Sowing Opportunities
Pray for our local partner who is regularly sharing with people in our neighborhood as well as over 400 people who heard the gospel at ... Read More
Island Outreach
The island outreach...it's kind of a big deal! It's so cool to see the body of Christ work together to pull off an event like this. ... Read More
A Dream and a New Believer
For the last five months, I have been visiting Hem, a Kurdish man who was introduced to me by a mutual friend.
Responding to the Gospel
Please pray for Hem, a Kurdish man who has heard the gospel several times and seemingly responded in faith.
The Gospel over Lunch
My friend and I sought out a time to test out a Buryan restaurant in hopes of talking with the owner.
New Friends
Recently a waiter and a restaurant owner both heard a clear presentation of the gospel last month from one of our teams in Central Asia..
A Growing Fellowship
Please pray for the four primary leaders of the local Kurdish group of believers that baptized eight new believers.
New Team Members!
On September 26th, a family that has been in one of our strategic Central Asian cities will be joining us in our city...
God is Forgiving, Right?
We met Omer in his cleaning supply store. We sat and had juice with him for an hour+ and talked about our religions and shared the ... Read More
Under Construction
Natural gas is being installed in our building, so now each apartment unit is having the pipes installed in each home. This month we ... Read More
Lessons Learned
I have been meeting up regularly with *Al for a couple months. Just to hang, or to get my haircut (he is a barber). My wife and I have ... Read More
Connections
While at a local meeting amongst other workers, my friend who now serves in Europe told me about one of his friends, Y, who is visiting Read More
We say, ‘Allah.’ What do you say?
The day after major turmoil in our country, I went down to the store below our building to grab us a Coke. Due to security reasons, we ... Read More
Story Telling
I recently learned the story of Jesus calming the sea in Arabic. It was the first Bible story in Arabic that I’ve learned. Last ... Read More
New Doors
We had some friends visit and help us discover where more Kurds in a certain part of our town. Through that work, our team discovered ... Read More
Long Term Friendships
I’ve had a relationship with Alan since we met a couple years ago in a city in the East. Since then I have shared the good news ... Read More
Pray for Expats and Locals
Please be lifting up brothers and sisters that are currently away on vacation in the States and other places. Ask Him that they would ... Read More
Mourning with Those who Mourn
My neighbor’s sister’s baby just passed away (he was in intensive care from being born very premature). I visited her as ... Read More
A Good Witness Draws Attention
Months ago we met “Uncle Y,” a Yezidi. He welcomed us and our partners into his home on multiple occasions and patiently ... Read More
The Gospel and Papa John’s
My wife is really good friends with a lady in our building who is our age and has two kids. They have coffee multiple times a week and Read More
Reaching Out to One
On two different occasions this past month we were reminded of the power of reaching out to ONE person with the love and gospel of ... Read More
No, the Bible has not been Changed
As we traveled in southeastern Turkey, a man named “ME” invited us for tea. We agreed and talked for a little while, but ... Read More
Discussing Ephesians with Muslims
While touring a Kurdish city in Turkey, we were walking and a man named “H” yelled at us to come drink tea. We agreed and ... Read More
Engaging Imams with the Gospel
While in southeastern Turkey, we met with “A.” He is an imam and Qur’an course teacher, and he took us to the ... Read More
Evangelism at a Kurdish Church
“M” contacted a believer on FB who wanted to come to the Kurdish fellowship. This was the same week as a recent baptism, ... Read More
Evangelism by a Nonbeliever
As we studied the Word with two young Kurdish believers, “B” showed up and we were able to proclaim the gospel to him and ... Read More
Baptism Picnic
At “C’s” baptism this past spring we got to be with at least 25 Kurds at a picnic. One of the pastors, Apo, did a ... Read More
Atheist Seeker
After moving to the Aegean coast of Turkey, an American woman met a local at the seaside. The local was very open about her curiosity ... Read More
Committed, but not Religious
A foreign friend and I have been regularly having tea with a believer friend and my non-believing neighbor. Since this past November, ... Read More
Henna
Our neighbor, *C, came over for coffee one evening. We had a really interesting conversation about henna. She said henna symbolizes ... Read More
Prayer for Valley Town
Please be in prayer for our local brothers and sisters in Valley Town. Our brother *Alan is still struggling financially and is facing Read More
Giving Directions
Last month, when we visited a particular neighborhood in Istanbul, we met “Uncle M.” God put him in our path and after ... Read More
Pray for Our Families
Pray for the families. While most days we love Kurdistan, culture stress is difficult. Ask that the Lord helps us to find our joy in ... Read More
A Case for Theft
For Christmas, I gave my language teacher a framed Bible verse I had made. Well, her friend stole it and put it in her kitchen!
Who Are The Kurds?
There are about 25 million Kurds in the world, give or take a few million. Their homeland, called “Kurdistan,” spans four countries: ... Read More
In the Face of Mocking
While an expat visited her Kurdish friend’s store, two shop patrons were sitting around drinking tea. One of them was from ... Read More
Warts
A friend and I met up with “R,” a local Kurdish college student so that he could practice some English. While chatting ... Read More
Boldness
My colleague and I spent an evening hanging out with two Kurdish brothers who are believers. Another Kurdish friend and their cousin ... Read More
The Refugee Highway
“N” is a Kurd from Syria. He has known Christians for 25 years, and he has always been impressed by their love for people ... Read More
God’s Sovereignty in the Gospel
We waited next to a park for a Yezidi Kurdish man we were planning to visit. He walked up to our car, got in, and led us down small ... Read More
Another Move, A Faithful God
Our family never expected to have to leave the town after living there only 10 months. To be honest, it was quite painful and we ... Read More
New Life!
Perhaps the coolest thing that has happened this month is the safe delivery of our newest team member! Complications with the ... Read More
Threatened Brothers
Boaz and Alan have been distributing Good News material in their home area and as they were giving away these materials and sharing the Read More
Investment Paying Off
There have been several people really investing in “Rachel’s” life and the lives of her family members. This week she Read More
What Do You Pray About?
My neighbor came over to get help with some English homework. She watched me pray with my kids before we started. Later, after I ... Read More
Head of a Household
A man prayed for his wife before she left for class with a new language helper. He asked God to give her an opportunity to proclaim ... Read More
Escape to Europe
A Christian worker approached a friend about teaching her the Kurmanji Kurdish language. Instead, the friend suggested a Yezidi ... Read More
Even Baby Jesus is a Stumbling Block
I was able to tell the history of the Thanksgiving holiday with my neighbor while grilling a turkey. This lead to a discussion about ... Read More
New Church Planting Partnership
A new partnership group has recently been developed that focuses on implementing church planting strategies among Kurds wherever they ... Read More
Correct Teaching
I have visited a new Kurdish friend, “B,” twice and spoken with him on the phone several times. He is very curious about ... Read More
Christmas Celebration
The day started off with multiple phone calls trying to figure out if anyone was going to come to the Christmas celebration. My friend Read More
The Trash Man
Many Kurds in our city in western Turkey have come from the eastern part of the country because jobs are more prevalent here and the ... Read More
Alevi Zaza
I went to a tailor’s shop that is only 20 meters from our home and met “S.” After a couple of minutes of basic ... Read More
Conversations at a Cafe
An American evangelist has had good conversations with “Steve” because his fiancee is from a traditionally Christian ... Read More
Unconditional Love
I’ve been a bit disappointed this past half-year that I haven’t been able to get to know my neighbors in Turkey on a deeper Read More
Let the Bible Draw People to Christ
When going out to share the gospel in Turkey, I have started carrying a New Testament with me in my hand. Well, one day I was getting ... Read More
Christmas Presents
A Christian worker in Turkey had the idea of asking local men what local product he should buy and send back to his dad and brother as ... Read More
First Time Hearers
Two expats met a Kurdish student while attending a Kurdish fellowship in Turkey. They got his phone number hoping to meet up with him ... Read More
Thanksgiving Outreach
My heart is still full by what the Father did at our center’s Thanksgiving celebration. We had approximately 70 ladies and ... Read More
Prayers Answered
Due to a flea infestation at an apartment rented for a semester intern, a ministry team was told they lost the money that had been ... Read More
God’s Power is Made Perfect in Weakness
“K,” a worker in Turkey, has been facing physical and emotional challenges the last year. As much as she and her husband ... Read More
Bedroom Bible Study
When a Western family returned to Turkey after a visit to their home country, they came back to find that a young local believer’s ... Read More
What Do the Other Books Say?
Recently, I was able to spend about six hours with a Muslim friend. From the beginning, I turned the conversation to spiritual matters Read More
Religious
While in language class in Turkey, an expat worker began answering questions in class with Truth laced answers. His teacher finally ... Read More
Kickboxing Kurd
On the first night of a short term trip, we felt a bit stuck. Two guys were ill and we had little time before we had to be back in the Read More
Barber Shop Time
On a short term trip, we were looking for a barber shop to get some haircuts and a shave and we were hoping to meet some men and share ... Read More
Religious
While in language class in Turkey, an expat worker began answering questions in class with Truth-laced answers. His teacher finally ... Read More
Hay*, Mee*, and His Brother Make Three
We met these three Kurdish men near the city while they were drinking cay – two brothers and a cousin. We shared the gospel ... Read More
Pray for Boaz
Please be lifting up for our local brother, Boaz, and the community of believers here. About a week ago, 4 strangers came to ... Read More
Pray for Workers
Please pray for the workers among the Kurds here that they will continue to learn language so that they can go deeper in sharing the ... Read More
Seek and You Shall Find
We spent several days in eastern Turkey where we have a lot of friends. One young lady, “B,” seemed like a very strong seeker a few ... Read More
God is at Work among Kurds from Syria
We have become friends with a Kurdish family from Syria that has been in Turkey for about two years. They wanted to have our family ... Read More
Encouragement
I have had a difficult time with my health and adjusting back to Turkey after an extended stay in the US. At the same time, I was ... Read More
Bus Driver
While riding the bus back from a conference in Turkey, a Christian worker started thinking about how bad it would be for a bus full of ... Read More
While at the Beach
Some American believers in Turkey went to the beach this summer. Soon after they sat down, a family came and set up next to them. The Read More
Pray for Newly Believing Syrian Kurdish Family
Pray for a Syrian K family near us who has recently believed, “S” and “A”. A pastor is coming to them from an hour away to disciple ... Read More
Fast in Secret
While breaking the Ramazan fast the other night, *Ark mentioned that I had told *Ann that Christians also fast. He asked me when our ... Read More
A Difference in Fasting
I broke the fast with a group of local friends during Ramazan. During the evening, I had the opportunity to talk more with a friend of Read More
Ikea
Some foreigners were in the furniture section of IKEA in Istanbul. A local man began talking with them about how he thought a certain ... Read More
Ever Seen God Answer Prayer?
I had the opportunity to go out with L — a guest from America — to meet my Muslim friend M. L and I had talked about how ... Read More
Our Culture is Based on the Bible
A couple of Christians were trying to meet with a new Zaza believer who lived on the outskirts of Istanbul. They drove all the way out Read More
Conservative Muslim Friend
An expat in Turkey recently started with a new language tutor. The teacher is a very conservative Muslim who teaches the Koran. He ... Read More
In Search of Treasure
Many Kurds in our city have come from the eastern part of the country to the west where jobs are more prevalent and the economy is ... Read More
‘Honor Thy Parents’ and Baptism
Brother A’s younger brother now believes, as a result of his own prayer and reading along with A’s sharing with him. Brother A has ... Read More
Prayers for Northern Iraq
Please lift up the workers who are constantly in spiritual warfare which has particularly been showing itself in instances of houses ... Read More
2015 Zaza Alliance Conference
Have you registered for the 2015 Zaza Alliance Conference yet? For more information about the 2015 Zaza Conference to be held in ... Read More
Hope for the Hearing
This is a picture of Hasan* in his living room, listening to the gospel of Matthew. He is part of a very unreached and still mostly ... Read More
A Weekend of Opportunities
Recently we were able to spend a fun-filled weekend with local Kurdish friends. On Saturday night we had them in our home for dinner ... Read More
Why Are You So Different?
“Please, teacher, tell me – why are you and these other teachers so different? What is it about this center that makes me feel at ... Read More
Sunday Surprise
We arrived at our local fellowship this Sunday morning thinking it would be an ordinary day of worship with local believers. (We had ... Read More
Family Ministry at the Park
Pray for connections for our family with the Syrian Kurdish refugees at the park. Tonight at least half of the people there were ... Read More
New Friends in a New City
We got to our new city and had on our first day we had to call an electrician because the power kept cutting out. We are supposed to be Read More
Tea Anyone?
A friend and I recently hosted a ladies’ tea for the ladies on our street after going door-to-door to issue invites. Not knowing what ... Read More
A Family In Search of Truth
Please Pray for Ike and Cher. I have been able to share with Cher in great depth recently after almost two years of friendship. She ... Read More
The Sobering Effect of the Doctrine of Hell
Please pray for *Figgie whose father recently passed away. Figgie has heard the gospel frequently the past year. Pray that during ... Read More
No Detours
A couple of Christian women were doing a Bible club for some Kurdish refugee children from Syria. One mother was especially touched by Read More
“One Of Us Is Wrong…”
“One of us is wrong,” concluded my friend recently after I shared with him the good news of Christ. This is not the first conversation ... Read More
Building Trust
While on the search for an apartment, I thought about my friend, *Shane, who always said to call him if I needed help. So, I gave him ... Read More
Meeting Jesus in the Big City
*Baran works hard on his schooling. He has already learned Russian, is working on English, and of course, since his first language is ... Read More
Coaching to Christ
A football player in Turkey, “Mike,” would regularly come to his American coach and ask questions about the plays they were Read More
How Do You Become A Christian?
A young lady in eastern Turkey who had heard the gospel and been blessed through clinics run by Christian volunteers asked one of the ... Read More
Reconciliation Tea
I hosted a reconciliation tea for the mothers of my 3rd grade daughter’s classmates. A couple of the moms, who were once ... Read More
Family for the Gospel
Family in our city is a central part of life. Large family gatherings are common (multiple generations are often under the same ... Read More
Gospel Presentation for Honor and Shame Cultures: Back to God’s Village
Here’s a video for a gospel presentation for those living in an Honor and Shame culture, like the Kurds. You can learn more about Read More
Too Open for Jesus
We love life in our city. The people here are very modern and open-minded. However, sometimes, it is almost their “open-ness” that ... Read More
Culture Learning: Honor and Shame
If you are going to reach Kurds with the Gospel of Jesus, then you must learn quickly that they come out of an Honor and Shame culture. Read More
Hope for Holly
Holly is a young woman who is getting requests for her hand in marriage almost weekly these days. She is also caring for her entire ... Read More
Tolle Lege
Please pray for our friend “B”, a Kurd from eastern Turkey. A friend and I recently met him for tea and our conversation ... Read More
Hunter*
Hunter* is a husband and father of three from Syria. His hometown has been a hot spot of violence inflicted by the Syrian regime. He ... Read More
Gospel Embodied Communities
Imagine that you have no job, no money, you live cut off from the rest of society in a world ruled by poverty and violence, your skin ... Read More
A Choice to Follow Christ
I have been praying for opportunities to share with the players on the football team that I coach, but the opportunities just have not ... Read More
Easter Tea
While at my monthly ladies tea the opportunity arose for me to tell about Easter, who Jesus is and what we believe about Him. Please ... Read More
New Evangelists
A couple of months ago, two Western cross-cultural workers joined a national believer on a visit to a town in eastern Turkey. The ... Read More
Wanted: Good Soil
Tonight I was visiting with three of my closest friends, two of whom I know to be Kurdish, while our kids were at their sporting ... Read More
May the Lord Reveal Himself
I started working with a language tutor who had previously heard the gospel from a mutual friend. We had been praying for her and ... Read More
Being Good Neighbors
Several months ago, some expats moved to Turkey and became acquainted with their new neighbors. One particular neighbor, ... Read More
Taking Time to Proclaim Truth
After taking cookies to neighbors, one neighbor friend who I don’t see very often, came by the next day and invited me for ... Read More
The Boldness of Children
Recently, we had some new friends over for dinner. While I was cleaning up the dishes from the table, the wife had come into the ... Read More
Not By Works
During language class, our tutor asked us to tell about a vacation that we had taken, and we were able to talk about an old Roman ... Read More
Prayer for Worker among Kurds
First, I feel like my efforts to learn language are being thwarted. I’m living near my focus Kurdish people group. There are many Read More
Proclamation
While traveling to a village in Turkey to minister to nationals, a church group shared the gospel more openly and frequently than they ... Read More
Security
The security situation in the Iraqi Kurdistan remains unstable. The central government is divided and weak, multiple ethnic and ... Read More
“Salam”
There is a new believer in a very remote part of Iraqi Kurdistan. A new believer, “Salam”, came to faith in Christ as a graduate ... Read More
How Can I Get Rid of This Burden?
On Saturday a teammate and I went to visit my former neighbor, “Zoe”, and her grown daughter. Zoe was recently diagnosed with ... Read More
The Difference Christ Makes
“I have noticed you are different from the [Westerners] I see on television and in movies. Why? What makes you different?” *Hank asked. Read More
New Laborers
Praise the Father for answering prayers and sending workers into the harvest! This month and next our region will welcome four new ... Read More
The Sacrifice Holiday
Every year, millions of Muslims worldwide sacrifice a sheep or a cow at a holiday commemorating Abraham’s offering to God. The ... Read More
Great Joy
“I bring you GOOD NEWS that will cause GREAT JOY for ALL PEOPLE.” Luke 2:10. For those who know Christ as Savior this season brings ... Read More
Thanksgiving Thanksgiving
A few weeks ago, many women at the community center came for a Thanksgiving Celebration. A national believer shared with them a ... Read More
Would You Like to Read the Bible?
A foreign coach decided to ask his Muslim friend at the corner market near his home if he would like to read the Bible with him. The ... Read More
These last few months I have had the privilege of getting to know a local believer’s sister. She has been a pleasure to get to know, ... Read More
Christmas Celebration
Thursday, December 18th, will be the annual Christmas Celebration at the Community Center. There are many new attendees right now who ... Read More
What Thieves Cannot Steal
An expat family in Istanbul recently had their home broken into. The wife decided that she needed to prepare a testimony of ... Read More
Ridiculous Good News
I had a conversation with a young K who just graduated university a couple months ago. We talked about his dreams, the future, his ... Read More
Murry and Melvin
Please lift up my friends “Murry” & “Melvin” (An uncle and his nephew) who work at a local market. I have ... Read More
Wrestling with the Truth
I was able to give a Bible to a girl named “E.” She texted me a few days later saying that she was reading it, had ... Read More
Used for His Glory
Our new friend Mr. G is the only believer in his entire people group living in this part of the world. He was pursued by Christ at a ... Read More
Pray for Yezidis
If you watched the news this summer, many of you heard about the Yezidi people in Northern Iraq. They are a distinct Kurdish people ... Read More
Truth Seekers
A few weeks ago, I was praying specifically that God would lead us to new people in the city that were seeking him. I was convinced ... Read More
Who Will Intercede for Them?
Please plead with the Father on behalf of the ½ million refugees living in our city. Many of them escaped their homes with only the ... Read More
The Witness of Tourists
I emailed a new contact this month to see if he had received the New Testament that he had requested. “M” called me back ... Read More
From Sauls to Pauls
“While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” In His grace, He pursues us and loves us right where we are. Praise Him that He does! Read More
Divine Appointment
On a recent trip, I was a bit discouraged. We had gone hoping to meet with believers, as well as look for a potential spot for a ... Read More
Family Camp
While we attended a Church Family Camp in a Muslim country, I was asked to lead one of the discussion groups after each day’s morning ... Read More
What do you do?
As seasons pass here, my urgency for these people grows. I realize it is in the hands of my dear Savior to change hearts and reveal ... Read More
Ridiculous Good News
I had a conversation with a young Kurd who just graduated university a couple months ago. We talked about his dreams, the future, his ... Read More
Parenting as a Witness
Not long ago, I had a very interesting conversation with my language helper. I always thought that she thought I was a crazy parent ... Read More
The Noah Movie
A Muslim man in Turkey recently asked a Christian about the new Noah movie. He had seen the film and wanted to know how it compared ... Read More
Resurrection
An expat believer was introduced to a Muslim family recently. The believer started spending quite a bit of time with their daughter ... Read More
Island Pilgrimage
Every year on April 23, thousands of Muslims make a pilgrimage to a Christian church on an island near Istanbul, Turkey. They light ... Read More
Grace for Charity
The kerosene heater exploded taking the life of the mother of three small children, the close cousin of Charity*. The children, ages ... Read More
Security for Selah
“What should I do?” This is a question I have heard often from Selah* over the course of our friendship this past year. For the past ... Read More
Soccer Mom
Fadime is a soccer mom. Her black robe and veil cover her entire body, with only an opening for her eyes and nose. Normally women who ... Read More
A Place of Hope
*Rose was the first lady that came to the community center before we even opened. She saw the sign, *A Place of Hope, and said that ... Read More
Thoughts of Suicide
In a break during a recent class, my student confessed to me that he hates life. He lives here as a refugee, having come from a nearby ... Read More
Three Questions
While helping my friend “B” at the community center, I had the opportunity to ask him three worldview questions: Who is ... Read More
Heard But Not Received
Praise the Lord for our language teacher! W* is patient, kind and a blessing to many. Although she has been surrounded by witnesses ... Read More
Used for His Glory
Three single ladies on our team have recently moved into a new house after a challenging previous living situation. Two more will join ... Read More
Pray for *B from Btown
A young teacher named *B has been coming to our cultural club recently. He is a Kurd from Batman, Turkey. He is not shy, but in large ... Read More
Jesus makes life easy, right?
Ask *Jamal. Look at his hands, cracked and bleeding from working construction in the freezing cold. Like Noor, Jamal is a refugee from ... Read More
*Kayhan
*Kayhan and his family are Kurds from the most eastern part of Turkey. When growing up he had been into the neighboring country ... Read More
*Ufuk
Please pray for *Ufuk, a Zaza/Turkish believer, who has been struggling recently. Breaks-ups, bad news from his school, and struggles ... Read More
An Earnest Prayer for Friends
Father, I love my friends. They are gifts from you. We have laughed and cried together through the years. I have watched them grow ... Read More
A Visit to an Eastern Village
*Robert has been reading the Word, texting me, asking good questions, and requesting prayer. A friend and I went out to Robert’s Read More
Kindness to Foreigners
I became friends with “Oscar” and shared the gospel with him a few times. Last summer, he went to America and then ... Read More
Woman of Peace
A woman in Istanbul, *Gloria, has been a faithful attender at a community center for over a year. Every once in a while she will bring Read More
Seeker
*Lila, a local woman in Turkey, requested a Bible. She asked where she should start reading and was told Genesis for the OT and ... Read More
Cookies
I was excited that God recently used cookies to start a new relationship. I took some cookies to my neighbor who I had never met and ... Read More
Faith in That Which Actually Saves
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in ... Read More
Holy Spirit Breathed
*Bean has been visiting a community center in Turkey for about a month. He is interested in becoming a better English speaker because ... Read More
Truth Cannot be Countered
I went with a friend in Turkey who teaches English classes to participate with his class. The lesson went on for a while with the ... Read More
MP3 Player
A woman in Turkey called *Allison cannot read and was lamenting the fact that she did not have more time for God’s Word. A couple of ... Read More
Pray: Is Jesus Enough?
Our friend *S is a Kurdish woman from a neighboring country who has been seeking Truth. She has read the gospels over the past few ... Read More
Pray: Window of Opportunity
God in His grace and love for the Kurdish people has ordained a window of opportunity for His witnesses to come here to Kurdistan and ... Read More
Pray: Sports Ministry
Please pray for gospel workers who will be moving to a Kurdish area. They will seek to build some type of sports ministry but are ... Read More
Pray: Churches Serving Kurds in the States
Please pray for an American church, Pinelake, which is beginning to explore/engage the Kurds in Nashville, TN. (Nashville has the ... Read More
Pray: *Baran, Murat and friends
*Baran, a Kurd from eastern Turkey, said he was interested in coming to the Easter celebration where 500+ believers would gather ... Read More
Pray: Gina
Please pray for “Gina”. She is a K lady who has been faithfully coming to our community center for at least a year. Recently she has ... Read More
Pray: God is at work
Praise the Lord for hearing the prayers of His saints and sending many new workers to this harvest field amongst the Kurdish people of ... Read More
Hope for Turkey Prayer Guide
Please consider joining churches from around the world as we pray for the Turks and Kurds of Turkey throughout the month of May. You ... Read More
Pray: Malatya in Remembrance and Hope
This Friday (Good Friday) marks the 7th anniversary of the murders of three Christians (two Turks and a German) in Malatya, Turkey. ... Read More
Pray: First Easter in a Kurdish City
This weekend will be the first known Easter celebration in a Kurdish city in Turkey. As Christians, the resurrection of our Lord is the Read More
Secret Church Simulcast – Good Friday, April 18, 2014
As a part of this month’s Secret Church Simulcast from pastor and author David Platt and the people of the Church at Brook Hills, Read More
Pray: Sweet Neighbors
H is a large, likable, gregarious Kurdish man who loves life, family, culture and religion. As the son of a mullah, his religious roots Read More
Pray: Believing Kurdish Family in Need of Growth
Pray for Dl & Sal, our brother & sister in Him: Pray they wouldn’t look for teachers or special events or materials to ... Read More
Pray: for Behidini speaking Kurds in Northern Iraq
Please pray for the translation of the Word into the Behidini dialect of Kurdish. This dialect is spoken by a comparatively small ... Read More
Prayers in Kurdistan
The sky was finally clear this particular evening as M, Z and I were far away from any city lights that tend to steal the glory of the ... Read More
Pray: Short term sharing trip
Please pray for a group who is traveling among the Kurds this week with the goal to share the gospel and hand out New Testaments and ... Read More
Pray: Gospel Seeds to Grow for “O”
Would you pray for him and the seeds that have been planted by this family and our team to grow, by God's grace? Would you pray for the Read More
An Historic Opportunity
For generations the Kurds have lived in the shadows of the Arabs, Persians, and Turks. Whether the result of ministry decisions or ... Read More
Does Jesus Love Women?
“What does it mean to pray? When do you pray? How do you pray? Do you have to pray? Why do you pray? Why is God a man? Why in the ... Read More
Pray: Leadership Struggles
Please pray for the leaders of a local church here that are having troubles, who have even deciding to separate and go different ways. ... Read More
Pray: Believing Wife in Need of Preservation
Please pray for S, a Kurdish woman who has been a believer for many years. At 16, against her family’s wishes, she married a ... Read More
The Cemevi
I was able to visit a cemevi (an Alevi Muslim house of worship) with 3 K friends. One friend was Alevi but the other two had never been Read More
Pray: Expat Reentry
*UPDATE – He made it! No problems at the border and all is well! ________________________________ Please pray that an expat ... Read More
Pray: *Remzi and Family
My team mate and I spent time this past weekend in our local friend *Remzi’s hometown in the Eastern part of Turkey. We spent ... Read More
Jesus Films for Kurds
If you are in contact with Kurds where you live, then here are some videos in the three major Kurdish dialects to help you as you share Read More
The Primacy of Prayer
Praise the Lord, we recently had two professions of faith from people that we have been meeting with over the last few months. At the ... Read More
A Local’s Testimony
“Lilly” saw an open Bible on a table and asked, “Is that a New Testament? Can I see it? I have always been curious ... Read More
Muslim Dreaming about Church
“Glenda,” a Muslim woman in Turkey, attends a cooking club hosted by expat Christians. After a period of time, she had a ... Read More
God is Working
God is working to call out His people, and we don’t always know who they are. A man in eastern Turkey was interested in finding out ... Read More
Christmas
The week before Christmas, a group of Western believers in a Muslim country had a Christmas celebration at the community center where ... Read More
Why are Christians so Good?
“Ira” is a Kurd from Siirt who lives in Istanbul. He received a Bible from a Christian a few months back and is reading it Read More
Noah’s Ark Pudding
One morning my friend, Isabelle, knocked on my door. “Hey, come over in little while and I will show you how to make aşure and we Read More
Jehovah’s Witness
While traveling in eastern Turkey this fall, a couple of Christians met a national who had been learning from the Jehovah’s ... Read More
The Secret Believer
While traveling in a small Kurdish city, an expat stumbled across a man in a fish market who shared with him that he was a believer. ... Read More
Answered Prayers
A worker among Kurds reports: “We moved to our new city! We also were able to meet some believers and see two baptisms! So ... Read More
For Every Action…
For every action, there is an opposite and equal reaction. This is a simple scientific fact learned by most children in school. But ... Read More
Black Sea Baptism
Three former Muslims were baptized in the Black Sea this summer. One of them has grown tremendously in his faith and has even gone on ... Read More
Summer Home
My husband and I had the opportunity to visit our old language teacher at her summer home for two days. I noticed that she definitely ... Read More
No One Knows What I Am
A tourist recently celebrated his birthday during a trip to eastern Turkey. As he ate cake with some friends at a bakery, the Kurdish ... Read More
Let Your Light Shine
While asking her language teacher, “Tulane,” to help her with an opening and closing for a prayer in Turkish, an expat was ... Read More
A Seeker
A national contacted a ministry in Turkey through Facebook, specifically asking about spiritual things. Later, he came by their office Read More
The God of All Comfort
A young American living in Istanbul went to dinner with his local friend “Oliver” to celebrate his acceptance into a three ... Read More
Propitiation
My friend “Ike” speaks really good English, but is also willing to practice Turkish with me. Recently, while going back ... Read More
Demons
While listening to the Bible story of Jesus casting the demons out of a man and into a herd of pigs, two Zaza Kurd sisters began ... Read More
Great Blessings
As the summer heat sets in, mountains turn brown, dust whirls around, and the pace of life slows, I am reminded even in the driest and ... Read More
An Absurdly Radical Story
Recently, I’ve been thinking of the absurdly radical story that we believe and what it means in the Kurdish world. Here, to say that ... Read More
Unexpected Questions
Last year, I met two women from eastern Turkey who lived in my apartment complex. I visited them but didn’t feel like they really Read More
Enemies from One’s Own Family
We have been teaching our friend, “Rose,” and her seeking family members about suffering and how Scripture says her enemies Read More
Baptism
A K woman I know has been a believer for about a year but has never been ready to be baptized. She has listened to misinformation from ... Read More
Catching Up
While in the bakery, I ran into a lady I had met more than three years ago. Her son was in the same kindergarten class as our son—and ... Read More
Sundown in a Kurdish City
If you want to know what the sunset looks like from their side of the world…
Conversations in English Class
The week before Easter, during an English class in a Muslim country, the teacher walked through the “resurrection eggs” ... Read More
What about those Who Haven’t Heard?
A young foreign couple in Turkey was learning Turkish from a language helper called “Ernie.” Since Ernie was preparing to ... Read More
The One Who Makes the Blind See
A young girl in our neighborhood is very friendly toward us, but shows no interest in Truth and usually argues with me after she ... Read More
Truth to Chew on When the Food Runs Out
Beggars come to my door constantly. Sometimes, I am able to get to know their stories and their needs. This month, a woman with two ... Read More
Fresh off the Plane
Our first week back in Turkey I needed to go get some replacement light bulbs, so I went to my friend’s hardware store. He immediately ... Read More
Pray for Tony
I’ve had some great conversations recently with “Tony.” He continues to come in with questions from his reading of ... Read More
Controlled by Fear
Big praise, Luke and Acts have been officially published in Behdini (a Kurdish dialect in NW Iraq)! And this week the Lord provided me ... Read More
It Started with a Twang
A few months ago, my guitar started making a strange twanging noise when I would play for our house church. I took it to the only music Read More
Prayer
One morning, I prayed for encouragement, asking God to use me for His Work and to give me grace to see how He had used me. Hours later ... Read More
Everybody Makes their own Decision
A Westerner living overseas in a Muslim country was going daily to physical therapy for her back. One Friday, she was told to pay ... Read More
The Scandal of the Cross
An expat got into a long conversation with a man called “Ike” about what it means to follow the rules of Islam. Ike talked ... Read More
iPad Evangelism
My wife and I had our language helper record ten or so simple redemptive stories that we could listen to and begin to build up our ... Read More
Bring it Home Quickly
We have had “M” as our language teacher for around 3 months, but she just obtained a new job, so she will have to stop ... Read More
The Unchanging Word of God
A couple of weeks ago, “Z,” a Kurd from Batman, Turkey, visited a community center in Istanbul. It just so happened that ... Read More
Decorations for Jesus’ Birthday
Our 6 year-old daughter attends a local school in Turkey. Her teacher invited me and another American, believing mom to share about ... Read More
Anger
In October 2011, two K church leaders, “Chet” and “Victor,” got in an argument over how to distribute relief ... Read More
In Jesus We Are Family!
Recently, the house of a local believer flooded due to a lot of rain. Not just flooded, but the sewer backed up and filthy sewage ... Read More
Seeking
During an English lesson at a community center in a Muslim mega-city, a student got out a list of questions he had written down from ... Read More
We Are All Sinners and Need a Savior
A few weeks ago, a local delivery man met our daughter for the first time and asked where she was from. I explained that we adopted her Read More
“For Glory and for Beauty”
In Exodus 28, we read of the instructions that God gave Moses regarding the clothing of the priests who would be serving before God. ... Read More
“Christians Are Weak”
The following is a conversation between me, a friend, and her husband. Me: Why do you look upset? Husband: I just got off the phone ... Read More
Power Outages and Kids
The other day we went to visit a family in our city. I had met this family only two times before and only very quickly. However we ... Read More
For me, that will suffice…
“Getting engaged? Getting engaged? Really? When? Tomorrow? Really? When did this happen?” I had this exact conversation twice in the ... Read More
Solitary Prayers
As I visited with some students in my English class during our fifteen-minute break, one of my brightest students roamed in bearing a ... Read More
The Gerasene
In most parts of Turkey, drinking water has to be ordered from a store and is delivered in huge 5 gallon bottles. Not long ago, I ... Read More
True Righteousness
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your ... Read More
Passion of the Christ
Recently, some foreigners hosted a viewing of the “Passion of the Christ” film in Turkish. There were about 15 adults ... Read More
Advent
We had a new Kurdish believer, “Rose,” her family, and her sister’s family over for dinner before Christmas. That ... Read More
Church
On a Sunday in December, a young Zaza believer named “Hope” visited a great church in Istanbul with me. He enjoyed it, but Read More
Washing Dishes as unto the Lord
After the wedding of our neighbor’s daughter, Mom and I visited the mother and grandmother of the bride to bring our wedding ... Read More
Birds Confirm the Gospel
While touring with my in-laws in the historic Muslim city where I live, I met a man at a tea garden. He had a dervish man tattooed on ... Read More
Growing Faith
Last year, a Kurdish man called “Barry” came to faith through our local house church. Later, due to an earthquake that ... Read More
Wheelchair Evangelism
A Kurdish woman called “Rose” has been visiting our community center for several months and has made friends with many of ... Read More
Reaching Out to the Nations in the USA
While shopping in a large Muslim city at the local neighborhood bazaar with my Mom, who was browsing sweater vests, the vendor asked ... Read More
I’m not done with this yet
We were sitting around the other day when a knock came at our door. Knocks in general aren’t uncommon, but as we live on the 3rd floor ... Read More
A Kind of Prodigal
A few years ago, shortly after a Zaza Kurd trusted Christ, an American expat began to disciple the new believer by pouring into his ... Read More
Spiritual Blindness
The community center where I serve continues to provide many open doors for gospel witness, so I praise the Lord for that! Recently, ... Read More
The Persecuted Church
“If I killed you, I’d go straight to heaven. I just don’t think I could get away with it.” This is what one Kurdish believer’s own ... Read More
The Medes
A Christian from America had a good talk with a Muslim Kurdish man. Unprompted, the Muslim started telling the story of Genesis in ... Read More
Drumming up Business
In many Muslim countries, men roam the streets before dawn beating large drums to wake up the faithful for an early breakfast before ... Read More
An Outward Religion
While riding with a friend on a Friday morning (a time usually reserved for prayer at the mosque), he told me that this was his ... Read More
Lover or Slave?
“I don’t really care if my friend loves his wife or not; that’s his business. I don’t really want to hear about it at all.” Such were Read More
Ramadan
On Friday, July 20th, millions of Muslims around the globe will begin fasting by day and feasting by night. Ramadan has come and many ... Read More
Faith like a Child
In one swift motion, Bailey swooped him up, lifted him over the railing of the patio, and then let him dangle there, about 15 feet from Read More
A Cry for Help
Shahang pulled out all of the ultrasound pictures, doctor’s reports, tests, and empty medicine packets to show me. My lap was full as I Read More
A “Rose” Blooms
Rose had obviously watched the video. She was shocked that women were the first to find the empty tomb, yet not shocked that the men ... Read More
Remain in Me
Springtime is a favorite time for Central Asians to spend the afternoon in their vineyards. They take nuts and tea, pick green almonds, Read More
Boasting in Weakness
On my long bus commute home one evening, realized I was getting sick with something. I was starting to feel very weak and very quickly ... Read More
I’ve Made my Decision
I had an unexpected opportunity to visit with Nick recently. Things with his family have not improved; actually it seems they have ... Read More
Cleaning the Roof
My neighbor came over the other day. She does that often, usually trying to help me do something, or show me how to do something ... Read More
Digging Up Rocks, Sowing Seed…Reaping Fruit?
NOTE: The following story comes from a worker living in a city with no existing church...yet. I have been sharing the Gospel with M ... Read More
Behind the Gates
Domestic violence is still a huge issue within Kurdish society. There’s really no telling what goes on behind those gates – much like ... Read More
Shelter
As another volunteer worker and I picked our way past the debris of collapsed mud brick houses, we arrived at the makeshift tent we ... Read More
New Networks in Latin America
In March of this past year a new network was formed in El Salvador with several churches coming together to focus on Central Asia, ... Read More
A Holiday Every Week
I have been trying to form a closer relationship with, "Mahmut," the young dad from a Kurdish family who lives in our apartment ... Read More
I Hexed Your Children
I feel blessed to have the privilege of serving overseas with children. My children often open doors to meet neighbors and other ... Read More
Continue to Pray for Van
Please continue to pray for those in the earthquake affected area of Van, Turkey. After the second earthquake there, more than 70% of ... Read More
The Big Feast
Islamic holidays follow a lunar calendar. The feast just recently celebrated, comes 70 days after Ramadan and occurs during the time ... Read More
NYT Earthquake Story
The once busy sidewalks of this city in eastern Turkey have morphed into a desolate maze of partly collapsed buildings, broken glass ... Read More
Second Quake, Onset of Winter bring Significant Needs
A magnitude-7.2 quake last month and a magnitude-5.7 quake last week flattened some 2,000 buildings, killed 644 people and left ... Read More
Worth the Wait
Upon moving into a new neighborhood, I met “Arnold,” a pastry baker, while looking for a cooking supply needed by my wife. I was ... Read More
“…along with persecutions” Mk 10:30
Nick’s a family man. He’s got a wife and a couple of kids to look after, and like many he struggles with issues that come in a fallen ... Read More
7.2 Earthquake in Van
More than 200 people were confirmed killed and hundreds more feared dead on Monday after an earthquake hit parts of southeast Turkey, ... Read More
Walking
ey’d been walking and praying, praying and walking, for nearly three hours. As eager newcomers to the Kurdish homelands, they were ... Read More
A Curse or a Crown?
Recently I took my children out to the playground near our house and met a lady who works as a nanny watching three kids in our ... Read More
Resolving the Conflict: An Informative Report
Anyone who knows anything about the Kurds is aware of the tensions in areas where they live. The emotions on both sides exacerbate the ... Read More
Earthly Tribulation, Heavenly Citizenship
When we first met Paul months ago in a city with no known believers and no church, he was living in a tiny hostel, but he insisted on ... Read More
Van Bruinessen on “The Kurds and Islam”
When it comes to Kurdish studies, Martin van Bruinessen is one of the most well-known and respected Western scholars. Although it is ... Read More
From Hater to Follower
“Stephen” grew up hating Christians. In fact, he remembers thinking as a little boy that if he ever met a Christian, he would kill him. Read More
Joshua Project Unreached People of the Day – March 2
See the Joshua Project profile for the Kurds of Turkey HERE.
Iraqi Kurdistan: Vacation Paradise
Check out this great piece on Iraqi Kurdistan at http://www.slate.com/id/2285548/
A City Set on a Hill
One of the greatest hindrances of evangelism amongst MBB’s (Muslim Background Believers) is the fear of everyone knowing that they have Read More
New Life
The atmosphere in the room was laid-back and comfortable. Those who had gathered told stories and laughed heartily. The next day, ... Read More
More Scenes from Kurdish Life
The video below includes some great shots from Kurdish life and culture.
Houses of Peace
About a week ago, I went with Moose, to go visit the old wise man of his village. While sitting in the living room with 12 men, one of ... Read More
Pray for Key Cities in N. Iraq
The population of Northern Iraq is overwhelmingly Kurdish. Three key cities influence the north: Erbil, Sulaimaniyah, and Duhok. Please Read More
Kurdish Culture in Pictures
Check out the video below for a quick look at some aspects of Kurdish culture and life.
God Speaks My Language!
I saw the look in his eyes, and I rejoiced and prayed. As the young man walked away, he held the gift in his hands and glanced over it Read More
Praying Luke 10:2
The Kurds are said to be the fourth largest ethnic group in the Middle East after the Arabs, Persians, and Turks. Historically, many ... Read More
Counting the Cost and Taking a Stand
“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”- Jesus (Matthew 5:10) Some of his ... Read More
