The sun rose on cooler Istanbul, what a relief from the past very hot weeks. We're also feeling a little better, still recovering though!... P Matti traveled to Ankara to get a new passport. He should be back in a couple days. P Joszi is back with little Rebecca. What an adorable child!
Sunday we are scheduled to finally move into the TEAM HOUSE! Today we'll be picking out paint, light fixtures and such things. And after that, one of our first purchase is going to be a fridge. Keep us in your prayers as we set out to furnish this big house, little by little, which is quite an undertaking since we have yet to figure out the best places to acquire those.
We are excitedly anticipating the soon coming birth of our nephew Levi... in a couple hours we were told!

under the weather

Jediah got sick a couple days ago (flu like symptoms) and I'm starting to not feel too good myself, please pray for prompt recoveries. Reading Watchman Nee's biography and last night's service, are enough encouragement to have great expectations from God and to not be good at 'excusing' God (when our expectations are not met-or prayers seem unanswered) on the contrary; keep on praying! If we show up before God with a spoon, He'll fill it, with a bucket, He'll fill it, with a pool, He'll fill it, with an ocean! He'll fill it.

"GIRLS CRAFT NIGHT"

Once a week, a bunch of girls meet at Irada and Niyazi's house for a fun time of crafts (here we made frames out of just about anything we could get our hands on) Yesterday we made little objects with salt dough. It is just an awesome way to casually invite ladies (believers or not) to get a taste of the body of Christ.
Irada also always treats us with her gift of baking.


IRADA, NINA, ASTRID & SARAH

WE GOT JOBS (that is 2 weeks ago, sorry for the delay)

"Active English Learning" is the name of this language school for adults. It's located about 1 hour away using the comfortable AC metro or tram; 30-40 mn in the over crowded and over heated buses, but only 20 mn in the 'formula one' mini-buses! (I screamed the whole way there the first time we got in one- it's sensational to say the least) That's me Sarah, by the way. (Jediah wanted to make sure it was clear that it wasn't him screaming in the van!) Though it's quite far away, we enjoy the change of scenery and always enjoy our time there.
The program is great. It hardly requires any preparation at all. Classes are at night for the most part (7:30 - 9:30) and each class is 2 hours of constant talking, gesturing, moving etc... except for a 15 mn break half way through. The method, which requires 13 months of dedication from the students, has very impressive results.
We're only teaching about 6-8 hours a week each for now, and don't plan to do too much more as to not take away from the rest of our activities.
We became friends with 2 teachers there, among others, her name is Sarah - from Utah and her husband's Moyad form Irak. A wonderful couple with the cutest 3 kids you've ever seen. (They remind me of my favorite kids- the Karowich's - ....i'm almost a 100% sure i got the spelling wrong) They have been looking for a church for a long time, and visited us last sunday. Unfortunately for us, they are moving back to the States soon.
Please pray for Murat, Saheed, Aissa, Rudi, Duncan, Derya, Mariam, Gozde and all the many others we are in contact with there!

waiting for the team house to be ready (+ pics of Jed's birthday below)

We just got a promotion; we moved from the 1st floor to the 4th, and from a muslim's apartment to a pastor's dwelling place. P matti kindly offered to share his 2 bedroom apart with us for the next 4 days. (does he really know what he's got himself into? ... not so sure) so this morning we moved out of our place, met with the new renters, they gave us money for the 2cnd half of the sept rent; a few minutes later our landlord joined the party, as planned, and half scared us to death.

As Jediah was pulling our contract out of his pocket he asks our landlord if he brought our deposit -which he had agreed to give us back when we left. At that moment, and in an explosion of words and gestures, Suleman tries to grab the contract out of Jediah's hands and yells:

"I will not give you your money!!"

As Jediah tightens his grip on the contract, Suleman explodes again -but in laughter this time. He thought his joke was extremely funny. ll 4 of us soon joined in the laughing though it was a rather nervous laugh on our part...
It was so easy leaving our cozy little aprt. I don't know why exactly except that we are sooo ready for more adventures. (I think the team house will amply provide us with a daily dose of adventure -smiles-)

i'm sitting at p matti's desk in his bedroom, on his computer. he is such a simple man. no pretentions at all. Jed and him left for a soccer game, like they have every sat night with a good group of Turkish guys.

P Matti's 2 desires for this fall was to have Bible College classes and a choir. Both are happening. At least one is and the other is about to happen in 3 days. Yes our first B C class is going to be held on Tuesday night! and the choir is already practicing their second song. It consists of 4 men. It's very precious. I was actually the one that brought up the idea of a men's choir. I have always loved men's choirs. I also have to confess that i was trying to avoid it at all cost...isn't that terrible? and to confess that on a christian blog. pure decadence.

PICS FROM JEDIAH'S BIRTHDAY

lunch at the foot of the Galata Tower

listening to his niece singing happy birthday!

and behind us a box of oranges fell over, the content spilling on the street and rolling down !!

celebrating with friends at the church

delicious chocolate-raspberry cake from local pastry shop

Azeri tradition wants that the birthday person gets his ears pulled once for each year that has passed. 'ouch' x 27

Make sure to check our church's blog: http://www.istanbulgg.blogspot.com/

MOVING!

It's finally happening this Saturday. We were able to come to an agreement with our landlord to move out of our apartment -which was too expensive for us- without loosing any money and even getting a good chunk of our deposit back. We'll be staying somewhere - yet to be figured out- until the team house is ready. Maybe just a question of 5 days or so. There's the option of a youth hostel, we'll check it out soon. Thank you for praying for all the details involved!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JEDIAH!!

our mailing address

Jediah and Sarah Tanguay
GGWO Büyük Lutuf Kilise
Dr. Zafer Tunaya Sokak No: 8 Kat/3
Turkdogan iş Merkezi
Beyoglu / Istanbul, TURKEY

LAUGHTER LIKE MEDICINE

Kids on the Old and New Testaments

This comes from a Catholic elementary school. Kids were asked questions about the Old and New Testaments. They have not been retouched or corrected (i.e., incorrect spelling has been left in.)... Enjoy!

* In the first book of the bible, Guinessis, God got tired of creating theworld, so he took the Sabbath off.

* Adam and Eve were created from an apple tree. Noah's wife was called Joan of Ark. Noah built an ark, which the animals come on to in pears.

* Lot's wife was a pillar of salt by day, but a ball of fire by night.

* The Jews were a proud people and throughout history they had trouble with the unsympathetic Genitals.

* Moses led the hebrews to the Red Sea, where they made unleavened breadwhich is bread without any ingredients.

* The Egyptians were all drowned in the dessert. Afterwards, Moses went up on Mount Cyanide to get the ten ammendments.

* The seventh commandment is thou shalt not admit adultery.

* Moses died before he ever reached Canada. Then Joshua led the hebrews in the battle of Geritol.

* The greatest miracle in the Bible is when Joshua told his son to stand still and he obeyed him.

* David was a hebrew king skilled at playing the liar. he fought with the Finklesteins, a race of people who lived in Biblical times.

* When Mary heard that she was the mother of Jesus, she sang the Magna Carta.

* Jesus was born because Mary had an immaculate contraption.

* Jesus enunciated the Golden Rule, which says to do one to others before they do one to you.

* It was a miracle when Jesus rose from the dead and managed to get thetombstone off the entrance.

* The people who followed the lord were called the 12 decibels. The epistleswere the wives of the apostles.

* One of the oppossums was St. Matthew who was also a taximan.