey there is easy by public transport. Our Saturday walk beside the bay took us some way further to the west, where we discovered an unexpected park extending for a couple of kilometres alongside the sea.

Please keep praying:

For safety and health – for us and for all Christians in Turkey.

For the refugees in our churches.

For Turkey in the forthcoming referendum.

For preparations for Holy Week and Easter.

For the ongoing appointment process for a permanent chaplain here.