This week has been more of the actual job part that I'm supposedly doing here. Days can be long trying to entertain Ella for hours on end, but we are becoming more and more bonded and the more she grows to like me the sweeter she is towards me which I love :) (I'm all for the hand-holding, lap-sitting, hugging sweetness of little girls, and she's been a little hesitant to show this kind of affection but it's coming!) It can also be difficult reconciling the way I would actually raise kids with the fact that she is not my child and needing to determine how much liberty I can take with the way her parents choose to raise her.
Play Doh is one activity that is fun for both of us! The previous day we spent several hours making animals that belong to the swamp (it's educational along the way - she learns about new animals and also has fun guessing what I'm making) and today we made animals of the ocean! Also note the Nutella she managed to get even on her forehead at breakfast, and her unicorn shirt which is telling of her great love of the fantastical world of fairies, unicorns, and princesses. She is sure a cutie.
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| I also tried to come up with animals that would be easy for her to make. She liked using a little Play Doh tool that made worm-like things, so I told her they could be sea cucumbers! Later on she referred to the sea hamburgers she made. Ha! |
I took Saturday as my day off for the week and went to the Topkapi Palace. This was where the Ottoman Sultans lived from 1465-1856, and it is incredible. It's really many buildings and rooms, not just one, so visitors today just wander through the courtyards and in and out of the buildings of the palace. There were also treasuries in which no pictures were allowed to be taken, but I saw lots of whole-gemstone jewelry, weapons, and thrones. I also saw many holy relics of Islam, including pieces of Muhammad's beard, his sword, his cloak, Moses' staff, and David's sword (ha, think they were really theirs?).
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| The Sultan would sit in here and they would bring gifts by this window for him to see them. This was part of what was called the Gate of Felicity. Inside was a school Christian children were taken to to be trained in Islam (during this time Christianity was still tolerated, but unfavorable). Depending on their intelligence, diligence, and success they could even become viziers. |
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| The library |
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| The tiling! Tiles were the primary wall coverings. SO intricate and colorful and beautiful! |
The harem had a separate entrance (and fee). "Harem" = something
forbidden or kept safe. This harem had four parts: eunuchs' living
quarters, concubines' living quarters, living quarters of the mother of
the reigning sultan called the Queen Mother, who was the most important
woman of the harem, and finally the kiosks and baths of the emperor. The
eunuchs were brought from Ethiopia (eunuchs were only men allowed in
harem for obvious reasons, all the sultan's women living there) and were
actually considered very powerful because they could see the emperor at
any time.
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| The concubines' rooms are on the right; the most favored ones had the rooms with windows. 300-500 concubines lived in the harem at one time! They were educated and pampered and could end up marrying the sultan's officials or even bearing his sons if they found his extreme favor. (I found it interesting they talked about how music education was considered one of the most important parts.) |
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| Queen Mother's room |
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| Love this. |
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| Mirrors used by guards to watch many entrances to harem |
I walked around to some random smaller sites then...
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| Fountain of Ahmet III |
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| Sogukcesme Sokagi - old wooden house lane |
What an interesting day! I definitely learned a LOT. It is amazing to be in a beautiful city so packed with centuries of such rich history and diversity!
I have been really trying to intentionally make extra time for my own times of worship, prayer, studying scripture, and listening to podcasts, but even with all of this nothing can replace fellowship or even simple interaction with other believers! I have really been missing this a lot. It is very difficult not being able to talk about or share in what matters most to me with the people I spend all my time with to keep it a reality in my moment-by-moment life, if that makes sense. But today I experienced the fulfillment of my (and many others') prayer that I would find some fellowship - through my sister I made a connection with an international church here and my host family was supportive and actually had their driver take me to church this morning! It was a great effort to find the physical building as it was in a different area of the city, but eventually we found it and after waiting a bit for someone to come and open the building (I was quite early) up came a family of 4 girls and parents who are from the U.S. The gathering was small and as far as I could tell all Americans. I didn't meet everyone, but was warmly welcomed and amazed to find out the family I met first live very near to me in Istanbul! The service was simple but I came away extremely refreshed having had praise and worship, a sermon, and prayer basically in the style I am used to. My host grandmother might be the one to drive me next week (I plan to attend weekly!), which means she might actually sit in on the service. I am so thankful the Lord has provided this church for me and these wonderful connections! I am encouraged.
I feel your prayers. As I am being challenged and experiencing new things continually I know I am learning and growing in various aspects... I know I cannot be thankful enough for this opportunity and am really trying to make the very most of it :)
Please continue to pray for my witness, my relationship with Ella, and that the Lord would use this unique season of my life to prepare me in whatever ways he chooses for future seasons he walks with me into.
All my love!
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