Day 09 - Cappadocia

Throughout our travels,  our group has wrestled with how to respond to persecution. We were presented with a number of options including fight, die, or flee! I knew when we learned of Philip’s martyrdom that I would likely be in the running crowd and felt ashamed for it. My inner prosecutor screamed “coward”!

But our first stop at Derinkuyu Underground City brought me comfort. Those who fled did not always have ease. And it was God’s good pleasure to use the weak to show His might. As we learned from Acts, the advancement of the gospel will not be hindered, even by those with small faith. How good to be reminded that our Rabbi, along with other great saints of the past, fled persecution and were instructed to do so.

The underground refuge may have provided safety - but is was only a place to survive, not thrive. As Marty huddled us deep underground into a small cavern area shaped like a cross, in dimly lit seclusion, he painted a vivid picture: men, women and children in complete darkness, with a limited water source, a starvation diet, living in total silence with nothing to do but wait for intruders to kill them or for the all-clear signal to release them. This could go on for days, weeks, and even months with one historical account numbering two years.

Under such intense conditions, I kept asking myself, “How did they keep from going mad?”  Then it struck me - perhaps the supernatural power of the presence of God and the shared suffering of His people buoyed them through the storm. Oh, to know the power of that kind of presence! Marty challenged us that the sacrifice these believers made by preserving the faith for us is honored by how we choose to live when we return home.  And these very saints have joined the great cloud of witnesses that now cheer us on as we run to fight or flight! Due to claustrophobia, I bailed on an offer to go deeper into the cave but rumor has it that those who braved the narrow tunnels received a surprising “lost” lesson from Marty.   

We then had some amazing photo opportunities. First in Gore, where the Muslims from Greece lived after being traded for Christians by Turkey and then on to Nevsehir where a new underground city was found five years ago. A quick stop at Beyzade scratched our itch for shopping with purchases of (more) Turkish Delight, perfumes, nuts, candies, and coffee. Then we are off to Pigeon Valley where we saw lots of pigeons! And we learned fun facts like pigeons have the second best poop in the world for fertilizer! The village is filled with pigeon houses where said poop is gathered. And this is what make pigeons an important symbol of Turkey.  Lunch at the Montana Café and Restaurant, owned by our Turkish guide’s dear old friend, not only provided a beautiful view but we all agreed the best lamb (pronounce lam-b) we have ever eaten.

At the Goreme Open Air Musuem, we had a fly over lesson of the general movement of church history over the first one thousand years.  As we walked through only a handful of the 2,200 churches uncovered here, we were able to see the impact of the church losing the influence of its Jewish roots. Without the presence of Jewish brothers and sisters, Christians lost connection with people who knew the text, lived in authentic community, had already launched a successful discipleship strategy and were not afraid to wrestle with the mysteries of God.

In a highly illiterate culture, we saw how art in each chapel showcased different periods of history and religious thought. In exploring the Basil Church (375 AD), we saw the artwork conveying the story of the gospel through the faith of spiritual heroes and most of these churches acted as tombs as well. In Apples Church (550 AD), we “read” the walls which shifted to portraying actual Bible stories. In the Dark Church (700 AD), we “read” the shift from Bible stories to teaching doctrine through an emphasis on symbols and images. And finally in Buckle Church (1100 AD), we see a correction back to more Bible as the artists worked hard to teach the text.

There were so many implications for what we learned, but my takeaway was this: Since listening to BEMA, I’ve wondered why so much of the story has a been absent in my Christian education and training. Now I know!