An American mother-of-three has been told she has to leave Turkey, one of the latest incidents in a series of expulsions of Christian expatriates from the country. There are reports stating how 35 Protestant Christian workers were refused entry to Turkey last year.
Joy Subasigüller, originally from Florida, USA, and her Turkish husband Lütfü Subasigüller were married seven years ago. They settled and started a family in Turkey. Lütfü works as a Protestant pastor in Ankara; Joy has been looking after the couple’s three children who were all born in Turkey.
Their settled, peaceful life as a family changed on 5 June when Joy was told by the Turkish migration department to prepare for deportation with apparently no reason given. “This decision makes me very sad, I love Turkey and the Turkish people, I have lived here for ten years, they were the best years of my life.”
For the couple, it is impossible to see how Joy could pose a security threat to the state of Turkey, which seems to be the reason for her deportation. She is a stay-at-home-mother with three children, the youngest an infant who still needs breastfeeding. Also, said her husband, “I am a Turkish citizen and so are my three children”. The couple is challenging the decision in court, in the hope they might find out the real reason for banning Joy from staying in Turkey.
Source: World Watch Monitor
- Pray for God’s powerful intervention to keep their family together, and for their safety.
- Commit the leaders of Turkey to the Lord in prayer, may all government leaders experience a personal revelation of Christ.
- Pray that Christians will thrive in a difficult economic environment.
Post your prayer in the comments below.
PADRE EN ESTOS MOMENTOS NECESITAMOS DE TU INTERVENCIÓN EN LA VIDA DE MIS HERMANOS POR AMOR DE TU NOMBRE ABRE UNA PUERTA PARA QUE MI HERMANA PUEDA QUEDARSE CON SU FAMILIA TOCA A LAS AUTORIDADES PARA QUE CONSIDEREN A TUS HIJOS TE LO PIDO EN EL NOMBRE DE JESUCRISTO AMEN
FATHER IN THESE MOMENTS WE NEED YOUR INTERVENTION IN THE LIFE OF MY BROTHERS FOR THE LOVE OF YOUR NAME OPENS A DOOR SO THAT MY SISTER CAN STAY WITH HER FAMILY TOUCH THE AUTHORITIES TO CONSIDER YOUR CHILDREN IN THE NAME OF JESUS
God over all and Lord of the Nations, all authority, glory and power belong to you and we acknowledge you rule in all the affairs of men and women. We pray for the nation of Turkey and the seeming determination, for undetermined reasons, of its leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan to return the country to some dominance of Islam religion. We praise you for the faithful and enduring group of believers who continue to share the word of Christ and know that their prayers are as a sweet aroma of incense to you. Be pleased Father to turn Erdogan to Christ and may a wave of your Holy Sprit be poured out over the peoples that many might know you. We especially ask for your intervention in the lives of Joy Subasigüller and her husband Lütfü as they seek to serve in your name. Strengthen and protect their children as they put their faith in you and may your word continue to grow in Turkey.