Day 8 in Greece (Amphipolis, Thessaloniki)

Well, today was much better than the past two days. The sun was out and it hit somewhere around 40 degrees today. The snow is melting and life in Greece is beginning to function again. This also meant that we were able to travel much easier. However, the sites are still covered in snow. But all is well.

Our first stop this morning was at the city of Amphipolis. This isn't a major biblical city but it is mentioned in the book of Acts. In Acts it says, "Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews" (Acts 17:1). So, just like Paul, on our way from Philippi to Thessaloniki we stopped in Amphipolis. There wasn't much there to see. However, there is a large marble statue of a lion that was on the edge of the harbor. This was typical of ancient cities. The city of Miletus (which we were in a few days ago) had four harbors and one of them was called the Lion Harbor because it had two large lion statues on either side of the harbor.

From Amphipolis we headed to Thessaloniki. On our way was stopped for a bathroom break. Lo and behold, we ran into another tour bus of students from Calvin College! What are the odds? So, many on each of the busses knew each other and had a quick reunion at the gas station. Then we left for Thessaloniki.

Once we arrived in Thessaloniki, we connected with our tour guide. He was able to fly out of Athens last night and make it to Thessaloniki. We spent some time walking around Aristotle Square and took some time to eat lunch. Did you know the the Gyros in Greece are not made with lamb, but with chicken and pork? Let me tell you, they are way better with pork than lamb.

After lunch we headed up to the old gate of the city--called the Fair Gate. Many beleive that this was the gate where Paul entered the city of Thessaloniki because it's the closest gate the Via Ignatia. So, we were able to see this gate and spent some time talking about the history of this city. From there we headed to the ancient Agora (marketplace). There is not much of this left to see since it's in the middle of the city. However, we were still able to catch a decent glimpse of what was there and imagine the rest. This site is very significant in the Bible. In Acts it says, "Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. 2 And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.” 4 And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women. 5 But the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd. 6 And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, 7 and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.” 8 And the people and the city authorities were disturbed when they heard these things. 9 And when they had taken money as security from Jason and the rest, they let them go" (Acts 17:1-9). When they drug them before the city authorities, they drug them into this Agora.

From here we went to the Greek Orthodox Church of St. Demetrius. It's a very ancient church with a lot of history. It was a fairly typical Orthodox Church with many decorations and many Icons surrounding the worship space. We spent a lot of time talking about the Orthodox faith, beliefs, and history. It was very interesting.

From there we headed to our hotel for the evening and were treated to a traditional Greek restaurant. The food was amazing and it kept on coming!

Once again, I continue to thank you for your prayers. Our group can definitely feel the many prayers being lifted before our Heavenly Father. Thank You. And please continue to pray for our group and for our families was we work our way to the day of this trip.

It has been a great trip, but I am definitely looking forward to being back home with my wife and daughters.