Thursday, March 20, 2008
This morning we crossed back over the border to Israel. Abner and Ghader were both waiting for us at the bus station when we got back! We then drove from the border straight to Jerusalem. As we began our ascent into the mountains surrounding Jerusalem we started singing. We sang "Jesus Keep Me Near the Cross" and "As the Deer" and finally as we were about to make the final stretch into the city we sang "As the Mountains Surround Jerusalem." The feeling I got as we sang those songs while coming into the city was definitely God giving me a little taste of what else he had in store for me. The first thing we did was visit the Garden Tomb. This is the non-traditional site of the place where Jesus was buried. The traditional site is on the Via Dolorosa. While there we there sat as a group and read the different accounts of Jesus' burial and were able to sing and pray together. What really made this place awesome for me was the different people that were around us. While we were singing our songs in English, there was a group that was singing in French, and there was another group singing in their native Nigerian language. It hit me right then and there that it didn't matter if we were at the actual place where He was buried. It only mattered that He was buried and that He rose again and that the tomb, wherever it may be, is empty.
Friday, March 22, 2008
This morning we started our day by visiting the Whol Rose Garden. This garden houses over 127 different types of roses and is surrounded by all of the different Parliament buildings. Because of it's central location people come here a lot to protest. When we were in the garden there was a group of people who had been protesting and camping out in the garden for over a year. They were parents who were unfit to take care of their children so the government took them away. The parents have taken this and decided that the government has taken their children to be used for military services and are now protesting to get them back. After this we went to the Israel Museum. It is the museum that has all of the original copies of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Outside of the museum there is a model of what the old city of Jerusalem would have looked like with the temple. After this we went to Kerem which is where John the Baptist is believed to have lived.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Jordan, here I come!
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
This morning we drove to the border of Israel and Jordan. In order to cross the border we had to unload all of our bags, go through passport control, have our bags searched, get a new guide, bus driver, and bus, and then proceed onto the rest of Jordan. Once across the border we met Gamil, our tour guide. He was definitely no Abner but we'll take what we can get. Our group is the first HUG group ever to get to go to Jordan so it was as much of an adventure to us as it was to Captain and DiMy. The first place we went was Mt. Nebo. This the mountain that Moses went to for God to show him the promised land before he died. Had the day been a little bit clearer we would have been able to see the Dead Sea, Jericho, the Jordan River, and the mountains around Jerusalem. Unfortunately it was incredibly hazy so we couldn't see very far but it was still cool to imagine what Moses would have been able to see before he died. Next we went to St. George Church. This church has a mosaic of the oldest map of the Holy Lands that we have. We drove to Amman and spent the night there and guess what we got...... DR PEPPER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was diet but really, was I in any position to be picky? :)
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Today we got to go to the ancient city of Petra. For those Indiana Jones fans out there, this is where they shot the scene in the Last Crusade where they ride the horses through the cliffs to the big temple that is carved into the rock. The city of Petra is an entire city carved into the rocks. It dates back to the 4th century BC and was the capital of the Navadim Kingdom. It was home to 40,000 people and was 19 square miles. We walked up and looked at all of the facades that are still left in the rock and the temples and tombs that are still there. We were then given free time to walk back down and explore the city. That night we stayed in a hotel close to Petra. Sara, my roommate, and I were sitting in the room watching some TV before dinner when all of the sudden we heard loud explosions coming from outside. We looked at each other for a second and then the panic set in. She and I both hit the floor and debated whether or not to crawl to the window and see what was happening. Well, after a few minutes on the floor we crept over the windowsill and pulled up the curtains. You know what it was? .... FIREWORKS! We thought that we were being bombed but instead it was flippin' fireworks... really people? haha! It made for some fun stories at the dinner table though! We head for Jerusalem tomorrow. We'll be there for the remainder of our trip and I am so excited to see this city!!
Jordan definitely wasn't my favorite part of the trip but it was still really cool to see everything! I am so blessed!
This morning we drove to the border of Israel and Jordan. In order to cross the border we had to unload all of our bags, go through passport control, have our bags searched, get a new guide, bus driver, and bus, and then proceed onto the rest of Jordan. Once across the border we met Gamil, our tour guide. He was definitely no Abner but we'll take what we can get. Our group is the first HUG group ever to get to go to Jordan so it was as much of an adventure to us as it was to Captain and DiMy. The first place we went was Mt. Nebo. This the mountain that Moses went to for God to show him the promised land before he died. Had the day been a little bit clearer we would have been able to see the Dead Sea, Jericho, the Jordan River, and the mountains around Jerusalem. Unfortunately it was incredibly hazy so we couldn't see very far but it was still cool to imagine what Moses would have been able to see before he died. Next we went to St. George Church. This church has a mosaic of the oldest map of the Holy Lands that we have. We drove to Amman and spent the night there and guess what we got...... DR PEPPER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was diet but really, was I in any position to be picky? :)
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Today we got to go to the ancient city of Petra. For those Indiana Jones fans out there, this is where they shot the scene in the Last Crusade where they ride the horses through the cliffs to the big temple that is carved into the rock. The city of Petra is an entire city carved into the rocks. It dates back to the 4th century BC and was the capital of the Navadim Kingdom. It was home to 40,000 people and was 19 square miles. We walked up and looked at all of the facades that are still left in the rock and the temples and tombs that are still there. We were then given free time to walk back down and explore the city. That night we stayed in a hotel close to Petra. Sara, my roommate, and I were sitting in the room watching some TV before dinner when all of the sudden we heard loud explosions coming from outside. We looked at each other for a second and then the panic set in. She and I both hit the floor and debated whether or not to crawl to the window and see what was happening. Well, after a few minutes on the floor we crept over the windowsill and pulled up the curtains. You know what it was? .... FIREWORKS! We thought that we were being bombed but instead it was flippin' fireworks... really people? haha! It made for some fun stories at the dinner table though! We head for Jerusalem tomorrow. We'll be there for the remainder of our trip and I am so excited to see this city!!
Jordan definitely wasn't my favorite part of the trip but it was still really cool to see everything! I am so blessed!
Friday, March 28, 2008
On Jordan's Stormy Banks I Stand (Israel 1)
We just got back from Israel on Monday night and it was by far the best trip of my life! I learned and experienced so many new things that changed me and helped me grow so much spiritually and emotionally. The things that I saw will definitely be with me for the rest of my life. We had some hard times and things got stressful but we all worked together and pulled together as a group and made it through.
Friday, March 14, 2008
We left this morning for Israel! At the airport we went through some of the toughest security that I've ever had to go through. They took Captain and DiMy and asked them questions about why we were going to Israel and what we were going to be doing there, etc. And then they pulled us each aside one at a time and asked us the same questions and then compared our answers. It was pretty intense! When we got to the airport in Israel we were met by possibly the most beautiful man I have ever seen in my life. It was hilarious to see all of the girls faces as soon as each of us saw him. When we were told that he was not going to be our tour guide but was instead just a rep from the travel agency, lets just say that we weren't happy! haha! Well, we got on the bus and met our real tour guide, Abner (pronounced Avner) and our bus driver Ghader and then made our way to our first stop. The first place we went was Caesarea Maritima. This is the place where Paul was imprisoned before going to Rome. This is also the place where the stone that has the name "Pontious Pilate" was found. This is the only proof that we have that Pilate was a real person other than his mention in the Bible. This is a seaside town so we were given time at the end to go down to the beach and hang out for a bit before heading to the hotel!
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Today was awesome! We started our day with a nature hike up to the ancient city of Dan. It was absolutely gorgeous! We took time to sit down by the Dan Spring and talk about all of the different times in the Bible that the city of Dan is mentioned and we got time to just soak up everything! When we were sitting by the spring I kept thinking about Psalms 1--
"He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not whither. Whatever he does prospers."
Sitting by this spring that flows into the Jordan river really helped me to understand some of the imagery in the Psalms. It was so calm and peaceful and beautiful. It was a wonderful way to start the day. After lunch we got to go to the Jordan River (Jordan, I got to see the place you were named for!!!!)!! We stood at its banks and sang and prayed. It was so peaceful and I started trying to imagine all of the different things that had happened there. I looked to a part of the river and imagined the Israelites carrying the Ark of the Covenant across on dry land. I imagined Jesus walking down to the bank and talking to John and then being baptized. I then looked up to the sky and imagined the Heavens opening up and hearing God's voice coming down "This is my son. With him I am well pleased." I know that the water in the river is constantly moving and changing but while standing in it, I couldn't help but be humbled knowing that Jesus had been there.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
This morning a few of us got up early and walked down to the Sea of Galilee (our hotel was right by the beach) to watch the sunrise. It was gorgeous! I am so blessed to be able to see and experience all of these wonderful things. Once again, as I looked out over the water, I tried to picture all of the amazing things that had happened here. I pictured Jesus walking down the beach and calling Peter, Andrew, James, and John. I pictured a storm and boat out on the middle of the water with Jesus on it saying, "Peace. Be still!" and everything becoming as it had been. I pictured Jesus standing on the beach calling out to the disciples to throw their nets on the other side. And I also pictured Jesus stepping out on the water and walking on it and I imagined Peter's courage as he jumped out of the boat to meet him. It was once again incredibly humbling to be sitting in a spot where so many amazing events took place. I will definitely never sing "Theres a Sea of Galilee" or "Peter, James, and John in a sailboat" the same again! :) After breakfast we started our day by going to Nazareth and visiting the traditional place where the people of Nazareth took Jesus to throw him off the cliff. Next we went to the Church of Christ in Nazareth. It was awesome to get to worship with fellow Christians in the place where Jesus spent the majority of his life. While we sang in English they sang the songs in Arabic. It was really cool to hear the blending of these two languages singing for the same reason, to the same God. After spending time with the people for a little while after church and playing with the kids we walked down to the Church of the Annunciation. This is supposedly the place where the angel came to Mary. Outside there was some sort of celebration going on and none of us could figure out what was going on. Then I saw a little boy run past me carrying an olive leaf and it clicked! Palm Sunday! I was in NAZARETH on Palm Sunday!!!! At that point it all became a little too much for me to take in at one time. Everything was finally becoming real in my mind and I had to sit back and take a deep breath and think about what else God had in store for me the rest of the week. The next thing we did was go to the Jesus Boat Museum. This museum houses a boat that was found on the shore of the Sea of Galilee that dates back to the time of Jesus. It gave us a pretty good idea of what the boat that Jesus and the disciples used would have looked like. After this we went to Capernaum. We saw Peter's mother-in-laws house and we read about the story of the centurions servant, and where he healed the little girl and told the family that she wasn't dead she was just asleep. It was really cool to be in yet another place where Jesus performed so many of his miracles. Next we went to the Mount of Beatitudes. We hiked to a spot that could have possibly been similar to the place where Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount. Captain, Griff, and Wil all read the Sermon on the Mount while we sat and took everything in. It was awesome! The next thing we did was take a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. We sailed to the middle of the sea and sang and read different accounts of the Sea of Galilee. It was awesome!
Monday, March 17, 2008
St. Patricks Day!!!! The first thing that we did was visit Qumran. This is the place where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. We only got to see replicas of the scrolls but we'll get to see the real ones at the museum in Jerusalem. The next place we went to was Masada. Before we left for Israel Captain made us all watch the movie of Masada with Peter O'Toole. It was a ridiculous movie but in the end it helped me understand what Masada was all about. If you don't know the story of Masada, look it up. Its depressing but pretty interesting. We ended our day a the Dead Sea! Once getting to our hotel we got our bathing suits on and headed down to the beach. The Dead Sea is the lowest point of the earth and is made up of 33% salt... the ocean is only made up of 3%!!! Because it is so dense all you can do once in the water is float! Captain and DiMy brought us all some Dead Sea mud to put all over ourselves! It made for some pretty funny pictures! :)
I'll write about the Jordan part of our trip and Jerusalem later!!!!! I'll also make a post at the end that is just pictures so you can see everything!!!! Gotta go eat and plan free travel!! I love you all!!
Friday, March 14, 2008
We left this morning for Israel! At the airport we went through some of the toughest security that I've ever had to go through. They took Captain and DiMy and asked them questions about why we were going to Israel and what we were going to be doing there, etc. And then they pulled us each aside one at a time and asked us the same questions and then compared our answers. It was pretty intense! When we got to the airport in Israel we were met by possibly the most beautiful man I have ever seen in my life. It was hilarious to see all of the girls faces as soon as each of us saw him. When we were told that he was not going to be our tour guide but was instead just a rep from the travel agency, lets just say that we weren't happy! haha! Well, we got on the bus and met our real tour guide, Abner (pronounced Avner) and our bus driver Ghader and then made our way to our first stop. The first place we went was Caesarea Maritima. This is the place where Paul was imprisoned before going to Rome. This is also the place where the stone that has the name "Pontious Pilate" was found. This is the only proof that we have that Pilate was a real person other than his mention in the Bible. This is a seaside town so we were given time at the end to go down to the beach and hang out for a bit before heading to the hotel!
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Today was awesome! We started our day with a nature hike up to the ancient city of Dan. It was absolutely gorgeous! We took time to sit down by the Dan Spring and talk about all of the different times in the Bible that the city of Dan is mentioned and we got time to just soak up everything! When we were sitting by the spring I kept thinking about Psalms 1--
"He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not whither. Whatever he does prospers."
Sitting by this spring that flows into the Jordan river really helped me to understand some of the imagery in the Psalms. It was so calm and peaceful and beautiful. It was a wonderful way to start the day. After lunch we got to go to the Jordan River (Jordan, I got to see the place you were named for!!!!)!! We stood at its banks and sang and prayed. It was so peaceful and I started trying to imagine all of the different things that had happened there. I looked to a part of the river and imagined the Israelites carrying the Ark of the Covenant across on dry land. I imagined Jesus walking down to the bank and talking to John and then being baptized. I then looked up to the sky and imagined the Heavens opening up and hearing God's voice coming down "This is my son. With him I am well pleased." I know that the water in the river is constantly moving and changing but while standing in it, I couldn't help but be humbled knowing that Jesus had been there.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
This morning a few of us got up early and walked down to the Sea of Galilee (our hotel was right by the beach) to watch the sunrise. It was gorgeous! I am so blessed to be able to see and experience all of these wonderful things. Once again, as I looked out over the water, I tried to picture all of the amazing things that had happened here. I pictured Jesus walking down the beach and calling Peter, Andrew, James, and John. I pictured a storm and boat out on the middle of the water with Jesus on it saying, "Peace. Be still!" and everything becoming as it had been. I pictured Jesus standing on the beach calling out to the disciples to throw their nets on the other side. And I also pictured Jesus stepping out on the water and walking on it and I imagined Peter's courage as he jumped out of the boat to meet him. It was once again incredibly humbling to be sitting in a spot where so many amazing events took place. I will definitely never sing "Theres a Sea of Galilee" or "Peter, James, and John in a sailboat" the same again! :) After breakfast we started our day by going to Nazareth and visiting the traditional place where the people of Nazareth took Jesus to throw him off the cliff. Next we went to the Church of Christ in Nazareth. It was awesome to get to worship with fellow Christians in the place where Jesus spent the majority of his life. While we sang in English they sang the songs in Arabic. It was really cool to hear the blending of these two languages singing for the same reason, to the same God. After spending time with the people for a little while after church and playing with the kids we walked down to the Church of the Annunciation. This is supposedly the place where the angel came to Mary. Outside there was some sort of celebration going on and none of us could figure out what was going on. Then I saw a little boy run past me carrying an olive leaf and it clicked! Palm Sunday! I was in NAZARETH on Palm Sunday!!!! At that point it all became a little too much for me to take in at one time. Everything was finally becoming real in my mind and I had to sit back and take a deep breath and think about what else God had in store for me the rest of the week. The next thing we did was go to the Jesus Boat Museum. This museum houses a boat that was found on the shore of the Sea of Galilee that dates back to the time of Jesus. It gave us a pretty good idea of what the boat that Jesus and the disciples used would have looked like. After this we went to Capernaum. We saw Peter's mother-in-laws house and we read about the story of the centurions servant, and where he healed the little girl and told the family that she wasn't dead she was just asleep. It was really cool to be in yet another place where Jesus performed so many of his miracles. Next we went to the Mount of Beatitudes. We hiked to a spot that could have possibly been similar to the place where Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount. Captain, Griff, and Wil all read the Sermon on the Mount while we sat and took everything in. It was awesome! The next thing we did was take a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. We sailed to the middle of the sea and sang and read different accounts of the Sea of Galilee. It was awesome!
Monday, March 17, 2008
St. Patricks Day!!!! The first thing that we did was visit Qumran. This is the place where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. We only got to see replicas of the scrolls but we'll get to see the real ones at the museum in Jerusalem. The next place we went to was Masada. Before we left for Israel Captain made us all watch the movie of Masada with Peter O'Toole. It was a ridiculous movie but in the end it helped me understand what Masada was all about. If you don't know the story of Masada, look it up. Its depressing but pretty interesting. We ended our day a the Dead Sea! Once getting to our hotel we got our bathing suits on and headed down to the beach. The Dead Sea is the lowest point of the earth and is made up of 33% salt... the ocean is only made up of 3%!!! Because it is so dense all you can do once in the water is float! Captain and DiMy brought us all some Dead Sea mud to put all over ourselves! It made for some pretty funny pictures! :)
I'll write about the Jordan part of our trip and Jerusalem later!!!!! I'll also make a post at the end that is just pictures so you can see everything!!!! Gotta go eat and plan free travel!! I love you all!!
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
When the lights go out...
So we have been finding out lately that here in Greece people like to go on strike... a lot. We have witnessed post office strikes, trash worker strikes, and the lateset- electric company strikes. Over the past two weeks without warning, we find ourselves in complete and total darkness, or without internet, lights, power points, etc. It hasn't been too bad lately because they've been turning it off during the daytime mostly but last night was a little different. While walking back to the hotel after studying for an upcoming test, my friend Lucas and I found ourselves on a very dark street with absolutely no light ahead. I, of course, freaked out until I realized that the electric companies had just decided to switch off the lights and that nothing was really out to get me. We slowly made it back to the hotel and found everyone in a panic, running around looking for candles, boys hiding behind doors and scaring the poo out of all the girls, you know your typical black-out occurances. Once all the comotion had died down we all gathered in the family room to exchange ghost stories. I am NOT a fan of ghost stories but for the sole reason of not wanting to be by myself in the dark I stayed to listen. After a few stories everyone was starting to freak out (one of the guys decided it would be funny to tell a story that had happened to him here a few weeks ago... not a smart move dude). Needless to say, we tried to get the subject changed and someone suggested that we blow out the candles and sing. We sang a few songs and then someone suggested "Blessed Be Your Name." I don't know if everyone else felt the same way I did but when we sang the line, "When the darkness closes in Lord, still I will say Blessed be the name of the Lord!" I felt the presence of the Lord there with us. All of my fears went away and I felt surrounded and protected. The next song we sang was "Light the Fire." This was one of my favorite parts of the evening because when we got to the chorus as soon as we said "Light the fire (light the fire), in my soul" the lights suddenly came back on! It was so cool. God is so Good!
"The Lord is my light and my salvation-- whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life-- of whom shall I be afraid?" Psalm 27: 1
"The Lord is my light and my salvation-- whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life-- of whom shall I be afraid?" Psalm 27: 1
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
The love of my life...
Yes... that is right. Dr. Pepper is the love of my life. As many of you know, it is impossible to get this beloved drink anywhere in Europe. Well, the reason I am writing about this is that Kyle's, one of the boys on our trip, mom came to visit this week and brought him some DP. This morning during music appreciation he had a bottle of it with him. Well, I didn't say anything but apparently the look on my face said it all because he caught my eye and very sweetly said, "Alana, do you want some?" I'm not even kidding, I almost cried. But I just wanted to let y'all in on one of my happier moments during this very stressful time before we leave for Israel.
The past few days we have been getting our orientation on Israel. We leave on Friday morning and will be there through March 24. While on this trip we will be traveling to Caesarea Maritima, Caesarea Phillipi, Sea of Galilee, Nazareth, Capernaum, Mt. of Beatitudes, Qumran, Dead Sea, Jerusalem, Mt. Zion, Temple Mount, Dome of the Rock, Wailing Wall, Hezekiah's tunnel, Mt of Olives, Bethesda, and the Via Dolorosa just to name a few. In addition to Israel, we will also be spending two days in the country of Jordan to see Mt Nebo and to spend a whole day in Petra. This has been the trip that I have been looking forward to since I decided to spend my semester here. We will be going places that I have only dreamed about visiting. I will be getting to walk where Jesus Christ walked. I will go where he was baptized, where he healed, performed miracles, preached, and where he eventually died! I can not even imagine what it will be like to stand on Golgatha and know that I was standing where my Savior sacrificed himself for me! I know that this will be an experience that I will never forget and that will change my life forever. I ask that you all pray for myself and my group that we will be safe and that we keep our hearts and minds open to everything that God has in store for us on this incredible journey!
I love you all so much! Thank you for all of your support!
Psalm 125:2
Monday, March 10, 2008
Peloponeese Pictures
The Corinthian Canal
The Bema-PAUL STOOD HERE!!!!!
Acts 18:12
Erastus- Acts 19:22
YAY! I made it to the top of the Acrocorinth!
Just doing a bit of rock climbing :)
Diving off the walls of the castle!
Look! We found a slide!
Blogger is being dumb... I'll put up more later! Love!
The Bema-PAUL STOOD HERE!!!!!
Acts 18:12
Erastus- Acts 19:22
YAY! I made it to the top of the Acrocorinth!
Just doing a bit of rock climbing :)
Diving off the walls of the castle!
Look! We found a slide!
Blogger is being dumb... I'll put up more later! Love!
The Peloponeese, Zakynthos, and Northern Greece
So I am incredibly sorry about the lack of posting lately! Things around here have been so busy and I have hardly had time to sit down and catch my breath! Over the past two and a half weeks I have been to the Peloponeese (southern Greece), the Island of Zakynthos, and the northern part of Greece. I'm gonna try to go day by day and fill you in on all of my exciting adventures!!!!! :) I'll put pictures up too so you can kind of get a feel for all the stuff I've been seeing!!!!
The Peloponeese
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
This morning we left for the Peloponeese. We had to be up and ready to go by 7 which meant waking up even earlier than that.... for those of you who know me well, this obviously wasn't fun. Well, as a kind of guilt offering the Myhans woke us up with the familiar smell of coffee and doughnuts... Duncan Doughnuts to be exact. So all in all it was almost worth it getting up that early. After picking up Katerina, our tour guide, we began our journey South. Our first stop was the Corinthian Canal. On the east side is hte Aegean Sea and on the west is the Ionian sea. The water was a perfect blue that made me feel a little better when I found out that it was a 250 ft drop down. My friend Sara is going bungee jumping there in April and she is trying her best to convince me to go too... Mom what do you think? :) After the canal we made our way to the ancient city of Corinth. Even though I had already been here once before it was still the part of our trip that I was looking forward too the most. This is one of the places that they know without a shadow of a doubt that Paul was. They even have one specific spot where he would have been. The Bema is where Paul would have stood when he was tried by Galleo in Acts 18:12-17. In never ceases to amaze me when I get to stand in places like these and know that I am where such amazing people of faith have been. We stood as a group and sang and prayed. It was really moving. Next we climbed the Acrocorinth. Like the Acropolis in Athens, the Acrocorinth was the highest point in ancient Corinth. We also saw the stones that prove the existence of Sosthenes (Acts 18:17) and Erastus (Acts 19:22, Romans 16:23, and II Timothy 4:20). I am so blessed!!
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Today was awesome!! We went to the picturesque village of Nafplio. This was the city that was the original capital of Greece before it was moved to Athens. We got to be explorers today as well! Over looking this little town was an awesome Venitian castle. After getting some information about the castle we were set free to explore the castle-- its dungeons, its views, and its deadly drop-offs (my personal fave!). We climbed all the way to the top and saw one of the most spectacular views I have ever seen. The bluest water I've ever seen, the town in the middle of the valley, and snow capped mountains in the distance. God is so incredible! So now I've found my castle, where's my prince????
Friday, February 22, 2008
Today we went to Olympia. We walked around this ancient city and saw the workshop of Phidias, the man who created the statue of Zeus (one of the seven wonders of the ancient world). It would have been so cool to see this statue but unfortunately no one knows what happened to it. We did get to see a model of what it would have looked like and it was incredible! The ruins of the temple of Zeus were awesome as well. After a while all the ruins start looking the same but looking at the fallen pillars of this temple was really impressive. We also got to see the oldest preserved temple- Hera's temple. We also saw her alter where the Olympic torch is lit every 4 years. My favorite part of this day was getting to see the original stadium of Olympia! We took turns running the length of the field that held the very first Olympic games!!!
Apart from getting to see all of these wonderful places this trip was blessing because of the relationships I've formed. Our group of girls has started meeting every Wednesday night to have a devo/talk time/girl time with each other. We had one on Wednesday night and it, of course, turned into an emotional sharing time. We went around in random order and had to talk about who we are. Our fears, our passions, anything that was on our hearts at the time. I feel so close to this girls now and thinking about it brings tears to my eyes. I got to know so much about these girls and realized that we are not alone in our feelings of insecurity and lonliness and. I am so blessed not only to have a wonderful group of Godly girls to laugh with but also to cry with. I have had so many conversations about faith instead of the latest gossip and have shared books that have lifted up and inspired. I love these girls!
Zakynthos
Since this year was a Leap Year, we got that Friday off. Since we got that day off we were allowed to have a three day weekend to have a sort of mini free travel. Myself along with 6 others decided to visit Zakynthos, an island in the Ionian Sea. We took a bus to the port and then took a ferry to the island. Friday afternoon we just spent walking around the little town and exploring its shops. Saturday we headed for the beach. It wasn't really as warm as we were expecting it to be but it was enough for a bathing suit and skirt most of the time. Since it is the off season for tourism we basically had the beach to ourselves other than the occasional jogger and fisherman. The boys decided to climb the mountain that was right off the beach while the girls chilled on the sand. Lacey and I, however, decided that it was not a day for laying out but for exploring this new and exciting place! We felt like kids again, exploring the beach, finding cool shells and rocks in the water, finding coves, rock climbing (in a skirt and bare feet--impressed?) and playing the the crystal clear water. It was one of those moments that could not have been ruined. Lacey is one of my closest friends here this semester and it was so much fun spending this time with her. After the beach we got all dressed up and went and ate and then spent the rest of the evening watching movies and just having a relaxing weekend. We headed home on Sunday morning and got there in just enough time to pack and get ready for our trip to Northern Greece the next day!
Northern Greece
Northern Greece definitly wore me out. We went to Delphi (center of the ancient world), Kalambaka, Philippi (saw the jail where Paul and Silas would have been), Neapolis, Pella and everything inbetween!! It was a fun trip but definitly not my favorite. I'm not sure why but we didn't seem to do much. It felt like we were on the bus for more of the time then we were off of it. Our tour guide was a little nutty, and Captain and DiMy weren't there. Don't get me wrong, I am so glad that I went and was able to see all of these wonderful places and I will definitly never forget it! I'm sorry this is such a short description but give me some time to rest up from it and I'll fill you in on all the details!!!
I'm so sorry that I have been absolutely horrible at posting lately!! I WILL get better! I promise!! We leave for Israel next Friday and as far as we know we are still going to be able to go and will not be close to any of the recent happenings. Pray for our group as we travel and pray for the people that we will meeting and interacting with during our time in Israel. I love you all so much!
"Be joyful ALWAYS; pray CONTINUALLY; give thanks in ALL circumstances, for this is GOD'S WILL for you in Christ Jesus." I Thessalonians 5:16-18
The Peloponeese
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
This morning we left for the Peloponeese. We had to be up and ready to go by 7 which meant waking up even earlier than that.... for those of you who know me well, this obviously wasn't fun. Well, as a kind of guilt offering the Myhans woke us up with the familiar smell of coffee and doughnuts... Duncan Doughnuts to be exact. So all in all it was almost worth it getting up that early. After picking up Katerina, our tour guide, we began our journey South. Our first stop was the Corinthian Canal. On the east side is hte Aegean Sea and on the west is the Ionian sea. The water was a perfect blue that made me feel a little better when I found out that it was a 250 ft drop down. My friend Sara is going bungee jumping there in April and she is trying her best to convince me to go too... Mom what do you think? :) After the canal we made our way to the ancient city of Corinth. Even though I had already been here once before it was still the part of our trip that I was looking forward too the most. This is one of the places that they know without a shadow of a doubt that Paul was. They even have one specific spot where he would have been. The Bema is where Paul would have stood when he was tried by Galleo in Acts 18:12-17. In never ceases to amaze me when I get to stand in places like these and know that I am where such amazing people of faith have been. We stood as a group and sang and prayed. It was really moving. Next we climbed the Acrocorinth. Like the Acropolis in Athens, the Acrocorinth was the highest point in ancient Corinth. We also saw the stones that prove the existence of Sosthenes (Acts 18:17) and Erastus (Acts 19:22, Romans 16:23, and II Timothy 4:20). I am so blessed!!
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Today was awesome!! We went to the picturesque village of Nafplio. This was the city that was the original capital of Greece before it was moved to Athens. We got to be explorers today as well! Over looking this little town was an awesome Venitian castle. After getting some information about the castle we were set free to explore the castle-- its dungeons, its views, and its deadly drop-offs (my personal fave!). We climbed all the way to the top and saw one of the most spectacular views I have ever seen. The bluest water I've ever seen, the town in the middle of the valley, and snow capped mountains in the distance. God is so incredible! So now I've found my castle, where's my prince????
Friday, February 22, 2008
Today we went to Olympia. We walked around this ancient city and saw the workshop of Phidias, the man who created the statue of Zeus (one of the seven wonders of the ancient world). It would have been so cool to see this statue but unfortunately no one knows what happened to it. We did get to see a model of what it would have looked like and it was incredible! The ruins of the temple of Zeus were awesome as well. After a while all the ruins start looking the same but looking at the fallen pillars of this temple was really impressive. We also got to see the oldest preserved temple- Hera's temple. We also saw her alter where the Olympic torch is lit every 4 years. My favorite part of this day was getting to see the original stadium of Olympia! We took turns running the length of the field that held the very first Olympic games!!!
Apart from getting to see all of these wonderful places this trip was blessing because of the relationships I've formed. Our group of girls has started meeting every Wednesday night to have a devo/talk time/girl time with each other. We had one on Wednesday night and it, of course, turned into an emotional sharing time. We went around in random order and had to talk about who we are. Our fears, our passions, anything that was on our hearts at the time. I feel so close to this girls now and thinking about it brings tears to my eyes. I got to know so much about these girls and realized that we are not alone in our feelings of insecurity and lonliness and. I am so blessed not only to have a wonderful group of Godly girls to laugh with but also to cry with. I have had so many conversations about faith instead of the latest gossip and have shared books that have lifted up and inspired. I love these girls!
Zakynthos
Since this year was a Leap Year, we got that Friday off. Since we got that day off we were allowed to have a three day weekend to have a sort of mini free travel. Myself along with 6 others decided to visit Zakynthos, an island in the Ionian Sea. We took a bus to the port and then took a ferry to the island. Friday afternoon we just spent walking around the little town and exploring its shops. Saturday we headed for the beach. It wasn't really as warm as we were expecting it to be but it was enough for a bathing suit and skirt most of the time. Since it is the off season for tourism we basically had the beach to ourselves other than the occasional jogger and fisherman. The boys decided to climb the mountain that was right off the beach while the girls chilled on the sand. Lacey and I, however, decided that it was not a day for laying out but for exploring this new and exciting place! We felt like kids again, exploring the beach, finding cool shells and rocks in the water, finding coves, rock climbing (in a skirt and bare feet--impressed?) and playing the the crystal clear water. It was one of those moments that could not have been ruined. Lacey is one of my closest friends here this semester and it was so much fun spending this time with her. After the beach we got all dressed up and went and ate and then spent the rest of the evening watching movies and just having a relaxing weekend. We headed home on Sunday morning and got there in just enough time to pack and get ready for our trip to Northern Greece the next day!
Northern Greece
Northern Greece definitly wore me out. We went to Delphi (center of the ancient world), Kalambaka, Philippi (saw the jail where Paul and Silas would have been), Neapolis, Pella and everything inbetween!! It was a fun trip but definitly not my favorite. I'm not sure why but we didn't seem to do much. It felt like we were on the bus for more of the time then we were off of it. Our tour guide was a little nutty, and Captain and DiMy weren't there. Don't get me wrong, I am so glad that I went and was able to see all of these wonderful places and I will definitly never forget it! I'm sorry this is such a short description but give me some time to rest up from it and I'll fill you in on all the details!!!
I'm so sorry that I have been absolutely horrible at posting lately!! I WILL get better! I promise!! We leave for Israel next Friday and as far as we know we are still going to be able to go and will not be close to any of the recent happenings. Pray for our group as we travel and pray for the people that we will meeting and interacting with during our time in Israel. I love you all so much!
"Be joyful ALWAYS; pray CONTINUALLY; give thanks in ALL circumstances, for this is GOD'S WILL for you in Christ Jesus." I Thessalonians 5:16-18
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