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Why travel to Istanbul?

In the early 1900s my ancestors journeyed from the Ukraine, across the tumultuous Black Sea on a ship through the middle of Istanbul to reach the safety of America.  With a little prodding, my grandmother revealed bits and pieces of her family’s escape from the tyrannical clutches of Russia. The stories ignited a desire in me to see this area of the world for myself. Hollywood movies–replete with scenes of intrigue and adventure–fed this longing to visit. Though a part of me understood a little of the dangers I might encounter in Istanbul, my naiveties and trusting nature blinded me to the realities of such. So despite the difficulty traveling with my right arm in a cast and sling, I was determined to visit Istanbul.

I found a mid-afternoon departure from London (instead of the originally booked “before dawn” one) so we entered this country late at night. The dark of the night cloaked the city sights so little was seen during the taxi drive to the small boutique hotel located in Sultanahmet (the older part of Istanbul.) Narrow cobblestone streets blocked driving let alone parking in front of the hotel. The driver quickly grabbed several of our suitcases and rolled them down to the lobby entrance. We arrived! Most establishments were already closed but luckily one down the street still served food.

As we walked towards the lights a food cart vendor walked by with what looked like honey coated churros. Sweet and sticky! Just nibbling on this delightful snack quelled hunger pains! The restaurant manager/owner directed us to a table; he draped a clean “rug” across the top of the table and placed English menus in front of us. Brian pointed out a glass hookah being used by one bar patron near to our table. Smoke circled inside it as the man closed his eyes and inhaled. A group of people (two men and a woman) standing on the street corner whispered to one another and looked around as if waiting for something or someone. The lone patron got up and left the hookah at the table without paying. No one paid him any attention. Was this typical behavior?

Within our first few hours in this part of Istanbul, I discovered much about the culture, lifestyle, foods and traditions.  Though warned by the US State Department to stay away from this district (Sultanahmet), it holds the oldest and most important historic sites, the world famous international bazaars and local shops, plus opportunities to discover the roots of several religions.   With the Istanbul “leg” of my journey shortened from one week to just two full days, time was precious.  Heeding the State Department’s warnings meant avoiding the areas holding the sites I wanted to see.  Instead of heeding the State Department’s warnings and avoiding this area, I trusted God’s direction (and Brian’s awareness) to decide which places to visit, yet still maintain safety from potential harm.

Hundreds of years earlier Constantinople was the center of Christianity before moving it to Rome. I expected to see signs of the early church history.  I was wrong.  Religious freedom doesn’t seem to exist in Middle Eastern countries.  With only 25,000 Turks claiming to be catholic and less than another thousand calling themselves protestants choosing Christ is costly,   The percentage of people knowing Jesus is minuscule compared to the 75 million calling themselves muslim.

Hagia Sophia (“Holy Wisdom”) was the epicenter of early Christianity and the largest Christian church in the world for more than a thousand years.  When built, it was dedicated to the second person of the trinity–Jesus Christ.  Now all traces of Christianity have been removed; minarets were added; I wondered, “What happened?”

With tall mosque spires everywhere and traditional muslim clothing worn by many, I felt the spiritual changes Brian described.  Centuries of religious battles began and ended right here.  Looking around and listening to both subtle and outward sounds and voices of Islamic believers, Christianity is difficult to find.  Several times each day Muslim leaders call out loudly the Islamic prayers Brian described to me; however, Christian voices are seemingly impossible to find.  Where is the God I know as my Lord and Savior?  I know He sees everything.

2 Chronicles 16:9, “For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.”

As I learn and understand more, I began to grasp the strength, depth, breadth and scope of all the spiritual battles being waged right here.  So…what will it mean to find God’s presence in this land?

Hebrews 4:13, “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”