Day 06 - Miletus and Didyma

The last day on tour is always bittersweet. Our gratitude to God continued this morning regarding the weather. A thunderstorm rolled through during the night and the rain continued at breakfast and on our drive to the first site. Just as we turned left into the site, the rain stopped! We were able to visit Miletus without any umbrellas or ponchos.

If Miletus sounds familiar to you, it’s because that is the city where Paul said goodbye to the elders of the Ephesian church. Acts 20 records his farewell speech. The phrase that stuck with our group was in verse 20 and again in verse 27.

“You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house... For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God.”

Paul held nothing back when speaking the truth to the Ephesians. He had spent about 3 years of his life with these people, and the investment in others brought great return. “They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him. What grieved them most his statement that they would never see his face again...”

As we sat on the seats of the Miletus theater, Dr. Hill taught on the passage and about seasons of life. A good analogy for life, especially in ministry, is that it is like the tide – there are seasons when it is coming in and others when it is going out, and we must accept both. We must pass the baton to the next generation, which is what Paul did here at Miletus.

After some sharing time, Dr. Hill asked our staff member Dot to pray for us. This was especially meaningful as she turned 80 this week and is retiring from GTI. Thank you, Dot, for all you’ve contributed to GTI over these last 20+ years. God bless you and your family!

After a brief tea and coffee time, we moved on to our last site, Didyma. Didyma means “twin”, referring to Apollo and Athena who were supposedly born in this area. The massive temple we approached was dedicated to Apollo. It had 122 columns at 60’ in height and about 8’ in diameter. They used and worked on this temple for over 500 years, yet it was never finished! This is where the “Oracle of Dydima” lived and prophesied, second only to the “Oracle of Delphi” in Greece. People would come from miles away, pay money, and wait for the prophetess to give them a “yes” or “no” answer. Dr. Hill talked about how we have full access to the throne of God; is prayer our first option or our last resort?

Hebrews 4:14-16 reminds us, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in us in our time of need.”

We all enjoyed a farewell dinner tonight at a local seafood restaurant. There was bread with various dips, shrimp appetizer, calamari, and sea bass, with fresh fruit for dessert. What a great way to finish off this spectacular trip with a flourish!

Turkey is an amazing country with friendly people, delicious food, and beautiful views and sites. We have only begun to feel the impact on our hearts and spirits. Thanks for following our tour! May we have eyes to see, ears to hear, and the courage to obey what God has spoken to us.