TURKEY: Ready To Die for Christ

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The Voice of the Martyrs

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4.9 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 14 January 2023

⏱️ 25 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

“Tell me the truth! Dead or alive?”

When Susanne Geske heard the answer to that question—that her husband, Tilmann, had been murdered along with two Turkish Christians, Necati Aydin and Uğur Yüksel—she was overwhelmed with shock. The Geskes had been in Turkey (now called Türkiye) for 10 years. It’s a Muslim country, and they knew there was some risk for Christians. But she never thought their family would be affected.

The five murderers—ages 19 and 20—were arrested at the scene of the crime. Turkish media members rushed to Malatya to report on the “missionary massacre,” and they wanted to interview Susanne. She didn’t know what to say when they came to her door the day after her husband had been martyred.

Praying, she asked, “Lord what should I say?”

The Holy Spirit answered with the words of Christ on the cross: “Forgive them for they don’t know what they are doing.” Though Turkish media often paint Christians as an enemy, with the Lord’s help Susanne used this opportunity to share the gospel of forgiveness and the love of Jesus, the reason she could forgive men who killed her husband. Her living example of forgiveness was broadcast all over Turkey.

Listen as Susanne shares how God has become a father to her children and looked after her needs in the 15 years since Tilmann was killed. She’ll also give an update on the killers’ trial, the search for justice and how her church family and neighbors enveloped her with prayers and love in the days after the murder.

She says that in Turkey, and other Muslim nations, people are rejecting Islam and seeking hope and truth. Many Muslims are searching privately online to learn more about Jesus and Christianity. Pray for Christians in Turkey, for those who are seeking truth, and for Susanne and her family.

VOM Radio has also shared a conversation with Semse Aydin, widow of Necati. Listen to that conversation here. VOM Radio host, Todd Nettleton, wrote about meeting Susanne and Semse in Turkey just seven weeks after the murder of their husbands in his book, When Faith is Forbidden.

Learn more about praying for persecuted Christians in Turkey and other restricted nations and hostile areas when you request your free copy of the VOM 2023 Global Prayer Guide.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Turks are all kind of Muslims. They love to speak about God and this is in their normal way of life every day life.
0:07.8	So it's very easy to come and to have conversations about your belief.
0:13.8	Lots of people here are really fed up with Islam.
0:17.2	So we have lots of people coming to church and searching and the internet is full because of Corona.
0:25.0	The church started to have their Zoom meetings and stuff so also some of them have really every Sunday over YouTube you can watch their business.
0:37.0	Jesus never promised his followers an easy path. In fact he told us disciples that the world would hate them.
0:44.0	He sent them out as sheep among wolves.
0:47.0	Jesus' words came true in the life of the apostles and they're still coming true today in the lives of his followers around the world.
0:54.0	Join host Todd Nettleton. We hear their inspiring stories and learn how we can help right now on the Voice of the Martyrs Radio Network.
1:01.0	Welcome again to the Voice of the Martyrs Radio. My name is Todd Nettleton. We are connected today remotely with Susanna Geskey.
1:08.0	Susanna is the widow of Tom and Geskey who was martyred in 2007 in the city of Malatia, Turkey.
1:16.0	Susanna, welcome to Voice of the Martyrs Radio. Thank you for being willing to share with us this week.
1:21.0	Hello and good morning. Let's go back to the very beginning. Can you kind of share how God called you until men to serve him but then also to serve him in Turkey in a Muslim country?
1:33.0	It started with me while I was in Bible school. We had people praying for Muslim people and we had contact to Muslim people in the nearby city.
1:46.0	So that started doing Bible school and my husband was doing his studies in Indonesia in a Muslim area.
1:55.0	How much of an adjustment was it when you actually got to Turkey and settled in? Was it stressful? Was it hard or did it just work very smoothly?
2:05.0	I don't have a remembrance that we really had lots of stress and of course you tried to learn the language and I have lots of things when you don't know how to do it and how to do things but for me it wasn't so stressful.
2:19.0	What about as Christians and as people who want to do outreach and want to share about Jesus? Obviously Turkey is a Muslim country. Was that very sensitive? Was that difficult or what did that just come up naturally?
2:33.0	The thing is because we are foreigners and from the West they actually expect you to be Christians. They think everyone in the West is a Christian.
2:42.0	So if you go on a playground or somewhere where people are and you talk and they ask you where you come are and then they right away know that you are Christian and Turks are all kind of Muslims.
2:55.0	I love to speak about God and this is in their normal way of life every day life. So it's very easy to come and have conversations about your belief.
3:07.0	Let's move ahead to 2007. How long had you been in Turkey? When did you first move there?
	...

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