Hey y’all,
our class is currently in Turkey and it has been so amazing. The landscape is unbelievably gorgeous. Everywhere I go I am not only struck by the geography of turkey, but the beauty of the ancient ruins as well. Very little remains of the once great cities I have stood in, yet each site provides a unique look into a world that has now passed away. We stood in the port where Paul would have sailed into Turkey. We traveled to a city called Perge, in which, Paul rested before traveling 15 days to Psidian Antioch, where the gospel would be proclaimed for the first time in this land. The journey, thanks to modern technology was not quite as long for us, more like a couple hours instead of 15 days on a Roman road. In Psidian Antioch we saw a church dating all the way back to the 4th century AD. We had already seen and done so much in the first 3 days, but our busiest day was ysterday. It began with a ride in a hot air balloon and afterwards we went to a city called Hireopolis where Philip, one of the disciples, lived and eventually was crucified. The city was also known for its natural hot springs. We made our way towards the site of Collosae, which has yet to be excavated but it will begin within the month. Finally we visited Laodicea. Here I stood in what is assumed to be an early house church. This trip has been so incredible. I have walked where the men who carried the fire of the gospel have walked. I have swam in the Mediterranean Sea. I have laughed with my friends endlessly. It has been so sweet to spend these final weeks with my Joshua siblings in a place that none of us have been, sharing food that none of us have eaten. As I reflect on this year I am reminded of the beautiful friendships and unique experiences I have shared with such amazing people. I pray that all of us will run the race marked out before us well and not only finish this program but continue to be faithful for the rest of our lives.
See you guys at graduation!
-Ethan Hijazi (Current Student)
Hey guys, welcome back to the Joshua Wilderness Institute blog.
As I am writing this, we are currently in Turkey following Paul’s Journey and the spread of Christianity. It has been beautiful to see the place where Christianity spread like wildfire. My favorite part of the trip so far has been sitting in a house church located in Laodicea (one of the seven Church’s mentioned in the book of Revelation). I am excited to see more historical sites and see how God has moved in these places.Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ
– Noah Brannon (Current Student)
Wooo!! We’re in Turkey!
We’ve been in Turkey for only a week and there have been soo many amazing experiences. On our first full day in Turkey we got to walk through a part of the city of Antalya and then go to a museum. After that the rest of the days have been full of visiting ancient city ruins. So far we have seen the ruins of Perga, Aspendos, Pisidian Antioch, Hieropolis, Laeodicea, and Aphrodisias. Each site has been a wonder and so cool to see.
However, besides historical things every moment has been very fun. We’ve had our long bus rides just hanging out, talking, and playing games with each other. Saturday morning we also got to go on hot air balloons. Yayyyyy!!!! That’s was an amazing experience with beautiful views. Also the food has been a very interesting part of the trip as well. It has been soo fun to try so many new foods and desserts.
Overall, the trip has been going great. Things have thankfully gone pretty well and smoothly and we are beginning our visits to all seven churches in the book of Revelations.
Also shout out to Sam Meier for coming with us in our trip, giving us talks, and helping us understand more about the culture and all the ruins.
⁃ Liz 🙂 (Current Student)