On his Second Missionary Journey Paul visited the city (around A.D. 50–51) and there Lydia and the jailor, and their households, were converted to Christianity. Paul and Silas were unjustly imprisoned but were soon released by the magistrates of the city (Acts 16:12–40). Paul again visited the city on his Third Journey (Acts 20:20). During one of his imprisonments (probably in Rome in A.D. 61) Paul wrote “Philippians” to the church at Philippi.
Philippi apparently had only a small number of Jewish inhabitants and no synagogue. Consequently Shabbat worship was held outside the city on the Gangitis River. Here Paul met a group of women to whom he preached the gospel. Lydia, a wealthy, female merchant, trading purple cloth and/or dyes (Acts 16:13-15), believed Paul’s message and was the first European convert. Here, she and her household, including slaves, were baptized and the group began to meet at her house. Subsequently Paul went and lived at her home.
We toured the archeological site of Philippi which is pretty outstanding… more pictures of rocks and ruins 🙂 We also held a communion service at Lydia’s stream (aka: Gangitis River). This has been my favorite part so far… I’ve felt moved and softened to the Lord and the work He is doing right now through me and through others on the trip. More on that…
Here I sit, in my cabin aboard the Star Clipper. We are floating in the port of Kavala after having visited the ancient city of Philippi. It is Thursday and the week has flown by, as I’ve had a hard time being “present” for most of it up to today. I’m aware of a few factors that may have caused my absence, so to speak. The first one is jet-lag, which at first, actually made for a lot of laughs on my part and others. The next one is the patch thing that I’ve worn for the motion sickness. Basically, this patch has made me tired, head-achy, totally out of it and thirsty; I’m not convinced it is any better than the motion sickness. I took it off a day and a half ago and I’ve felt better/more alive than wearing it; I’ve got it on call in case I need it. Another is simply the fact that things move so quickly as someone who is working to make this trip special for others. I know that as a traveler/vacationer it normally takes a few days to get acclimated to not having to be on the go all day every day. As a worker, I still need to be on the go all day every day and in a foreign place. So it is a slight challenge to make sure to look out for others over myself. Which takes me to another thought; why don’t I do this more often? The answer is simple, I am selfish. I know I’m not alone on this so don’t hear me having a pity party that I sit solo in my selfishness.
Most of my days are spent thinking about how I can make my surroundings more comfortable; with the clothing I wear, the car that I drive, the bed that I sleep in, and the food that I eat. We all do, all the time. It’s occurred to me that when I am getting paid and getting to enjoy the luxuries of this trip at no charge, it somehow makes it easier to serve others, even though I am called to serve others and treat them as I would like to be treated. I mostly enjoy being around other people but I will say that I hit a point that I don’t want to be “on” any more. I feel like I’m back in that place of trying to be someone I’m not; I feel like I have to retire to my cabin to be myself which is rather lonely at the moment.
Sitting on this ship in this tiny cabin among at least 200 other people, it makes me feel small. It is a sad feeling, one of little significance… and then I remember my prayer from yesterday. I read Psalm 26 and asked the Lord to “examine me and try me; to test my mind and heart,” I also asked that He help me to love others better… those on this trip, my co-workers, my friends and family back home. I believe today He has done just that and He has shown me, in His gracious way, the condition of my heart and my mind as of late. He has shown me that this trip, it’s about Him, this life, it’s about Him… all the relationships along the way, yep, those are about Him too. Instead of having this “look at me, look at me” attitude, I can work on shifting towards “look at Him, look at His love, look at his grace, look at His mercy.” So, feeling small and insignificant, that’s okay, because compared to Him I am and that’s the way it should be.
I am thrilled to see new places, learn new things and meet new people… it is such a gift and a blessing to be even a small part of His work in the hearts and minds of others. It is even more of a blessing that in the meantime He is working on me and my heart. I miss home but I know this is just the beginning of what is to come over the next two weeks. For those of you who are praying – thank you and I look forward to being with you soon.
Travel adventures by Kat 