Up, up, up, Jesus ascended to heaven. No passport, no boarding pass, no baggage, not even a security check. He just left earth. At least His friends came to say goodbye. I can imagine those 11 men on a windy hill squinting into the clouds as the last trace of Jesus disappeared. At that time there wasn’t a single church building on earth, no network of believers, no Gospel books, no outreach handbooks, no hymnals. They couldn’t encourage themselves by playing a gospel oldies CD. No one could watch old videos of “Jesus: the ministry years.” No one tweeted or Facebooked the moment. They just stood in the wind on the hilltop looking at one another with hot tears streaming from their eyes. It was over. The miracle moments, the agony, the triumph, the magnificent Man—all gone.
But it wasn’t all over. Really, it was just the beginning. All that Jesus had promised about being near and living in them and through them, and all that He had said about the Holy Spirit was about to burst on the scene.
This summer when I left Turkey, I thought a lot about Jesus leaving His trained men. Jesus left 11 students and 120 others that were loosely connected to Him. He had conquered the grave, but could these men conquer paganism? He had triumphed over Satan, but how would these 11 men fare against the same foe?
As our airplane lifted from the ground and I left 10 years of ministry behind, I asked myself, what will happen to my Turkish disciples? Ten years ago, I naively hoped I would be able to activate a mighty movement of Truth that would sweep our country, like a modern-day Paul. Now I understand that God used us to play a key role, but a different role. Before there can be a harvest, someone has to plow the soil and sow seeds. Somewhere Solomon must say, “Only a fool thinks to harvest what was never sown.”
We have been part of a high-functioning team to organize the church and publish legacy Adventist materials in Turkish for future Bible workers and small-group leaders. I pray that our decade of service has been Turkey’s spiritual spring. Through our media projects, we have set the stage for a bumper crop in Turkey’s allegorical autumn. That harvest, when it comes, may seem to the world church as random as Pentecost, but really it will be the glorious result of a long history of prayers, sweat and preparation.
Isn’t it remarkable that Jesus did not leave behind thousands of converts waving banners and shouting hosannas as He ascended? Why didn’t He? He had a different role. He plowed and planted well, knowing the fruit would soon follow.
The day before my departure, my dearest Turkish Muslim friend of 10 years said to me, “Brother, do you think it would be possible for my daughter to study theology at a Seventh-day Adventist university next year?” I about fell off my chair!
Yes, our family has left Turkey, but the mission isn’t over. Really, I think it’s just beginning.

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