Floods in Istanbul

During the week of September 7 there were flash floods in Istanbul which killed about 40 people, swept about 200 cars and trucks into the sea, and destroyed hundreds of homes. The homes which were destroyed were largely substandard, makeshift housing built by poor immigrants to the area. When the waters subsided and the city began the cleanup, the senior missionary couple in Istanbul began to assess what the Church could do to assist. We joined them in Istanbul on Wednesday.

Istanbul is a huge city of somewhere around 20 million people, but only a small proportion of the population was involved in the flood. Of course, the poor are always the victims in natural disasters.

In the photo on the right you may be able to see the watermark above the second story. The second story balcony was washed away!

It was overwhelming to see such great need, but we worked with the municipal government in two affected areas to determine that blankets and hygiene kits were a top priority. The hygiene kits were far more extensive than the personal ones we’re used to; these were huge family survival kits which filled a 5-gallon garbage bag. The supplies were ordered, and our first assignment was to pay the supplier. Turkey is a cash economy. We had to visit ATMs and withdraw as much cash as we could at each one over a two-day period. At one point we had 35,000 Turkish Lira (about $25,000) on the table in front of us. After making the small down payment, we were able to arrange a wire transfer of the remaining funds. We worked closely with the Europe East Area office in Moscow to accomplish the financing.

The next day the supplies were delivered, assembled by city volunteers, and we took a few hundred kits and blankets for distribution. We visited only a few streets, and the remaining kits and blankets were distributed by city employees and other volunteers that night and into the next few days. It was devastating to see such destruction of people’s lives.

Above you see a little boy (without full arms) sitting on raw wool. It was washed and used as mattresses.

There will be other projects to follow, and we have been asked to return to Istanbul to help in the future. The Church membership in the area is small, with only about 50 people attending meetings, and there is only a single senior missionary couple assigned to the city. But we were able to work with the government to provide immediate assistance worth a great deal. It was very gratifying to be able to be a part of the Church’s response to the floods!

Ramadan

Ramadan is now about half over. It started on August 21 and will end on September 19. This is the Muslim holy month, when almost all Muslim adults fast from dawn (about an hour before sunrise) until the evening call to prayer, just after sunset. Ramadan is based on the lunar calendar; this year, the fast is for a 14-hour period.

We're greatly impressed with the Turks! Would we Americans be able to show such control? We have seen very few people eating or drinking during the day and only one or two people smoking—and that’s amazing, since not only do nearly half the Turks smoke, but they are heavy smokers. I’m sure there are some cranky people out there, but by and large, there is a festive feeling in the stores and in the streets.

The grocery stores are jammed with people, because after the evening call to prayer, families and friends gather for very festive dinners. There are special foods in the stores just for this time of year. We buy the fresh bread (Ramazan Pide) every day, and it’s so delicious that we often eat the whole loaf with dinner. There are also special desserts. I bought the ingredients for gullaç and made it, because the directions on the package were in English. It was easy—just boil milk and sugar and then pour it over thin sheets of, well, starch that are thinner than paper. I’m not sure I’ll ever make it again because it tasted sort of like sweet milk poured over paper, but it was a fun cultural experience. The restaurants are full of large tables of happy people in the evenings.

We were invited to one Iftar (festive meal after the fast), to be honored guests at a nursing home where we had donated some beds. We started with dates, then had a dinner of soup, chicken, rice, tomatoes, bread and watermellon. Everyone else ended with tea.

Burger King and McDonalds even have special Ramadan menus. The McDonalds’ hamburgers have turned into meatballs with Turkish spices, served on flat bread. Burger King still offers burgers—but they feature a Sultan, not a King. Both places serve ayran (a yogurt drink) with their combos instead of soft drinks. Both restaurants deliver here.

The only thing we haven’t enjoyed much about Ramadan so far is that our sleep has been a little disturbed. We think they have cranked up the volume for the 4:30 a.m. (pre-dawn) call to prayer. It is loud enough to wake us. At least we don’t have the neighborhood drummer who bangs a drum at 3:30 a.m. to awaken people for the early morning meal before the fast. Our neighborhood is sort of downtown, and the people in it aren’t as interested in keeping up that old tradition.

After Ramadan. the Muslims celebrate for four days called Seker Bayram, or Holidays of Sweets. Families exchange visits and give the children candy. Holidays here are very family-oriented, which is a wonderful aspect of Turkish culture.