January 2, 2017

Week 45

Ily Yillar! 

(Happy New Year!)

Hey Mom and Dad! Today all of us Istanbul volunteers are doing an activity, so we don't have too much time today. I hope you all had a great New Years. This week wasn't too eventful, except we played soccer on Friday, and yesterday our friend had his interview for his own pool party! We are so excited for him! We met with our Nigerian friend on Tuesday and taught him this hand thing to help him with the Ten Commandments, and he loved it.  So, tonight we are taking the primary scripture for the blue book, hoping it will get him excited to read the actual blue book! Hopefully that will work! We love him-he's great. He comes to church every week. Well, I hope you guys are doing okay, something told me to make sure you guys are doing good. I can't express how much I appreciate all you guys have done for me and taught me. I love you both so much. Have a great week. By the way Mom, I love the sweater you sent me! It's soooo comfy!

Group Email:

2017 Tum Dunyaya Huzur ve Baris Getirsin

(Peace in the Whole World in 2017)

Hey everyone!  I hope your New Years was sweet. It's weird to think that my entire year of 2017 is going to be in Turkey! I'm so excited to see what is in store for me for this year. Yesterday in church, a Nigerian member was teaching in our English meeting and he said something that really hit me: knowing + doing = becoming. I decided to make that my theme for this year! Yeah, it's a little cheesy but I like it. Friday we had a soccer activity in the snow. We had three Turks show up, and African member, and all 12 volunteers. It was pretty cold and wet but super fun! I scored my first goal ever in my life. I was way more excited than I should have been. A lot of the volunteers here are super good at soccer and I'm horrible. All of the Turks I've played with make fun of how bad I am haha. Even the refugee kids I played with back in the summer made fun of me. It's okay, they'll thank me later for teaching them how to play baseball. :) I went on an exchange with my old trainer, Yasli Blair. He told me all the changes he's seen in me since I got to Turkey, almost made me tear up. I'm so thankful for being where I am, all the things I'm learning, and all of the people I've met. I would rather be nowhere else than here in my life right now. Hope you all have a great 2017! I love you all!!! Proverbs 15:32

A "Hug" From Allison

Happy 2017!!