A welcome rest and now I begin the count down

I took a little vacation.  This time it was for rest and relaxation.  I got invited to a place called "Spa for the Soul" owned by Jeri and Curt Bidinger, located just outside of the seaside village of Kas (rhymes with gosh) in southwestern Turkey.  Here's a picture of the view from my room!!

The area around Kas reminded me so much of the property I lived in near the Napa Valley.  There are lots of stones so walkways, paths, walls and even homes are made of them.  There are olive trees, grapes, roses and a myriad other plants that grow in hot weather.  The one big difference is the very near presence of the Mediterranean Sea with its extraordinary cliffs, blue turquoise waters and white sandy beaches.  I was very happy in Kas!!  The weather was in the 80's every day and this tired, burned out cook needed the peace and quiet of a tiny village ablaze with warmth and comfort from nature and natural beauty.

My first night there was also this young couple staying at Spa for the Soul, Alex and Beth and their 2 month old son, David was asleep upstairs.  They are workers also on a weeks vacation from their duties in Ankara.

Jeri and Curt you might remember live 4 months a year in Sequim.  She really wanted me to see their home/retreat in Turkey and I was thrilled for the chance to get away.  I took a 4 hour bus ride to get there.  Their home is a place of solitude and beauty nestled in the foothills.  Jeri has an eye for beauty and simplicity reflected in every detail of their home.  Meals were delicious made to be not only fresh and healthy but beautifully presented as well, glowing candelight in the evenings set a peaceful atmosphere that made all my cares melt like wax.

Here's a picture of my two room suite and once again the unforgettable view off the balcony:

By the way the island in the top right of this picture is Meis (pronounced mace) you can get there by ferry and it belongs to Greece.

With Jeri and Curt I had some wonderful experiences represented here by the following pictures:  first dinner out with friends of theirs, this is my dinner lamb shish with veggies and potatoes; second picture Turkish breakfast out in a cafe owned by another friend of theirs Halil squatting beside me; third picture Halil's beautiful and percocious daughter Jasmine, shopping for rugs, pottery and lamps and lastly a picture of a blooming rose, so fragrant one can smell it ten feet away! 

My time here in Turkey is getting short.  I have two more weeks of work, hard work:  On May 5 we will be celebrating the grand re-opening of St. Paul's Cultural Center.  One thousand invitations have gone out.  The reception will be from 2-5pm and we are expecting about 500 people to come through the Center.  We're serving punch and about 14 different passed hors d'oeuvres.  We will be very busy this week preparing for it.  Then the following week we are having "May Fair" with a barbecue, book sale, used goods sale, kids craft center, music and other stuff open to the public.  That day Saturday, May 12 is my last official day of volunteer work for Renata.  

The Board of Directors for SPCC also arrives this week for a meeting and to participate in the re-opening ceremonies.  One of them is Steve Dresselhaus from TEAM headquarters and I hope he and I can have a discussion on where, when and if TEAM might send me next. 

I feel a little sad about leaving.  What a tremendous experience this has been for me!  I don't regret a single moment, even when things were the most difficult.  I have learned a lot about myself and about being a short term worker.  I have a little clearer picture of what that means, the sacrifices involved and the committment it takes. 

I will be very sad to leave the International Church which is just a small picture of what heaven will be like with "every nation, every language, every tribe, every people"  represented.  Above all as I have said before, it will be the people I've met who have impacted me the most and I will miss them:  so many smart, gifted and talented people desiring for the people of Turkey to come to know the "Hope of the ages", Jesus Christ;  and the dear people of Turkey themselves with their history and beautifully rich and strange (to me) culture.  Lord, may my time here not have been in vain!