Turkey Time! Part 1

Day 1

Our adventures began on the Morning of Sunday September 16. We ate breakfast, loaded our bags onto the buses, and headed off to the Ben Gurion International Airport.

 The next few hours were a combination of waiting, sitting, waiting, talking, and more waiting. 

Our flight to Turkey went smoothly and I was impressed by Turkish Airline's classy airplane dinner.

 Upon arrival in Turkey, we were subjected to more lines and nicer passport control officers.

(Rachel, Katie, and Annie)

(Hannah, Abi, Andrew, Kaylen, Annie, and Laurann)

 Soon, we met our guide for the week, Yasemin. She herded us to the buses which took us to our first Turkish dinner at the Hacibaba Restaurant. We had salad, lentil soup, chicken and rice, and some very sweet/saturated in honey deserts.

Day 2
We began our day by walking to the Old City and where we saw the Topkapi Palace, the Basilica Cistern, the Hippodrome, and the Blue Mosque.
That afternoon we visited the Grand Bazaar and went on a lovely boat ride on the Bosphorus Strait.

(Hannah and Annie)

(Mckenzie and Annie)

(Sophie, Lauren, Annie, Will)

(Medusa head in Basilica Cistern)

(Emily, Will, Kaylen, Ellen, Annie)

(There were hundreds of formal gown stores; I saw some of the most ridiculous wedding dresses!)

(Mckenzie, Laurann, Annie, Neil, Nicole)

(Blue Mosque)

(Class in front of Topkopi Palace)

(One the boat)

Day 3
The day started out early, but early days have become my new normal. We drove for a long while from our hotel to lunch.

(Lentil Soup...eaten with every single meal)

(Typical meal: rice and meat)

(Jacque, Annie, Hannah, Carrie)

After lunch and another bus ride, we arrived at Galipoli which is the site of a historic WWI battle between the Turks and New Zealand and Australia.  We visited a small soldier’s cemetery where I read some of the most beautiful and heartbreaking epitaphs in remembrance of those who gave their lives. It was a quiet and sacred place. Some of my favorites include: 

(Maddie, Annie, Laurann, Bradley)

Then we went to Troy. It’s cool that I can say I’ve been to some of these sites, but it didn’t strike me as anything too grand.

(Annie, Kaylen, Will)

We got to our hotel with just enough time to swim in the Aegean Sea. It was cold and salty, but so fun. The water the perfect shade of teal blue.  I’ve decided there is something magical about the sea. It is therapeutic and helps distress my body and mind. We ended the night with a back rubs; everyone is feeling very touch-deprived and last night seemed to fix that. We sat on the dock, talked, and looked at the hundreds of starts that filled the night sky. It was truly a little slice of heaven.

Day 4

Laurann and I woke up at 5:00 am to read our scriptures on the beach by lamplight. We ended up talking a lot about our futures, relationships, and why we are here in Jerusalem. I came to Jerusalem with a pretty good idea about what I wanted to get out of it. I wanted to make friends, strengthen my testimony of the Gospel, and develop of strong relationship with the people while spreading a message of peace. My goals have definitely started changing. I’ve realized that Heavenly Father has a much bigger plan in line for me. Friends came automatically with the situation, so rather than gaining friends, I have gained family. I never really gave myself time to miss Joe, but being here with worthy respectful Priesthood holders has made me miss Joe a bit more and be more grateful for him. I’ve also gained a whole new set of big brothers. They watch out for me and make sure I’m ok. I’m working on strengthening my testimony, but that is a life-long endeavor. As a foreigner (blonde, female, and American), I’ve realized that it is difficult to develop a good relationship with the people, but I’ve learned there are so many good people in this world who are trying to be honest and kind.

  

After a few more hours on the bus, we arrived at Assos which is one of the places that Paul visited. We had a devotional on top of a cliff overlooking the Aegean Sea. We discussed Acts 16:1-11. Paul was on his way to Asia Minor when he was forbidden by the Holy Ghost to preach there. They stopped in Troas and he had a dream where a man from Macedonia was calling to him to “Come over into Macedonia, and help us.” Rather than following his own will, Paul trusted the Lord and went to Macedonia. The people there were prepared for him and it was his job to give them assistance.  Brother Judd went on to tell us that we are both Paul and the Man from Macedonia. Sometimes I am the one in need of help and I need to have faith that God will send the correct person my way to give me the love and encouragement I need. Other times, I need to be Paul. I need to be constantly preparing myself, so that when I am called upon to help, I will be ready and willing to do so.

(Minaret at Mosque in Assos)

(On top of Assos)

(Andrew helping a lady open up shop)

(Beautiful table linens; I wanted one so badly, but forgot my money)

(Favorite pic of the trip)

Following Assos, we headed to the Pergamon Acropolis. We were blessed with overcast skies and wonderful company.

(Brother and Sister Jackson)

(At the massive awesome theater)

(Rachel, Hannah, Alyssa, Annie)

(Annie, Jackson, Shawn, Katie)

(a small portion of all our bags)

To be continued....