A Trip to Remember

  From July 16-27th, my husband and I, along with several other students and adults from our hometown of Eastman, GA, were able to embark on a journey.  We got on a plane bound for Central Asia, making a short layover in Paris along the way.  I will try to put into words what this trip meant for my husband and I in particular, but it's going to be difficult.  There are so many people we met that will change us forever, so many moments that God showed His hand and provision...it's hard to put it all into words.  My hope is that this will give you a glimpse into a little window of our lives and inspire you to go or send others, but most of all, pray to the Lord of the harvest that He will send workers and a great revival will come about.

After a 7 hour or so flight from Atlanta to Paris, we had an intentional long layover so we would have time to explore the city before our next flight.  This was a dream come true for me!  I had studied French in high school, so many of the sites that we were about to visit had been on my radar for quite a while.  I particularly wanted to see the Eiffel Tower.  I couldn't have been a more perfect day in Paris.  The sun was shining, but there was a nice breeze blowing to make all of our moving around the city bearable.  The tower was breathtaking...definitely living up to my expectations! : ) Due to our very limited time, we were only able to look at it from the outside and weren't able to go up.  I guess we'll have to save that for another day!  We took several metro stops ahead, stopping at the Arch de Triumph, Notre Dame, and a palace along the way...we were moving fast so we weren't able to get any pics of the inside.  But I was definitely a happy girl to even get a little taste of Paris.

Next stop...Istanbul, Turkey.  Many of you know our story about why Turkey is a special place in our hearts, but here's a little overview.  Basically last year our family, minus Seth, went on a family trip to Baltimore, MD.  Our last night there Joe took the kids for a swim.  At the pool there was a lifeguard, a young man who was 19 years old, from Turkey.  Joe had a short conversation with him, but an impression was made.  Enough for us to seek him out the next morning and pass him a booklet with Joe's contact information on the back.  Before we made it back to Georgia, our new friend was texting my husband.  This began our journey and connection with Turkey.  Our new friend ended up coming to visit us his last week in the states, and that sealed the deal.  This guy was like part of our family.  There was a connection made that crossed cultural and religious barriers.  Over the course of the year, while he was back home and at college, we stayed in touch.  He introduced us to his family members and friends as his "American family."  At the end of last year we learned that there would be a group trip to Turkey scheduled for 2015 and we immediately wanted to go.  No doubt. Thanks to many friends and family, the means to be on this trip were provided.  Our hearts were already in love with this country, and the people in it, before we arrived.

Our first day in Istanbul we were put into groups and given an "Amazing Race" challenge.  We had to navigate around the city, which included crossing, by ferry, from the Asian side of Turkey to the European side.  We had to get lunch for ourselves, find a place to exchange money, perform tasks like buy and drink one of Turkey's popular beverages that tasted like sour milk, and eat some Turkish delight.  I have to admit, I was a little nervous as I have no sense of direction, but thankfully Joe and some of the others in our group led us in the right direction!  We saw some amazing places and it was also a great way to build our confidence in getting around the city.  Our final meeting up place was at Sultanamet, an area of town that has the impressive Blue Mosque and the Aya Sofia, another religious building. We were later able to tour the inside of the Aya Sofia.  It was amazing.


The Aya Sofia is such an interesting contrast to me.  It was built during the Byzantine Empire as a place to worship and honor the Christian God.  There is artwork, mosaics, and paintings that depict the cross, angels, Jesus, and other people in the Bible.  When the land was conquered by the Turks, the Arabic script was added in several places in the building. You can easily see the large, round discs that were mounted on the side of the main room.  We were told that Muslim art does not include pictures, but just fancy Arabic script from the Koran.  Just as the Aya Sofia represents this religious contrast, so does other places in this country.  All seven of the churches spoken of in the book of Revelation are all located in Turkey.  There were also various missionary journeys taken by Paul in the New Testament, one of which was located in Troas, which is known as Alexandra-Troas in Turkey.  We were actually able to visit this area of the country.

These are some of the ruins at Troas. This stone arch was actually built after the time of Paul, but it is still the area where he was. We drove quite a distance to reach this part of Turkey.  As we drove up, there were no big signs that said, "Here is where Paul was!" We didn't expect that, but it gave us the opportunity to share to some of our Turkish friends why this area was significant to us.  Even though it was only about an hour and a half away from their hometown, they had never been here or heard the story about it.  The ruins were just off the side of the road...no fences or museums.  We were able to explore all around.

Across the road from this archway was an area that students from the University of Ankara were excavating.  This was really neat.  They gave us 15 minutes to go into the area before they closed it up.  The picture on the right was one of the pieces they have uncovered and had put in a big cage to protect from looters.  There were several ornate pieces like this one.  The view from the area was amazing.  It was the first time I was able to go to a place that those in the Bible had walked and visited.  My love of history and social studies combined with my love of God's Word was at a peak that day.

Another fun place we were able to visit was the ancient city of Troy and the ruins there.  Our Turkish friends called it Truva.  This is not the original wooden horse that was used in the story of Troy, but it was definitely a fun replica that we were able to climb inside of.  Here is our group posed in front.  Definitely a good time of fellowship with friends.







A big part of our trip was spent helping those who have been displaced from their home countries due to a variety of circumstances, often by war or because of their religious beliefs.  By helping, I mean we were able to spend time with them, love on them, and even do some English classes.  Some of these children are living in a place that is not their home, they are not able to go to school, and it's even hard for them to know how to communicate.  It was a privilege to be able to push them on the swings, watch them swim in the sea, and play games with them.  They are so smart, hungry for knowledge, and would listen and participate attentively as we were studying in a local park outside under a tree.  If this doesn't offer perspective, I'm not sure what will.  We are so very blessed in our country to have what we do.  We take so much for granted.

For about three days of our trip we were also able to do a youth conference.  This was another great opportunity to minister to a different group of young people (also from another country who were living in Turkey) who have a heart for God and want to learn, along with us, more about Him.  I love that we could hear songs of worship in their language and through translators see our God span cultural and language differences.  He is a God of the nations.  This conference opened my eyes as well.  God is at work in places that we don't even realize.  While we are led to believe that people in some of these countries want to destroy us, God is working behind the scenes to give people life.  I am so glad that He used this time to open my eyes to see what He is truly doing and give me a love for new brothers and sisters in Christ that I may never have met.

And one of the highlights of our trip!  Seeing our dear friend, Tunc (pronounced Toonch), again and meeting his girlfriend (Pinar), sister (Simge--pronounced Sim-yay), and mother.  This picture was taken soon after we met up and there was lots of love going around. I couldn't give them big enough hugs...my heart was bursting.  We had a wonderful two days in their hometown of Canakkale, a beautiful city surrounded by water.  It was very windy there, which gave us the consistent windblown look ; ).  Tunc's family was so hospitable, providing us with a delicious meal cooked by Simge and a nice place to spend the night.  I wish we would've had more time with them, but I'm grateful for the time we had.  Our hope is that this is just the beginning of a beautiful relationship between all of us.  I'm thankful for technology and the ability to stay in touch with them to send them our love from a distance.  I'm hopeful that we will be able to see each other again in the future.

So that's our trip in a nutshell!  I would love to share more details with any of you who are interested in more specific information.  Just contact me personally so we can chat : ).  We thoroughly enjoyed our time and we saw many people, places, and things that will impact us for a lifetime.  Continue to pray for this part of the world and the people who live there.  God bless!

Discovering the Civil War in Georgia

Right around weeks 11 and 12 of Cycle 3, we'll be studying the Civil War.  I knew that Andersonville, which is the site of a former Civil War prison, was not far from us and would be a great place to do a field trip...and it's free!  As I started researching, I found several other neat things that you could do in Georgia so I thought I'd put them all together in case anyone else was interested. : )

Another thing I found out while researching is that this is the 150th anniversary of the end of the Civil War, so there are some special things going on.  Even if you're not doing Classical Conversations, this would still be a great opportunity for your family to learn more about the Civil War.

*The National Park Service is a good place to start to find some good field trip info.  Andersonville is a national park that is free to the public.  Field trips there have to be arranged at least 3 weeks in advance, but there are programs for K-5th grade, 6-12th grade, and college groups.  The field trips can be self-guided but the arranged ones are led by a ranger.  I also saw links on the park service site for all types of learning tours and field trips at various parks in Georgia, including lesson plans for teachers.

*Another helpful site was The Civil War in Georgia.  There are so many interesting things to do in Georgia related to the Civil War...I had no idea!  One that particularly interests me is a Civil War reenactment.  I really wanted to try to find one so the kids could get an idea of what it was like.  I found one on the events page entitled 150th Anniversary for the Battle of Atlanta.  The link led me to the site "The Atlanta Campaign," which has a really interesting weekend planned that's all about the Civil War and a battle that took place there.  Here is the event schedule for the weekend...and it even includes a lady's tea!  How neat! On Friday, Sept. 19th from 9am to 1 pm there is a student day that allows the kids to come through and talk to the different reenactors (?) at different stations.  The battle starts that evening around 6:30.

*In Macon, GA there are some historical homes that were built before the Civil War and were involved in the action happening during that time.  The Cannonball House offers educational school programs and tours throughout the year.  The Hay House also has tours and educational programs offered throughout the year, including "Hay Day" in which you can do fun activities with your children and admission is free!  When I was in high school I was a volunteer tour guide at the Hay House and can testify that it is a wonderful piece of history that would be worth the trip!  I've only been inside the lobby of the 1842 Inn and it's worth just stopping by to peek in.  If you enjoy staying at B&B's, this inn would be one to consider!

Here is a map of the Civil War battle sites in Georgia.

It's amazing how much history is around us...right here in Georgia!  

Our epic road trip: traveling to Baltimore, MD and Washington DC with kids

I was a little unsure how our road trip would go with a 7 and 5 year old.  We had a 12 hour plus drive that we wanted to do in one day (and we did it...both coming and going!).  Then we were going to a conference in Baltimore for 2 days (an adult conference...which had the potential to be boring for two young kids) and had the rest of the trip (3 days) to fit in sight seeing.  I have to say...the kids did great!  I was so excited that there was a limited amount of complaining and the kids were so fun to have with us.  I wanted to share some of the things I learned and some of the things we did that you might like to do if you have a road trip like this!

Planning phase: I didn't do mass amounts of planning for this trip.  I knew that it would be good to have a "wish list" of things we could do, but realistically I knew we couldn't do it all.  I started at Pinterest, one of my favorite resources, and got some good "top things to do for free" and "top things to do with kids" for both cities.  That was a good place to start.  There are tons of bloggers out there who have done this same trip and can share.

*keeping the kids busy...One thing I knew we would have to have on this trip is entertainment for the long car ride and for the conference time.  My son has a LeapPad and my daughter has a Kindle Fire.  So, I just invested in some cheap $5 headphones for each of them and that did wonders!  I also signed up for a free Amazon Prime subscription (1 month free) so we could have access to lots of free tv shows and kids movies.  I ended up not using it like I thought I would, but it is a pretty great free trial deal.  I also spent less than $5 on a shower caddie like this:

 

I filled it with drinks and snacks that they could have at different intervals so I wouldn't have to keep reaching back to find them something if they were hungry.  I set it between their seats in the van we were driving in so they could reach it easily.  Worked great!  After using it for snacks, I was able to put art stuff in there.  

Traveling around: While we were in Baltimore, our hotel was about 30 minutes from the Inner Harbor, where the conference center was. The Inner Harbor area has so many fun things to do!  It was the perfect starting point and my husband and I enjoyed the waterfront and all that it had to offer.  Lots of great restaurants, tourist attractions, sports venues, etc. are within a short walking distance.  If you want to pay extra for a hotel close to all of this, you won't have to rent a car.  There is also a public bus system that is free to several points in the city.  We rode on it once and it was safe (during the daytime), although there are several homeless and those less fortunate riding as well.  We had a car, so we had to find parking in the city each day.  Not fun.  And expensive!  A great resource that was recommended to us for finding parking at a good rate (in several different large cities) is:

*Parking Panda we used this site twice and saved a good bit of money because of it!

I also knew that we were going to Washington from Baltimore and heard that the traffic is bad in DC, but the public transportation (Metro) was great.  I figured that since Baltimore wasn't too far, there might be a train that we could take to get us there....and there was!  We could've actually gotten to DC faster if we drove, but the train was a good experience for the kids, was easy for us because we could just sit back and relax, and was relatively inexpensive.

*Here's the MARC train link if you want to do this, too.  There were two stations in Baltimore...Camden and Penn.  The Camden line left at 8:05 am from Baltimore and returned from DC at 5:22pm.  The Penn line ran later from DC, but the Camden line worked for us.  You can go to a kiosk at the train station and purchase your tickets there.  We didn't realize our 5 yr old would've been free...so check the age requirements.  The tickets were $7 one way.

*After we got to DC, we had to figure out the Metro, and thankfully it wasn't that hard.  The trickiest part to me was making sure you were on the right side of the tracks....one side went one direction down the rail line and the other side went the other direction.  The people working at the Metro station were extremely helpful in telling us what kind of ticket to purchase. You can purchase Metro cards in advance and put money on them so you don't even have to worry about it.  This map: 

was a lifesaver!  You can get brochures at the metro station that have this map on there, but it was good to have a look at it before we went there.  We arrived from Baltimore at Union Station, so we took two different lines to get off at the Smithsonian stop, which put us right by the Washington Monument.  

Seeing the sites: There is an overabundance of history and fun things to do in both of these cities.  There was no way we could get to all of it.  My husband and I are already thinking of going back some time.  The great thing about Baltimore is that it is a good central location to several different big cities, such as DC, Philadelphia, and New York.  We chose DC because, well, it's DC.  There's so many historical things and the great thing about that is that almost everything there, museums, landmarks, etc., are free.  You do have lines to wait in, but you don't have to pay anything.  Love it!  

*Highlights of Baltimore: As I mentioned before, the Inner Harbor area is a great place to start.  There's the Hard Rock Cafe, along with lots of other delicious restaurants, the aquarium, a World Trade Center, the USS Constellation (a ship that you can tour), a submarine that you can tour, and Camden Yards (the baseball stadium) is right within walking distance.  We chose to tour the area by water.  There's a water taxi that you can pay to ride ($6 kids/$12 adults) and you have all day access to travel to any of 7 (I think it's 7) ports.  We chose to ride to Fell's Point, a historical little area that has cobblestone streets and rows of old town looking shops, pubs and more.  There's a cute little pretzel and icee stand ride as you come off the boat and honestly, I could smell those delicious pretzels before we even docked! (Yes, I bought one!)  From Fell's Point we took a taxi over to Fort McHenry.

This is where the historic battle took place in which Francis Scott Key wrote the Star Spangled Banner!  It was so neat to be there on Flag Day as well, as we were able to see a special music/military presentation.  It was free to walk the grounds and see the small museum and movie, but you had to pay to walk inside the fort area.  

We also took in a baseball game.  I was really impressed with the stadium and the fact that even though we were on the top row on one side, we could still see the field really well.  My hubby bought the tickets online and got a really good deal. Even though we had to pay a little extra for processing fees, it was still cheaper than buying at the stadium.  And, if you do go, buy some food and take it in with you.  The lady at our hotel told us we couldn't take food in, but you can.  We actually bought some from a vendor selling hot dogs, chips, bottled water and a bag of peanuts for a family of 4 for only $15...it was a great deal!  

Too fun!  It was the kids' first baseball game memory!

Like I said, lots more to do than I realized in the city of Baltimore.  I also enjoyed the cooler, gnat and mosquito free, outdoors.  Such a nice break from the south GA heat!

*highlights of DC: We started our day with walking from the Washington monument down through what is known as The Mall.  This is a nice walking path that extends from the monument to the Capitol building.  I would definitely recommend doing this in the cooler hours of the day since it's outside (if you're there in the warmer months).  It took us a while to walk down the path and make our way to the Lincoln Memorial.  On the way you'll see several other war memorials, all of which are worth the time to look through.  By the time we got to the Lincoln Memorial, the kids were pretty tired.

 

But wow..how awesome!  There's a little outdoor restaurant next to the Lincoln Memorial where we stopped to rest and eat.  One thing I'm glad I did....packed snacks and lunch! We had brought lots of snacks for the trip, including some bread and pb&j...so worth it!  We saved a lot in DC by just packing up some sandwiches, drinks and other snacks.  Bring lots of water, too, because you'll need it.  Because we were all a little tuckered out and we wanted to go the National Archives, we opted to take a short taxi ride.  Honestly, so worth the $10 bucks.  It was a fun experience for the kids, too.  It put us right by the Archives and the Smithsonian museums, which is where I would recommend spending the hotter parts of the day.  By this point, the kids weren't super interested in seeing the Declaration of Independence, but I was.  So glad I was able to see all of these amazing documents.  Then we went on to the Museums of Natural History and American History.

This was pretty cool.  The kids perked up seeing all the neat and interesting animals.  My only regret is our lack of time.  I felt like I was pushing us through every place we saw in DC.  If you're able to, spend a couple of days there.  But for our time constraints, we were really able to see a lot.  I regret we didn't make it to the capitol, Air and Space museum (I really wanted to see this one!), the White House, and Arlington.  If we do this trip again, I definitely want to apply in advance for the tour of the Capitol and the White House.  I honestly don't think our kids, being as young as they are, would've enjoyed the Capitol tour, but some of our friends went and said it was about 3 hours long and very interesting. 

I hope this was helpful to some of you!  If you have any questions, please ask away!  I think this was one of our favorite family vacations so far.  I hope we can do this one again some time and see even more.  God bless!