He looked beyond my faults and saw my need.

Yesterday we arrived in Istanbul, and it was very clear to us that God cares for people. There was a part of me that proudly thought the work in Turkey would stop or slow down with our absence - but just the opposite has happened! Tonight at our wednesday night service, the room was packed with people. A new young girl came tonight, named Arshur, who has been studying the philosophies of Kant and Nietsche in her university. She said afterwards, "I didn't know that a church could be so living." I know that God has a special place for Turkish people, and for all of us. It says in I Peter 5:7 to "cast all your cares on Him, for He cares for you." I have sometimes wondered if God cares for me more than I could ever imagine - and tonight, it was clear to me that He does. Its a miracle Liz and I are here in Turkey. God has taken our cares this summer and given us Turkey as a missionfield. I think this is what happens when we cast our cares upon Him. I told the church in my introduction tonight that we care for people, whether they're poor, sick, needy, empty, lost, or guilty. The Bible says in Proverbs 25:27 that "those who tend to the poor will lack nothing." This is what the church is doing in Istanbul, and there is nothing we lack here. At the end of the month, the church will be moving to the top floor of the building, which has one of the most beautiful views of the Bosporus in the whole city, and its because we've put our cares on the Lord. This is the way the Lord wants us to live, and He explains it in Matthew 6:25-33 - Seek Him first!

Prayer and Faith

Please keep us in your prayers this weekend. We are traveling up north to see if we can raise some financial support before we head back to Istanbul. We are committed to being a long term part of the work in Turkey, and for that to be a reality, we need the help of the Body of Christ! We don't know what the road ahead holds for us, but we are so excited to be in the will of God and leaning on Him.
Thank you for all your prayers!

Going Home!

We are so excited to be going back to Istanbul! Roger and I just purchased our airplane tickets - we will be leaving Baltimore on September 8th. Its a little bit later than we first planned, but God has made it clear that we should take advantage of the amazing provisions He has made for us while we are here in Baltimore. The opportunity to be able to stay with my parents (for free) and work full time is one that we are so grateful for and we know that its from God.
This next month will be a time of hard work, but I know that it will be encouraging also. Being in Baltimore is great, but we really can't wait to get back to Istanbul!
Please keep us in your prayers as we are still praying for financial support.

Convention was Amazing!

Convention was an incredible time to be with all the incredible people in our churches worldwide. The messages were encouraging and memorable. I'm sure we will be talking about them for years to come - especially Pastor Matti's from Missions Night!
Our booth was a huge success - thank you to everyone who helped make it that way!! We were able to raise enough money for our airplane tickets back to Istanbul and that was our goal. So thank you!

Back in Baltimore

Roger and I have been back in America since the beginning of June. By the grace of God, we have both been able to find work while we are here. It is a miracle and a huge blessing that we can both make some money so that we can get back to Istanbul as soon as possible!
This week is the week of the International Convention in Baltimore! Roger and I are running a booth to raise money for Turkey missions and to hopefully open people's eyes to the great need for the Gospel in Turkey and the financial support that can make that possible.
Our goal is to return to Istanbul some time in August, but as of now, we are just working hard, going by faith and praying that God touches people's hearts and leads them to support our work there. We KNOW that we are called to the Turks and we trust that God will provide as He has been so faithfully in the past. Its amazing to grasp even just a little of God's graciousness and personal care for us!

The Lange Family Reunited

Pray for my friend Nertila

She is an amazing believer with a sweet heart after God. She is from Albania and is studying medicine in Istanbul. She loves God and wants to trust Him in everything. Please keep her in your prayers!

What's it all about?

Looking back on the last 6 months here in Istanbul we have seen so much happen. God is so faithful to bless our lives with great joy and purpose when we simply live in faith and obey His words. We have been taught and shown how to live a life that is pleasing to Christ. So many people try to figure it out on their own but when you see the life of Christ in the New Testament you see what he wants from us. I think its made up of three basic things. First you must know that you are loved by God. Secondly, you must love God. And thirdly, you must love yourself. With these three things happening in our lives we find ourselves LOVING PEOPLE! That's what this is all about. God loves people! This is the life worth living - loved by God, love to God, and loving myself equals loving people. Its been such a joy to love people in Istanbul and we can't wait to come back and keep on loving people. These last 6 months we have received just a small understanding of how God loves us and how we love Him, ourselves and Turkish people. But it happens all around the world today. God is searching for people to respond to His love. Answer His call of love to you.