Some Fall DTS 08 Pics

1. Me, Kelsie, Ruth on mini outreach, Spokane, WA

2. Dance Track performing Be Near to Me, Cafe Night (me in center)

3. Bruce & I with Japanese students, who were learning English, Spokane, WA

Would you help me set...SAIL?

In addition to meeting my regular monthly support (I still have staff fees in MT), I will need support for airline tickets and my expenses on the ship (estimate min. $1,600 needed). If God is leading you to partner with me, please let me know SOON as I need plane tickets and hope to leave early January! Please e-mail me at speppermintz@gmail.com if you would like to contact me or want more info on how to give. Thank you and God bless you. Shannon

The Bus Ride

Above Picture: While we worship at the park, Turkish youth gather around to listen and talk with us.

Saturday, May 3, 2008, part of our team left Izmir, Turkey with our contacts to help with a birthday, while the rest of us went to the memorial service for the death of a Turkish Christian who was murdered one year ago (along with two others). Our way there was quite the experience.

First, we know we have to take the 1:00 p.m. ferry to Konak to get to the bus depot (no problem—done that before). Then we have to get on a specific bus at 2:00 p.m. This is where it gets tricky. Our pastor wrote instructions IN TURKISH for us to show the bus driver so he would know where to stop the bus (I do not know what the note says), and so I show it to our Turkish speaking (no English, mind you) bus driver, and he nods. Okay, so I think we are set.

We wind through the city to places I have never seen before, gazing out the windows, but not really worried—yet. But it seems to be taking longer and longer, and I begin to wonder (as the responsible one for my team), “Are we on the right bus? Did we miss our stop? Does the bus driver understand the note?” The driver motions and speaks to me in Turkish—I have no idea what he says. But when he stops next and by interpreting his charade-like gestures and assuming what his Turkish words are, he says, "Get off now, and get on that bus over there." (Just to give you a picture of what this looks like, imagine our driver, an older than middle-aged but not quite elderly man, with mostly dark, but graying hair. He is rolly, wrinkly, and weathered on his face, and he looks like he is more that just sitting on but he is melded to his seat, slouched over and encompassing the entire area of the driver's side.) At this, I am thinking, "What is he saying? Ack!! What is he saying?" But we all get off the bus anyway onto a street surrounded by tall apartment buildings--obviously, there is no cemetery in sight in this residential area. And then I discover that there is a bus across the street waiting for us, which is heading in the direction we came from. Our gruff, dear bus driver had flagged down a passing bus for us to ride!

As we wind back through the city I am thinking that at least we will make it back to the bus depot and not be lost anymore. My girl students tell me that they like the "great bus adventure." And I am a bit fatigued with getting us lost with no translator in a Turkish city. But as it nears 3:00 p.m. and Pastor Can, I am sure, thinks we will miss the service or be late (he told us specifically not to be late), I see stone crosses behind a stonewall! I get excited and know it's a small Christian cemetery (there is a large Muslim cemetery across the road), and the bus pulls over and lets us off. We walk into the gate at 3:00 or 3:01. Pastor Can is waiting expectantly. Now we stand in the beating sun, our skin growing redder minute by minute, watching people we do not know, listening to words we do not understand, nor understanding what it feels like to lose a loved one because he believed in Jesus.

This martyr reminds me of another martyr 2,000 years ago, Stephen in Acts 6-7, who was killed for his faith in Jesus Christ. When faced with false accusations, he did not ignore the Holy Spirit. But Stephen preached boldly to his accusers, testifying of the tapestry of love and salvation God has brought to prepare the Way for the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Through Jesus’ sacrifice, our sins are forgiven, and we are made righteous, able to come into personal and direct relationship with the triune, holy God.

What must this person have been thinking before death? Maybe, I can imagine that he was full of the Holy Spirit like Stephen, able to forgive his enemies in the face of death and seeing the Hope set before him--Jesus at the right hand of God. This overwhelms and compels me to share this gift, which God desires each person to have, what this man, Stephen, and I will inherit for eternity--access to God on His throne. How is God moving you? I pray He moves you to seek Him more deeply and live out this gift of Life so others may know Him!

At All Costs ~ Winter DTS News

And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.” Luke 9:23-24

God has taught me so much during this season of my life as I’ve been recovering from mono and pneumonia while staffing a Discipleship Training School full-time, including lecture phase (Jan.-March) and leading an outreach team to the Mediterranean area (March-May). After months of illness and doctor’s visits, I began taking several vitamins and supplements to aid my recovery. This has helped me get well, even though this is a greater expense than I am used to. Now I am a frequent of the health food store and trying to learn more in an effort to stay well. During my sickness, I have also been learning to rely on God’s strength just to function or accomplish something. I’ve had to humble myself, to not do everything and to ask for help (something I do not do well). But my God, fellow staff, friends, and small group girls have been there for me, praying for me and encouraging me! As this DTS’s school theme is “At All Costs,” it has been real to me in a new way, while I was so frustrated on outreach to be sick, yet again. My burden of illness seems such a small cross to carry when compared to what Jesus asks of me, even my life in Luke 9. I don’t know what I may go through in life or in death, how much physical, emotional, and spiritual turmoils, and I don’t know how I may handle it. But I do know that I can do all things with His strength. I know He is with me through everything, and I do know that people knowing the love of Jesus and coming into relationship with Him is worth the cost!

Small Group Blessings

My small group consisted of five amazing girls, who I grew very close to: Hannah (Canada), Stephanie (Idaho), Emily (Virginia), Michele (Washington), and Crystal (Pennsylvania). Not only were they vulnerable with me and each other and desired to grow so much, but they ministered to me also. I am so proud of them. Stephanie was on the Thailand team and stayed in Thailand after her outreach to continue serving there. Emily and Crystal were also on the Thailand team and are home to help family for the time being. I know God has more great things in store for them (I could see both staffing or doing another school). Hannah was on my outreach and may teach preschool again, but is interested in working with handicapped children or with abused women. And Michele is accepted to begin the School of Biblical Studies here at the Montana base in September. She desires to go on to Spanish speaking countries.

Dance Ministry

Though I was unable to dance for much of dance track, we had an amazing group of girls. Four girls were on the India team, and two girls, Ja (Thailand) and Amber (Canada), were on my team. Once I felt my strength return, I danced with the girls and helped teach several dances we could take on outreach. They were so willing to learn, work hard, and connect with the music that we bonded, and it was such a joy to work with them. While there, we performed several times at our church and for our friends (yes, including me), and I pray it blessed the church members and ministered to our non-Christian friends’ hearts. Amber desires to begin a dance ministry with girls at her home church, and go do a School of Biblical Studies in South Africa later. Ja is going back to Thailand to continue bringing Jesus to her people (she serves in her church and has been a translator for several of our YWAM teams).

The Stifled Cry of a Lost Nation

Currently, this nation's government upholds separation of church and state and freedom of religion, in writing. However, the politically right majority (strict non-Christian religion) desires to choke out the minority, which is more prevalent in the west of the country, in cities, and especially in many of the people of the city where we lived. Surrounded by the enemy's hold, the blindness of post-modern acceptance versus the chains of strict religion, materialism, sexuality, and laziness--all these distractions would seemingly war against one another, but Satan is using these things to lull the people into a deep sleep, unaware of the deception going on as they are hypnotized by the evil eye (double meaning here for Satan and Izmir's evil eye; native people believe one can bring evil on another through their eyes, so many wear eye jewelry or have an eye at the door of their home to reflect the evil sent to them.).

With 99% of the population is this religion, there is a huge need for God. As our team spent more time there, we could feel the spiritual oppression of Satan. We were led to spend much of our time, especially in the first month, praying that spiritual strongholds would be broken. We also felt that reading the Word of God would be an act of spiritual warfare as we read and studied Acts and Ephesians and read the Bible aloud. One day we traveled to a fortress built by Alexander the Great with the San Francisco DTS and prayed and worshiped on top of the fortress, which overlooks the city. It was really powerful to be lifting up the name of Jesus Christ even as the call to prayer reverberated throughout the city. Another impacting week, we partnered with the South Africa DTS to pray around the city for 7 days (as the Israelites marched around Jericho). We went to different areas of the city each day, and walked and prayed in groups. On the seventh day we prayed as we completed a circle throughout the city, by bus, walking, ferry, walking, and bus. We concluded with praise and worship at the church, thanking God for what He was doing.