Dear Friends

We have two stories for you this month.  One about a young girl from Ankara and one about a man from the province of Ordu on the Black Sea Coast of Northeastern Turkey. As you read their stories pray for them and that God would bring many more like them to true faith in the living God.

For the BCC Team

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"In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Luke 15:10

A friend of ours from the Bible Correspondence Course sent us the phone number of a girl in Ankara named Cemre who had been corresponding with them for quite some time and wanted to meet with a Christian. We called her, met downtown and sat down over milkshakes to hear her story. She had read the Koran first and then had started comparing it with the New Testament. She explained that she was drawn to the love and grace that she saw in the New Testament as opposed to the judgement in the Koran. We asked her if she believed that Jesus died for her sins and rose again. She said that she did, so we prayed with her and explained to her that she now had the Holy Spirit living inside her. We invited her to our next meeting and plan to keep in touch and start Bible lessons with her. She said she was eager to come and learn and help in any way possible.

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"Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest."

John 4:35

The fields are ripe and we are having the opportunity to reap!

From Orhan, the pastor of the church in Samsun:

The brother in the picture is Cevdet. At one time Cevdet was an Muslim Imam (priest). He is married with two children and actually visited our church 3 years ago. I was put in contact again with him through the BCC chat line. He is now a person who knows and loves Christ. I have now met with him several times and have asked him directly, "What are you?" He replied to me, "I am not a Muslim, I am a Christian and a follower of Jesus but I have many, many things to learn."Please continue to pray for us as a church. Four people will be baptized (another one "Aycan" from the BCC and also from the city of Ordu).

Your brother Orhan

Dear Friends,

Greetings from Istanbul. Even though it sometimes seems like few are coming to faith there are signs that there are thousands who are searching for truth and hungry to know God. Lydia is one of these people and here is a synopsis of her story:

*Lydia is 27 years old. She used to wonder who God and Jesus were. One day she found our web site and felt what she was reading there was true. For two years she visited our web site. She was hesitant to write to us but eventually after researching she contacted us. We met her and helped her to receive Jesus.

She grew up in the South of Turkey. When she was 8 years old someone (most likely the BCC) sent the Jesus film and a New Testament to her family. They watched the Jesus film together and she wanted to know more but she was afraid to tell her family. In religion class at school she longed for the religion teacher to teach about Jesus but she never did. One day her school went on a trip to the mosque. She heard that it was God's house and a place of peace, but she couldn't find peace and was very discouraged.

After she moved to a big city with her family they visited a Catholic church and she was amazed to feel the peace of God's presence. She wrote a letter to us and said she wanted to follow Jesus. Some of the women from our office visited her and explained about Jesus and the Holy Spirit. She was ready to accept Jesus and now wants to go to church.

Please pray for Lydia and pray for those who are on the road but still haven’t arrived at their final destination.

For a long time we have realized how many more workers we could use at the Bible Correspondence Course in almost every capacity (chat operators, data entry people, follow-up people, etc.). Please pray for this great need!

Here is a poster we are making to advertise the BCC in the churches and other places...

Blessings

For the BCC Team

*Names changed

*Please note that this update first appeared in November 2011