Thanksgiving celebration

Two days after arriving "home" from the Istanbul consultation (below) I traveled up to Belgium to celebrate the American tradition of Thanksgiving. I was warmly invited by my friends the Fisks who I have known for many years (in the Congo). This is a good time to be with family and friends.

Istanbul conference and visits

Nov 11-14 found Mosaics colleagues and friends together in Istanbul for a consultation about sharing faith with in the Mosaics focus group. It was a consultation attended by over 100 participants working in countires from Afganistan to the US. We were encouraged and challenged by the materials and testimonies.

After the conference we were able to connect with friends in the city, one of whom I met during my French class this past summer. They helped us to see Turkey from an insiders point of view, and we had some great food as well.

The next day we visited the Blue Mosque and Saint Sophia, two of the most famous sites of the city.

Our hotel was well placed amidst many carpet shops,. The name of the hotel was "Hali" which means "carpet." And the breakfast terrace gave way to a beautiful view of the famous Mosques and the Bosphorus, the water way linking the Mediterranean with the Black sea.