Emmanuel

Weather Update

Rain

+ cold

+ wind

(did I say + wind)

(best picture I could find to describe what I looked like on the way to church this morning)

= winter has arrived folks

Tax Deductible Donation

If you find yourself searching for a place to give a year end tax deductible donation that will be used to help people in need, then I have a recommendation.  The organization we are working for here in Istanbul has a system in place where people in the US can donate and it is tax deductible.

Earlier this week we composed a list of emergency medical procedures that our clients currently need, but money is not available for.  The listed added up to approximately $50,000 total.  The procedures cover many different things, everything from major heart surgery, to a mastectomy, to major reconstructive dental work.

In addition to medical procedures, our clients have many other needs. Here's a list of a sampling of client needs, along with the donation amount to take care of that need for one person/family:
$100 donation--assistance with rent
$75-- prescription medicine
$60--school uniform for a child
$50--groceries for 2 weeks
$45--bus ticket to and from Ankara for UNHCR interview
$40--baby stroller
$35--a tank of natural gas used to cook food
$30--winter jacket
$25--shoes
$20--pants
$15--winter hat
$10--scarf or gloves
$5--blanket
$2--a sandwich for lunch
$1--a bus/metro token to ride public transportation

Any donation small or big, can be used to help improve lives of those in need.

If you are interested in giving, send us an email:  ourturkishblog@gmail.com.  When you give, you can designate what you want the money to go for.

A not so Christmas Carol

The Disney animated version, of "A Christmas Carol," just came to theaters here. I was excited to go because I'm in the holiday mode and love that story. We went to see it a few days ago and when it was our turn to buy tickets we say, "Two tickets for A Christmas Carol." The ticket salesman looks at us and in Turkish says, "You know it's in Turkish, right?" I was pretty disappointed and we decided to come back home and rent another Christmas movie instead. As we were leaving the theater we did notice that the poster (same as below) did have the title in Turkish and it translates to "A New Year Song." Most American movies are shown in English with Turkish subtitles. but I guess since this is animated they can do voice overs simply. I wonder how long it took Jim Carrey to master his Turkish pronunciation? Just kidding.

2010

In 2010, the United States will accept 74,000 people who are refugees, as well as an additional 5,000 people who have special cases, bringing the total to 79,000 people who will be resettled to the US.

The majority of them will be from Iraq, Burma and Bhutan.  Overall, the US will resettle people who are refugees from 65 different countries next year.

Link: 2010 Refugee Report to US Congress