Day 05 - Ephesus, Turkish Rug Shop, Ephesus Museum

We started our day with an inspirational message by Jason and his wife, Carmen. God still works in miracles!! Then we traveled to ruined city of Ephesus, which was an incredibly wealthy Roman city in the first century. We toured the homes of ancient wealthy citizens and observed the opulent lifestyle of the rich and famous... or what’s left of their homes. They were complete with bath houses, elaborate plumbing and mosaics for tiles. When the apostle Paul entered this city, he found an active culture of cult worship to goddess Artemis. He threatened the way of life for the tradesmen with his message of salvation. I can only imagine the theater being full of people screaming at the top of their lungs for two hours “great is Artemis of the Ephesians!!" (Acts 19).

We then had lunch at a charming rural cafe that catered to those interested in buying Turkish rugs. They were stunningly  beautiful!! And such a deal!

Next we visited a museum to check out the treasures that were hidden under mounds of dirt for centuries. We ended our day with a summary by Terry of the contrast between the ruins of the temple of Artemis (noting only one column left out of 127) and the faithfulness of our God remains throughout centuries. His love endures forever.