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Turkey Study Tour with The Donelson Fellowship
June 9-19, 2025
Led by Tommy Swindol
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Trip Blog Posts
Day 08 - Priene , Didyma, Miletus
posted on Wednesday June 18 2025 at 7:00 pm UTC
RESTORING SHALOM. Well, it’s our last day in the field and it has been an absolutely incredible day! We began in Priene, an important location to show us the waters the Romans were swimming in. One of the earliest temples in Rome is here and it was one of Alexander the Great’s favorites....
Day 07 - Ephesus, Ephesus Museum, Turkish Rug Center
posted on Tuesday June 17 2025 at 7:00 pm UTC
RESTORING LOVE. Today, we got the massive privilege to set foot in the famous ancient city of Ephesus as we talked about what it means to love God’s way! We did our best to study every square foot of this important city where our spiritual heroes walked: the apostle Paul, Priscilla, Aquila,...
Day 06 - Pergamum, Smyrna
posted on Monday June 16 2025 at 5:00 pm UTC
RESTORING POWER. Today, we studied two more of the Seven Churches of Revelation (Pergamum and Smyrna) as we talked about restoring real power. We began our day by visiting what Jesus called, “Satan’s throne.” We played a game throughout the morning to determine which site Jesus was...
Day 05 - Sardis, Thyatira
posted on Sunday June 15 2025 at 8:00 pm UTC
RESTORING SECURITY. We continued studying the seven churches of Revelation today by putting boots on the ground in the places where all of this took place and studying the letters there. What a journey this trip has been! We started the day in the upper city of Sardis at the Artemis Temple talking...
Day 04 - Aphrodisias, Philadelphia
posted on Saturday June 14 2025 at 8:00 pm UTC
RESTORING OUR IDENTITY. We started our day in Aphrodisias, a place not mentioned in the Bible but it’s where the waters of Roman identity flow from. We explored the vast city, comparing the Roman version of image-bearing to what Jesus says, framing our discuss through two questions: Who are...
Day 03 - Hierapolis, Colossae, Laodicea
posted on Friday June 13 2025 at 8:00 pm UTC
RESTORING OUR VIEW OF THE GOOD LIFE. Today, we began the day with a spectacular hot air balloon ride over the city of Hieropolis as we studied the geography of the Seven Churches of Revelation. Our group was nervous but had an absolute blast! Then, we put boots on the ground in the archeology...
Day 02 - Pisidian Antioch
posted on Thursday June 12 2025 at 7:00 pm UTC
RESTORING OUR VIEW OF THE GOSPEL. Today was wonderful as we learned what it means to restore our view of the Gospel. In a time when Rome claimed their own gospel, their own Son of God, and their own peace and salvation through the Pax Romana, the one true Gospel can grow dim. We visited the ancient...
Day 01 - Antalya Harbor, Perga, Roman Road
posted on Wednesday June 11 2025 at 4:00 pm UTC
RESTORING EYES TO SEE. What. A. Day. Our team did a wonderful job with a full day today! We began at the Attalia (Antalya) Harbor where Paul, John Mark, and Barnabas sailed out on Paul’s first missionary journey. It was the perfect place to sit and more fully understand who Paul was...
Day 00 - ARRIVAL TO TÜRKIYE!
posted on Tuesday June 10 2025 at 7:00 pm UTC
WE ALL MADE IT TO TÜRKIYE!! And when I say “all,” I do mean all of us made it! Those whose flights were delayed, those who were coming in from a different country, those who didn’t think they would make their connecting flight—we all made it (thank you Jesus!)....
Preparing for Turkey
posted on Sunday February 09 2025 at 12:08 am UTC
Our trip will be here before you know it! Once we're on the ground we'll post periodic updates and photos. Check back often or get update notifications using the subscribe options on this page. We'll be sharing our travel experiences online with you, our friends and family, to not only bring you along...