Kucak, a Turkish word meaning "embrace," shares the Gospel with hundreds of Turkish children each year through summer camps. Many of these children come from difficult backgrounds. One little boy works to help support his family. Another is beaten twice a day. And three children at the 2007 camp were still suffering from their father’s brutal death as a martyr only a few months before.
Back in her Muslim school, one of her peers found out that seven-year-old D--- was different. In fact, she was a Christian. This startling report was conveyed to the teacher, who denied it. “D--- is a Turk. She can't be a Christian.” But the rumor spread, and finally the teacher called D--- to the front of the class to clarify. “Are you a Christian?” Facing her Muslim classmates, D--- remembered the fellowship and encouragement of her summer camp. She said, “Yes.”
The Kucak ministry hosts two summer camps each year, one in the east and one in the west. These are widely attended by Turkish children, some of whom are Christian like D---, but many of whom come from Muslim families and have never heard of Isa (Jesus) before. At these summer camps, children hear a clear Gospel presentation and witness the love of Christ through vibrant Turkish Christian camp leaders. This influences remains with them long afterwards.
constant pull of the world to deny Christ, to live for pleasure, to fit in with the surrounding populace? Is it complacency—not really caring about God, becoming distracted by the details of life, never viewing today in light of eternity? Is it rebellion—the conflict of rising passions and an infant conscience? Is it confusion—questioning the religion of parents, wrestling through questions of truth and meaning, searching for answers in a world of contradictions?
“One of my favorite parts of the camp was the teaching… The worship time was wonderful because it was my first time to worship from the heart with my peers….”
Despite obstacles, Smyrna’s ministry partners in Turkey report summer camp was a success! 
Between midnight and sunrise, the thief snuck into the camp and found the horse – the one our ministry partners had labored so hard to acquire – and cut through the reins with a knife. Horse and thief vanished into the rocky Turkish countryside. It was clear that somebody did not like the fact that Christians were in the neighborhood.
However, our ministry partner “Erkan,”* did not back down. Every summer for 20 years, his ministry has welcomed kids from across Turkey to participate in a week-long camp adventure, where music, games, and Bible teaching are organized to introduce the next generation to the King of Kings. His dedicated team of educators, administrators, writers and evangelists were not going to back down because of one horse thief – the Good News is so much bigger than that!
However, the missing horse was only one of the obstacles. First had been the loss of the tea and coffee maker, craft supplies, books, and some forty blankets, all stolen from the camp storage depot (the thieves had broken through all three steel locks). But the Lord knows that mountain air is chilly, and provided replacement blankets from a store, as well as some from a nearby Christian family.
Next had been the un-cooperativeness of the town officials that rent out the camp facility. When Erkan discovered that somehow they had forgotten their promise to clean and maintain the camp, he asked if they would refund some of the rental price. They refused, stating instead that if Erkan didn’t like the conditions of the camp, he and his staff could leave.
They didn’t leave, but they did spend two days cleaning frogs and mud out of the pool.
The first week, three children gave their lives to Jesus and several teens prayed for a deeper walk with the Lord Jesus Christ. The second week, twenty children trusted Christ as their Savior. The times of prayer throughout the week were a tremendous blessing. One night, the staff prayed for the campers, and the next night, the campers prayed for the staff!
There were other struggles – teen helpers whose hearts were burdened with repressed rage, fear, and helplessness. The unexpected death Erkan’s father-in-law. Unforseen expenses. But through it all, God was there, supplying His grace and endurance for these Christians to share His Word with Turkish children. Erkan said a wonderful unity pervaded the camp. "All of us worked throughout the two weeks conscious of the fact that we were building Turkey's spiritual walls." Roughly 110 children, 30 teens, and 17 pre-schoolers attended. Praise the Lord for the faithful in Turkey, and pray for the spiritual growth of the twenty-three children who now know Jesus is their Savior!
Oh, and with much prayer and the help of the local police, the missing horse was found in a distant neighborhood!
What the kids said about camp:
- "I did not know that I did not know what Jesus' death accomplished for so many people. The God that Erkan shared about, his sharing about man and sin touched my heart deeply." - Adel, age 10
- "Erkan's sharing the Gospel led me to faith. It warmed my heart and led me to faith. I love my God and want to live for Him." - Dan, age 12
- "The greatest thing for me was having the teachers pray for the kids; I believe God was speaking with me." - Lila, age 7
*names, including the names of the children, have been changed for security reasons
ish for “embrace”) will be hosting its 20th summer of week-long adventure camps in Turkey. Camp time is structured so children can play, rest, sing, make new friends, and learn about Isa (Jesus)—most of the children will hear the name of Jesus for the first time this summer! Islam dominates Turkish culture, and the country’s 30 million children do not have access to the gospel, let alone an environment where Jesus is openly preached. KUCAK is working to change that. Since 1991, they have been translating Christian children’s literature and developing teaching curriculums in Turkish, providing parenting helps to Muslims, and bringing children to a saving knowledge of Christ Jesus through camps. Please pray for KUCAK staff as they plan activities, outreach to Turkish families, and rely on God’s provision for the upcoming summer.