Q & A

Hello! Sarah and I are still in Türkiye. I had a video ready to go from Hierapolis which was going to be my blog post for today. However, it seems like the local Kuşadası internet relies on pigeons to carry megabytes back and forth from the servers. As a result, the video would not post. Now I’m back to square one, but that’s ok. I’ll post the video later when I find reliable internet. In the meantime, I thought I would do a Q & A about our time here in Turkiye. I’m going to imagine the questions that many would ask and then answer them. I love this format since I don’t have to ask a question I can’t answer!

Here we go…

Questions #1 – What are you doing there?

Answer #1 – Sarah and I are on a tour called “The Churches of Revelation and Greece.” It is a Christian oriented tour that takes us to sites of the churches of Revelation as well as many other places pertinent to Christian History.

Question #2 – Where have you been so far?

Answer #2 – We’re over halfway through, so we’ve completed all of the sites in Türkiye. Tomorrow, we head to Greece. We started in Istanbul/Constantinople, then went to Troas, Pergamum, Smyrna, Sardis, Thyatira, Philadelphia, Hierapolis, Laodicea, Colossae, and Ephesus.

Question #3 – Are there other people on the tour?

Answer #3 – Yes, there were 16 of us for the first part. Yesterday, we were joined by 16 more. Most of them are from the US, but there are a few from other countries. There are at least 4 other pastors on sabbatical!

Question #4 – What’s been the best place?

Answer #4 – That’s a question you can’t answer! Each place has its own interesting points. However, there wasn’t much in Thyatira, Philadelphia, and Colossae. Those sites are very small with next to nothing excavated. In fact, Colossae doesn’t have anything there at all. It’s just a sign and a hill. The rest are amazing to see. Yet, you keep pressuring me to pick one… 🙂 So, I’ll just say that it is special to be in places the apostles actually visited. That is Troas, Hierapolis, and Ephesus. Philip spent the end of his life in Hierapolis. Paul, Timothy, and Luke visited Troas twice. John outlasted the Romans and returned from exile to Ephesus. It was a reminder that these heroes of the faith were just men who lived in real places. They were faithful in their moment. We can be faithful in ours.

Question #5 – How is the food?

Answer #5 – Baklava. Need I say more? Probably not…but I will. I’ve loved the olives, cheese, lamb, and fresh fruit. Other things…not so much. Pickled beets and grape leaves aren’t really my thing. Neither is yogurt. Oh, if you are a person who gets cravings for warm, salty yogurt mixed with water and served as a beverage, then have I got a place for you to visit. I won’t be joining you for that experience…again. *shudder*

Question #6 – Is it hot there?

Answer #6 – Today and yesterday it was 104 degrees.

Question #7 – What kind of money do they have?

Answer #7 – In Turkiye it is the Lira. Currently, it is 38 liras to one dollar. This makes coins essentially worthless, so the Turks don’t use them. It does make you feel like you are flush with cash when you have a wallet stuffed full of 200 lira notes…then you count it up and realize you have about $45.

Question #8 – What’s the sleeping situation like?

Answer #8 – We’ve stayed at hotels that cater to westerners, so I don’t think I’ve gotten the real, Turkish experience. However, the place we are staying tonight doesn’t have bed sheets…so there’s that.

Question #9 – Are you learning anything?

Answer #9 – Loads! The places we’ve visited have grown my knowledge of the Word and my love for the Lord. It is a blessing for me to get to know my brothers and sisters of the past in some small way. It makes me bolder in my faith and more fervent in my desire to see the lost come to Christ. Jesus promised that the gates of hell will not prevail against the church. It hasn’t so far, and it never will.

Question #10 – Where is picture from that is at the top of the post?

Answer #10 – That is the theater in Ephesus. You can read about what happened there in Acts 19:23-41.

Question #11 – Do you miss home?

Answer #11 – Hmmmmm. No more questions? Anyone? We must be all done.