Our time in Ankara was amazing! We were so overwhelmed with the Turkish hospitality that many of us got sick, not from the quality of the food but the sheer quantity!

We were very happy to help clean out a gym while other group members got a chance to attend a Turkish high school...again, more of those stories later.

On Friday night we took an overnight train to Istanbul (yeah, that was interesting) and then used public transportation to get back to our hotel...with luggage and everything. Saturday, we spent trying to recover from the train ride :).
This morning we got to attend a Turkish church service....there were so many people from so many different countries: England, USA, Ethiopia, Peru, Ecuador, Cuba, Colombia (yours truly), and Turkey (of course). It was great to sing songs in different languages (when we all knew the melody...or if not we mangled our way through the Turkish songs).

Tomorrow morning (at 4 am) we leave for the airport!! This has been an amazing adventure. It has been incredible to see all the places and meet all the people. Turkey will for sure be in our hearts forever! God-willing everyone should be arriving in close 28 hours from right now.

Thank you for all your prayers. We have had a few people get sick but considering how much we have done in just two weeks, it is clear that the Lord has granted us much grace!

Come see your loved ones at the airport!

We have been in Ankara for the last couple of days. Here we have gotten a much better taste (pun intended) of Turkish hospitality!
Many in the group have stayed with Turkish families who have lavished their culinary skills on them! We have tried so many different dishes it is even hard to remember half of them!

Everyone in the group is doing well. While everyone LOVES it here, we all miss our families and friends.

Tomorrow evening we will be taking an overnight train back to Istanbul where we will spend Saturday and Sunday. Monday we will be going back home to our loved ones!!

We are really thankful for your prayers. No one has gotten sick (despite being in the sun for extended periods of time), we have not, at any moment, felt threatened or in unsafe situations. While that says a great deal about Turkey itself, it says more about our God!

We have seen more historical places in the last three days than most of us would have ever imagined! Istanbul has an amazing display of ancient history, but the rest of Turkey has even more to offer.

We are privileged to have a very knowledgable guide who has taught us so much (every now and then she'll pause and ask us what should be an easy question...we look at each other, sheepishly bowing our heads acknowledging that while we should know the answer, we don't; "the Agora...Faustina...it was silted" are her ever-forgiving answers (she has been so patient with us!).

We have walked the ancient streets of Smyrna, Pergamum, Ephesus, Priene, Laodicea, Hierapolis, among others (Colossae doesn't really count because it hasn't been excavated yet). We have also seen the process of Turkish rug making (from silk worm to beautiful tapestry). We drank Turkish apple tea as our eyes were dazzled by the most amazing collection of pottery ever seen in the world (at least by any of us).

The group is feeling well, although some are sun-burned (it has been in the 90's and we have walked 6/7 hours a day). The places where we have stayed have been superb.

The Turks have incredible charisma, charm and are terrific sales people (you'll hear some stories later I'm sure). Turkey is a beautiful country with amazing people, a proud heritage and a rich history.

More later...

Yesterday, we spent the whole day looking around Istanbul. It is a city like no other! The amazing clash of ancient culture with modern times is spectacular. We got to go to the Grand Bazaar this morning and tried to haggle our way to good deals; some are naturals at it...some got ripped off, but most of us got to dring tea with the store owners...so much fun!

Today, we flew from Istanbul to Izmir (Smyrna in Bible times). We stood on the hill where Alexander the Great gave his orders to build a new place for the inhabitants of that city.

The people are amazingly nice; the food is great! We are so grateful for our time in Turkey.

We have arrived in beautiful Istanbul! The city looks amazing from the sky and on the ground it is a collage of progress, history, religion and deep patriotism (made evident by the many waving Turkish flags).
We were all very tired upon arrival (4 pm) but made a 'pact' that we would stay up until at least 8 pm. We had a wonderful dinner of chicken (although I -Carlos- insist it was hen), rice, potatoes, salad a wonderful lentil soup and, of course, Turkish coffee or tea.

Right at 8 we went for a metro ride and arrived at Hagia Sofia and the Blue Mosque...quite impressive sites! There is SO MUCH history in this city.

We are grateful that we arrived safely without any complications!