Day 04 - West Central Turkey: Hierapolis, Colossae, Laodicea

Perspective matters.

This morning our perspectives changed, at least for eighteen of us. As we climbed into the hot-air balloon a short distance away from Laodicea, many in our group did not know what to expect. There were dozens of other balloons full of spectators that all lifted off at the same time and soon the sky was dotted with beautiful balloons, just as the sun peaked over the mountains.

We were treated to a view of the Lycus River Valley and a unique perspective of the routes traversed by many of the apostles of Jesus themselves. It was an awe-inspiring way to start the day.

Our group ventured to Hieropolis for our first site of the day. This expansive site has the largest known cemetery in the Roman Empire, a well-preserved theater, mineral baths, and the Martyrium of St. Philip. We spent hours at the site and discovered a treasure trove of history and significant events. It started to heat up as we left the site, and the race was on (to beat the heat).

Our next stop was the höyük (hill or tel as they are called in Israel) where the ancient city of Colossae lies. Unfortunately, no excavations have started yet but we can still learn much about the people who lived here by examining their lives through scripture, knowing that we stood in the place where the stories happened. While we were there we discussed the relationships between Paul, Onesimus, and Philemon as well as how Scripture defines family structure in light of Roman cultural expectations. It was an enlightening day.

Our journey continued in Laodicea and we lost our race against the heat. It was over 100 when we arrived and we moved quickly through the site in the interest of everyone in our group. One of the largest excavated sites in all of Turkey, Laodicea is impossible to go through quickly and our group was fantastic, moving quickly, and engaging attentively at our different teaching stops. We saved one teaching for the bus and they were all thankful for the AC.

It was a long day, full of adventures, lessons, and new perspectives.