Lunch With John Travolta

As my team and I were wandering around, trying to figure out where we wanted to go, what we wanted to do, we were approached by a merchant.  Merchants were constantly trying to pull us in, especially in a touristy area like Istanbul. This man was persistent; even though we told him we couldn’t buy anything and that we were living out of a backpack, he was still diligent enough to get us to stop at his shop. After he told us about a museum he could take us to and a roof with a good view, we gave in. He led us far from the touristy area we were in and after we walked through a fun vibrant street full of color, we made it to his tucked away shop. We went up to the roof and gazed out at the ocean and beautiful orange colored roofs. He wasn’t lying, it was an amazing view. 

Shortly after, he wanted to get straight to business, we had rugs to look at! So we walked down to the showroom. My team has realized that Turkish people are incredibly hospitable and simply want to host and chat with you. It is a very relational culture and in almost every encounter it shows. This showroom was the real deal – rugs were piled to the ceiling and lined the walls. It was gorgeous and all of us were in awe of the beauty that could come from a rug. The owner of the shop came down and after we got our Turkish tea we settled in for what would be three hours. 

 This is part of his showroom and where we looked at different rugs. John educated us about the different types. This is also where we sat for the afternoon.

John Travolta, the Turkish John Travolta, started sharing his life with us and how he came from nothing and eventually became a successful businessman. He told us about his clientele in the States, showed us his dog, and talked to us about how COVID affected the tourist industry. At first our conversation was lighthearted and he welcomed us into a little bit of his life but the more we talked the deeper our conversation went. 

John ended up buying us lunch, truly showing a Christ like love, and after shared about the importance of kindness and loving people. Jen and Elizabeth were able to share scripture with him that was almost identical to what he was saying. At a debrief in Guatemala my squad learned about the existence of the spiritual realm that doesn’t only apply or pertain to Christans, but literally everyone. It was evident that John had an understanding of spiritual truths and eyes for spiritual insight, even though he was not a believer. 

Earlier that morning after a check in with our team, one of us had shared their personal struggles, and was experiencing deep pain. We took time to talk about it and pray with her, but we ended up continuing on with the day. By the time we had started talking to John it wasn’t evident that she was upset. Toward the end of our time there, John shared that he didn’t think this encounter was about rugs, but about meeting one of us. He knew one of our spirits was heavy with sadness and wanted to let her know that it was not going to be forever and gave us words of hope. At first he was speaking vaguely, but we all knew he was talking about the conversation earlier. But then to our amazement, he turned to her directly and said, “It’s for you, this afternoon is for you.”

My team told John how incredible that was and shared more scripture and a deeper insight to what was truly going on. We were amazed that someone who doesn’t believe in God was able to see so well into her situation.  As amazed as we were, there was also a sadness to see someone with so many characteristics of our S@vior and not know Him. My team and I continue to pray for John and I ask that you would join us. 

Here are some pictures of his beautiful showroom and rugs: