The Beginning of Our Mission in Türkiye

2015
By Kelly Mehee Shin

Building friendships through Korean cultural ministry in Kadıköy, Istanbul, Türkiye.

GOD CALLED US TO TÜRKİYE

In 2015, God called my husband and me to serve as missionaries in Türkiye.
Following His guidance, we moved to Istanbul, where we lived and served
for approximately three years.

Everything was new to us—the language, the culture, and the rhythms
of daily life. We devoted ourselves to learning Turkish because we believed
that understanding the language was essential to understanding the people.

Rather than simply organizing ministry programs, we desired to become
part of the local community. We wanted to share everyday life with our
neighbors, build genuine friendships, and allow relationships to grow
naturally over time.

OPENING HEARTS THROUGH CULTURE

God opened many doors through cultural exchange.

One of our ministries involved teaching traditional Korean hanbok-making
at a local university. The students were curious about Korean culture, and
the classes gave us a wonderful opportunity to develop friendships and
mutual trust.

We also rented a small café where we organized Korean cultural events.
Together with local friends and participants, we made Christmas cards,
introduced Korean food, welcomed K-pop teams to perform and share
about Korean culture, and held Korean calligraphy workshops.

These gatherings became much more than cultural programs.
They created welcoming spaces where people could meet, conversations
could begin, and elationships could deepen. As we spent time together,
hearts gradually opened.

Sharing Korean food and culture at Story Coffee in Kadıköy, Istanbul.

PLANTING THE SEEDS OF THE GOSPEL

As our Turkish improved, our conversations became deeper and more personal.

Friendships that began through cultural activities naturally led to opportunities
to share the Gospel. We read the Bible together, spoke about Jesus Christ,
and shared our faith through the ordinary moments of life.

Our desire was not simply to proclaim the Gospel with words. We wanted
people to experience God’s love through genuine friendship, hospitality,
faithful presence, and the way we lived among them.

God Was Preparing the Next Chapter

Looking back, those three years in Istanbul were not just another season
of ministry.

God was preparing us. He was teaching us, connecting us with people,
and laying the foundation for the refugee ministry that would follow.

At the time, we could not see the whole picture. But the small seeds
planted in Türkiye would eventually grow into refugee churches,
Bible college ministries, and the training of new disciples.

God was faithfully preparing something far greater than we could
have imagined.

REFLECTION

The beginning of a ministry does not always look significant.

Sometimes it begins by learning a new language, sharing a meal,
teaching a cultural class, welcoming someone into a small café, or
simply being present long enough for trust to grow.

During our years in Türkiye, God taught us that ministry begins
with people and relationships. He used ordinary acts of friendship
and hospitality to open doors that no carefully designed program
could have opened on its own.

We did not understand where those first steps would lead. We only
knew that God had called us to be faithful in the place where He had
sent us.

Today, we can see that our time in Türkiye was not only the beginning
of our missionary journey. It was also God’s preparation for everything
that followed.