Early Sunday morning we arrived at the largest Greek Island - Crete. Beth was excited to see the artwork of the Minonan Civilization at the Minoan Palace of Knossos (she studied this at school). Personally, I liked the dolphins! In the afternoon, we caught our first glimpse of the beautiful island of Santorini. The Caldera (an active volcano) sank half of the island in the 19th century leaving a ring of land. The dark volcanic rock, brilliant blue waters, & white buildings take your breath away. We took a wild bus ride to the Oia Village (perched on the Caldera Rim). We grabbed each other as the driver whipped around the sharp curves. I thought one tourist standing by the edge of the road was going to be taken out, but somehow the driver threaded the ... read more

At 6 am, we reached the port of Kudasi, Turkey. Buses took us to the House of the Virgin Mary & to the Ruins of Ancient Ephesus. During New Testament times, this was the capital of the Roman province of Asia. Paul, John, Timothy, & Mary all lived & ministered here. In a small valley on Mt. Koressos lies a chapel where many believe that the Virgin Mary spent her last days It is a peaceful place surrounded by pine trees. Our guide told us about the miracle that happened here just a few years ago. The whole mountain was blazing as winds whipped out of control flames up the slopes. Everyone thought that the House of the Virgin Mary would be consumed, but just as the fire reached the perimeter - it stopped.. You can ... read more

To Athens we go...Aaron decided to take the "short-cut" which added a couple of hours to the trip. He blamed it on the girls because we wanted to shop & take pictures. As we drove through the countryside of Central Greece, we saw corn, wheat, & sunflower fields...grape vineyards...mountains...& a dam. We stopped in a small village at a family restaurant for lunch. Because they did not speak English, I ordered via telephone with the owner's daughter. The next thing we knew...the owner was out the door & on his way to the market to buy us chicken for lunch. Talk about special orders! Even though we reached Athens late in the afternoon, I wanted to find the Areopagus (Mar's Hill) where Paul delivered his sermon about "the Unknown God" (Acts 17:15-34). Of course the GPS ... read more

We said goodbye to Thessaloniki and headed south to Kalampaka. We stopped in Veroia (Beroea in Biblical times) at the Altar of the Apostle Paul. The white marble steps lead to beautiful mosaics that tell the story of Paul's call to the people of Macedonia & show him preaching to the people here (Acts 17:11). We stumbled onto a 14th Century church while walking to the town center. The faded frescos on the stone walls once inspired Christians as they worshipped here. The old woman who let us in was delighted to meet me - I was first woman pastor that she had ever met. We said prayers of blessing, & continued on our way. Driving through the mountains, we reached Kalampaka early in the afternoon. The meal of the day was at Restaurant Meteora. Every ... read more

From Neapolis, we headed to Ancient Philippi. Finding it was quite the adventure because it was called Filliopi on the map & didn't even register on the GPS! But it was worth the effort. Phippi is named after Alexander the Great's father. During New Testament times it was a busy Roman colony. It boasted a great library, theater, & forum. Today it is ruins. Paul preached here & established the 1st church in Europe. We walked on the Via Egnatia (the superhighway of the ancient world that connected everyone to Rome), checked out the Forum (the shopping center that Paul would have visited), sat in the ancient Theatre, & visited 3 ancient churches. We sang (a little off key - we needed Barbara or the choir to help us!) at the prison that held Paul & ... read more