Last Monday, while I was buying a sesame-covered bagel from a street vendor, a wet plop of green goo landed on my right cheek. Had I tipped my head a little, the bird would have missed me, but I must have been destined for some good fortune! You see, there is an ancient Turkish belief that if you get hit by a bird dropping, you can be sure something good will happen to you. Boy, did I feel lucky! What could be in store for me?

Two weeks ago, the stage was already set for something good to happen. Through a Christian friend here, things were set in motion for me to receive a special gift. Like a chapter from God’s Smuggler, I picked up a stranger—a “Christian contact”—at a prearranged gas station. The young man then led me through a back alley to a secret storage area. After he lifted a metal curtain and unbolted a door, I found myself in a cold windowless concrete first-floor apartment filled with thousands of Bibles!

To have Bibles in our Muslim country isn’t illegal, but intent to distribute them for proselytizing is. As we loaded the back of my vehicle, I suddenly entered a new phase of ministry here. Box after box went into my trunk. My heart beat faster, and as I looked over my shoulder to see who might be watching me, a verse came back to me: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God, first to the Jew and then to the Gentile” (Rom. 1:16). The verse took on a whole new meaning.

Now I had a big problem. What to do with all these Books? As I drove home, I kept thinking, “If I get rear-ended and Bibles fly all over the street, what will I tell the police?”

I have wrestled with how to distribute my Bibles. I am confident that God has plenty of people in this city who need and want them. However, after leaving several on park benches, I decided that this haphazard method is not only personally risky but ultimately foolish. Why? There is a great phobia in Turkey about conspiracies. Though we have no political agenda whatsoever, missionaries are daily slandered on television and radio talk shows and labeled infiltrators and spies. The public is agitated and afraid, and Bibles found by the disinterested could create gossip that will only fuel the notion that their country is being invaded, ultimately making gospel progress more difficult. No, I must give these Bibles primarily to people who want them. But where can I find a person who wants a Bible?

At 5:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning, in my devotions, I prayed, “God, please direct me today to someone who would be happy for a Bible.” The prospects seemed slim, but in faith I took two Bibles from my storage area and put them in my car.

Later that day, a woman who is a major professor at a scientific university called me. Weeks before, I had told her, “Most Turks think that tourists come to visit Turkey because of the amazing beaches or the archaeological sites. However, many come here for the spiritual history of the coastal cities and ancient ruins.” I told her I was a specialist in the spiritual aspects of some of the ancient cities around here. This comment stuck in her mind.

Now she had a visiting professor coming from Europe and would like to give him a tour to ancient Ephesus. She scheduled a special appointment with me to ask me a few questions. As we sat behind closed doors, she leaned forward and asked, “Now, you told me that there is a spiritual side to Ephesus. What is it that you know?” Her eyebrows were raised in curiosity, and her pen was poised to take notes! I silently said a short prayer and started in. Thirty minutes later, I said, “You know, I happen to have a Bible in my car. I can mark a few chapters for you to read. If you would like it, I will give it to you.” She was delighted, and of course, I was too!

Now, I feel more than lucky! I believe God scheduled this little miracle in accordance with my prayer of faith. (At least I hope I don’t have to get hit by a bird again to get lucky enough to give away a Bible, because I have 687 more Bibles!). Anyway, my good God has done it again. He has put together events and circumstances far beyond what I could hope for. The first shot was a direct hit, and I can’t wait to see what lies ahead for the rest of my payload. Will you adopt one of my Bibles and pray that it reaches the right hands? I believe there are more than 687 special people in this city waiting and hoping for a Bible. Pray that they, I, and the Book connect. 

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