Skies of Blue Hues

Last semester, one of the highlights for me was bringing my camera to hiking class, and documenting our adventures.
There is something about hiking in the wilderness that really pushes humans to new limits, both physically and spiritually, while also reminding us that life is not meant to always be busy and loud. Silence and rest are two vital, yet rare necessities that are fading away in our world. Spending time in nature, either alone or with companions, puts things back into perspective for me.

                                                                                

                                                                                 

                                                                                                             

Turkish Delight

     

The Summer of 2009 changed me forever. My family and I went on a missions trip to Antalya, Turkey with a program called IMPACT. Our purpose was to encourage the Christian Turks who are being persecuted and oppressed by the tyrannical Muslim government. The country is 99.9% Muslim, and 0.01% "Other"; Christians fall into the latter category. Turks are truly hostile to the Christians there; the pastor of the church we visited, called the Antalya Evangelical Church, has had numerous near-death experiences, such as a man walking right in the church with a knife, heading towards the pastors office. 

              
     That month long trip impacted my family and I so much, that we just had to go back. Sure enough, God provided a way and we returned for a month, during the summer of 2010. I cannot put into words the marvelous impact that those two missions trips had on my life. I will never forget them. 

     Here is a link to the flickr page of Melis, a beautiful Christian who was one of the first to befriend us, and is a great photographer :      http://www.flickr.com/photos/46017406@N05/

     Here's a video that gives some context to the situation in Antalya, and talks about the church: http://youtu.be/NibzGSm7hs8