Sunday - April 5th
Today was a good day here. I listened to a good message at church in Taskim, then had lunch with Andja and Jacqui and then went back to the apartment and packed, and then headed to the airport. The flight was smooth. We hopped on the metro and it took about 45 min to get to the center. We dropped our bags off around 10:30 p.m. and then went and got dinner around 11:00 pm
It is going on 1 am here. We are leaving the hotel at 9 a.m. and will catch breakfast in the center then see the Parthenon and Acropolis to name a few things.
Notes from the Easter Service:
Easter Sunday
4/5/15
Benjamin van Rensburg
He Has Risen
John 20:1-10 - The Resurrection
"Because he lives, I can face tomorrow"
There is a price to follow the Lord.
With the resurrection the Father confirmed that the price was paid in FULL!
Matthew 26:28 - the last supper
1. The Resurrection demonstrates that the curse of sin and death was broken.
*Jesus is enough.
Grace and mercy means we can accept Gods forgiveness because the price was paid. The resurrection means that God accepted the sacrifice of His Son to pay in full and forgive our sins.
2. The Resurrection demonstrates the power of God.
*We have the opportunity to experience forgiveness of sin.
*God's power was exhibited on the cross.
- God continues to show his power as men and women are changed daily because of Him.
3. The Resurrection demonstrates that Jesus will lead us into eternal life.
- the stripe between our birth date and death date is just a small part of our total existence. It is important that we ask Jesus into our heart and life.
- on the basis of merit we could never enter heaven...but there is a way and His name is Jesus
Don't let your hearts be troubled!
- forgiveness of sin is real
The message of The Resurrection is that the price has been paid in full.
Monday - April 6th
Today was good here! We woke up and had breakfast, went to the Parthenon, then Olympic stadium, then came back and went to the seaside for lunch, and then back to the center for dinner. For dinner I had a gyro which is an awesome wrap type sandwich and a greek salad followed up with some frozen yogurt. We walked over 7 miles today. I ran for a lap around the first Olympic Games track and did some steps too...it was a fun day! This evening I chilled some with Andja, Jacqui, and Chan and now chilling for a bit until bed.
Tomorrow I am here all day until I go back to Turkey. My flight is at 9:30 pm and I will fly back with Andja.
Tuesday - April 7th
Today was a good day here. We had a chill day which was nice. Walked around some places and ate out for lunch and for dinner. It will be nice to get back to Istanbul tonight for sure!! I made it home a little after midnight!
Wednesday - April 8th
I was pretty tired waking up this morning since I got to bed so late last night, but it was nice to be able to take a nap this afternoon. We played volleyball today and then had lifting after that. I came home and ate some lunch and then took a 2 hour nap. This afternoon and evening I have been relaxing which is nice.
Tomorrow it is back to the practice floor for us! We will practice Thursday and Friday and then have a friendly game against another team in the Turkish League on Saturday. Sunday we will have off and then we will practice Monday and Tuesday and then leave Wednesday for Kayseri. We play Kayseri at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday which is 8:00 a.m. EST and then we will fly back after the game to Istanbul. On Friday we will fly to Ordu and then play against Kayseri at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday which is 7:00 a.m. EST. We will then fly back to Istanbul after the game. If we lose the first 2 games then the series is finished, but if we win the first two games we move on. If we split the first 2 games and go 1-1 then a 3rd game will be played on April 20th back in Kayseri. I will keep you all posted for sure!!
Game Schedule for first round:
April 16th - @Kayseri - 3:00 p.m. which is 8:00 a.m. EST
April 18th - @Ordu - 2:00 p.m. which is 7:00 a.m. EST
April 20th - TBD
If we lose in the first round I will be flying home April 22nd, but if we advance into the second round, I will be here past that date.
God is so good! It is amazing that we were able to make playoffs. I am thankful to the Lord for allowing us to. I hope you all are doing well. Wedding planning continues to go well and for that I am so thankful. It is amazing to think that in 6 1/2 weeks I will be getting married.
God bless,
Megan