Secil - Turkey
I met Secil working in Southeast Turkey in 2013 on a project to help Syrians. Secil was one of the many Turks on our staff who opened her heart and life to the Syrians on our team - many of whom had fled Syria facing persecution and death. Secil worked on our operations team, and knew how to run an office. She came to our team with lots of experience in event management and hospitality, and brought her network of connections with her to our project. I'll never forget how Secil wielded her connectedness and charm to make sure our team members got free laundry services when staying at one of the hotels in Gaziantep. Free laundry is not a thing to be taken for granted when living out of a suitcase for months at a time (if you have ever tried to do laundry at a hotel, you know how expensive this is)! In addition to the free laundry, I remember Secil for her lively personality that added life and laughter to our office in the midst of difficult and often heartbreaking work. Secil is recently married and since 2013 has worked on projects to provide education to Syrian refugee children and improve agricultural productivity in Turkey.
"As a Muslim, I was raised in a Muslim family with a modern approach. I have been taught that being a good Muslim comes with a good personality, helpfulness and modesty. Hurting even an ant was one of the great sins to steal the life of a creature of God. When I was a child I was attending mosque to every summer to learn and practice Quar'an. I try to complete my missing parts with helping and sharing to whoever needs. Because it is told that sharing, helping the ones who is needy is a way of practicing religion.
When I traveled to US for a short-term work I had a lot of chance to interact with many Americans. Thanks to one of my beloved friends who is an Christian missionary, she invited me to Bible studies and I attended all sessions during my stay. I don't want to accept Christianity but I would like to learn about Christianity. Because I believe all religions have their own beauties and lessons. I had very nice friendships during my stay and met very beloved people among Americans. Not only my trip to the US but also sharing an office environment with Americans was a great experience."