A Field Trip to Antioch in Pisidia

We have so much Biblical history in Turkey. As I have taught Bible for a few years, I have always wanted to take the kids to see some sort of Biblical site. This year since a new Bible teacher joined us for grades 9-10, I asked him if he wanted to try a joint field trip to Antioch in Pisidia, which is about a 4 hour trip away. He readily agreed. I told him I would take care of all of the logisitics of getting our 40 plus kids there if he would just be the tour guide once we got there.

The drive down, even with a full bus of kids ages 12-16, was fabulous! The views were so beautiful, the kids were sweet and excited to get to take a field trip, and we were happy to be on the road.

Here are a couple of my students.

This is the whole gang, once we got to the site!

The ruins are in the town of Yalvac. They are a little off the beaten path, and thankfully, they have been fenced off for protection. There were plenty of rocks to climb and places to explore. We were fairly laid back about letting the kids turn into mountain goats.

I was especially happy that when I finally got to take this field trip, my Sweet Cheeks was with me!

This is about the point at which I said, "Ok, get down! We don't want any broken bones."

Another bonus (and to be honest, I planned the timing as such), was that Mason got to go with us. He plans to attend seminary, so I really wanted him to get to see a Biblical site in his one week here. These guys were troopers and really helped us watch the kids.

To be honest, our kids are just super grateful. They really didn't care where we went or what we did, they were just so happy to get to go. And take mid-air jumping pictures then run to my phone to see what they looked like.

The special part for me was that there was indeed a church established here by St. Paul. It was here that he came to preach in the synagogue and was run out of town. (Acts 13)

 By far, the most special moment of all was when my colleague took all of us to the church ruins. He preached the same message that Paul preached, only he inserted their names. We then went inside the church and sang a hymn together. I was moved to tears at the privilege of experiencing it.

A Taste of Cappadocia...With a Friend 2

We only had a very quick weekend in Cappadocia with Mason, so Firstborn suggested he might really like to try the ATV riding, since he grew up riding them. The kids all doubled up and off they went to explore the paths and hills and valleys of this beautiful landscape.

Afterwards, the ATV guys airbrushed the kids off!

The final spot we took Mason was one that my dad and CC discovered many years ago when they came to visit us. Back off the beaten path is an ancient Christian church. We knew where we wanted to worship the Lord on Sunday morning.

I love this picture because it shows CC doing what he does best, which is lead our family in the Lord. He read Scripture to us, and we sang beautiful praises in the echoing cavern of this old church. I always wonder...who worshipped there before us? We know that people at Pentecost came from this region.

It was really special to share this place we love so much with Firstborn's dear friend Mason! (Note the ancient crosses carved in the rock behind them.)

A Taste of Cappadocia....With a Friend Part 1

When Mason began to plan his trip, we told him to please make sure he had a weekend with us. We suggested taking him on the short 4 hour trip to Cappadocia. As you know, it has become a favorite place for us, and we enjoy sharing it with others.

Our usual cave hotel was booked, but we found a very inexpensive and nice spot that had some available rooms. Here are the kids enjoying breakfast together.

Turkish breakfast!

Though it was May and a very busy time for us, one in which we would not normally do a weekend getaway, CC and I realized after we got there just how tired we were and just how much the Lord knew we needed a little breather before the end of the year. We slept, and talked, and ate, and prayed. He said he left there feeling like he really had needed it. Our jobs are complex as we are shepherding over 40 people on our school team, but also both working full time, normal jobs. We do love the full plate, but the Lord was good to slow us down for a couple of days, too.

Mason loved Cappadocia, and we knew he would. He is very servant-hearted and thankful. We like having him around!

He was having an allergic reaction to some type of food (perhaps from the airplane). We became increasingly concerned, so we hopped in the van to the local town. Within 15 minutes, he was in to see a doctor and get a cortisone shot. By the time we were driving back to the hotel, he felt so much better. So we took him on a hike through the fascinating "fairy chimneys" as they are called.

A Taste of Singapore....With a Friend

Shortly after Firstborn arrived back home in Turkey for her month with us (before summer), her friend Mason came to visit. He only had about a week to visit our family and see where she grew up. He was a delight in every way, and we enjoyed having him here.

Interestingly, just before he arrived, we received an invitation for a Singapore Embassy party event...just a basic meet and greet for all the vendors who interact with the Singapore embassy. The invite was for CC and me, but he had his receptionist call and say...."Well, their daughter will be in town...and her friend...and she was born in Singapore...." They were thrilled to have her come with us!

So, off we went to celebrate Singapore! In Turkey!

Here is the ambassador, who is a new school parent. His son began Kindergarten at our school, and his teacher grew up in Singapore and overlapped with our time there. It's so neat when things all come together!

It was a fun night to dress up, be social, and get to celebrate the country of my daughter's birth...especially when her friend was here to see her homeland.

Mother's Day and Other Fun Stuff

Miss Middler was asked to help lead worship at church. I love this picture of her!

Soon, May arrived! Firstborn was back home, and we enjoyed being a family of 7 again. It just feels like all is right! This night we went to our little hole in the wall pizza place together. (Yes, we are wearing coats in May!)

Mother's Day came so I got to pick the restaurant. I chose...no surprise here...Quick China! Here are the beautiful people who made me a mom.

We were so happy to get to have our dear friend Lori join us that day. We also had one last Sunday with Gibson, the Singaporean exchange student who had been joining us for church each week.

It was a fun meal and a nice time to be with people we love!

Easter 2018 and Getting to be "Mom"

Easter was a cold, but beautiful day. We enjoyed celebrating the Lord together and having a nice Easter lunch afterwards. We have sort of always viewed holidays such as Thanksgiving and Easter as times to reach out and find others who might need a family that day. We ended up inviting a crowd out to lunch at a nice Turkish place. By the end, there were so many of us, they gave us a separate little room. I treasure the memory of that fun day!

I did not get to coach Sweet Cheeks this year, but she ended up making all three teams (soccer/basketball/volleyball). She had wonderful coaches in all three sports. Her last sport of the year, volleyball, took her to Istanbul for the Middle School tournament. I got permission to go and just be MOM! It was so much fun! The team did great, and I enjoyed getting to serve them food and support the coaches (aka getting the girls in bed on time!)

We love traveling there and get to stay near the sea. It's beautiful!

We left to drive home at about 3PM, which put us in past midnight.

The kids had fun playing cards and listening to music. But after about 11PM, this is what we saw.