Significant thing God has revealed to me #2

God wants me to have fellowship and I can. Since moving to Sydney for Bible College this has been lacking greatly in my life.

The first week I was disheartened at the lack of community, however after the afternoon in the ancient healing site of Asklepion this changed for the remainder of the trip. The waters and site of Asklepion believed to have special healing properties. It would bring many sick people from around the country who wanted physical healing.

Ironically, some of the older men felt called to pray for me at this site. I had a bad cold for the last few days and was struggling to breath. This was on top of the pelvic pain I have been experiencing. During the moment of prayer, I began to feel connected with these people and during conversation after, many had felt the same. Through prayer, unity was built and true fellowship amongst the group begun.

After this in the Theatre at the same site; a group of Korean students sung from the stage as us (out of tune) Aussies listened and joined in. The site came to life as the perfect harmonies, praising Jesus echoed through the ancient amphitheatre.  We all joined in, praising our amazing God; our saviour and lord.

The prayer for my healing along with the singing in the theatre created a spiritual shift and unity amongst us. The love and support that flowed from my brothers and sisters has touched and changed me. God wants me to enjoy friendship and community with his family.

God worked though their love and support in order to reveal to me how precious I am to him.

Significant thing God has revealed to me #1

God is my strength. I cannot believe I accomplished what I did. A couple of days were almost pain free and for many I was in agony – either way I had the strength of Christ keeping me going.

He is the only reason I could see what I saw and experience what I did. He is the strength in my weakness. I have a greater trust in him and his ability and willingness to carry me through pain, sickness, loneliness and depression.

I climbed 200 stairs to visit a monastery, trekked up numerous large hills to reach the acropolises of many cities and walked thousands of steps in archaeological sites and towns to follow in the footsteps of Paul. And I did it all with a smile (most of the time!).

I could not have done any of this if it weren’t for God- the Father, Son AND the Holy Spirit.

Dubai is a crazy city. It is entertaining. It is big. It is spacious. It is incredible and indescribable. No word or photo can capture the essence of Dubai.

I have, yet again, been mind-blown. Everything here has to be the biggest and the best. The buildings are architecturally phenomenal – practical, unique and creative. The city skyline is nothing like Sydney; everything is spread out and nothing feels cramped. Dubai is nothing I expected – there is great freedom here and I feel so safe. There are security guards and police on every corner and everyone tends to keep to themselves. Even walking through the spice, gold and textile Souks I felt comfortable and at ease.

1.8 million people live here and it is obvious how small the population is compared to the large area of land the city is spread over. I have not once felt overwhelmed by too many people, unlike in Istanbul or Athens. The Souks, the Big Bus tour, going to level 124 (the viewing platform) of Burk Khalifa, the tallest building in the world and experiencing a meal at the Rainforest Café has all been such an incredible opportunity and blessing.

I am sure I will look forward to returning to Dubai one day. There are so many attractions and so little time. I hope Glen and I can come here and experience the Aqua Adventure Park and Atlantis on the Palm, the Indoor “Ski Dubai” at Emirates Mall, Wild Wadi Water Park and the public beach in Jumeirah, Dubai Aquarium, Underwater Zoo and the rides at Sega Republic in The Dubai Mall and Creek Park. There is so much to cover and so little time, yet Shelly and I feel as if we have already done so much!

It is such a blessing to be here and I would recommend for anyone who has a stopover in Dubai to extend it! It is worth it!

Istanbul is busy. 17 million people are cramped into such a relatively small space. Part of the culture is the street venders. Walking down the streets of the city, one is continually bombarded (some say harassed) with words of encouragement to buy their product.

But I loved Istanbul, particularly in comparison to Athens. It was crazy hectic and fast-paced but felt much safer to Athens. The city also felt a lot cleaner and easier to get around. The Bazzar was a unique experienced and managed to barter for a leather bound note book from 90TL to 45TL. I thought it was a good attempt for my first try.

Going to the Topkapı Palace Museum was a blessing in disguise, but I will share more on this at a later date. On a more entertaining note; I sang Aladdin’s “Whole New World” in the Sultan’s living room. Yeah!

Istanbul was amazing. I loved the city; everyone was so friendly and it was vibrant and alive. I loved the whole Western side of Turkey – it was beautiful I hope I can return soon (which, two weeks ago I would have never said)!

Fellowship during the trip enhanced my experience of Istanbul. By this stage we had spent two weeks together and the Holy Spirit had been building friendships and bonds. I felt so united with and so much love for these amazing, godly and special people during the last three days of the tour.

I feel that the unity, prayer, encouragement and support of fellow Christians on the tour made this trip as life changing, special and amazing as it was.

That being said; I think I have caught the travel bug!

April 11th – 15th

It is day ten following Paul and the early church. I am going to reflect on the last five days in Turkey via “Facts” (Ref: Matthew Wallace, aka Mr Wiki).

Fact 1: I miss my husband. I wish he was here experiencing this with me.

Fact 2: My camera has taken 4018 photos, courtesy of Miss Shelly and myself.

Fact 3: I am sick and tired of the oil filled food the Turks seem to enjoy. Their desserts are also a disgrace and are drowned in flavourless (or badly spiced) syrup.

Fact 4: As a result of Fact 3, all I want for one meal is an entre of garlic bread, followed by a rump steak cooked medium with a side of mash potato, corn and cauliflower and the grand finale of vanilla bean ice-cream with a drizzle of chocolate topping, sprinkles, sliced banana and strawberries.

Fact 5: I am saddened by how easily and willingly people rip you off. This is especially true when converting Euro’s to Turkish Lira and vice versa.

Fact 6: As wonderful, eye-opening and exciting as this adventure has been, at the moment I don’t feel the “travel-bug” I expected to feel. This may come after I return to Aus, but if anything, this trip has inspired me to travel and explore Australia.

Fact 7: Our Turkish bus driver is a maniac!

Fact 8: God is glorified through his stunning and mind blowing creation here. I have preferred the scenery and countryside of Turkey compared to Greece. It is so lush with beautiful fruit and have noticed the vast variety of beautiful flora.

Fact 9: Saw my first squirrel! Pretty sure this made the site of Troy bearable. Included in the Fauna category of animals to mention is three tortoises (AMAZE-BALLS) 100’s of snails along the walking track at Hierapolis and mad-as lizards in Laodicea. But the squirrel was the best!

Fact 10: Jesus has been abundant in his provision and blessings. Answered prayers, giving physical strength to the weak, teaching us, speaking to us and creating a wonderful atmosphere of fellowship is just the tip of the ice-berg. 

Five days left before another 6 nights in Dubai. Then I can go home. Looking forward to what’s in store for the next 10 days. I am getting excited about half way mark so I can go home, hug my husband and see my little kiddlets again!!

Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD. – Psalm 150:6

April 7th-9th

Greece wasn’t what I expected. This was what ran through my mind the last two days. However, after travelling through the Greek countryside, I can safely say that it is the beautiful country I expected it to be.

Athens isn’t what I expected. As we drove in our coach from the airport I was amazed by the huge city. The houses are close together – the city is compact. Sadly it is covered in graffiti, is unmaintained and run down. Pick-pockets are everywhere and crime is rampant. There are police on every corner. The city is full of illegal immigrants who are homeless and trying to stay alive.

My heart broke as I saw two families within 100 metres of each other begging for money. They had small children and a new born. Further up the street were syringes and people shooting up on the side of the street. Campbelltown doesn’t seem to bad.

Athens certainly wasn’t what I expected. Nothing like the beautiful city terraces you see in the movies.

On the other hand – the acropolis was magnificent. The Greeks had great passion, love, respect and reverence for their gods. They built the most incredible, intricate and well thought out temples which have lasted for centuries.

The city library, university and parliament house shared the same beauty. The statues and pillars have elaborate detail, which I cannot even comprehend creating.

This awe carried on this morning as we travelled north to the countryside. Snow-capped mountains, the Aegean Sea, rolling hills and flourishing farms seemed to never end. Gods glory, majesty and creativity was undeniable – and he created it all for us, his beloved children to enjoy.