merhaba! (hello!)

Just wrapping up our first night in Istanbul - arrived safe and sound with everyone's baggage...that's a HUGE gift.

As you can see from the photo of Dave, Scott and Donna sleeping in London's Heathrow airport during our layover, we were all pretty tired. But once we landed in Turkey, people started clapping and cheering on the plane. It felt so good to be here! I could see the coast as we approached - so beautiful. The pic below is on the bridge over the Bosphorus, going from Europe to Asia.

Once we got settled in our hotel, Donna grouped members of the team and tasked us each with an "Amazing Race-like" challenge. (Not sure if team 2 is going to do this too, so I won't spoil it with too many details :) Needless to say, we all learned the people of Turkey were helpful to wandering foreigners, English is rarely spoken, we are pretty resourceful when we want to be, and it's always helpful to wear a really bright shirt so people can find you. I would be reminisced if I didn't recognize Rosie, Betsy, Raquel and Maggie for "winning" the challenge.

Before dinner (which hit the spot - cucumbers, tomato salad and pade), we went to the port (that's where the sunset pics were taken). It was beautiful. The streets are filled with people and awesome sights and smells. Tomorrow we go to our fellowship and we begin our first full day of work. We're all excited to see what our Father has in store. Good night! (iyi aksamlar)