I had the spectacular opportunity of spending the past week in TURKEY!!! Yes, that is right, for school I get to go on field trips to Turkey. Oh my, it was such a wonderful experience and the things that I learned and experienced will forever change how I live my life. Here is just a quick little list of some of the funny things that I learned while in Turkey: come to find out I am a picky eater (meats that cannot be identified are not worth eating); egg plant is slimy and disgusting; rain makes a country so much more beautiful; buss rides can be extremely fun and exciting if filled with dance parties, AJ stories, guess that song, and Brother Harper's endless knowledge; and that I absolutely love every single person that is here on this trip. It definitely was a "bonding" seven days together. So... here we go. This will be a little insight into the past week of my life. ENJOY!
WELCOME TO ISTANBUL!!! We flew into Istanbul which is a magnificent city. We were so excited to finally be there and we trilled for the adventures ahead.
This is the BEST CLASS EVER in front of the Suleymaniye Mosque. On Monday we visited this Mosque and got our first taste of how beautiful these buildings can be.
HOW BIZARRE IS THE GRAND BAZAAR?
There is this place in Istanbul that is called the Grand Bazaar. It is like a mall but 100 times cooler. It is similar to an enclosed market and is full of people selling all sorts of things. I really like this because it was clean and there were so many interesting things to be seen.
TURKISH DELIGHT IN TURKEY! This was our tour guide, FATIH. He was wonderful. So fun and taught us a lot. He even joined in on some of the jam sessions on the bus. He gave each of us our first Turkish Delight... Pistachio was my favorite flavor but oddly enough, other than that I don't really like Turkish Delight.
Topkapi Palace: this palace is located along the bank of the Bosporus Strait (the water in the background). It was a beautiful and never-ending palace. I think my favorite part of this palace was the 86 karat diamond that was on display. WOW!!!
Basilica Cistern: we have visited a lot of cisterns in the past few weeks but I must say that this is the most magnificent cistern that I have ever, and probably will ever, see. AMAZING! The Basilica Cistern has 336 thick columns made of marble and granite that hold up the ground. It can hold up to 2,800,000 cubic feet of water. 
The Hippodrome: The Hippodrome originally was a large race track built for Chariot Races. Back in the day, this stadium could old up to 100,000 spectators. However, today it just looks like the rest of the city with three main monuments. So we had to go back to our childhood days and just imagine what this magnificent race track would have looked like. But on the upside of things... another great CLASS PICTURE!!! Lookin' good guys!
Gallipoli: Isn't this the most beautiful picture ever? Gallipoli was stunningly amazing. Blue water, stark mountains and colorful flowers. Such a sight to be seen. Gallipoli was the sight of a famous World War 1 battle. One of the monuments there said, "Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives... you are now living in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side here in this country of ours... you, the mothers. Who sent their sons from far away countries wipe away your tears; your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well." -Ataturk 1934. I just loved those words and the peace this country sent to the mothers. 
TROY: Most famous for Trojan War. Story goes that Paris (the prince of Troy) kidnapped Helen (known as the most beautiful woman in the world) and took her to Troy. The Greeks sent their entire navy to rescue Helen. It ended with the "peace offering" of a wooden horse that was actually a trick. The Greeks had hid inside and when the night came they left the horse and won the war.
Sunsets are my favorite and this sunset over the Aegean Sea was stunning. Our hotel was right on the beach and we had our own pier. The best part about this night was the fact that we had a bon fire / dance party. SO FUN! The hotel set everything up to have a bonfire and then brought out some big speakers and we all danced the night away. Best "spring break" EVER!!!
ASSOS: aka the most beautiful place in this world!!! This was probably my favorite place of the entire trip. The scenery was amazing. We were at the top of a hill overlooking the Aegean Sea and off in the distance we could see the mountain range of Greece. The picture on the left is of my best friend Lauren and myself. She is just the greatest.
Ephesus: such a magnificent ancient city. This is Sarah and I standing in front of the Library. The story that takes place in Acts 19 most likely took place here in Ephesus. We had a fun time acting out the story in the theatre at Ephesus. Everyone got involved and it was quite the event. SO FUN!
NICEA: the famous place where the Emperor Constantine gathered the leaders of the early Christian Church for the Council of Nicea.
HAGIA SOPHIA: Coolest building ever. So magnificent. It was constructed by the Emperor Justinian over the ruins of two previous churches of the same name. Such a cool experience and definitely the perfect way to end our journey here in Turkey. We got some sweet floor pictures. Love how they turned out!
SULTANAHMET MOSQUE (BLUE MOSQUE): The Blue Mosque was stunningly amazing with over 20,000 blue tiles decorating the inside. In this picture you can kind of see the amazing stain glass windows that also make this Mosque special. This is my friend Robert. He is just the greatest!
I just have to end this post with one last picture! These two men are two of the greatest men that I have ever met in my life. They have such a deep knowledge and understanding of the gospel and this land. Brother Ludlow (left) is my Ancient Near East Teacher and he never fails to make me laugh. Brother Harper (right) is my Old Testament teacher and has more knowledge concerning scripture than anyone I have ever met. He is the greatest and has given me a desire to learn. But most of all, I want to thank these teachers for being so willing to leave their families for a week just to teach us and help us experience such magnificent things. They truly are examples of selfless service. Thank you for all that you do!
In the end, I just want to share one thing that Brother Harper has shared with me. Every day (even multiple times a day), he poses the question, "What do you know and how do you know it?" This simple question has caused me to search deeply what I know and how I know it. My desire to search the scriptures and learn and grow has been deeply strengthened. So my challenge today is to ask yourself, "WHAT DO YOU KNOW AND HOW DO YOU KNOW IT?"
No comments:
Post a Comment