In the air from Des Moines to Houston. \240

Carpathanian mountains are in view from the plane. Between Cana and cluj-napoca.

Their farming patchwork is a bit more interesting than ours.

It’s hard to tell where the clouds end and the mountains begin

We left Houston at 10 pm on Friday and now after a plane ride, LONG customs line and a meal it’s 10 pm on Saturday. \240 Good night!

A view of Istanbul from the plane. \240It’s much bigger than I thought. \240The first thing you notice is the many tall Muslim mosque minarets.

PT expanded on this story and I can’t wait to read more about it in the Bible. \240The Asyrians sent a letter to Hezekiah telling him of all they’d conquered and that it was going to happen to him and Jerusalem. \240Hezekiah took the letter and went to the temple. Placed it on the alter and said God, this is your problem. \240The Asyrians left. \240I guess I should have said spoiler alert! \240

Hittites used these as bases to their pillars. \240It is volcanic rock.

This is known as one of the most highest quality mosaics. \240Unfortunately the Vikings stole much of it.

The model

I love wind and it’s warm

Shebbie (red hair) our tour guide. \240She is like a walking google. \240She knows the date of everything! And in this region they start at like 3000BC.

The Blue Mosque. \240Called the Blue Mosque because of the blue and red tiles on the inside. It has 6 torrets because the story says that the Sultan told the architect he wanted gold torrets but the architect misunderstood and thought he said 6. \240I can see where he’d be confused.

On the outside of the bronze door. \240Symbol of Jesus Christ that no one could destroy.

Scarves on for women and shoes off for all. \240

That carpet was cold.

They don’t make glasses strong enough to read that. \240I think this is what we call chicken scratches. \240All little lines.

This is a walkway into the city of Babil. \240A long walkway. \240Intimidating with these tile mosaics. \240Read the story of Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego in the book of Daniel chapter 6. \240These 3 boys, faced to go into Babil and bow down to Nebuchadnezzar. \240Can you imagine how scared they must have been walking along there. \240But their faith saved them... they walked out of the fiery furnace! \240

Obelisk of Theodosus - it takes 2 pics to get it from bottom to top because the city keeps building on top of ruins, the base of things are buried below the current surface. \240More description to follow several pictures below.

But when God sent Jesus to earth he showed us that we are all children of God equally. \240Man, women, Gentile, Jew.

I’m kinda intrigued by the torrets.

Oldest treaty EVER. \240

From the palace - the Bosphorus

Flowers

2nd stop of the day, Topkapi Palace. \240Once the Ottoman Empire took Istanbul, the Sultan needed a place to live so he built this palace. \240It has 3 courtyards. \24015,000 people lived in the palace. \240His wives, Staff, Administration, Military, Kitchen, Entertainment.

Meatball rice and potato.

On that note - day 3 is complete. \240Tomorrow we board a ferry to get to the Asian side of Istanbul, board a bus and begin our journey starting with Troas, the ancient city of Troy. \240Did you know the city has 7 layers. \240We saw a map and ruins including jewels of Helen at the museum today. \240Can’t wait to see it!

What it would look like if it was intact

So many statues, so many missing faces and hands.

This palace is in the solid red part

Veggie plater - course 1 of 4 with dinner tonight. \240Artichoke, eggplant and beans.

First stop of the Day - Archaeological Museum. \240

Kids said they wanted me to bring them home something....

No this isn’t the Cat of Hagia Sophia...google for more info.

After some contemplation, we concluded the top one is the griffin and we don’t have any of those anymore. \240Lol! \240But we do have unicorns.

This is stone found on the outer courtyards of the temple in Jerusalem warning gentiles that they couldn’t go any further.

We saw a picture of this in another room and then saw this HUGE replica. \240Hittite sculpture is identified by face and feet to the side, body to the front.

3rd stop - Hagia Sophia Church. \240Built as a Christian church in 537 AD. \240Later turned into a Mosque during the 16th and 17th century. \240So inside, there is a mix of Christian and Muslim decoration. \240Much of the Christian artwork has been covered over.

I think my face says i love wind and cold.

An alter to the “unknown God”. \240They were so afraid of missing one, the Greek created an alter to an unknown God. \240Later Paul would tell them who that God was...and we will be where he delivered that news in a few days!

Let’s let sleeping dogs lie.

Pastor Tom and a cool door.

First look at the calm body of water known as the Golden Horn. \240Formed like a horn and golden color at sunset.

This was one of the stops on the Orient Express. \240

Found this great map... \240Istanbul is the only city that sits on 2 continents - Europe and Asia. \240Today we were on the Europe side but the rest of our travels to the churches of Revelation will be on the Asia side. \240Here you can also see the water... to the north, the Black Sea and to the south Marmara Sea. \240The inlet water shaped like a horn is the Golden Horn. \240The Bosphorus in the middle. \240The Palace we visited today is along this body of water. \240 The current in the Bosphorus flows from north to south but there is a strong under current that flow south to north... \240This straight is the only way for the Soviet Union to get to the Mediterranean Sea so it was used heavily during war. \240It’s traffic is X’s busier than the Panama Canal. \240Living along the shore are the most rich - a flat can go for 1 million dollars up.

Istanbul is known as city of 7 hills. \240There is a mosque built on the top of each hill. \240Here if you look closely you can see 3. \240Look for the towers (turrets).

My heart sank when I saw the buffet of cheese and olives with bread knowing how much Justin would love this. And grapes have seeds here.

The Fountain of Ahmed...see next pic for description. \240Shebbie told a story that on a special occasion Sherbert flowed from it! Can you imagine? \240

They do not keep pets in the house. \240Instead, people take the dogs and cats to be fixed and then release them. \240They get a tag when they’ve been taken care of. They are very friendly. \240

We travelled from Istanbul to the ferry at Gelibolu. For most of the trip, we travelled along the Marmara sea. It was on the other side of the bus so I didn’t get many pics. Then, as we approached the port, we were close to the Agean sea, on my side of the bus. This also shows how we were staying in European side of Istanbul on the left. We take the ferry across the Marmara sea to Lapseki and then drive to Troy. Welcome to Asia! After Troy, we drive to our hotel in Canakkale.

View from my hotel room

Gas station and cafe

Hotel room... \240I got up at 5:30 to shower and no water! \240Luckily it came back on in 10 min or so.

Room. It was very spacious and comfy.

Rick begging God to help his back from these long drives. Or stretching. \240Lol!

First look at the Agean sea.

Shebbie is teaching us Turkish. \240Each morning we learn a new word. So far we have:

Gule gule. Good bye pronounced like Robert goolay

Pronounced Teshekursh. \240Tesuekker. Thank you

Pronounced Goonyden. Gunaydin. Good morning.

Chuck guzelle. Very good. \240Still working on this one. \240:)

Someone has been overwintering geraniums. \240My kinda people!

The olives and cheese breakfast buffet. There were omlets and pancakes but I stuck with the olives.

Winter wheat

On the drive I read the story of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the book of Daniel chapter 1-3 (from the blue animal tiles lining the walkway in Babylon at the museum yesterday) \240I also read the story of Hezikiah from the clay tablet documenting the work to close the waterways. \2402 Kings 18-19 and 2 Chronicals 32-34.

Bathroom at a rest stop. You waved your hand by the little doorbell looking thing to the left and the door slid open. \240Very Jetsons!

Fresh honey. \240I didn’t try. Wish I would have.

Seaside villages

The patchwork fields... we saw more of this today. \240Very small farms. Growing potato. Tomato. \240Big export to Russia. \240Apricots. \240rice. \240Eggplant zucchini melons

Grass looking is sunflower or winter wheat. \240Harvest in oct.

Last look at the city!

On the bus this morning Pastor Tom focused on 2 Corinthians. Chapter 2 vs 12. Paul found that God had opened a door of opportunity for him in Troas. Today we head to the ancient city of Troy which is about 15 miles from Troas.

How is this trip a door of opportunity for us?

1. \240Look into past present and future.

2. \240Past artifacts right out of bible passages. \240I was there!

3. \240Present. Taste and smell culture of Turkish people. \240Keep eyes open for Christ’s work.

4. \240Future as we visit the churches of Revelation. The letters written by Jesus thru John apply to us today. What can we learn from their failures, challenges and victories?

Jellyfish.

The floating parking lot.

From atop the ferry.

Full steam ahead!

I was like.... um, we r going to drive our autobus on the boat along with those big tankers? \240Yep!

That was a big boat. \240

Olive trees.

Breathtaking.

Shepherd and his sheep crossing. \240Shepherd stops traffic... but who is leading the herd....?

He’s still clear out front. \240Is that all of them....?

The big dog! \240 He got across the road and stopped and all the sheep stopped behind him. \240I don’t know if he was waiting for everyone to catch up or deciding where to go but he was clearly in charge. \240

Guess who is bringing up the rear??? \240Little pup in training! \240 So cute!

Hello up there!

Presenting..... the Trojan horse!

Layers showing all the different ruins from each era.

Road to heart of city Troy 6.

Ceiling tile from temple of Athena.

That canopy in the background represents how high the mound was when they began excavating.

This is the area for sacrifice during the Roman era.

This is the 4 pillars. The stones with the faces are covered by cloth.

I’m here! I think I looked happier when it was 40 degrees with 40 mph wind. . Hm.

Cont.

Shaggy tail.

I’m here!

Just after Shebbie told us we needed to move on because they were closing we turned and this dog came down the stairs. \240It’s like they send him out to gather up all the tourists. \240

This is the only dog I have pet. I’m proud of my restraint.

Lots of ruins. \240This is a wall from Troy 6.

One of those is the blood well. \240

Another amphitheater. \240

Mud brick. Troy 1. Destroyed by fire. \240What happens to clay when burned?????

Can you imagine when Paul was traveling thru and came upon this. \240Sacrifice in such an intimidating scene. \240And he is there to tell the news that this is not needed. Jesus has sacrificed for all of us. \240His bravery is more than I can wrap my head around.

More bridge, the outer wall of 6 and more mounds of covered ruins. \240

Odeion. Also called lecture hall or amphitheater. We stopped and thought about Paul teaching to thousands at the lecture hall in Ephesus which we will see later. \240This one held 4,000 I think.

This was one of my fav. \240This is the bridge from Troy 6 that the Greeks would have wheeled the Trojan horse up and into the city... then surprise! \240

See the bottom left 4 square pillars. \240They had faces on them and were alters.

That’s Lynn from Alberta. \240Lynn and her husband spend 3 mos in Poland every year doing missionary work.

It turns red and actually becomes brick. Troy 2.

Note... all those holes were from Bees. \240It was tough not to take off running. \240

If you look closely you ca see the tile pipe they used for water or sewage. \240

This map shows all the versions of Troy. \2406 was during the Trojan war.

We laughed. \240Somethings never change. Troy 6 built to last, Troy 9 just not made like they used to. \240Reminded me of ‘70s shag carpet. \240By 9 they probably figured it would all just be destroyed anyway so why bother. \240Ok. I digress. \240There is a reason... 9 had to use sandstone. \240

There is a little squirrel sitting on the edge. \240

The site of Troy has 9 layers representing 9 times its been built, destroyed and built. \240Generally the city grew in circumference each time but elevation of he layers is all over the place.

I felt like my mom taking all these. But I did weed out 2!

Door out to the pool.

Buffet.

Here kitty kitty.

Great way to end the day. \240The sound of the ocean is so calming and peaceful.

Water was super cold of course. The indoor pool is behind the glass. \240

An evening walk. \240

View from my room! \240This is the Agean sea. It’s actually the last bit of Straight heading to the Agean sea.

They are an evergreen. They trim the bottoms.

If you look close on the side of the mountain you can see they are in rows.

Olive and pine nut grove.

Flamingos!

Mountains to the east and the Aegean Sea to the west.

Sun!

Here you can see our travels for the day. \240Canakkale to Pergamum to Thyatira to Izmir.

I cant wait to get some Aegean Sea salt! \240

Ahhh. Familiar sounds and smells. \240The cashier read my name tag and commented to her co-worker and smiled. \240This is the 2nd time that’s happened so I asked Shebbie if my name was similar to a Turkish name. \240She said.... uh ya probably women’s name Ronna. \240I’m sure it’s not spelled or spoken exactly like that but sure sounded like it. I said, yep I bet that’s it! \240:)

I think we are so mesmerized by water because we only have sea of gold. \240Beautiful!

We passed Alexandria Troas (A.Troas). \240Acts 16 talks about Paul’s travels to Troas. As we drove by we imagined what it would have been like to make that walk thru this terrain. \240

Upside down lion.

It’s huge!

On the way up! WIND!

City street.

Shops and restaurants lines the tiny brick paved roads.

Beautiful!

A water reservoir built by govt for irrigation.

Beetle.

Tractors.

Getting closer!!!

Acropolis means Upper Town.

2 Medusa heads under the protruding stones up top.

Like little pods. Slowly moving around and you just step in.

Pillars were cut offsite and then brought here ( remember that mountain we went up). Polishing was done on site.

That chicken in a sandwich and mini Pepsi.

PTs favorite chicken stand.

Water well. The pillar in the middle measured how much was in there.

Water sistern

As we were walking PT reminded us that in the letter Jesus says that those who remain faithful will have their name written on a white stone that only that person knows. \240

When we r on a time crunch Shebbie steps in as assistant cashier to hurry the guys along. She is a hoot!

Fresh squeezed pomegranate and orange.

Discussion after the message.

We were really off roading it today. I loved that you could explore as you wish.

See the line of evergreen way below. That is where the healing center was called a Asclepieion after the God of healing.

The model.

Gate into the city

We are going way up there ! The tiny white spec.

So like lamb for gyro only chicken.

Final look at the gate out.

I’m pretty much in awe by now to see ruins of this size.

And the last one is Case IH.

PT hit a grand slam with this message. \240Shining new light on the letter Jesus wrote to the church at Pergamon. \240And just when you think this is great... he hits to the core of our heart with what I feel is such a real issue today. \240All these messages of self empowerment. You can do anything if you believe in you. \240Well, we know that humans have limits but God is sovereign. \240 Philippians 4:13... I can do all things THRU CHRIST who gives me strength. \240

Exposed clay tiles. They had sophisticated water and sewer system.

The first look...side view of the temple/sanctuary of Trajan.

Sanctuary of Athena

You think this is just a wall, right?

Oh!

What’s in the wall?

The theater. I did not walk down as we didn’t have time. \240It’s completely breathtaking.

These are ceiling tiles. \240I can’t even imagine how magnificent this was with the ceiling.

Time for a message from PT.

https://youtu.be/hUcYPLSY2Lw

Whoa!! \240Stabilization.

Yes, cable car up. \240At least it’s enclosed.

Shebbie loves this ice cream shop! \240The owner is best Ice cream maker in Turkey. \240

Guild of linen and wool.

These ruins are very small. Most of the city would be under the current buildings of Akhisar. The top of the crane peaking up over the tree is where they continue to dig and create a replicas.

Mountains. \240

Names of those in the guild for Fullers. \240Guilds were very important. If u were not in, you likely did not work.

Fullers are the people who collected Urine. Yep. \240They washed the clothes in the urine to set the dye. \240Pergamon was a textile city known for their purple dye. I bet everyone smelled really nice back then.

I was really surprised at the infrastructure here. 4 lane interstate. \240

Day 5 is complete. I will try to get up early to get pics of our hotel and walk by sea. We have to be ready by 7 am each day and don’t get in till 8:30 after dinner. Once I catch up with family it is late and I still have all the journaling. I’m going to try journaling on the bus tomorrow between stops. \240That will still allow me to digest and do some reasearch each night. \240

Tomorrow we tour Smyrna, Sardis and Philadelphia. \240Whew!

Pastor Tom’s message. Another thought provoking talk! \240Oh this is hard. \240Being a Christian is not easy. But the reward at the end of the race is eternal life so it’s worth it! \240And no one is boiling pastor Tom in a pot. \240We have it easy! We only need a portion of the courage and discipline it took for the early Christians to stand firm yet we fail many times.

Having trouble uploading. Check back!

That dude in the picture is owner. He was there serving us. \240He was so accommodating and friendly.

Each circle is different. \240

Pistachio on top. Cherry on bottom. So this ice cream is different. It doesn’t really melt and you almost have to bite it and chew it. Like a soft taffy.

Icky top. \2402 scoops. \240Beer top. \2401 scoop. \240I’m sure it’s not spelled that way. Shebbie gave us lesson on the drive and we had to order in complete sentences!

We’ve really got the thank you word down. Tea-sugar! \240Teshekursh. \240Well we r trying anyway.

One of these would have been where the Torah was.

And it was shortly after this that I realized I had explored my way to a dead end and was thus last on the bus!

The shops.

I’m still wrapping my head around this concept.

We are in the synagogue that was converted to a church later. This is the mosaic on the floor.

I saw and heard the grass moving. Thinking it might be a snake... then out comes mr turtle!

Think how difficult it would have been to make this design.

This is what was behind the huge column at the beginning of the pictures.

So here we had a choice, climb the little steep dirt bank and explore, or go back how we came. Of course explore!

Marble slabs over the stone walls.

Writing on squares above pillars.

Latrine bench in the back.

I have a picture in the other side of this wall when we could explore in our own.

You begin to see the early church in red brick behind the columns.

Pretty weed!

Full view of the church.

I believe this is the alter.

We sang amazing grace as we thought of the early Christians who worshipped here.

These are columns that run alongside the ancient road that goes all the way to Iran. King’s road. \2401600 BC.

Look out! there is a turtle crossing!

I kid. \240We did see many turtles. \240 We paused at the thought of walking on the stones that ancient kings traveled over!

The alter here. Should have been at the other end. \240We talked a lot at this site, which is I guess why I didn’t get a better picture. \240This alter was a Roman alter with the Roman eagle on each side. \240The two statues on either side are of lions. \240Most likely formerly used in alters of pagan gods. \240Why then would the church have them here? \240Compromise. \240We can make this work. \240Jesus was lion of Judah. \240Close enough. \240If we rest in Jesus we will get rest and soar in eagles wings. Right? \240 All this to make the point of where do we compromise today? \240 More in PTs message.

Driving a short bit up the hills, we arrive at the acropolis of Sardis and the Temple if Artemis. \240

Water pipes. \240

Icthis. \240The romans figures out the cross and the fish so the early Christians figures this out. \240I will confirm the letters and meaning and update post.

Inside the synagogue. \240The early Jews had an exemption from Cesar that they could worship freely. \240But this was not the case for the Christians.

Inside this ancient small church. \240It’s so ironic to be just outside that massive pagan God temple! \240

After the temple we stopped inside the village for lunch. \240At a cafe they had prepared 5 or 6 dishes to choose from. We were next doo to a grocery market and all enjoyed fresh sweets.

Bath house behind the gymnasium. \240

The other was seat for Moses. \240Jesus taught from here and sat down!

This caught my eye right away... \240what do people do who live in a village amongst ruins... upcycle!

The gymnasium. \240Apparently they worked out naked because they were very vain and valued the body. \240I’m glad this is not the case today!

These columns are the 2nd largest we will see in this trip. \240They are massive! \240Lynn became our human measuring stick.

The white in these mountains in calcium. A sign of what we will see tomorrow!

Nine swoosh and golf ball on a tee.

Nine swoosh and golf ball on a tee.

And now on to Pamukkale for the night.

This water runs continuously from a spring. The canals that brought the water all over the city are everywhere.

Atatürk. The beloved ruler that freed them from rule by the Allies in 1923.

Now we are in the basement.

Looking down into the basement if the agora.

Sunrise.

Gulf of Smyrna.

The church of Polycarp.

Our devotion for today:

Mathew 16:13-16

Christians are always asked to make known who is their Lord.

Is Jesus changing you?

Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

He came to change us to what we were meant to be!

Our daily bread.

Melted lead was poured into these holes and that is how the stones were kept together.

The arches were covered in a vine.

Our hotel.

Going to try cutting kiwi like this.

Typical street in old Izmir.

Ruins to the right, city to the left.

Listeria purple flower.

To the left is the Agora or city market area.

Honey buffet.

Snapdragons.

Official entrance.

We sat along here for our devotion time. \240I will post the video soon ( depending of WiFi!)

The theme of this mornings breakfast was jams, honeys, and bread. \240 Sugar. Sugar. And carb. \240Oh my!

So the stone I’m kneeling by is the same as the one on top of the column. \240They are quite large (as big as me!).

Policarp was a Bishop in Smyrna. \240He was over other churches as well as his own. \240He mentored other pastors. \240Pastor Tom tells his story beautifully in the message later at the ruins. \240

Perhaps another listing of everyone in the guild. \240

Pine honey in the back and flower honey in the front. \240They taste so different!

Our travels for today, we start in Izmir and first go to the ancient ruins of Smyrna in the old city. Then we head to Sardis and finally Philadelphia. \240We stay tonight in Pamukkale, right above Heiropolis.

Cross. Why all the pictures of the cross? \240Well when we see a cross we remember the Christians of this ancient time. \240It was important to let others know the house or business was run by a Christian so other Christians would know it was safe. Or find brothers when traveling thru. We also remember their courage since being a Christian likely brought many obstacles to them in the Roman world.

Ancient city of Smyrna. \240Smyrna was known for Myrh. \240Perhaps the myrh that the wise men brought to baby Jesus cane from here.

More view.

The center pool. Not the hot spring one.

Lobby.

The white on the mountainside is calcium.

Our devotion today was from Colossians. \240

Colossians 3 15-17

Whatever u do whether in word or deed. Do it In The name of the lord

Name in ancient times was very important. \240We carry the name of Jesus Christ.

The way we work should be a reflection of God. \240If what we do doesn’t reflect Jesus, we shouldn’t do it.

My tiny little room. \240It was shaped like a piece of pie.

The red flowers are poppies. \240

I thought the sharp edge on the top of that mountain was so interesting. \240

As we leave... balloons! \240

A crazy looking arch.

I think one of these would have fit in my backpack if I didn’t have so many granola bars.

Little me.

On down the road.

Canals.

Are you feeling sleepy Dorothy?

Outer wall.

This place his huge!!!

Arches of the basilica.

Graveyard.

Down I go!

The other side of the theater.

Poppies

Canals

Hot springs.

Coming up on the theater.

South Gate.

Coming up on the agora.

Hot spring pool.

Gymnasium.

Stairs.

Just amazing.

The roosters everywhere are still a mystery to us. \240

This is actually a walkway on the side of the agora. \240The inside was 50 meters wide.

So cool to walk down this ancient walkway.

Philip and his 2 daughters were martyred because they would not worship Cesar. \240

Entrance to agora. \240This is where you had to burn insence to show u worshipped Cesar or you could not enter. \240Philip did not. \240Christians had to give up so much to follow Jesus. By being faithful they couldn’t go into the agora and buy and sell.