The Death of a City

6 February 2023, the world for millions of people living in the southeast of Turkey changed – irrevocably. My wife and I were living in Antakya on that fateful morning. At 04:17 the earth moved, and much to our surprise, our one hundred-year-old house of questionable construction stood.

I have written my first hand account of those first three days – until we returned to the UK. I have not written a Spiritual – ‘lessons learned’ nor sterling testimony of supernatural presence. It is a simple telling of the days as they unfolded.

On this page there is a link to a free pdf version and a free ePub version. For those who prefer a paper book, the book is available on Amazon – both print and Kindle versions. Unfortunately, the Amazon versions have a charge, but I have chosen the lowest amount that Amazon allows.

Free Versions:

Free small PDF
Free Medium size PDF
Free Large High Quality PDF
Free e-pub

Not-Free Versions:

Amazon.com
amazon.co.uk

If searching on any Amazon site, if you search for ‘R K Munro” (including the quote signs) my books should come up and you can see my latest book there.

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Selling Snails in Istanbul

Selling snails in Istanbul refers to a Turkish idiom. It describes an impossible task. If you are trying to do something and the deck is stacked against you and there is no hope of success, well, then a Turk might say it was like selling snails in Istanbul.

Then as now, Turkey has less than 0.1% of the population who would identify as Christian. Everything in the country reflects a Muslim worldview, values and culture.

From the Call to Prayer sounding out five times a day all across the country, there is a constant reminder that this is a Muslim land. All the holidays are Muslim festivals and absent are all foreign and Christian remembrances.

For us to live in Turkey, as a Christian and wanting to share my life and faith, was very much like trying to sell snails in Istanbul.

In this book, you will have a firsthand viewpoint on our life as we sought to sell snails in Istanbul.

It is from our time from 2002 to 2006. It is available in e-book, paperback and hardback. It is in colour and there is a black and white version. 

Below are links to a few of the online sites where you can find my book. If your country is not listed, open your local amazon webpage and search for: “Selling Snails in Istanbul”.

Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk
amazon.ca
amazon.de
amazon.com.au
amazon.fr

Is This Really A Lost Year ?

I am beginning to read of people referring to 2020 as the ‘lost year’.  Some, with a more biblical bent, may refer to as the year the locust has eaten.

Dramatic references which people apply to describe this year.  When January began, I don’t think anyone, save those who knew of the developing virus, had any inkling of what 2020 would be like.

We had plans.  To renew my driver’s licence in Turkey, we were planning on making a trip to a Greek Island.  It would have been a quick break and by going and coming, I would have another six months’ validity on my licence to drive in Turkey.

If you are wondering, I was greatly looking forward to going to Patmos.  It is a small, often forgotten island by tourists.  An ideal, quiet place to go.

So, yes, we lost that trip.  But is this really how 2020 should be recorded?  As the ‘lost year’?  

For many, this is their desired designation for the year.  But as believers and followers of the Christ, is that our appraisal?

It is true that many have died because of COVID-19.  Many – thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands have died as a direct result of this ‘novel’ or new virus.  The economies of the world have been dealt a staggering blow.  Many businesses have collapsed and are no more.  Jobs have disappeared, never to return.  The old normal disappeared overnight.

Things Have Been Shaken

This year has shaken, not just a country, nor a people, but the whole world.  There is nowhere on the face of this globe that has escaped the effects of this pandemic.

The things of life we took for granted – have been taken away.  Countless people have lost their livelihoods.  And for too many, the changes are irreversible.

But this virus has also exposed what is most important to people.  People will say many things, but, as things disappeared, their real priorities came to the fore.

The virus has shown us whether people are willing to limit themselves and their desires to protect others.  We see a side of people that is rarely on display.

People begin to demand their ‘rights’ and privileges.  There seems to be an attitude that if I ignore the virus, it will go away.  There are reports of people, as they lay dying, were proclaiming it could not be happening as there is no virus.

A Very Delicate Balance

Whether we acknowledge it or not, is our lives are held in a very precarious balance.  It is not robust.  Something as small as an invisible virus can upend the world.

When people say “the Lost year” they are expressing a longing for the old times.  Too many people have felt the things we did and enjoyed before the virus are ours by ‘right’.  And if ‘by right’, you cannot and must not take them away from me.

We describe it is a “lost year” because we could not do the things we ‘wanted’ or were accustomed to do.  We look at what was lost… and focus on that.  Hence, the ‘lost’ year.

But life is about far more than our annual holiday or travelling overseas to see exotic places.  It is more than our personal traditions and the events we have habitually engaged in.  Life does not consist in going where I want to go, or meeting (face to face) those I wish to meet.  That may be part of it, but it is not the ‘all’ of it.

Something Unexpected

One unexpected aspect of the virus was a slowing of pollution.  While Elon Musk proposes taking a dead planet like Mars and make it alive, we seem to be bent on taking this living planet and making it dead.  

The residents of Venice have seen their canals become clear.  When they looked at this rare sight, they found fish in the waters.  The levels of air pollutions have dropped worldwide.  And many people suffering from asthma and other breathing difficulties have found relief.

There is an old saying:  “You don’t know the value of something until it is gone.”

I think we have seen the reality of this saying this year.  By missing some family gatherings, we have come to appreciate them more.  Too often, in the past, we may have groused and complained about ‘uncle so-and-so’.  Or we may have felt it was a ‘burden’ to travel to see relatives at the festive time.  Now, we miss it and long for it.  

Before the virus, people freely complained about their work environment.  Griping and whining was too often our daily lot.  Their focus tainted by these negative feelings.  But those who lost their jobs long to have them back.  Those who have kept their jobs suddenly find themselves grateful.

Ego-Centric

We can describe mankind as ‘ego-centric’.  And so we evaluate the effects of the virus as how it has impacted our lives and our desires.

Frequently you will read of people asking:  “When will things return to normal?”  

But, I want to ask:  “What was so ‘great’ about the pre-virus times – the old normal?”  

We remember it as great for us.  And yet it was tinged with bickering and complaining.  Often, sometimes far too often, we were not happy.

We went on our trips and complained to one another.  The hotel was as good as the one last year.  The plane was late.  They didn’t have the food I like.

It is a standing joke in the western world that we come back from our annual leave needing a break to recover.  

Let’s look beyond ourselves for one moment.

Not for everyone had these ‘good’ things.  For many, they were the unseen, forgotten, lost individuals.  They worked one, two, three jobs, or they could never find work.  They scrounged and scrimped and tried to get by… and just survived.  When the pandemic shut everything down, they had no safety net.  For them, the worst got impossibly worse.

Whilst we were living according to our desires and passions, there was a multitude of the ‘left behind’.  They will not look at 2020 as the ‘lost year’ but just a continuation of the sad and hopeless normal.

Pause and consider

Before the virus, how many of us were really, truly thankful for the opportunities and freedoms we had?  

I mean, we had a society of those who ‘have’ and are not thankful and the multitude of those who simply ‘do not have’.

The old normal doesn’t look so cheery and rosy to me.  It certainly wasn’t very pleasant or good for many, many people.

It was and continues to be deeply unfair and unjust.

The Start of it all.

The virus originated in someone wanting something that was deemed illegal.  Wild meat is forbidden.  But enough someones wanted it, so there was a trade and a market in forbidden meat.  And a virus that infected animals made the jump to humans.  It started because of what some people choose to eat, giving the opportunity for something that does not naturally happen.

Some will say, and continue to pray, that this virus will disappear.  

Their goal and desire is to ‘return to the old normal’.  They want to meet freely, shop freely, travel freely, and holiday freely.  Those who cannot do those things before or during or after the virus – they give no thought to.  None.  It is all about ‘ourselves’ – sadly.

Yes, we may dress it up and make it sound spiritual or holy.  But at the end of the day, our motivation is to ‘get life back to normal’ – that is our pleasant normal.

Change Perspective

Now, take a brief moment and look at our world from God’s perspective.  Remember, He sees everyone – the world over.  He knows what you consider ‘normal’, and what the disadvantaged person in your own community considers ‘normal’.

Remember, God is Just.  

Remember, God created this world – and knows what we have done to it.

And remember God loves the world – the whole world and not just our part.

Remember, God desires that all come to faith – those living in luxury and those living in poverty.

Look at the world from God’s perspective for a moment.  Where does our normal fit into that?  Our normal is for, well, us.  We enjoy it.  We do the things we want to do.

So, when we pray that the virus would be dealt with and life can go back to normal – how is that in any way addressing God’s concerns and desires for the world? 

Pause and Consider

Pause and consider God’s perspective, then consider how we will pray.

The Year has been – it cannot be ‘Lost’.

This is not the ‘lost year’.  A year is not lost.  If you are living, this year is.  

The only question is: what are we doing with this day?  Life is not about what we have or what we do – but it is about who we are.  

In adversity, what we are is laid bare.  It is there for all to see.  But, more to the point, it is there for us to see.  We tell ourselves a lot of ideal things about ourselves.  We declare our goodness and humility.  But really, what kind of person am I?  What do I consider is most important in my life?  Under the virus, what do I miss most in life and why?

To my thinking, this is not a ‘lost year’.  I believe it is an important, pivotal year for us as individuals.  And I think it is pivotal for our countries and for the world.

The Conclusion of the Matter

The question is: “Are we going to long for and labour for a return to the so-called ‘good old days’?”  Or are we going to seize this opportunity and use it to see a better world – a more equitable world?  Will we take this chance to reach out to those who have been left behind?  We will strive to have a cleaner world?  Things have been taken away – will we try to build back better?  Or will we strive to get back to the ‘good old days’?

For me, this has not been a lost year.  Has it for you?

Leave your thoughts and comments below.

What Am I Thinking…

Today dawned grey, overcasts with a light drizzle.  The dark complexion of the sky seemed to want to draw a sigh from my lips.

It was only two days ago when my wife and I strode out for a fine walk in the cool, crisp air.  The sun was brightly shinning and the sky a delightful azure blue.  On a day like that, you feel drawn out for a walk.  You want to experience it and enjoy it.

It is interesting.  One day, and I am upbeat and smiling and another day, it seems as if a sigh is just a breath away.  The difference between the two days is the weather.

Can life really be so capricious? 

Is my happiness dependent on something as mundane as the weather?

Oh, we live in the UK, an island.  We are surrounded by water – islands are like that.  And so our weather can and does change, often dramatically throughout the day.

I mean, if the secret to happiness is the weather – then some places on earth must be the happiest places on earth and others, well, not.  

But that isn’t what we see.  Everywhere we look, there are happy people and unhappy people.  The weather, no doubt, has an effect… but it is not just the weather.

For example…

Today I can look at the dreary, leaden sky, search vainly for any sign of brightness and long for that time, just two days ago.  I can wistfully pine after that sunny spell.  And that lightly suppressed sigh will flow unbidden out of my mouth.

What I think is not ‘as important’ as the physical effects of the weather.  In fact, it is far more important.  And this is key.

I can be miserable on a sunny day – and I do not have to work hard at it.  In fact, all I have to do is remember that the sunny day is fleeting and soon will be replaced by dark, foreboding clouds hanging just above my head.  Rather than respond to the sunshine, I can focus on what I think is coming, and allow that to set my temper.

There is a strange effect that medical science has observed and must allow for.  When there is a highly controlled medical trial, people who receive an ‘inert’ substance, but believe they are receiving the new ‘wonder medicine’ will get better.  These patients should not get better.  They absolutely have not received the new medicine.  They have taken an inert, powerless compound.  But they get better.

This is known as the ‘placebo effect’.  Science cannot explain it, but they have observed it and must plan for it in their highly controlled trials.

What we think is important.

So, I can respond to the weather – and make the most of the sunny day.  I can rejoice and be glad and embrace it.  

The effect of the weather is there.  It is real.  But I have embraced it.  

And likewise, on the rainy, dreary, overcast day, like today, I can make a choice.  I can embrace the dreariness and exhale a deep seated sigh and feel blue and down.  It is easy to do.  Or, I can pine after that sunny day, just two days ago… I cannot live in the past, so this is an exercise is futility.

But those are not my only two choices.  Indeed, there are a myriad of choices.  But I can choose to look at the clouds and smile.  I can listen to the falling rain and delight in the sound.  I can be glad the earth is being watered.

And I can say, “This is the day the Lord has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it.”

Every day is different.  But I have a choice.  I ‘will’ – it is a decision, a choice.  I choose to rejoice and I choose to be glad in it.

If I wait for sunny days in the UK, I will be repeatedly forlorn, sad and even depressed.

But every day, I have a choice. 

I can choose to rejoice.

Rejoicing is an action.  To do this I must consider: “What can I rejoice in?”  On my balance sheet I have positives and negatives.  I have health problems (negative) and yet, I still am mobile and able to full function (positive).  I don’t have much money – but I am not buried in debt.  My life isn’t perfect – but I can look for things to rejoice in.

As a follower of the Christ, I can rejoice that I am invited to go, boldly, into the throne room of God – without fear.  I can rejoice in knowing that God is changing me and giving me the Grace I need to become a better ‘me’.  I may not have everything I want, but I can rejoice in what I have.  

And sometimes, when the rain rains, and the water leaks, and the cold air blows and I feel bad – it is then that I can honestly appreciate the good things in life.  

Conversely, someone without a leaking roof is not overly happy or grateful.  But someone whose roof no longer leaks has a profound sense of happiness and gratefulness.

It is all down to what we think and what we focus on.

Things in life affect us…  They prod us and cajole us and draw us, but we are sentient, we make choices – even if the choice is to ‘go along’.  We have made that choice.

What can I say on this dreary and drizzly day?

“This is the day the Lord has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it.”

Psalm 118:24 NKJV

Belief is a Powerful Thing…

Things are bad in Antakya.  The cases of COVID-19 are exploding.

There is a family in the fellowship.  They felt they had to ‘carry on’ despite the virus.  They are very hardworking.  He started a new curtain shop, and she continued to run a wee dry cleaners and an ironing service.  Ironing services are popular in Turkey.  They do not do the dry cleaning – but send it out.

Because they live hand to mouth, they felt they had to carry on despite the virus.

In the beginning, the virus was ‘elsewhere’.  We were told ‘it was’, but it did not impact our town.  The virus is invisible and presents a more esoteric threat than something we can see.

The virus is apolitical – it does not care what we think or believe.  It is what it is.  It does what it does – given the right conditions.

COVID-19

COVID-19 (C19) is not a phenomenally fatal virus – but compared to the seasonal flu – it is much more deadly.  In the US, the death because of the seasonal flu varies between 30,000 and 80,000 people a year.  That is a lot.  C19, this year alone has claimed 260,000 souls in the US – and the year is not yet over.

When C19 burst on the world, the frightening aspect was, it was ‘novel’ or new.  No one, in the whole world, knew anything about this particular virus.  No one, not one, knew how it spread or what it did when it infected people.  There was none, no one, who knows what treatment would be effective in treating it.

Some people like to bring up what was said in the beginning.  Things which were later proven to be inaccurate.  They think this means that no one, ever, knows anything. But, in truth, no one knew anything about this new virus at the time.  So they spoke speculatively.  They said things which were true for other viruses.  It is a novel or new virus.  No one knew anything.

COVID-19 And Our Friends

Anyway, our friends in Turkey are ill.  She had a high fever. He is ill, a cough and later loss of smell.  Both were tested for C19.  We have just learned he has come back COVID-19 positive. 

Now to make things worse, he has Thalassaemia.  This is a genetic condition.  It has to do with haemoglobin, which is used by red blood cells to carry oxygen around the body.

But whether he admits it or not, this condition puts him at a disadvantage.  And it also identifies him as in a higher risk group.  

Now we as sentient beings have the ability to accept or reject the things we hear.  We can accept it – or ignore it as he did.  But whether we accept or reject something, it does not change the basic facts.

The C19 virus is just that – a piece of biological code.  It functions at a most basic level.  When conditions are right – it reproduces and grows.

What we believe is important. 

There are examples of people who are ill and believe they will die.  And they have died.  Then there are others with the same condition.  But they did not share that belief.  They have recovered and lived.  And there are cases of those who were deathly ill.  The medical professionals have declared ‘no hope’.  Their families have been advised to prepare for the worst.  But the patient themselves believed they will live.  They astound the doctors by their recovery.  

The power of belief is well known in medical science.  This is a factor in setting up medical trials.  When they test a new medicine, they want to determine if it is effective. The power of belief can skew the results.   

Therefore, to test a new drug, they assemble a group of people who are all suffering from the same problem.  They divide them into three groups.  The people in the control group – the group which will have the normal treatment – know which group they are in.  There are two more groups: one which will receive the new treatment and one which will not.  But it is important that the members of the groups do not know which group they are in.  Those administering the medicines also do not know which is real and which is not.  So one group will get the experimental medicine.  And the other group will receive a placebo – an inert subsistence.  The third group will only receive the normal treatment for the condition.  They are the control group.  This is called a double-blind study because neither those dispensing nor those receiving know if they are getting the new treatment.  They do this to ensure that no subtle or unintended indicators are subconsciously given to the members of the two key groups.

Here Is Where it Gets Interesting…

Here is the interesting outcome.  The group receiving the experimental medicine gets better, worse, or stay the same.  The control group has the standard and expected recovery.  But the placebo group, this is where it gets strange – some will get better just like those who have received the new revolutionary medicine.  This in spite of the fact they only received an inert substance.  But they believed they were in the group getting the medicine.  They believed it would work.  And they got better.

Medical science is at a loss to explain this – so they factor it in and declare it is the ‘placebo effect’.  They expect to find it in their double-blind studies.

So, our belief is important.  But illness and virus and bacteria are real and have real effects.  And whether we accept it or not, they can lay us low.  And they can kill us.

Sadly, both he and she are ill.  He has been confirmed as C19 positive.  And of this writing, no word on her.  Hamdullah and Elma made a great tray of food – took to their house.  Hamdullah is in the higher risk group.  He placed the tray of food outside their door.  Then he retreated down the stairs and then rang them.  

They opened the door and got the food.  Both mum and dad came to the door, and both were looking bad.  In the brief time, socially distanced and Hamdullah and Elmas were masked, they had to sit down.  They have four daughters.  With mum and dad ill, there is no one to prepare any food.  I am sure they were eating something – but nothing proper.  

My Concerns…

Things are difficult in Turkey right now.  My concerns chief for them are:

1)  the hospitals are full – if they get seriously ill, they may not be room for them in the hospital.

2)  I do not know if the Turks have the same therapeutics and treatments which have been learned and applied in the west.  I hope so, but I do not know.

3)  He has thalassemias, which places him at a disadvantage and in the higher risk group.

I will try to put things in context.  Not everyone has severe C19.  Some people develop long covid.  But all do not.  Some have organ damage, and again, most do not.  Some have a light form – and it is no worse than the seasonal flu – but not all.

If we focus on what ‘could’ happen with C19, it is debilitating.  We can be frozen with fear and dread.  Or, if we focus on what ‘the majority experience’ it will be easy to have a laisser faire attitude.  This is dangerous as the virus is what it is – regardless of what we think about it.

The only thing that makes sense to me is Look to our Lord, our Heavenly Father, and trust in Him.  To this I must add, that I must also do what is in my hands to do.  Leave the rest to Him. 

Simply put, wear a mask, wash my hands, be socially distanced and Trust in God.

Who Will Know…

Before we could fly back to the United Kingdom, we had to fill in a ‘tracking form’.  Is this important?  Well, before they would issue a boarding card, they had to see the copy of the form.

All arriving passengers to the United Kingdom are required to quarantine for two weeks.  You declare where you will stay and what your contact details are.  There are hefty penalties in place if you do not comply.

So, when we arrived, we were funnelled into the Passport Control area.  We chose to use the automatic machines.  Place passport on the reader, take off mask and look at camera.   Easy-peasy, over in a moment, and no worries about social distancing.

We were met at the airport and conducted to our door in Hemel Hempstead.  Our quarantine began.  

Food – We Need Food

Prior to our return we purchased some groceries, which our co-owners graciously put in the flat.  We were ready to, well, be quarantined.

One or two days after we landed, the tracking department rang us.  Satisfied we were where we said we would be, he said we could go out on Saturday.  

Now this was both welcomed news, and a bit puzzling at the same time.  In one sense, it is also a bit immaterial as an all England lockdown was scheduled to begin on the Thursday before Saturday.

But Really… When Does it End?

But I was puzzled.  A plain reading of the rules says the count for the days of quarantine begins the day after you enter the country.  We entered on Saturday, 24 October.  Therefore, fourteen days from the day after (Sunday) would be until and including Saturday, 7 December. 

Yani, by a plain reading reckoning… we are still in quarantine. 

Some will say, “It is only a day, who cares?”

Or some may well point out, “Well, he told you on the phone you could go out?”  

Finally, the doozy of a question, “Who will know?”

Who will know?   I am afraid that is a red rag to a bull for me.  

What has that got to do with anything?  

“Oh, so you won’t get caught.” 

Are those who say such things assuming it is only wrong if you are caught?  And if you are not caught – does that mean it was right?  Are they saying that you will only comply when there is a reasonable chance you will be caught?  

What kind of morality is that?

To this I would counter: “What is the harm in staying in?”

For me, whether it is the last day or a free day – what harm is there is staying in?  In our situation, we have all the food we need. The house is warm and dry.  I am getting exercise daily.

Ultimately, for me the question is not “will I get caught,” but “what is the best course of action?”

Getting caught or not, is not germane to the question nor how I decide what I will or will not do.  What is right?  That is the question.

With regard to our time in quarantine, it is easy.  It is no problem for me to stay in one more day.  Actually, two more days as Sunday is my rest day – and I wouldn’t go out walking or exercising, anyway.

Small Things can become Big…

In the small things in life, on what basis do we decide if we will do or not do?  Is it on the basis of what I want?  Or is it on the basis of the chances of getting caught?  Or do I do what is right, simply because it is right.  

I may agree with it.  Then again, I may not.  I may think it is ridiculous.  Or, I may even be convinced that at the end of a process my freedoms will be lost.

Again I ask, “So what?”  I am always ‘free in Christ’.  Always.  Regardless of whatever laws are passed.  I am called to do the right thing – always.

“Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.”

This was written in the time of the Pagan Roman Empire where worship of the Emperor was required.

Romans 13:1 NIVUK

When Does Quarantine end…

Our Return to the UK

Before we could fly back to the United Kingdom, we had to fill in a ‘tracking form’.  Is this important?  Well, before they would issue a boarding card, they had to see the copy of the form.

At this time, all arriving passengers to the United Kingdom are required to quarantine for two weeks.  You declare where you will stay and what your contact details are.  There are hefty penalties in place if you do not comply.

So, when we arrived, we were funnelled into the Passport Control area.  We chose to use the automatic machines.  Place passport on the reader, take off mask and look at camera.   Easy-peasy, over in a moment, and no worries about social distancing.

A friend met us at the airport and conducted us to our door in Hemel Hempstead.  Our quarantine began.  

Quarantine

Prior to our return we purchased some groceries, which our co-owners graciously put in the flat.  We were ready to, well, enter quarantine.

One or two days after we landed, the tracking department rang us.  Satisfied we were where we said we would be, he said we could go out on Saturday.  

Now this was both welcomed news, and a bit puzzling at the same time.  In one sense, it is also a bit immaterial as an all England lockdown was scheduled to begin on the Thursday before Saturday.

But I was puzzled.  A plain reading of the rules says the count for the days of quarantine begins the day after you enter the country.  We entered on Saturday, 24 October.  Therefore, fourteen days from the day after (Sunday) would be until and including Saturday, 7 November. 

Yani, by a plain reading reckoning… we are still in quarantine. 

The Crux of the Question

Some will say, “It is only a day, who cares?”

Or some may well point out, “Well, he told you on the phone you could go out?”  

Finally, the doozy of a question, “Who will know?”

Who will know?   I am afraid that is a red rag to a bull for me.  

What has that got to do with anything?  

“Oh, so you won’t get caught.” 

Are those who say such things assuming it is only wrong if you are caught?  And if you are not caught – does that mean it was right? 

And, are they saying that they will only comply when there is a reasonable chance they will be caught?  

What kind of morality is that?

To this I would counter: “What is the harm in staying in?”

For me, whether it is the last day or a free day – what harm is there is staying in?  In our situation, we have all the food we need. The house is warm and dry.  I am getting exercise daily.

Ultimately, for me the question is not “will I get caught,” but “what is the best course of action?”

Getting caught or not, is not germane to the question nor how I decide what I will or will not do.  What is right?  That is the question.

Finally…

Finally, with regard to our time in quarantine, it is easy.  It is no problem for me to stay in one more day.  Actually, two more days as Sunday is my rest day – and I wouldn’t go out walking or exercising, anyway.

In the small things in life, on what basis do we decide if we will do or not do?  Is it on the basis of what I want?  Or is it on the basis of the chances of getting caught?  Or do I do what is right, simply because it is right.  

I may agree with it.  Again, I may not.  I may think it is ridiculous.  And, I may even be convinced that at the end of the process my freedoms will be lost.

Again I ask, “So what?”  I am always ‘free in Christ’.  Always.  Regardless of whatever laws are passed.  I am called to do the right thing – always.

“Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.”

Romans 13:1 NIVUK

This was written in the time of the Pagan Roman Empire where worship of the Emperor was required.

Uncertainty – a New Normal

We have always lived in a world subject to change without warning.  But for most of my life, there has been a predictability about life.  Plans were made and by and large, came to pass.

There has always been sudden, unexpected interventions, changes and upsets but, generally speaking we could comfortably plan.  I meet a man who had planned out all his sermons three years in advance.  I could not relate to that, and I am sure it was subject to change – but he was planned out that far.

And then came COVID-19.

An unseen, minuscule speck of virus material jumped from beast to man in China.  China, what is that to me?  It is thousands of miles distant.  But it spread.

The virus made its presence known in country after country as people fell ill.  As it was a ‘novel’ or ‘new’ virus no one on the planet knew how it would act.  No one knew what could combat it, what medicines were effective and what damage it could do.  It was new – no one knew anything about it.

And some initial responses were shots in the dark – and attempt to deal with an unknown, mysterious enemy.  Sometimes the measures were spot on, and sometimes they missed the mark by a mile.  But what did we expect?  It was a new virus – we had no experience with it and subsequently did not ‘know’ what to do.

Virtually all the countries around the world shut down.  Of course, the degree of the shut downs varied.  Airline traffic basically came to a halt.  

Unexpected Side-Effects

The air cleared and waterways became cleaner.  These unexpected side effects were seen and appreciated by many.  Not appreciated enough to want it to become permanent.  We enjoy our jaunts, travels and adventures too much to sacrifice them to save the planet.  And this remains true, even if it improves our standard of life.

As different governments responded worldwide, it became increasingly complicated.  This country will let me leave – but that country will not let me enter.  

In the UK some people went to a ‘safe’ location for a holiday, only to find it was on a restricted list before they could return.  And so, after their holiday, they were quarantined on their return.

There was a day we could book a flight – and be reasonably sure we would take the flight.  Once we would dream and plan and arrange a break (long or short) and carry it through.

Alas, not any more.  We have a flight booked for twelve days from the writing of this.  I do not know if the flight will still be scheduled, if internal travel will still be allowed, if the UK will still allow people to arrive from here.  It is all uncertain.

In former days, we acknowledged that much in life is beyond our control.  We would, from time to time, say “Lord willing”.  It was sincere, but not deeply felt because things, kind of, well, happened.

Ah, But now…

But now… but now things change precipitously.  One moment it is all set and stated and fixed.  And the next moment it is all change.

Life has always been uncertain.  We control precious little in life – often all we can influence or control is our attitude and our response to the situation we find ourselves in.  This is true all the time.

Now, in these days, we are far more aware of this fundamental truth.  We make plans only to have them changed by others.  There is no ‘by your leave’ or discussion. They, for their reasons, dictate, change, modify or cancel as they will.  And we are left picking up the pieces.

Feeling Fed-up

Many are tired, indeed fed-up with the current state of affairs.  Mind you, the virus does not care what you believe, nor the degree to which you think you can influence or change things.  The virus is what it is.  Give it the right circumstance and it will infect you.  And given your medical, physical and psychological state and any recent mutations of the virus, you can become ill.  Some would have long term damage to organs or even become deathly ill and die.

All this to say, we as Christians openly declare our faith and trust in God.  We lay claim to His promise to be with us in all circumstances.  We acknowledge that He is sovereign in all and over all.  Finally, we acknowledge Jesus as “Lord” – that is the Master, director and leader of our life.

Control – What Control?

We have no control over anything (save our attitude, what we choose and how we react to life) – and we both declare this and embrace this.  God is in control of our lives.  God is good.  But not everything that happens to us is good.  We still get ill.  And we lose our jobs.  We can become homeless.  God is good – but that does not mean that everything will be as ‘we’ want it.  The question is: “Is He is truly ‘Lord’ of our life?” Have we relinquished control to Him?  Are we prepared for what He says and does in our lives?  Then it will not be what ‘we’ want but what ‘He’ wants.

God’s perspective is greater than our limited, human-based view.  We look for comfort.  We seek not just employment, but meaningful employment.  Our natural man wants the ‘health & wealth’ message as it appeals to all our natural desires.  God desires that we become whole creatures.  He desires our character to grow and develop.  Indeed, He wants us to have an ‘abundant’ life that is not tied to nor dependent on our circumstances.  He wants us, like Paul, to learn the secret of contentment regardless of our situation.  Paul declared that he had learned how to ‘abound’ and how to ‘suffer need’.   He had learned to be content whether a guest in a rich-man’s home or shipwrecked and cast into the wild sea.

Now We Can See More Clearly…

The world-wide pandemic has removed the façade that we control our lives and are masters of our own destiny.  The world-wide pandemic has exposed the lie that we tell ourselves.  The crutches, props and dreams of the natural world have crumbled and fallen.

Now is the time for us to not just acknowledge but to experience and practice the great truths of what God has for His children.  To be at peace is our calling.  And to rejoice in all circumstances is something we can do in Christ.  To experience ‘contentment’ in all things is our calling.

Jesus spoke openly about tribulations and difficulties in our lives.  He, if you will, promised these things.  And yet we act surprised when a pandemic comes upon the world.  We act as if something unusual is happening.  Jesus said these things would happen – and He promised to be with us to the end of the age!

It is easier now – living with COVID-19 has torn away the false hopes and false beliefs.  If you want peace, if you want hope, if you want to be free of stress – now is the time to take God at His word.  Now is the time to trust Him and to allow Him to be Lord and to ‘grow in grace and in the knowledge of God’.

Currently…

At the time of this writing, our return flight tickets to the UK have been changed a total of four times.  The last change made the flight either impossible or lasting a full day in the petri dish of airplanes and airports.  This is not very inviting.  And with a month and a half to go – no sense that things will stay constant until the departure date…

So we opted for the shorter flight, but leaving in just a fortnight.  But, in today’s world, much can change in a fortnight.  No need for stress, no need to worry, no fretting in my heart.  Peace.  Contentment.  Now is the time to rest in the Lord – and not in the airline, nor the past experience when tickets and scheduled rarely changed.  And, now is the time to acknowledge that Jesus is Lord of my life, and I am committed to that which He says is best – and not me.  Now is the time to know and to experience and to practise the abundant life that Jesus said He came to give.

And so we live.  We wait for the date – if by God’s will we fly and arrive, we do.  And if, likewise, by God’s will we do not – we will continue walking with our Lord.  For our Lord He is, and we embrace that – by His grace.

An Odd Feeling…

This morning (Friday) we are distributing blankets to Syrian refugee field workers.  Now this is important as we are in February and it is raining.  Blankets can make a real difference in the lives of the families living under canvas in a muddy field.

But when I say ‘we’ I mean ‘the Team’.  Today I am excluded.

It Started a Few Days Ago…

On Tuesday of this week I had the three stitches closing the incision where my ‘little red spot’ was removed.  Removing the little red spot was good.  The incision looked like it had healed well.  The doctor in Istanbul who removed the stitches seemed happy with the look of things.

On Wednesday we flew back to Antakya.  No problem.  The Istanbul airport was closed hours later when an aircraft skidded off the runway and over a steep bank.

While we were in Istanbul, two packages had arrived and were sitting in our courtyard.  No problem there.  But on arriving back, I wanted to move the boxes into our flat.  This is a straightforward task, and I expected no problem.

I move the first, smaller box with no complaint.  Then I go to shift the second, larger box.  It was more awkward than heavy and it was not light.  It was not extraordinarily heavy either.  

I grasp the box in a bear hug – it is an awkward size.  Then I lift it off the ground and take into the flat.  I did not carry it over four-five metres.

Ah, Problem…

But I ‘felt’ something curious… so I pulled back my jumper sleeve to pull up my shirt sleeve to see my incision.  I did not get that far.  Rather, I stopped and uttered surprise.  My sleeve was, well, bloody.  

Now my wife, as a girl growing up in a Christian home, had notions of being a doctor or a nurse in Africa.  Then she met me and those dreams died.  But she has never had problems with blood and guts.  I went to her and undid my sleeve button and pulled it back exposing my forearm.

There, in all its gory, the incision had opened right up to the gapping wound it was when made.  Well, this is not good.

God is good – always.  The wound was not good – but God is always good.

Now I do not know what to do, but I know doing nothing is not an option.  This will not go away on its own.  This will not get better if I leave it alone.  Something needs to be done and the only thing I can think of is more stitches.  I don’t want more stitches – they hurt going in, and, with time, my arm complained about their presence.  I don’t want stitches, but I don’t want an open gapping wound more.

First Responses

Our elder is retiring from his secular job with the health ministry.  He has lifelong experience with the Turkish medical system and for the last 22 years he has worked in health clinics or the local hospital.  I show my bloody arm to him.

He cleans it with iodine and puts a cotton pad over the open wound.   He suggested we take a photo and send it to the doctor who did the procedure.  This I did.  The doctor replied that it looks like it needs stitches.  That’s all.

The First Hospital…

So, who does stitches at 17:30?  Well, in Turkey, you go to the Emergency Department of your local hospital.  With the elder’s wife we walked over to the nearby Maternity Hospital as they have an Emergency department.

There we learn that the Emergency Doctor works until 17:30 – it was then 17:45.  What to do?

We decide the best option is to go to the old State hospital – it is in town – and not the new State hospital, where the elder works as it is on the outskirts of town.  I am asked if I can drive, and as the vehicle is an automatic (rare in Turkey), I say yes.  So, you can see it is ugly and needs attention, but it is not debilitating or overly painful.

To the Second Hospital…

So I drive across town to the old State hospital.  Once there, I am referred to a triage room.  The doctor takes one look and sends my wife and our friend to pay for the procedure to fix it.  The doctor directed me to go into a room and to sit on the examination bed.

I notice a man walking by staring at my arm.  By his dress and facial hair, I thought he was a janitor and obviously curious about open, bleeding wounds.  However, after a few minutes he comes back, puts on some non-sterile gloves, gets some packages and comes over to me.

He cleans the wound with iodine.  He does a deep clean.  Then he pulls a stapler out of its sterile packaging.  He squeezes the two sides of the wound together and puts in a staple, quickly followed by three more.  

Now, if you are wondering if it hurts to be stapled.  Uh, the answer is yes.

I did not watch the whole procedure – I am not my wife and have no desire to watch every detail.  Hence I was initially confused as to the number of staples,  It felt like six or eight staples.  It was, in fact, only four.

That was that.  It was done.  But the doctor strongly told me to go to ‘my doctor’ and show it to him.

What to say?  I do not have a doctor.  But I determined to go back to where the procedure was done and show my arm to them…

To the Third Hospital…

So bright and early on Thursday morning I headed off to the University hospital – which is well out of town.  T joined me.

This was my third trip to the general surgery department and I know where I am going.  I went to the lady who mans the desk at the entrance to the department I need.  She says she will do something and then decide what to do with me.  

“Have a seat” she said.

We sat down in a crowded waiting room, and we began waiting.  Now I know that waiting is part and parcel of the hospital experience.  So I was prepared to wait.  But, by the same token, I wanted to keep my head up so I could see if she needed anything from me.  I did not want to be forgotten.

I also have learned that being forgotten is part and parcel of the hospital experience.

After an hour I went to her desk, and she gave me a registration slip and said an ‘assistant’ would see me.  I was forewarned the doctor was on leave.  She said she would call me and to ‘have a seat’.

Over the course of the morning, she came, and she went.  She had tea.  And she disappeared for a period of time.  After an hour, I moved into a more prominent chair – for I had been forgotten.  

Visible, and Yet Unseen…

It always amazes me what people see and do not see.  I am sitting in the waiting room.  And I am rather distinctive as an older,  white bearded foreign chap.  I am the only one in the hospital.  Yet, she did not see me.

The once full waiting area is down to a sparse few.  We have observed people come in, leap the queue, knock on the examination door and be admitted.  In the fullness of time I rise and approach the desk.  She looks up and asks “Have they not called you?”

“Ah, no….” I thought that was obvious.  She says, “come” and takes me straight into the examination room.

I know this is a teaching hospital.  In the examination room four white coated young people are standing against one wall.  Behind the desk is a man sitting in green scrubs.  On his left and right are two young men in hospital wear.  The sitting man is explaining things to them.

There is one chair, so T sits down and I stand there.  When he is done with his instructions, he tells me to show him my arm.

He looks at it and declares everything is fine and to have the staples removed in a weeks time.  That was it.

Two and a half hours in the hospital, plus travel time – my whole morning was given to receiving that one sentence.  But I am glad I heard that one sentence – I know the way forward now.  

Was it worth that much time?  Well, yes.

Repercussions…

But, as I had ruptured my wound, E, the head of the work with Syrian refugees told me I was not to help with blanket distribution.  In fact, she told me to not even come.

Now, I feel I can still do a lot.  And we are distributing blankets – not the heaviest of items.  But, as I am always cautioning E to slow down, to rest, to some things say ‘no’, even to good and positive things.  I need to model the correct response.  

So, without argument, I agreed.  

On Friday, when it came time to load the vehicle with blankets, I put my arm in a sling – and open declaration that I will not, and cannot use it – and with my free arm I carried blankets to the van to be packed.  

Okay, it was not heavy work, but my right arm was well tired by the end.  With the van fully loaded, and I mean fully loaded, the team set off.

It felt odd to be left standing in the way as the van moved off to travel up the valley to where the Syrian refugees are living in the fields.

It felt odd – and for all that, it felt right. 

Did Jehu Have a Cousin?

The morning finally arrived, and we were ready.  All the paperwork was prepared and checked.  We had taken a dry-run; travelled out to the office we would visit and the Tax office we would also need to go to.  We thought it out.

But Monday was both a workday and the first day after the school break.  The time we needed to go was smack dab in the middle of rush-hour.  So we decided although we use public transport to get around this vast city – for this appointment, we would go via taxi.  Not to be extravagant, we would come home normally.

So, rising early, I did a quick check of the traffic situation and it all looked good.

With plenty of time, we left the flat we were staying at and went to the roadside.  Here I opened an app on my phone and put in our destination. 

The app showed a taxi relatively close, travel time to our destination was much longer than when I checked earlier. Instead of twenty-eight minutes, now it was showing forty minutes.  I hadn’t pushed the button to call the taxi before, but now I was ready.

I Was Ready… But the App…

Unfortunately, it seems the app was not ready.  It would not process my request until I “joined”. Muttering at the app I say, “But I am a member, I’ve used you before.”  And it said “Enter your password.” Hmm, that would be the password I cannot remember.

I was at a loss and I did not know what I needed to do or could do?  So, I ‘joined’ again.  Then I went to log in and it failed and all the while, time was ticking…

Again I joined, but with the same result.

And again, and again I tried, and it was too late in the day for a ‘Plan B’.  In fact, public transport was my Plan A, and the taxi was Plan B. It was too late for Plan A – and Plan B was not working.  

What Could we Do?

I persevered, not that I had much choice and, at last, it worked.  It worked – but why it worked, I have not the foggiest notion.  But it worked.

I called a taxi.  The app told me how long the journey would be (forty minutes), the name of the driver, the licence number of the taxi and how much it would cost.  All good – well, except for the time needed for the trip, we barely had forty minutes before our appointment.  Nothing for it but to press on.

The taxi was five minutes away.  The map updated in real time.  I was glued to my phone, watching his progress…

And then the taxi was cancelled.  Did I inadvertently push a button?  Did the driver cancel it?  I do not understand what happened, but the taxi was no longer coming.

Time continued to tick by…  So, I re-entered our destination and called another taxi.  This one, a different one, was just two minutes away – and it came sooner.  We piled in and he headed off.  

Now our destination and the cost has already been passed on to the driver.  I shouldn’t have to explain anything – just sit back and be taken to our destination.

Regardless, he asks where we are going and I tell him.  He then queries if rather than Ümraniye I mean Çekmeköy?  What do I know?  The name and address I have are all for Ümraniye.

I look on the app-map and the ‘blue line’ is pointed at our destination, so I do not argue.  But I diligently watch our progress along the blue line.  It is a nice feature that the app shows you in real time where you are and where you are going.

The App Was Adamant…

The app declares we will be late.  The journey is forty minutes and we no longer have forty minutes before the appointment. 

Long ago I learned that if you need to be some place and you are late – well, settle down, relax and, well, arrive late.  Worry and stress will not enable us to arrive earlier.  And as the old saying goes “haste makes waste” or in this context, “haste makes for mistakes (= accidents).”

I did NOT mention to the driver we were short on time.  Nor did I request he drive quickly.  I am glad I made NO mention. We just settled back in our seats for the journey to the office.

However, the time is perversely called ‘rush-hour’. I don’t know why as no one can make headway. The roadways are clogged with traffic everywhere. There is not a single clear road to be seen.

But our driver was not to be deterred.  As there was a lock on the road ahead (nothing ahead was moving), he threw the taxi into a sharp right-hand turn and flew down a side road.  From there he found a road going left, and he pressed on.

Now I am in the back seat and I am not driving.  But I am a person accustomed to driving.  So I notice road signs and such even when I am not behind the wheel. I see a sign forbidding a left-hand turn… just before our driver executes a sharp left turn.

Let me just say, He Drives Energetically.

He manoeuvres on various side streets and pops out on a fairly main road.  By exploiting any gap, or even a semblance of a gap, he powers on.  When the lane he is in is stopped, he flings the car into the next lane and powers on.

Now when I, the old man that I am, go to change lanes, I live by the MSM – mirror, signal, manoeuvre that I was taught.  And I always throw in a shoulder check, just to be safe. I guess I do MSSM – mirror, shoulder check, signal and manoeuvre.

But Our Driver Had Gone to a Different Driving School

I could observe no check of any sort before the manoeuvre.  Nor did he engage the use of the signal.  In a split-second he would decide and manoeuvre.   Simple as that.

We are on a road running parallel to a main road.  We did not join the main road.  Traffic there was inhibited by ‘sheer weight of traffic’.  Whereas although the side road was busy, with a diligent application of all available lanes, he was making progress.

Then we hit a point where all the roads were filled with stationary traffic.  Again he turns right and looks for a clear road going left.  After six or seven roads he finds one and powers down the narrow single lane road.  As we come to the far end, a large SUV powers into our street.  Our driver says nothing; he utters no curse, and no gesture is offered.  We squeeze by and as we turn onto the main road, I see why.  We had just come up a long stretch of a one-way road.  Er, but we were powering along the wrong way up the one-way road.

Calling All Taxis…

Then we came to a point where he was on the radio warning all other taxi drivers that the road ahead was ‘locked up’.  We needed to go straight – and it seems to be a popular choice. Everyone was going that way.  No one, it seems, wanted to go along the left lane and merge onto the main road.  

So our driver, not to leave any opportunity neglected, jumped into the empty lane, flew up to the exit. There he bullied his way into the straight through lanes.  A judicial use of his hooter and he intimidated people to advance when maybe they did not feel they could or should.

At the busy junction he forced a crossing and powered down the opposite side. He was making jolly good time.

Did I say ‘Jolly’?

He turns on to a busy road and ahead everyone is turning left.  There are two or three long lanes of stationary traffic waiting to turn left at the light.  No one was going straight through.

Seeing the empty lane, he pops in and screams up to the light, where, you probably can guess, at the head of the queue he turned left.

In Turkey, as a traffic calming measure they use ‘sleeping policemen’.  These are raised humps on the road surface to slow traffic down.  All reasonable and normal drivers slow down to negotiate these traffic humps.

Not so our driver. By his driving, uh, technique, I think he could be the prophet Jehu’s crazy cousin.  The Old Testament declares the words of the watchman when he saw a chariot coming towards the city and said, “I think it is Jehu for he drives furiously.” Our driver treated those humps as flat road and powered over them.

I am watching the time, the distance, oh, and the cost of the journey.  We are flying along but only half-way there.

The blue line on the app-map continues to reassure me. And, contrary to what he said, we are heading towards the Ümraniye office.

We hit some uncongested road and our driver shows us what he can really do.  The world is flying by.

We are near our destination.  Because of our dry-run, I recognise where we are.  

He powers down the road and I recognise our destination on the left and so declare.  He screeches to a halt.  Then he confidently tells me this is Çekmeköy – as he told me.  Okay.  I paid the man and went into the Ümarinye office.

Oh, and we were there before our appointment time.

We Arrived…

The app came up and asked me to rate my driver – I passed on the opportunity.  I could not, with a clear conscience, say anything good.  

But we had arrived.  And we arrived not just on time, but early. 

But let just say, we always planned to return via public transport and our morning journey did not change my mind.