Contrary to the title of the post, we actually did start the day in Turkey, but as I pin this post, we have finally arrived in Greece...which is where most of you thought we were going to be the entire trip...y'all need to pay attention!!! On another note, while our entire time in Turkey has been amazing, all bets were off once we set out from our hotel this morning...because today, we found ourselves in Ephesus. I believe Yasmine (our Turkish guide) mentioned that this was the most excavated city in Anatolia...she wasn't kidding. It took very little imagination whatsoever to envision the Ephesian citizens walking down the long main streets to the harbor...or the library...or the bath houses...to the temples...local shops...or the theatre. And right there with all the common citizens of Ephesus was the apostle Paul. The streets, having been restored and repaired, were still the same streets he walked upon back in 53-55 AD.
This is the same Ephesus where Paul faced many adversaries, yet rejoiced in the wide door for effective work that had been open to him. (1 Cor. 16)
This is the same Ephesus where Paul boldly preached repentance to the Jews first, and then to the Gentiles, after the Jews rejected him. (Acts 19)
This is the same Ephesus where Paul withstood a riot, started by the silversmith, Demetrius, in the expansive theatre, because the preaching of the gospel was hurting their idol worship biz. (Acts 19)
And this is the very same theatre that the girls and I were able to sing in today...still proclaiming that salvation comes only by faith alone, in Christ alone. I don't even recall how many songs we sang, but it was at least a handful. What an incredible opportunity and privilege for all of us to be on this side of history, knowing that the Word of the Lord never goes out in vain, and we are here largely due to the fact that Paul did not waver in the mission God had called him to back in this ancient city of Ephesus. Man, oh man.
I could camp out there all day, but I'll give the remainder of the update for now. Like I said, we also saw the impressive library, fountains, even the latrine :0 was incredibly preserved. But oh the questions we have...how'd the Ephesians (or any pre-outhouse days peeps) felt about sitting "cheek-to-cheek" with their friends and neighbors while relieving themselves. Excuse me, what? And did they actually bring their own sponge-on-a-stick to "clean up" afterwards? Like was that a specific slave's job to carry out this task? Worse yet, was there a communal piece of equipment that the evacuators just passed down the line?!? ACK!!!! So many questions...so little information!!!! It's killing me. But never fear, there was a fountain in the middle to help mask the noises that would be coming from the toilet area. Ok then, Sharon...you're right...the NOISES are the most troublesome issues at hand!!! :/
That's it. Eva has definitely gone off the rails. Sorry, mom.
We've also been surrounded by dogs and cats constantly...PLEASE ask some of the kids to share the cat video with you. It's an experience. But it's also all the moms can do to get TY CARR to STOP PETTING THE ANIMALS. Ya know...the ones living on the inhabited streets of an ancient city?!? I'm sure they are all caught up in their vaccines! Sheesh.
We also drove up to the top of a nearby mountain to visit the site of the House of Virgin Mary. It was believed to be so, based on the location and the dating of the sub structure being in the 1st century. A Pope visited a while back and declared it to be so officially, and has since turned it into a place of pilgrimage for those in the Catholic faith. Sadly, we all know the location of her home, the water from her well, and any form of decoration can not get you even one stop closer to Christ, the Living God.
Final stops before lunch were the Ephesus museum and the temple of Artemis. Lunch was another hole in the wall place serving Turkish pita-bread pizzas with all sorts of different toppings. Another slam dunk. I've legit eaten more carbs in the past week than I had in the rest of the year COMBINED! Super.
Lastly, before moving on, I wanted to leave the Ephesus update with the letter sent to the church at Ephesus by the apostle John in Revelations. Again, pay close attention to those condemnations and commendations!!
Revelations 2:1-7 To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lamp stands. I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lamp stand from its place, unless you repent. Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’
And so that was that and then we were back on the road! This time...airport...again. We did hit a few bumps in the road when we arrived 3 hours early for our international flight, like any good travelers would do. The security guy said there was no such airline there, the ticket counters were deserted, and we killed time by pouring money into massage chairs and playing Dutch Blitz. Oh and then...when it was finally time to rock and roll, we had to take a bus on to the tarmac where our PROP plane was waiting. Good times. BUT...here we are now...in Athens. Another incredible jewel of a restaurant, with live music, and many courses...and all the bread, cheese, and desserts...on top of Ty's 5+ pounds of meat he ordered. :0
Tomorrow, we begin our adventures at the Acropolis. I'm enamored with this country...I always have been...if we had Zane here, we'd just miss those flights on Saturday. Sigh...
So that's it for tonight. Oh except to let you know...
Eva won Dutch Blitz.
Ok...The End.
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