Happy 7th Birthday, Austin!!

We celebrated Austin's birthday with our neighbors and we
look forward to a party at the Tummons' farm as well. 

Bosphorous Strait Day Trip

Before, returning to America, we took a day trip with
Hakan and Eşay on a boat along the Bosphorous Strait and
then had a seafood and fish dinner. They are close friends
and valuable partners here in Turkey. 

Brian and I climbed a steep hill to see the entrance of
where the Bosphorous Strait meets the Black Sea. 

At the entrance to the Black Sea and the Bosphorous Strait
once stood this look out tower and castle. We were surprised
to see a cross posted on the castle, possible signifying the
Constantinople reign before the Sultans took over the city. 

Cappadocia, the land of the once persecuted

This is probably my favorite part of our trip as we explored the
underground caves. The caves were any where from 6 to 8 levels
deep, with passages to squat through and areas to climb up and
holding up to 10,000 people at a time.
I didn't like that part, but...if you look behind me you'll see a
huge stone they used to cover passages or rooms for protection
against enemies. It reminded me very much of the stone used
to cover the tomb of Jesus' grave. 

We got to see many of the small cave churches
scattered throughout the region. They were all
in one room with some art work done on the walls.
It really made me appreciate the freedom of religion
we have in America, and what we would like to see
in Turkey some day. 

The fun part of our trip is that we got to stay
in a pansion that used to be a cave house.
This is it...cool, huh! 

These cave houses lie in a valley throughout the central region
of Turkey. The cone-shaped tops on the rock formations are
due to erosion. The top layer is volcanic rock, and the area
around the caves were easily carved out due to the soft,
sandy rock below. The effect is due to a questionable number
of years of erosion. 

Gina took a trip to the town of Ürgüp in Turkey with her cousin,
Jodi Lambert and her friend, Candace, to explore the area where
persecuted Christians lived in caves build into the rocks and
underground during in about the 6th century A.D. 

Happy Mother's Day

We went on a picnic in a forest outside of Istanbul for
Mother's Day with our neighbors, Reyhan, Şenay, and Ali, and the kids.
It was a great get-away from the city for all of us. 

Carissa bought Gina some çay glasses with strawberries on
them and gold trim and with her own money. 

Brianna wrote Gina a poem in Türkish for Mother's Day, and
drew a picture. 

Anneler Günü Kutlu Olsun!!

At school, Ashley recites a poem in
Türkish about Mother's Day. She was able to
say it in front of about sixty other mothers.
Now...if that doesn't make a mother proud and
bring tears to her eyes...well, it did!