I just had a most enjoyable and enlightening evening. Our Associate Pastor, Carrie, and I, along with Dr. Row, were invited by a group of Turkish women to their monthly Women’s Coffee Night at Raindrop Turkevi. These Turkish women invite the friends they are making in the U.S. (colleagues, neighbors, etc.) to join them at their center for this evening gathering. Turkish ethnic dishes are prepared and served by the women to their guests, games are played, presentations are made, but mostly they create a relaxed and gracious space for women of various cultures to dialogue and just experience the evening with each other. Good food and much laughter. These women, the young and the older, may be the most gracious and gentle and loving women I’ve seen in a while. They treat each other and each guest with such genuine tenderness and care. And I think they smile all the time! Most are in traditional dress and several seem shy until you talk to them and find out they are chemical engineers and geneticists, etc. Each woman there was presented a handmade bookmark to remember the evening with an elicted promise to return next month.

A little about the Rain Drop Foundation: it is a non-profit organization established in Houston, TX in 2000 solely for educational and cultural purposes. Their goals are:
• To introduce Turkish Culture and establish bridges between different cultures
• To fulfill the cultural and social needs of Turkish-Americans who reside in Texas and neighboring states
• To provide students and the public with a variety of educational services i.e. K-12 and SAT tutoring, ESL classes, Turkish classes and educational consulting (we help the students find the best college or graduate school that meet their qualifications and future goals)
• To help newcomers adapt the life in the US. This includes the health system, school district information, the tips when renting a place or buying a car and so forth.

A remarkable group of women!