Do you ever wonder what Jesus did between ages 20 and 30? Ten years of his adult life were so unspectacular that after His first sermon (Luke 4) the people of His village asked, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” They obviously considered Jesus a nobody. Yes, Jesus had been living in obscurity, but He’d been building momentum.

I often wish I had hit age 30 with the momentum Jesus did. Habits of prayer and a host of scripture memorized, not an ounce of selfishness and yet a sense of self worth like a lion. Humble, brave, and smart. Yes, Jesus is my hero.

As I prepared to go to the Middle East, people told me, “Ten years is a long time.” Well, Jesus spent more than ten years of His life in the Middle East! He had to learn three languages and study how Jews think. He spent a lot of time as a poor person doing the things ordinary people do: working, praying, talking, and thinking. Some might say that was a whole lot of nothing. No converts, no disciples, no miracles—nothing. But this type of “nothing” was building momentum toward an unstoppable movement that would cover the entire planet and ultimately topple Satan’s empire for eternity. Now that’s the type of “nothing” I need to be doing!

To take up Christ’s cause, one must embrace Christ’s methods. Right now, Esther and I are going back to the same basics Jesus was working on. A whole lot of praying, language study, and journaling Turkish thought processes and culture.

I like to believe that, while Jesus was sanding a chair or varnishing a cabinet in his carpenter shop, He took pleasure in thinking about the already active ministry of John the Baptist. While Jesus was behind the scenes building steam, John was doing something remarkable. While Jesus was anonymous, dutiful, and growing in ability, His cousin John was making ready a people to hear the gospel Jesus would tell them.

Turkey isn’t ready for harvest. Why not? Because hardly any seeds have been sown. In fact, the soil has hardly even been touched by a plow. Evangelicals have begun to distribute Bibles, but the holy word is still in very few Turkish hands. AWR began shortwave broadcasts across Turkey only last year. There is a very small ADRA program. There is no Bible correspondence school, no Adventist mission school, and no Adventist printing house.

Some satellite subscribers here receive the Hope Channel; however, there is no programming in Turkish. A few books like Steps to Christ and Desire of Ages have been translated and printed, but most of them are sitting in piles because there are no hands to pass them out. And frankly, though these books are treasures, they weren’t written to be a strong entry point for someone with a Muslim background. In short, the advent message just isn’t on people’s radar screens.

While Esther and I are building steam, learning to conjugate verbs and making social blunders that win us new friends, and while we are creating tactics for witnessing to people who are averse to missionary work, I ask myself, “Where is our John the Baptist?” Who is going ahead of us to break up the unplowed ground? What voice in the wilderness is daily trumpeting the message so that when we have learned the language and can evangelize competently there will be somebody ready to receive our seeds or even be cultivated to harvest?
Currently, we are initiating project components that will serve to multiply our time. In other words, they are low-effort for us but will return great dividends for the Turkish church. One of our John-the-Baptist labors is to build a Turkish Adventist website that will proclaim truth 24 hours a day, seven days a week to Turkey’s 35 million Internet users while sidestepping the dragnet of government laws restricting proselytizing. The Lord has given me a good man to translate the information at www.bibleinfo.com into Turkish (350 Bible topics, similar to Bible Readings for the Home). Other Adventist materials that are uniquely designed for Muslims will also be added to this website.

While we are becoming more skilled Turkish communicators, we want to set gospel gears into motion that will change Turkish lives. Maybe you would also like to set the stage for the gospel to flourish here in Turkey. As John the Baptist worked while Jesus prepared, double our missionary time by getting involved. Here are a few specific needs that you or your church community may be able to supply:

Invite a foreign-exchange teacher to teach Turkish at your school. Consider receiving an educated, cultured, English-speaking Turkish university student to teach basic Turkish as a foreign language for your Adventist school. I would like to find three pilot Adventist elementary schools or academies willing to receive Turkish language teachers. How better to introduce a Turk to Adventist truth and life than to let him or her live with an Adventist family, work with Adventist teachers, teach Adventist kids, and participate in church life for a school year?

If your school would be willing to provide free room and board to a Turkish university student in exchange for their services as a foreign language teacher, you will be making a difference in the future of Turkey! Turkish and its related dialects make up the seventh largest language group in the world. By allowing your students to learn Turkish, you will be preparing them to enter the worlds of business, politics, and missions all across Asia! Bring this idea to your school board. Email truth4turks@bigfoot.com to express interest and to receive more information.

Sponsor a foreign-exchange student. If you believe in Adventist education, consider sponsoring a student to live in your home or to attend an Adventist boarding academy for a year. Turks are the largest unreached people group remaining in the world. Among Turkey’s 70 million people, there are only 10 native Turkish Adventists. You could really make a difference by helping a Turkish young person receive an Adventist education. Student candidates will be selected here based on aptitude, attitude, and prayer! Email truth4turks@bigfoot.com.

Become a tentmaker. Why not move to Turkey? Beautiful scenery, great climate, wonderful people, delicious fruits and vegetables . . . Whether you live in the country and ride a donkey or live in a city and ride a bus, you will likely be the only true believer in Jesus that most people ever meet. Your daily life here will make a big difference! If you have some start-up capital, you could open a health club with weights, exercise machines, and better-life seminars. If you have a degree in English as a second language, please come and start an English school here or fill one of the hundreds of job openings for qualified English teachers. Are you a university science, engineering, or history professor? English-speaking teachers with doctorates are highly sought after here.

Launch an Internet radio station. Do you have ability to set up an Internet radio station? Do you have the time, knowledge, and desire to convert Turkish audio cassettes of the Bible into digital audio formats? If so, email truth4turks@bigfoot.com and tell us about yourself.

Pray. Of course, your ongoing prayers are the greatest agent for change! Get out your world map and pray for our large Turkish cities by name. If you would like to be involved in a special prayer community for the Hope family and Turkey, e-mail circulation@afmonline.org and say you’d like to be a prayer warrior for the Hopes’ project.

As I wrote this article, one verse kept coming to mind: “See then that you walk carefully, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Eph. 5:15, 16). We must make the most of every opportunity. Redeem the time!

• Twitter