A Home Built by Love

By row, L to R
Beth, Bob, Mahmut, Saliha, Peter, Gee, Dave, Chuck

The group in front of Gediz University

We boarded a beautiful Turkish bus today, leaving Bursa at 10:00 AM and arriving in Izmir (long ago known as Smyrna) at around 3:00 PM.  With a steward on the bus to serve tea and snacks, a stop halfway through the ride, and the most comfortable bus that any of us have ever ridden in, it was a joy to make the trip.  The Turkish know how to make bus travel luxurious!  Upon arrival we met our guide, Serkan, and transferred to our spacious Mercedes van for the remainder of the day.  Serkan is a walking encyclopedia of the history of Izmir (but only going back to around 6500 BCE).  What a treat to have him lecture for about two hours as we took our van from place to place today. The Nile Foundation has made this such a comfortable and wonderful trip with every kindness considered.  After checking in to our rooms at the "Otel Marla" a block away from the Gulf of Izmir we loaded up again to head to a newly built Foundation University named Gediz University.  School choices in every level in Turkey consist of government schools and foundation schools, operated by private non-profit foundations.  This school, only two years old is a foundation school.  Read more about it at the following link: Gediz University.  After a tremendous meeting with Vice Rector, Dr. Muhammet Akdis and several other professors and administrators we made our way to the home of the Nas family with whom we would have dinner and visit tonight.

Dave Krepcho visiting with Ali and Gulay Nas, our hosts

The Nas family were - as each of the families with whom we have visited have been - a true delight.  We had the privilege of meeting mother and father as well as son and daughter-in-law, and daughter (one other of their children was unable to be with us).  Each member of the Nas family hosted us with such grace, kindness, and warmth, we were made to feel a part of their family immediately.  What has become increasingly clear on this "Dialogue Trip" is that we share such common values with our new friends in Turkey.  The various loosely affiliated Foundations, with which our own Nile Foundation relates, are committed to the same values which we have come to know as the bedrock of our Nile Foundation: Dialogue, Peace through Understanding, and Mutual Respect, always with a large portion of warmth and affection.  

Ferhat Nas

Each person we have met is interested in building a home of love for the human family, whether it has been the various guides, directors of foundations, family members, educators, or friends - each one has been a person committed to building loving relationships among people.  Imagine a world where every person spent their time and energy working toward better understanding and relationship.  Imagine if we always looked for the very best in each other, and only offered the best of ourselves to each other.  Imagine if we as a human family chose dialogue over conflict.  Imagine if we knew that peace could come through better understanding, and so we committed ourselves to that goal in every relationship.  Imagine such a home built by and for the human community on planet earth, A home built by love.

Ali, Seher, Feyza, and Gulay Nas

The Nas family are in the textile business and have two clothing stores in Izmir.  They have worked hard and done well.  Ferhat works in the business with his parents, his sister Seher is a fashion designer on leave as she is expecting a baby.  Ferhat's wife, Feyza is an artist practicing an ancient craft of hand-painted page frames for books.  This joyous, creative, and loving family, as each family we have met so far  - and every other person in Turkey, for that matter - represent the feel and tenor of the Turkish people: a people who are warm, welcoming, intelligent, engaging, generous, and kind - reaching out to others with a gentle graciousness.  It is my prayer that as we build this home of love together, and continue to learn from each other and share the joy and hope of our common humanity, we will learn to find our vast common ground.  Meeting these wonderful Turkish young adults, and of course their dear parents, I have hope for a better world ahead.  As I look at Ferhat, Feyza, Seher, and our dear younger guides Mahmut and Saliha I am reminded of a wonderful passage from I Timothy 4:12 which reads: "Let no one despise your youth, but set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity."  Timothy was likely Turkish whose father was Greek.  Acts 16:1-2 recounts that Paul first met Timothy at Lystra, Turkey (a nice coincidence, indeed).  As Paul no doubt had such confidence in Timothy, I have confidence in these young adults, and so many others I know, to lead us in the way of Peace... Insha'Allah.

Sunset over the Gulf of Izmir - May 25, 2011