Time Travel

Thus far our time here in Turkey has been an adventurous one. Starting from getting caught up in a big scam in Istanbul, to experiencing the collide of muslim and christian in the Hagia Sophia museum. Then upon arriving here in Solcuk we have had the rad experience of going and checking out the ancient city of Ephesus, as well as just today we made our way to a beach on the Aegean Sea where Dan and Kenton found a cliff to huck ourselves off of. These experiences intermingled with meeting the people has made Turkey a wonderful place for the three of us.

In the early morn of our 244 day travelling we ventured first into the Blue Mosque. It was absolutely brilliant in all its magnitude. The outside was a fantastic architectural feat, while the inside could not help but take one outside of themself and think on a bigger scale. From there we crossed through a wonderful plaza with a gushing fountain and tourists from all around the world, to enter the gates of Hagia Sophia. From the outside Sophia looks to be a run down shadow of her former glory. But as one enters through the large steel doors and first lays eyes upon the breathtaking interior you realize what a true gem she is. The mix of muslim and Christian art intrigues and confounds, so opposed and yet inhabiting the same building for all to see. It was from there that we travelled the ten hour bus ride to Solcuk the town that now resides on the outskirts of ancient Ephesus. This place was another incredible experience for me. Walking through this city that was once the epicenter of the whole world, brought so much life to Pauls words in his letter to the Ephesians. We got the unique opportunity to catch a glimpse of the lifestyle and culture of those times. From the worship of Artemis, to the openly public brothels, and the opulent wealth that was Ephesus. Then just today we made our way down to the beach on the Aegean sea. It was rather a normal beach except for the superb cliff jumping that was just around the bay. Dan and Kenton spent a bit of time exploring and finding what looked like and excellent place to jump. So after little hesitation Dan hucked himself from the five meter cliff, praying that it was deep enough!! As the afternoon continued on we found ourselves wanting to take the next step and to begin diving, so there Kenton took the lead and dove from the highest point possible! After that Kenton encouraged Dan and myself also to take the plunge. So one after another we spent the rest of the afternoon diving off of these cliffs into the clear blue waters below! We even met some other crazy locals that joined us and we became friends with. They invited us to hang out for the evening and so after getting back from the beach we chilled out with some of the local guys and even got to share the gospel with them and why we believe that its the truth, and applicable to all people. It was a cool night, the people here are incredibly friendly and were excited to hang out with them more as the week progresses. So those are just a few of our recent adventures here in Turkey. While you read this please pray for this country also. It is predominantly a Muslim nation with very little Christian involvement. Yet there is so much hope, as we have talked with the youth here, many of them believe in a god and say they are not muslim, but instead searching. Thus be in prayer for transformation and understanding, prayer truly does revolutionize nations! Lehmann