I gingerly stood upright and carefully stretched my aching back. Taking a short break from packing boxes of books and carrying them downstairs to the front of the Hope family’s house, I walked to the balcony and once more admired the view of the forest.

It’s such a shame they have to move from this beautiful location, I thought. This area is so delightful and restful to the eyes and provides wonderful walking territory.

As I enjoyed a few minutes of warm afternoon sun, I remembered nine months before when we had visited the Hope family. The temperatures that February week had been so cold at night and the heating so inadequate that we had put on additional layers of clothing before going to bed in an effort to keep warm enough to sleep. I also remembered hearing the story of how the furnace had blown up in Barnabas’ face one cold morning when he was trying to light it. God certainly protected him from serious injury, I thought as I recalled seeing the photos of his burns. Yes, they were going to be much warmer in their house in the city, although they would be sacrificing the beauties of the village countryside.

When we arrived in Turkey in November, the Hopes had already moved some of their things to the new place. They had anticipated being fully moved by our arrival, but, as so often happens in the mission field, things took longer than planned. We wondered if we should have rearranged our field visit to a later date but then realized that having two extra pairs of hands to complete the last part of the move was a decided advantage for Barnabas and Esther.

The Hopes were not the only ones moving during our visit. John and Mary Smith had been gradually shifting boxes to their new home, and the larger items of furniture were due to be moved the day after we left. While Graham was busy in a team meeting, Mary took Hannah Massey and me to see her new home. It is in a quieter community location, and Mary looks forward to establishing meaningful relationships with their new neighbors.

We always spend time with each missionary family when we make our visit to Turkey. Our week kicked off with two days at the Masseys’ home. The children were happy to see us and claimed some of our time. Dana and Isabella were keen to show us around their new neighborhood and made sure Graham got some exercise as they played tag at a local playground.

We had arrived a day too late to witness the slaughtering of the sheep that is part of the Kurban Bayram festivities, but as it was still a holiday, so Hannah took us to Sardis. We enjoyed a lovely day with the family, and it gave us plenty of opportunity for in-depth conversation in a relaxed atmosphere. We even got to sample fresh figs from a tree growing by the ruins of the Jewish synagogue and Roman baths.

During this visit, I had plenty of opportunity to reflect on the challenges of mission life. It is not easy for missionary wives to balance the needs of their families with the demands placed upon them by their mission projects. My heart goes out to the children, too, who face their own challenges.

All three AFM families in Turkey will be taking furlough at different times during 2012. Furlough is not an easy time for missionary families. Months of disruption, large amounts of travel, sleeping in many different beds, being a visitor at dozens of churches and the inability to follow a normal daily routine combine to make furlough a very stressful time.

Please remember the missionary wives and children in a special way in your prayers. Thankfully, eternity will reveal the rewards of their sacrifices as they see beloved faces from their people group in the vast multitude surrounding the throne of God.

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