‘Why do you need a book?’

During an outreach in the spring of 2025, Rebecca*, who lives in Türkiye, and Lisa*, a short-term visitor, connected with a woman in a restaurant and shared about their faith — not in a book, but in Jesus Christ.

A short termer and I had just finished lunch at a local restaurant. As I returned from the bathroom, I noticed a woman sitting by herself with an English textbook. I introduced myself as a native English speaker and offered to help her practice.

“What’s your name?” I began.

“Dilara*," she said with a smile. "What’s your name?” 

“Rebecca,” I said, “And this is my friend, Lisa.” 

With that, we’d reached the practical limit of Dilara’s language abilities, but only the start of our conversation. We would talk for an hour over multiple cups of tea. 

We switched to Turkish and I acted as translator. Chatting about life, Lisa and I mentioned our faith. Dilara had visited churches before, but only as a tourist. She’d never really heard the gospel. 

Lisa beautifully explained Jesus’ identity and sacrifice, and how we can have a relationship with God. Dilara seemed to take it in but quickly raised her first objection. 

“Why do you need a book? I listen to my conscience, and I try to be a good person. There’s lots of things I don’t do just because I know they're wrong, not because a book tells me they’re sinful. I don’t need a guidebook.” 

We talked about how God does speak through our consciences, but also about how our hearts deceive us. We admitted that, when we’re honest with ourselves, our own consciences tell us that we are not really 'good people.'

“But why would God need a messenger? I don’t feel like I need a prophet to connect with God — not Muhammed, Moses or Jesus.” 

Starting with Genesis, we explained that God’s desire has always been to be close to His people, just as He walked with Adam and Eve in the garden. The prophets were important, but God coming to us Himself — Jesus coming into the world — was His plan from the beginning.  

We shared that our faith is not ultimately in a book or mere messengers, but in the One they point to: Jesus. The thing we need most is a relationship with God Himself. 

“So, what do we have to do to have a relationship with God?” 

The question seemed perfect. We gave our answer. Dilara seemed to come close to understanding but veered away. 

“What about women and covering? Why should I be ashamed of my body?” 

We worked through this and other objections. We did our best to direct the conversation to Christ. In the end, she was glad to receive a copy of the New Testament and said she would read it. We also gave her the contact of a local church and its English Club.  

Join with us in prayer for seekers like Dilara who are open to hearing about Jesus; pray for more connections and conversations with believers who can help answer their questions and share their faith.

*name changed