Day 08 - Lystra

Tel Lystra on to Cappadocia

It was a short stay at the lovely Anamas Hotel in Konia. After our early breakfast, we met on the hotel green turf patio with the growing city as a backdrop for our morning devotional. There’s always a rabbi story and quotes to ponder before we say the Jesus Shema and head out. 

Our site today is Marty‘s favorite: Lystra. We’ve traveled far to get here - and that’s the point. Paul put over 10,000 miles in his lifelong missionary journeys and he came to the site at least four times, so it is significant. 

Lystra was planted by Rome with many soldiers from Lyconium. They intended to build a colony or ecclesia with allegiance to Rome. It had a population of approximately 3000 to 4000 people, and this is Shammai country. 

Today Lystra is a large hill or tel that has recently become a funded active archaeological dig site.

Marty is both overjoyed and crushed …and we just got off the bus.

Doreen shared the myth of Baucis and Philemon, reminiscent of Sodom and Gomorrah, another cautionary tale of botched hospitality. It’s pertinent here because the myth involves Zeus (giver of good news) and Hermes (bringer of good news) - and how the people of Lystra saw Barnabas and Paul (Acts 14).

With that knowledge, plus Paul’s remez of Psalm 93 and review on the steps taken to stone a person, we were prepared to climb Tel Lystra.

At the summit, we were greeted by Turkish archaeology students who basically asked us to leave. Marty was very respectful and polite – abiding by their terms, and we walked down the same way we came, this time escorted by a dig representative.

To say Marty was frustrated is an understatement. He uses the term “fired up”.

Ironically – he read us a quote by Agustine this morning:

“Hope has two beautiful daughters. Their names are Anger and Courage. Anger at the way things are, and Courage to see that they do not remain the way that they are.”

Kristin let us in a prayer for Marty. He then gathered his thoughts and found courage and perseverance to lead us in a beautiful study of Paul’s disciple, Timothy, the Mamzer from Lystra, (who eventually becomes the pastor to the largest church in Asia. Minor: Ephesus.)

He closed by saying, “ Fellow Mamzers. There is not a whole lot that we bring to the table that makes a great case for God needing to use us as partners, but he does it anyway. Brothers and sisters: look for the Mamzers. God loves Mamzers. They’re usually easy to find with a checked out glazed look in their eye.”

We enjoyed extended, teaching, and Q&A on the bus (ethical codes, how tricky the rules can be, the Mamzer exception and more!). We were refreshed at a leisurely gas station pit stop (because there was only one women’s bathroom stall) - then headed back on the bus to lunch.

Lunch was at a beautiful restaurant called Mehmet Usta in Aksaray - where the women would note it had the “bougiest” bathroom in Türkiye yet.. almost IG worthy! Apparently men had a different setup? 

And now we’re at our final hotel in Cappadocia - and it’s just amazing! Utopia Cave Cappadocia. We are truly blessed!

Grace & Peace,

- Kim Thure