Day 6 – The City of Spectacle (Rome)

Early this morning, we said goodbye to Greece and boarded a flight bound for Rome, the heart of empire, power, and spectacle. Our first steps in the city brought us to a quiet overlook above the Forum and Colosseum, once the site of Nero’s grand palace, the Domus Aurea, his “Golden House.” Few realized that beneath our feet once stood the playground of an emperor who thought himself a god.

But the true highlight wasn’t the site, it was the stories. For nearly an hour, our group of 45 shared what God has been stirring in our hearts throughout the journey: stories of conviction, gratitude, and transformation. It was a sacred pause, a reminder that spiritual formation happens not just at ancient sites, but in open hearts.

After lunch (and some unforgettable Italian pasta), we stepped into the Colosseum, the largest amphitheater of the ancient world. Built in just eight years, it was funded by gold and silver taken from the Temple in Jerusalem after Titus’ siege in 70 AD. Standing there, surrounded by stone and story, you can almost hear the roar of 70,000 voices cheering Rome’s glory, unaware that true victory would come, not through empire, but through a crucified and risen King.

Today we marveled at architecture.

Tomorrow, we’ll marvel at a triumph of a different kind.

—Jerrell