The Family Ministry of Steve Demme

Istanbul Blog

I arrived in the late morning at the airport, having flown through the night.  It is a 7 hour time difference.  Going west is always harder, but the great seats made a huge difference.  Then I found an ATM at the airport to fill my wallet with some Liras and hired a taxi.  He didn’t “speak a da English” but we managed to find our way to the hotel.  I barely fit into the elevator!

Then Larry Milks, who coordinated the conference, and I headed for the Hagia Sofia, Ayasofia in Turkish, to do some site seeing.  Since Istanbul is on theBosphorus Strait, one of the common modes of transportation is by ferry.  For a buck a ride you can go from Europe to Asia in a few minutes.

Istanbul, formerly Byzantium, and later Constantinople, is Europe’s most populous city and is the only metropolis to straddle two continents .  Since we only had a couple of hours to see things we wanted to see one of the top attractions, theAyasofia. For over a thousand years it was the largest cathedral in Christendom, then it was a mosque, and now it is a museum.

Inside

When the Ottoman Turks conquered the city they plastered over the Christian mosaics. But recently teams of experts have restored the beautiful art. Here is a picture of Justinian and Constantine presenting the city and the cathedral to baby Jesus on Mary’s lap.

We also saw the Blue Mosque a short walk away through beautiful gardens.  I didn’t go in but stayed outside and took some pictures.

The purpose of the trip was to conduct a conference for devoted Christians living and working in this region.  I would love to show you their picture, but for security reasons cannot.  I can show you our team though. Several came from a church in the UK to work with the children while their parents attended workshops and many of the school age kids were tested.

The rest of the team took turns conducting seminars and meeting one-on-one with parents to provide educational support and encouragement in a variety of ways.  I did several family seminars and was the resident math expert.

Each morning the team met for breakfast and then trudged to the Turkish-American University offices for the day.  I particularly enjoyed the breakfasts at the hotel.

In the evening we ventured abroad and tried different eateries.  Yes that is baklava.  Don’t covet.

The last night we went to a fancy place overlooking the Bosphorus Strait.  Even though they were advertising fish, I opted for a mix of kebabs.

This is all for the fun pictures and the travelogue. What I am writing now is at a different level. Often on these trips I am so focused on ministering that I don’t get a chance to hear how God is working in this region and the personal stories of the people we have been sent to help. With that in mind I asked questions as often as I could. And while I was there I read some of the history of Turkey and the local paper. Here is one sentence packed with information. Turkey is a democratic, secular, unitary, constitutional republic whose political system was established in 1923 under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, following the fall of the Ottoman Empire in the aftermath of World War I. At this time in history, the mighty Ottoman Empire was being referred to as the sickly nation. It was in danger of being divided up among the powerful nations of the world. Ataturk formed this independent nation, gave it a language, an economy, and an identity among other things. In one room where I was speaking there was a picture of Ataturk on one wall and George Washington across the room. He was their founder of their republic. Now move to today. Here is a nation that feels vulnerable amid allegations of Armenian genocide, deliberations with the Kurdish people, and entrance into the European Union. They have very real fears that there will be pressure from outside to give portions of land away to these groups and have their precious homeland, which they almost lost once, be like what has happened in the Balkan States. Turks fear that westerners are not pro-Turkey but are a threat to their existence. Because of this spirit of nationalism and other issues, westerners are not trusted, which makes it hard to minister. One man I sat next to on the flight back was a member of the UN. He referred to this nationalistic belief as “fundamental secularism”. This has become one of the obstacles in a addition to Islam. I saw very little religious garb compared to other nations I have visited. When you couple these strong beliefs it is no wonder in a country of 70 million people there are only 4 to 5 thousand believers. And it is a strategic country with the Middle east to the south, Russia to the north, Europe to the west, and Asia to the right. I have prayed off and on for this country for years, and have been stirred to pray for the nation, but also my new friends who are laboring valiantly for the King.

I felt like a kid this weekend. Like one of my own kids. As I was thanking God for a wonderful weekend in which I saw His hand changing my travel plans and providing me with unexpected and better plans, it dawned on me that God was having fun. He was enjoying surprising me. I now know how it feels to be my wife or one of my sons. When they see me smile and take a different route home they know I have a surprise up my sleeve. Here is what God had in store for me.

I spoke at the homeschool conference in Arkansas Friday and Saturday. Since I wasn’t done until late afternoon, I had a flight scheduled for Sunday morning. As I was just about to return the rental car at the Little Rock airport, my cell phone rang and I was informed my flight had been canceled. After making my way to the Delta ticket counter I wondered whether I should stay and fuss for another flight the same day or just go with the flow and trust that God had other designs. I called home and since I had no pressing commitments for Monday decided to spend the night in Little Rock. Surprise number 1, was just a phone call away.

The day before I had made friends with Chad & Wendy who live in Little Rock and I had their card and cell number. I called and Chad invited me to attend church with their family. After the service we all returned to their home for a delightful lunch. They have four sweet girls, two of whom use MathUSee. Wendy takes hospitality to a new level. If you are ever in Little Rock call and I’ll give you their number Chad is on the staff of Family Life and after a delicious meal gave me the grand tour of their facility. They both have servant hearts. It was inspiring to see a whole ministry devoted to marriage and the family. Feeling like I was dominating their Sunday afternoon I headed back to the airport to return the rental car and check into the hotel.

At the ticket counter I was told that my return flight would be through Cincinnati instead of Atlanta. I was at an airport restaurant ordering dinner to go, when it occurred to me that the new Answers in Genesis Creation Museum was open to supporters and donors on Monday. I had received an invitation to attend but didn’t think I could fit it into my schedule. Hence surprise #2. I hustled back to the ticket counter 5 minutes before they were to close and asked if they could build a few hour layover into my return flight. They did. So Monday morning I flew to Cincinnati, took a taxi two exits west to the Museum and had 3 hours to tour the state of the art facility, see the star show in their planetarium, and sit through a special effects presentation. It was wonderful.

So after a quick call for a taxi, I was at the airport enroute for home. Whew. God is good. As I was driving home I thanked Him for the neat time in Little Rock and Cincinnati. It was then that I sensed His Father smile. My Dad had arranged this special time and I was the recipient. I tearfully smiled in return, almost too overcome to take His love in. God really does love us doesn’t He. I know I love Him.

On Saturday, Sandi, Johnny, Ethan, Anna, and I spent an hour on the original Garman farm that was purchased from William Penn’s son. My maternal grandfather lived in Lancaster County before moving to Western Pennsylvania to attend the University of Pittsburgh. I remember coming to a Garman family reunion when I was 12 in Elizabethtown.

Since last summer we have been traveling up Route 23 to attend church in Elverson, PA. On the way we drive through Churchtown where Dad Garman’s parents, Levi & Dora, are buried. (Dad Garman is the name we had for our grandfather.) In driving through the town I keep thinking about my roots in this area. So after a few phone calls I was able to be connected to Sarah and Al Sweigart, who are distant relatives of ours. They are brother and sister and devoted Christians and attend the local Mennonite church. Their home is only a few miles from the cemetery in Churchtown. It was a cold day so we spent most of the time looking over books they had taken from the attic with family trees and old pictures.

Looking through the genealogies

Philip Garman 1808-1891, father of Levi Garman, and my great-great grandfather


In 1979 a book was published that has a great deal of information about the Garman family. We have been invited back when it is warmer to spend more time poring over the books. The present farm has a farmhouse that was built in the 1800s. The red arrow is pointing to it. We met in the brick house in the center of the picture. This picture was taken from the driveway as we were leaving, near the site of the original homestead in the next picture.

This picture was taken standing by the brick home in the center of the last picture. The red arrow in this picture indicates where the original homestead was located.

Unfortunately it burned in 1926.

Here is a drawing of what it looked like…

Farm Home of Leonard Germann purchased 1813

It was good to see the farm where the Garman’s originally lived. If any Garman relatives stop by leave a comment

On the way home from Indonesia, Ethan, Anna, and I had a day and a half in Singapore. We had been invited to spend Sunday with the Siows who are Math-U-See users. I travel enough to know that most
airports, hotels, and conference centers look pretty similar, so I was anticipating our time at their home.

Ming San and Rose have two children Shern and Lyn. Shern and Lyn are bright cheerful children (with bright parents) and we had a delightful time celebrating Chinese New Year and eating the special foods prepared for the occasion.

Lyn is the first from the left and Shern is beside her.

We attended church with them in the morning, then had a driving tour of the cleanest city I have seen, then home for dinner and fellowship. They live in a lovely home and the hospitality extended was the kind that makes you feel right at home. After the meal, other families who were using mathusee, and wanted to meet their math teacher began arriving.

It was a big deal to the kids so Jenny (one of the Moms) had created certificates for me to sign for each of the students and for for each book they had completed.

This was followed by a type of commencement ceremony where each one was presented with their “diploma.” I instructed them how to receive it with the left hand while shaking and being congratulated with the right.

After the “ceremony.” One of the children was sitting on my lap so I did a little trot-trot-to-Boston on my knee. True to form with children, I then had to play the same game with each of the kids. Whew!!

Some of the boys were “Heel over Heads” about math.

And also true to form, the children then excused themselves and played together while the adults visited and I caught my breath.

As impressive as the city, the climate, the airport, and the Chinese New Year celebration were, the highlight to me was meeting members of my extended family. Fellowshipping with these believers and partaking of the Siow’s hospitality will always be my finest memory of our trip to Singapore.