Turkey (MNN) ― As it relates to the Malatya murder case in Turkey, the refrain "Justice moves very slowly" is becoming all too common.
April 18 marked four years since the brutal murders of three Christian missionaries in the bookstore they ran.
Delay after delay slowed the process until the case appeared to have stalled out. Then, on March 23, police arrested 27 people in six days for their connections to Ergenekon and the Malatya slayings. Rody Rodeheaver with IN Network says, "I think there was a lot of hope on the part of the plaintiff's attorneys that with the recent movement against Ergenekon and the arrest of 20 people, they were hoping that would really lead to a possible merger of the case in Malatya and the case against Ergenekon."
Subsequent investigation linked the Ergenekon (Deep State) to the slayings in such a way that they began to look like an ordered "hit" from the highest levels of government.
Now, word is that the prosecutor who has overseen the investigation into Ergenekon from the beginning is no longer on the case. Zekeriya Oz has apparently been promoted to deputy chief prosecutor of Istanbul. He joins three other prosecutors digging for the truth who were removed from the investigation. Rodeheaver says, "Since there've been all of these changes in the makeup of the people who are taking the lead in some of these investigations, it's unfortunate and will probably lead to more delays."
These events are disappointing to the Christians in Turkey. The seeming lack of energy with which this case has been pursued also sends a message to believers that not only are they second-class citizens, but that the government may not protect them from the nationalists. "All of these things tend to create emotional insecurity. When you see these things happen over and over again, it's just human to be concerned."
However, says Rodeheaver, from what he's seen of the national Church, "If you're a Christian, you really need to trust in the sovereignty of God and know that your days really need to be ordered by your Savior."
IN Network has church planting and evangelism work in Turkey. Staff uses the Internet to help those who are interested in Christianity. Some people like to have a personal relationship and to meet with the staff. Some others ask for New Testaments. Internet ministry is an effective method to reach people in this country.
IN Network also wants to reach Christian children to train them in Christian ethics. The children attend Islamic classes in their schools. Two week summer camps for Christian children between 7-14 years of age are organized and every summer around 80-100 children attend the camp. Children from 15-20 different churches attend the activities.
Pray for the believers who are engaged in outreach. "As I've talked to our staff and to other people, one of the amazing things for me is that they have those feelings, but those feelings really are overridden by their great faith. They're willing to sacrifice and to pay the price to serve Christ in this country [Turkey]."
