the cloth God weaves...

As we were traveling through Konya a few days ago, we were able to visit the Mevlana Museum. This is a shrine to the poet and mystic, Rumi. 

This morning, Becca gave a wonderful devotion and read this poem, so we wanted to share it. 

 

Every Tree by Rumi

Every tree, every growing thing as it grows, 

says this truth: You harvest what you sow.

With life as short a a half-taken breath,

don't plant anything but love.

The value of a human being can be measured

by what he or she most deeply wants. 

Be free of possessing things.

Sit at an empty table.

Be pleased with water, the taste of being home.

People travel the world looking for the friend,
but that one is always at home.

Jesus moves quickly to Mary.

A donkey stops to smell the urine of another donkey.
There are simple reasons for what happens.

You won't stay clear if you sit for long
with the one who pours wine.

Someone with a cup of honey in hand

rarely has a sour face.

If someone says a eulogy,
there must be a funeral nearby. 

A rose opens because she is the fragrance she loves.

We speak poems,

and lovers down the centuries will keep saying them.
The cloth God weaves doesn't wear out.

 

It has been a wonderful day in Istanbul. We visited the Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sophia, the Underground Cisterns, and the Archeological Museum. We walked through the streets of Istanbul and took in the sights and sounds of this vibrant city.

Today we also celebrated three birthday's (including mine)! In reflecting on the cloth that God weaves, it's pretty incredible to find two other travel companions to share a birthday with and to be surrounded by such a fabulous group of people. We all were brought here on this trip for different reasons and it has been an incredible journey to discover what these reasons were. It has also been a journey to discover the many ways in which we are all connected. Today was another fun connection as I sat at the table with Liesebet and John with a large chocolate cake with candles and sparklers and our friends singing all around us. 

Today as been a beautiful day and one filled with many blessings. We are continuing this journey through Istanbul, but we will also continue this journey as we head back to our homes. The cloth that God weaves does not run out, and it is a joy-filled day to be weaved into the fabric with the history of Istanbul and the hearts of this group. Our patterns have been weaved together and this journey has been a blessed one. 

Peace,

  Ashley

 

 

 

 

 

Between Two Worlds

We have arrived in Istanbul; an incredibly beautiful and majestic city. The large city walls and gates of what was before, and the modern landscape of what is are meshed together throughout the city. You have cobblestone streets alongside paved roads, buildings that are hundreds of years old and those that were built within the last twenty years. They all have come together, here in Istanbul, and it's a beautiful and captivating example of these two worlds combined here in Turkey. Most of the other cities and adventures have taken us to ancient sites, which sit nestled on the outside of what is now the modern cities.

The sites and landscape here in Istanbul is a beautiful reminder of what was, what is, and what will be. It truly is mesmerizing  and today we get to explore so much more!

Peace,
 Ashley

Another Trip, Another Planet

Yesterday afternoon marked a turning point for our trip. After five days of fast-paced sightseeing through ancient cities, with long drives and frequent stops, yesterday began a change of pace. It’s as if our first trip has ended and the first day of our second trip started when we arrived at Cappadocia. Finally, we will spend more than one night at the same hotel (2!) and deal with no more long bus rides. Although, to this point the topography of Turkey has been spectacular as seen from a bus window. We’ve driven through rolling green mountains, olive groves, vineyards, wide meadows, rocky canyons, and snowcapped volcanoes. But nothing could have prepared us for what awaited in Cappadocia.

The landscape here looks like another planet, with huge, conical rock formations rising from the earth everywhere and canyons that look like they have been folded over a dozen times. Being here is far different from the pictures I saw in the books and I’m afraid even the pictures we put up will not quite do it justice. Each of the volcanic formations had carved out caves and holes that have been used by monks and residents of Cappadocia for centuries. Even our hotel here resembles a cave.

Yesterday we visited the Goreme Open Air Museum, filled with monastic dwellings and churches from the 10^th-13^th centuries. Some of the “cave churches” contained intricate and colorful frescoes and others rudimentary drawings. It would have been easy to spend hours staring at the array of art here, but unfortunately we were limited to just a few minutes in each. Today we toured an underground city carved out of the volcanic rock with winding tunnels and a labyrinth of rooms.
This morning’s hot air balloon ride was a HIGH point of the trip for many. Travelling 1000 meters above the ground, we were just one of over a hundred balloons launched from a nearby valley. The combination of the incredible land features, the parade of balloons, and the sun rising over the valley made the 3:45 wake up call worth it. We celebrated a successful landing by popping a bottle of champagne and receiving certificates of completion. It was said that this is a once in a lifetime experience, and it is easy to see why.
Now it’s off to bed with the now familiar songs of Muslim call to prayer blaring from the local mosque. Tomorrow we’re off to Istanbul, our last city in this trip.

Peace,
Drew Yoos
Junior, M.Div

3:45am wake-up call in Cappadocia

Many of us awoke this morning at 3:45 in order to be ready to depart our hotel for a hot air balloon ride at sunrise. It was an incredible experience. We have now been awake for over 17 hours and we have hit that silly-incoherent part of sleep deprivation. We are having a hard time forming sentences without breaking into laughter, so a real post will be updated tomorrow. In the meantime, here are a few pictures from our morning adventure!!

Peace,
  Ashley

Champions for an afternoon.

The 30,000 seat stadium sat almost empty in the early afternoon sun as tour groups from all over the world walked through its crumbled outer wall.  We took our places in the upper seats as our tour guide gave us an over view of the Roman stadium of the city of Aphrodisias.  When Rome was in power the place was alive with spectators and competitors, dust and sweat, death and glory.  Grass and weeds have now over taken the seats.  Parts of the once magnificent façade lay broken.  The seats of honor sit empty.  As I listened to our guide tell its story, I tried to imagine the days of glory that the stadium must have known before it’s fade into the distant past.

As our guide finished his storytelling, someone suggested that a few people go down to the stadiums field level and take a lap.  Not wishing to miss a once in a lifetime opportunity, a few of us rose to the occasion.  We walked down the uneven stone steps to the dusty field.  The early afternoon sun beat down upon us.  The wind lay quiet.  As we took our place in the midst of a nearly empty stadium, the echoes of voices from generations past seemed to rise and cheer us on.  There were competitors in the stadium once again. 

After a near dead sprint down the 250 yard field we were all winded, but triumphant.  The cheers of our traveling companions were lost in the distance.  For a brief moment we were victorious in one of Rome’s largest stadiums.  Our slow walk back across the field was carried out with heads held high.  As we approached mid-field, we took a moment to bow to the empty seats of honor.  The echoes of ages past faded as we walked back through the crumbled wall.  We returned to the ancient city to continue our tour as champions!

The journey across Turkey has been filled with amazing tours and opportunities.  We have seen firsthand the propaganda of empire within which the early church spread the Gospel.  We have performed in theatres to the applause of people from all over the world.  We have competed in crumbled stadiums.    

The pictures do not do this place justice.  The experiences will not soon fade and the lessons learned on this journey will continue to shape my ministry into the future.  I am looking forward to the days ahead.  In the morning we will greet the morning sun in hot air balloons over the unique landscape of Cappadocia.

Peace be the journey,

Travis Meier, 2013 Graduate of LSTC

Future Associate Pastor of Bethany Lutheran Church, Fredericksburg, Texas       

Journeying together

We have been together on this trip for a week now.  We stayed along the Mediterranean Sea last night and had the music from a beautiful wedding on the terrace lulling us to sleep. We left Perga and made our way North. As we made the long trek through the mountains and beautiful valleys today, many of us were in awe at the beautiful and expansive landscape. We spent about six hours traveling by bus to get to Konya this evening and it was a neat experience to see the different interactions between people.

This trip is truly bringing people from all walks of life to journey in this adventure together. As we explore these ancient sites, I continue to be in awe at the breadth of knowledge of our professors, Dr. Rossing and Dr. Menn, and our incredible tour guide Macit. I am also in awe at the curiosity and knowledge of so many of my fellow seminarians and new friends on this trip. Several people led a book review of one of our 'required readings' on the bus today and it sparked some very interesting discussion. One that we actually had to put on hold because we were arriving to our lunch stop and couldn't sit on the bus anymore. Each site we go to, you can see and hear the different interests and passions people have for these pieces of history and biblical scholarship.

New friendships are being formed and we are journeying together not just as students, professors, spouses, alumni, parishioners, and pastors but as friends and people of God. We sang in four-part harmony in worship this evening, we broke bread and prayed with each other; the wind came through and the spirit was moving. This trip has been an incredible journey; but the people we have met along the way have also been an important part of this journey.

We head for Cappadocia tomorrow! 

Peace,
  Ashley

Hierapolis/Aphrodisias pictures

The travertine terraces of Hierapolis

The travertine terraces of Hierapolis

Standing in the healing waters

The Gate to Hell

Dr. Esther Menn afraid as she is standing close to the Gate of Hell

Joe and Sara afraid as they stand by the Gate of Hell

The theatre being restored at Hierapolis

The theatre being restored at Hierapolis

Climbing the hill to Martyrion of Philip

The great run through the stadium at Aphrodisias

Dr. Esther Menn running in the stadium with a roaring crowd

The men waving to the crowd in the stadium at Aphrodisias

Aphrodisias

The largest and best preserved Necropolis (cemetery) in all of Turkey,

The largest and best preserved Necropolis (cemetery) in all of Turkey,

Priene/Miletus/Laodicea Pictures

Travis in the theatre at Priene

Joe in the theatre at Priene

Justin and Drew performing as Peter and Paul in the Priene theatre

Liesebet and Ashley performing as Lydia and Friend in the Priene theatre

Josh performing a monologue from Tartuffe at the Priene theatre

Janice preaching at Priene

Reading and translating Greek inscriptions at the Temple of Athena in Priene

The theatre at Miletus where Paul spoke to the Ephesian elders.

Joe and Drew

Miletus

Miletus

Found on a column at Laodicea

Laodicea in the process of new excavations.

Laodicea

Bath House in Miletus

Becca and Sara as Lucy and Susan on 'Aslan'

Ephesus Pictures

Most of the group sitting in the Great Theatre of Ephesus

Most of the group sitting in St. John's church

A few of us from the 'Preaching the Gospel of John' class

The Baptistry at St. John's church

Dr. Barbara Rossing translating an inscription

Travis, Justin, and Joe

Becca and Ashley

One of the Terrace Houses being restored

The Library

Let's go to the Agora (the mall)!

Performing a number from the musical, Paul and the Early Church, in the Great Theatre!

Performing a number from the musical, Paul and the Early Church, in the Great Theatre!

This menorah can be found in front of the library at Ephesus