He is not here, for He is Risen!

Palm Sunday! 

Among the hundreds of Christian Pilgrims from around the world in celebration of Christ's triumphant entry.  Shakas!

 Passing through Lion's Gate! 

We partied with other pilgrims on the other side at the Pools of Bethesda.
I loved seeing so many different people coming together to celebrate Jesus Christ, our true king.

Syriac Orthodox Church of St. Mark
(in the Armenian Quarter of the Old City)

This is one possible location thought to be where Jesus administered the Last Supper.

Where we learn about the Sacrament.

This is the room believed to be the Upper Room that held the Last Supper

(Matt 26; Mark14; Luke 22; John 13).

The Syriac Orthodox also regard this place as having been the home of Mary, Mark's mother (Acts 12:12), and the place where the Apostles and disciples were filled with the Holy Ghost at Pentecost (Acts 2).

Interestingly enough, it is underground.  Jerusalem used to be much lower than it is today.

 Davidson Archaeological Park

The Pinnacle of the Temple

Easter Sunday

 Easter Morning Miracle!  

Sunrise Easter service at the Garden Tomb was amazing!

"He is not here, for He is risen." -Matthew 28:6

Happy Easter!

I like this place... Eilat

Hot day, looks like Summer's comin!

Love these girls with all my heart.

Don't worry... Snorkeling pictures to come :)

 

Love my Sarah swag

Tay Tay!! Swimming buddies. 

Everyone was impressed with our diving abilities. When you can't get enough of the water I guess that's what happens

How gorgeous is this reef?? Pretty sure it's the prettiest I've ever seen, the water was so crystal clear and vibrant blue!

For being called the Red Sean, it looks pretty blue to me. 

Today was one of my favorite days. Absolutely loved being in this gorgeous place.

Christmas in March!

The Herodian 

Underground tunnels are sweet. 

The Church of the Nativity

St. Catherine's

Manger Square! Where Christmas is celebrated all year 'round :)

 There's me twinning again. In a beautiful church.

Best lunch spot ever!

Shepherds' Fileds of Bethlehem 

Last day in Turkey

Took another lovely ferry ride.

 

Nicea church

Location of Constantine's palace where they held the Nicean council.  He picked a gorgeous spot that's for sure.  We were freezing cold here; the weather changed on us.

Back in Istanbul!

Inside the Hagia Sophia

 Pictures do not do this place justice, there are mosaics on almost every dome ceiling, and elaborate artwork and architecture covering every wall.  Byzantine Emperor Justinian (who ordered the construction of the cathedral), was dying, so they built this incredibly fast beginning in 532 an only taking five years to complete! It was the largest cathedral for hundreds of years. 

They started turning the lights out because it was closing, but we just could look at that building for hours and never get sick of it. 

Fish for dinner!!! Wahoo! Probably the freshest I've ever had.

See what we are holding... yes, we ate the fish eye. 

It was a dare okay! I couldn't back down.

Our lovely guide Yasmin saying bon voyage at the airport. We love her! 

We didn't want to leave Turkey either! 

I love this place so much; our week here went by so fast, but we had an amazing time.

I miss you already Turkey! You've been good to me. Xo

Sardis and Bursa

Rainy day today!

 

Sardis! 

Thyatria. This place was funny because it resembled a park to me... surrounded by walls in the middle of a city. 

 Bursa Grand Mosque

It has 20 domes and two minarets, built during the Ottoman empire.  This one looks a lot different than the last few I've seen in terms of painting inside and style, but still just as beautiful.

We wanted to be respectful to those who came to worship, so we tried not to look like we were posing for a picture.

Bazaar! I love these things. This one was more like an open market selling the most wondrous things like fruits, nuts, and Turkish delight galore!

The end of this lovely day was spent at the beach hotel :)

Ephesus and Prienne

St. John's Basilica

Color scheme

What is left of the once great Temple of Artemis (fertility goddess), is this single reconstructed pillar. 

This was found in the site of the grand city of Ephesus, where Paul spent a lot of time doing missionary work.  The people at Ephesus had a hard time accepting the Gospel because they worshiped false gods like Artemis (or Diana).  Here we can see what will happen when we put anything before the Lord. The Greeks spent so much time, money, and effort in worship of Artemis, and for what? Once one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, now a reconstructed pillar. Are we focusing our efforts on the right things?

Antiquity is fun. 

Finally... Ephesus!!! 

I did my site report on this place, which was cool so I actually have some background knowledge about his incredible ancient city.  Our group does a pretty good job of teaching us about each site we go to though; we are required to read a field-trip manual with info about all our sites before we go see them.  I love that requirement because it helps me appreciate the site so much more and helps me learn about it before I see if for myself. 

Ephesus, I did even extra research on so I was excited to see it.

Kona?! What are you doing here?

Nike! See the swoosh?  

I am amazed at how well preserved these mosaics are. In its prime, this place must have been unbelievably beautiful.  I think it's beautiful in ruins, so I can only imagine how gorgeous it must have been when it was a fully functioning city. 

 

Can you guess what these are?  

 

This theater is a lot bigger than it looks; we are sitting near the front.  That's Tyler down there going to sing for us, how cool is that?  He sang for crowds in the Ephesus theater.  He is very talented.  

 

The library!!!

  

Thinking of Paul's example serving the Lord here, we sang this song.  

All of us who did our report on Ephesus. 

Yippee! 

This library is the best well-preserved as detail goes.  Turkey had some very talented architects and stone carvers.  Those intricate designs must have taken a long time!

 

hahaha uhh awkward? 

No just kidding, I actually love matching! We didn't even plan this. 

 

So this is where the picture in the back of my scriptures is talking about... coool. :)

This was one of the locations where Constantine's  Nicean council took place, debating on the godliness of Jesus Christ and questions concerning Christianity.

 Oh, and my lovely gorgeous roommate Chaille!

Next stop... Prienne! 

Miletus is over there in the distance. I love the Turkish countryside.

Queen and princess? 

Another grand temple in the beautiful wilderness.  These Greeks chose great spots for their cities. 

Check out my view of the Aegean Sea

Our hotel was on the beach this night too, it might have been the best one yet!  It was the nicest, with the biggest buffet and a pool! We had a lot of fun here, swimming, sauna, and beach! We told stories under the stars and played games out in the sand.