Adios for now TACO

All the Krispy Kreme's have closed in Minnesota but we found a new one in Istanbul. On our last night in Turkey, we drowned our sorrows of leaving West and Central Asia by eating doughnuts on the seaside.

On October 17 we said our goodbyes to our TACO friends and headed back to the states. First, however, Dustin had to sign a few autographs at the Ataturk International Airport for the security guards. Our cards with Dustin's picture and testimony in Turkish come in handy for situations like this.

Lord willing we will be back with TACO again next year for more Great Commission adventures.

Last sights in Eastern Turkey

In between disassembling our unicycles and packing up our tour life to return back to Minnesota, we hit the town and mingled with the locals in Eastern Turkey. We snapped some rare shots of women, who are just not out in public much.

We met a gentleman named, Hank who was visiting Diyarbakir from Holland. We had dessert with him and shared the gospel. He is a self-proclaimed atheist but we pray God will be at work in him through the things we shared and the books we left with him.

To Iraq and Back

Iraq has been our most adventurous and interesting country visit so far! Summing up all we saw and experienced is impossible. A few pictures and videos will hopefully help to share a taste.

We entered the country without much of a set schedule. Basically the organizers didn't take us seriously until they saw the whites of our eyes. Once we arrived in Duhok, however, things were set in motion. A nice hotel and all meals were provided for us by the president of the city and a wealthy business man. They kept us busy with newspaper and TV interviews and promotion, banners, armed security and transportation, plaques and presentations.

We had 2 events in Erbil. One for 1,000 students and another in a city park. Our Duhok event was in the city center and open to all, but surprisingly the entire audience of 1,500 was male.

Over and over again the municipality and other locals told us that nothing like our program of illusions, unicycling and dance had ever come there before and they were so thankful. We were able to share openly and thousands heard good news.

We have had to show our passports more times than we can count in the past few days. Our government escorts (that liked to drive in the 100+ MPH range) helped greatly at the numerous, heavily armed Iraqi military check points along the roads. A special letter from the president of Duhok helped cut in half our border crossing back to Turkey. It still took us 3 hours but we had military escorting us to the front of every line. They are extremely thorough and scan and search everything in, on and under the vehicles.

It was definitely a ground breaking trip and we hope to return in the future.

(If you are viewing this in FB please go to our blog to view the videos)

Unicycling where Thomas walked

We have done 3 shows in and around Diyarbakir in eastern Turkey. There is amazing history here. Doubting Thomas was here. People also believe the Garden of Eden and Noah's ark and tomb are in this neck of the woods.

We are staying right across the alley from Syrian Virgin Mary Catholic Church whose building was a temple before Christ! There is a city wall that totally surrounds the city center, some think it's as old as 3000 BC and is the second longest wall in the world. We took a walk in and along it as we awaited our transportation to Iraq. It was mostly stable and we saw a lady making tomato paste in mass quantities.

During the shows here, the crowds have literally gone wild. Many surveys have been turned in after the events and will aid in follow-up for people interested in learning more about the faith we have shared.

We have another show in Eastern Turkey following our events in Iraq. Thanks for your prayers for our boarder crossings and effective events.

Merry Christmas from Gaziantep Turkey?

This is sure to bring in the customers!

Going East in Turkey

After a quick preshow 6 ft. unicycle ride and flyer distribution on the street, we began our show in Antakya (Antioch) at the Orthodox Church. Dustin and Craig, the illusionist, were both able to share a clear and direct Gospel message to several hundred people. Surveys were handed out following the event and many indicated interest in learning more about Jesus!

Next we had a "spontaneous" event in Gaziantep, in partnership with a local church. We hauled 5 unicycles and illusions out to a crowded skate park and soon 500 curious spectators gathered to be entertained. Dustin wowed them with unicycles and Craig with illusions. The police showed up...and helped out with crowd control! We then walked to a nearby plaza, followed by an organized mob. There Dustin shared his testimony and the Gospel while on his 6 ft. uni. We handed out cards with the Gospel and many read them intently. It was a great and surprising response and many heard the truth for the first time.

The Mavi Seker Show

Our first event this Turkey tour was on the Mavi Seker (Blue Candy) TV Show. It was a crazy whirlwind to try to understand what exactly was going to happen on this spontaneous show. Dustin was able to share briefly about how God is the only One who can fill the emptiness in our lives. At their request he jumped 2 people at once: a first for him and on live national Turkish television, nonetheless. He shared the show with a couple of body builders and some other singers and dancers.

Dustin was already recognized on the streets in Istanbul later the same day as we were walking to dinner. This was an opportunity to share more.

Today we fly to Antakya (formerly Antioch) where we will continue our tour in the eastern part of Turkey.