folks freely in English, for English is the third language officially in Israel, but really the second along with Arabic and basically everyone understands English for they ran what the Romans renamed Palistine or the land of the Philistines for no Arabs lived there then only the Jewish State of Judia/Israel of from which the Romans destroyed the State and deported its inhabitants until the recent return, after two thousand years and then imported foreigners in spite of the false Jewish king Herods Arab blood and let's go back too Turkey in this story, so Kenny and I talked and fellowshipped with the Adventists that the Pastors busiest day was the so called Christian Sabbath Sunday and Adventist pastors also on Saterday thier Sabbat and they just grinned and didnt know what to say and by the way a Christian pastors day off is Monday and so funny how truth is that Christ is our Sabbath and rest in Him daily and or whatever day one can rest and Saterday the Biblical Sabbath is good if one can keep and rest a full day a week of which is highly recommended or on Sunday for traditional Christian's or both days like the early Christian's did and go and figure and the Pastor and the Middle East Missionary Evangelist with him admired by Christian workers Bible that I had with me and the Evangist said he was the Evangelist for the whole Middle East for the Church and was visiting or .ministering in Istanbul and after leaving this stored front office and incognito location and probably with a discrete meeting room or place in the back, for missionaries are not looked on kindly in Muslim countries and is a dirty word in Israel, when get mad at someone they call them a "Missionary ", and a much hated word especially amonog the ultra Orthodox Jews for they spite at the name and so use it sparingly in Muslim countries and Israel even though the average Muslim and Jew are just as friendly as in any country in the World and downtown Tel Aviv is just like downtown Los Angelist and it's in Jerusalem that things can get very intense and Ultra Orthidox believers will even spite at the name of Jesus and use a word that means let his name be forgotten. "Yehsu", and so after leaving the two Aventist ministers, we checked into a Youth Hostel in the evening and after a good nights sleep we woke up to being in front of the oldest and largest Christian Catherderal in the World and older then Saint Peter's although currently Sant Peter's is the largest Catheral in the World and in fact the latest open space building in the World and but the Church we stood in front of was the oldest and largest in the World until Saint Peter's, build centuries before our relatively modern Peters in comparison to the Cathederal called The Church of the Holy Wisdom or Saint Sophia and or in Arabic called the Aia Sophia and currently is being used as a Museum after the Turks took Contantinople now Istanbul from the Byzantine Romans and had turned it into Mosque and it is breathtaking to think about the history of this Church of which I had, had no idea about it being the Mother Church in the world until around the fall of Constaninople around the thirteenth century and then until the Renaissance ara in around the fifteenth century and as we stood in front of this historic site that was built in the fifth century and that for a thousand years was the largest Catherderal in the World we were flat broke at this time in a ninty nine percent Muslim country and no Church prospects to minister in and and to be supported and down to virtuall just enough money to buy a bus ticket too Adana Turkey almost three quarters away across Turkey to make our way too Israel via the Island of Cypress of which would leave us virtually broke when we finally arrived in Andana and checked into a hotel with our passports as security and no ticket money for the ship ride to Cypress, while waiting for a letter from our Church in California visa via my wife Becky with boat fare, after a week there and so we are here standing front of this historical Cathederal and because it was a museum now, they charged a fee to get in, so instead we went a cross a groomed and pavedfield accros from the Cathedral too what was called the Blue Mosque and was build as kind of a diversion from people going too Saint Sophias as an alternate to visit and a big and spectacular as the Mosque was, it felt no sense of history but a clean and sterile and beautiful building designed to compete with Saint Sophiaz of which was full of history that se could not see, from lack of entrance fee for the upkeep and maintenance of the ancient building built by the Roman Christian Emporer Justinian but started by Constantine the Greats first Church site in Byzantina later called Constantinopl, after him of course and the feelings that I have going back and thinking how close we came to entering into the Catherdral still haunts me as I look back then and knowing today of that I know of the Church building is that I have no regrets no entering in, but anticipation of going someday to enter in for I was wholly amazed at the time and honestly ignorant of the historical value of the site at the time and the Arch BIshop of Istanbul and the Eastern Orhodox want it back as a Church and the Muslim and Turkish government will give it back for Christian services for a certain amount of which the Patriarch named Matthias currently dies not havethe moey to buy it back and meanwhile the current goverment in power as I write these words in May of two thousand and twenty two wants to or threatening to use it as a Mosque again in spite of someone like Elon Musk, could probably donate enough alone, to buy it back for the Christian World to use it again as a Church and last I heard or read Brother and Patriarch Mattias is hold up in his office in Instanbul from Muslim extremist and terrorists some time ago and is on constant alert and the Muslim controlled government won't allowe even seminariesto train new Priests or let trained Priests intothe country to serve and would like all Christians especially Orthidox just to die off or go away as an institution and but the option to sell the Catherdal back too the Orthodox would be a great game changer and of course its been decades since I've been there and but have tried to keep up on current events and anyone can contact the Patriarch Mattias at his office in Istanbul for an update on the offer some time ago to sell the Catherdal back too the Orthodox Church and after visiting the Blue Mosque of which if recall was built by Sulimen the Magnificent across from the Saint Sophia and remember there was no Saint named the such, but a referance to Christ the Wisom of God based in passages from the book of Palms concerning " I Wisdom", a shadow referance to Christ for the Greeks love wisdom so the Church is called the Church of the Holy Wisdom and Saint Paul said "Christ the Wisdom of God", and not after a Saint like Saint Peter, but after Christ for the Church is called, after all is said and done is the Church of Jesus Christ and not the Church of Saint Peter or Paul to be more Orthodox speaking and from Istanbul we boarded a bus for th he long drive across the country too the city of Adona on the South East of Turkey to board a ship to Cypress and fromthere too Israel our final destination...to be continued unedited and unpunchuated and to be published into book, with as little help from family and friends in the near future and if would like to help edite then send chapters too peteromanowsky@gmail.com and thank you !!!
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