More auto bio

More auto bio

When we got back to Ankara, from our “adventure of arrests” I found that our German girl had contracted hepatitis A.
 
We called the doctor another worker recommended and he agreed to come and give us shots to protect us from infection.
 
Dr. Alsan arrived with his big glass syringe and vials of medicine. We were glad to hear that he definitely believed in germs and were pleased that he insisted we boil the syringe and needles before using them. No one got an infection.
 
During this time we began to get new recruits for our team. First came two single women. Betty had spent thirteen years in Iran and since she couldn’t go back because of the revolution of 1979, she decided to join us. She proved to be a very helpful person with all the experience she had had. Her roommate Dolly came with no overseas experience and proved to be the opposite of Betty.
 
These two new teammates began to come to John with requests. Betty suggested that we have a weekly team prayer meeting. Dolly wanted more help with language.
 
John, however, was too engrossed in his work with the foundation to listen to them. He brushed off their requests by giving his philosophy of leadership, learned as a sergeant in the Air Force: “I make the decisions, you follow.”
 
As a result, Betty and Dolly began to come to me with their requests, questions and desires, making me the de facto leader of the team.
 
This put me in an awkward position, and stirred up some conflict between John and myself. However, after some discussion, he agreed to having a team prayer meeting and to meet other desires of the team.
 
In April of 1980 a family with two children joined us. Dan and Nancy were self-sufficient pioneer types and fit in well. Little did Dan know that within six weeks of arrival he would soon become both the field leader and team leader, but he was the type of man who could rise to the challenge.
 
Picture: the boys with Dr.Alsan who became our good friend and doctor.