Day 04 - Hot Air Balloon Ride over Pammukale, Laodicea, Colossae, Hieropolis

Day four of our Turkey Tour started early for most of us with a hot air balloon ride!

After an interesting bus ride, our crew of 13, plus four additional passengers and two pilots loaded into the basket. It was an amazing experience to see the beautiful Turkish countryside and mountains from the sky! Afterwards, we headed back to the hotel to grab breakfast and pickup our remaining tour companion.

Our first stop of the day was to Laodicea, the seventh church in John’s letters of Revelation. This city has origins dating back to 4,000-3,000 BC and having up to 120,000 people at one point. The main road headed east towards Syria and west towards Ephesus. Seeing what has been uncovered of this beautiful city helped to put into perspective the mindset of the seemingly self-sufficient people as they read John’s words to them. There have been 13 churches found in Laodecia to date, meaning the people read John’s letter and changed their way of life!

Our second stop was to Colossae, which has yet to be excavated. We stood atop the city while Pastor Josh read Paul’s letter to the Colossians.

After stopping for lunch by a waterfall we headed to our third destination of the day, Hierapolis. Outside the city was a necropolis, filled with tens of thousands of sarcophagi that you would have to walk to before entering the city. After a strenuous hike in the mid-day heat, we made it to the Martyrium of St. Philip. It is believed this octagon-shaped area was built for the disciple Philip after his crucifixion. Hierapolis was filled with people looking to be healed by the thermal springs and the governor did not like that Philip healed his wife with prayer. We were also able to walk over to Philip’s tomb, where he was laid to rest long before the Martyrium was built. The legacy of Philip’s death spoke to the legacy we can leave to our children and those we love. Philip did not anticipate a hero’s memorial to be built for him so many years after his death. His focus was on faithfully following God’s path for him and we should aim to do the same.

- by Elizabeth Davidson