It was our first day in Turkey. After attending the church service at Antalya Evangelical Church, we headed upstairs to the top floor. A couple of us sat down at a table where a young woman was seated across from us. I asked her if she was a member of the church, and she openly shared that she was a new believer who had come to Christ just ten days earlier. What a joy it was for us to hear her story as she described her search for meaning and purpose. She had been searching while living in Istanbul but couldn’t find the answers she was looking for. Then, after moving to Antalya, her life intersected with a believer, and she made the decision to follow Christ.
It’s always extra special to hear from a new believer—there is something so powerful about the thought that not long ago, the Holy Spirit did not dwell within them. The reality of their moving from death to life, and from darkness to the kingdom of light, feels so tangible in their stories.
She shared that her name, Nehir, means “river.” I told her that my name, Kimberly, means “fortress meadow.” She also opened up about her sister, Kıvılcım, whose name means “spark,” and some of the struggles they had been facing recently—disunity in their relationship, some of which was tied to Nehir’s new relationship with Jesus and the church. We prayed for her sister and their relationship, and a few days later both of them showed up at the church for the Karamez—the garage sale-style event the church had been hosting for a number of years, which our team was helping with. We spent a few hours visiting with them; both were so eager to connect with us and linger at church.
I asked Kıvılcım (Spark) if I would see her again and invited her to come to church on Sunday. She agreed. On Sunday, I poked my head into the service and saw Nehir worshiping with joy, but I didn’t see her sister. I felt led to go upstairs to the top floor, where I sat for a while reading. While there, Kıvılcım popped in to see me. She apologized for not making it to church but said she wanted to stop by and say hi. We ended up having a beautiful conversation. She asked me some questions, which led to an opportunity to share the gospel with her. It was a moving exchange between us and she responded so sweetly as I became emotional sharing about Jesus‘s death for us.
Later, Katie joined us and carried on the conversation with the twins for quite some time while I organized the sale items. My heart was deeply encouraged to see the way Katie engaged with them. She shared a small tattoo of a “spark” and how tickled she was to discover the meaning of Kiv’s name and explained the personal meaning behind it, which resonated with Kıvılcım. This served as a springboard for deeper conversation.
Please pray for Kıvılcım—that the Holy Spirit would ignite a spark of faith in her heart that grows into a fire for Jesus—and for these twins to have a powerful ministry in Turkey and beyond. A river and a spark for Jesus.
It’s always extra special to hear from a new believer—there is something so powerful about the thought that not long ago, the Holy Spirit did not dwell within them. The reality of their moving from death to life, and from darkness to the kingdom of light, feels so tangible in their stories.
She shared that her name, Nehir, means “river.” I told her that my name, Kimberly, means “fortress meadow.” She also opened up about her sister, Kıvılcım, whose name means “spark,” and some of the struggles they had been facing recently—disunity in their relationship, some of which was tied to Nehir’s new relationship with Jesus and the church. We prayed for her sister and their relationship, and a few days later both of them showed up at the church for the Karamez—the garage sale-style event the church had been hosting for a number of years, which our team was helping with. We spent a few hours visiting with them; both were so eager to connect with us and linger at church.
I asked Kıvılcım (Spark) if I would see her again and invited her to come to church on Sunday. She agreed. On Sunday, I poked my head into the service and saw Nehir worshiping with joy, but I didn’t see her sister. I felt led to go upstairs to the top floor, where I sat for a while reading. While there, Kıvılcım popped in to see me. She apologized for not making it to church but said she wanted to stop by and say hi. We ended up having a beautiful conversation. She asked me some questions, which led to an opportunity to share the gospel with her. It was a moving exchange between us and she responded so sweetly as I became emotional sharing about Jesus‘s death for us.
Later, Katie joined us and carried on the conversation with the twins for quite some time while I organized the sale items. My heart was deeply encouraged to see the way Katie engaged with them. She shared a small tattoo of a “spark” and how tickled she was to discover the meaning of Kiv’s name and explained the personal meaning behind it, which resonated with Kıvılcım. This served as a springboard for deeper conversation.
Please pray for Kıvılcım—that the Holy Spirit would ignite a spark of faith in her heart that grows into a fire for Jesus—and for these twins to have a powerful ministry in Turkey and beyond. A river and a spark for Jesus.