T T T T TURKEY!!!

Me and Angela in Ephasus
Me at the hot pots in Ledocia (spelling way wrong just sound it out)
We took a river cruise from one side of Istanbul to the other BEUTIFUL
Chris, Adam, Me and Canton at Ephasus again

So one time I went to Turkey... It was amazing. Here I am thinking that Turkey is this ugly 3rd world country.. Guess who didn't pay attention in Geography. This place is BEAUTIFUL like take the most beautiful place and times that by... 6 (only a few of you will get that) We started in Istanbul which was by far the most incredible then went to Miletus, Pergamum, Ephasus, (I don't think I'm spelling these right) and we did this by spending on the upper hand 8 hours (usually minimum) on a bus a day needless to say we got to know each other REAL good. There is so much I could say about this place the beauty it portrayed, the ancient ruins we walked around, the mosques we went in but the one thing that stood out to me on this trip that was the most in a cliche way of putting it "life changing" so first off let me set the scene, we are basically living out of our suit cases at a new hotel every night, I don't believe these people believe in AC so we slept in basically nothing every night with no sheets on our bodies, the food.... lets say I ate a LOT of bread like at least a loaf each meal, we weren't really supposed to drink the water so we couldn't brush our teeth with tap water we had to use bottles of water... But it was all right. so day three of the trip my body started telling me that if i didn't take better care of it it was going to basically kill over, which it almost did I just felt up set to my tummy every day but not bad enough to stop me from walking and enjoying every minute of everything. Not only that but when ya don't feel good all ya want is your mom, so yes I was super home sick this trip. Friday night we pulled in to our hotel and were told to throw our suit cases in our rooms and come down for sacrament. We get down to the hotel lobby and are filled into this small bar (I know :)) we all sit down some at tables but the majority of us were on the floor, it was super hot in there. We decided that while waiting for Bro Muelstine to start church we'd sing some hymns. As soon as we began with nearer my god to thee the spirit hit me like a bag of bricks, I openly began to cry while watching these people that I have grown to love sing praises to God... In a bar.... In a hotel.... In Turkey (do you see where I'm going with this?) I was homesick for something familiar, my family, my friends, my home, a familiar street to walk down, a familiar language, anything to set me at peace...... and I found it... the spirit of God and the Truth of this Gospel is the same everywhere, it is the only familiar thing that I can carry with me where ever I go. Where ever any of us go. The love God feels for me is familiar, his spirit is familiar, and the truth it speaks is also familiar. It was a testimony to me then and there the truth of this gospel and how it is "home" I am so privileged to have that knowledge, sadly it took me going to Turkey to realize it but now that I have it I won't let it go.