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Phillipi and Thessaloniki :Day 8

Location of Lydia's Baptism (Acts 16)
Today we continued following the path of the Apostle Paul. In the morning we drove to ancient Phillipi. We began in the lower village of what today is called Lydia. It is so called because this is the location where Lydia, Paul's first convert in Europe was baptized (Acts 16). Here we saw the beautiful riverbank that now commemorates this major event, as well as went inside the beautiful Greek Orthodox Church on the site. It was an exciting time as the workers and priests were anxiously preparing for St. Lydia's day which is ironically taking place tomorrow.

Following our time at the village of Lydia we rode the half a mile over to the ruins that have been excavated from ancient Phillipi. Excavations began here in 1914 so there was much for us to see.  Much of what was visible of the city's structure are ruins from 2nd and 3rd century prior to its abandonment in the 5th century. There were several structures remaining from when Paul would have walked the streets but the highlight was the Roman cistern that is traditionally said to have been Paul's prison that he and Silas were set free from (Acts 16:16-40).

Roman Cistern that was Paul's Prison in Phillipi
Next we rode a couple of hours west to the town of Thessaloniki. Unlike some of the other biblical towns that we have visited that are nothing but ruins, present day Thessaloniki is a massive modern city. It is Greece's second largest city behind only Athens, with a population of about half a million people. Because of the growth, there is not much to see from the time of Paul, and the only ancient ruins are sections of the city wall that were rebuilt in the 2nd and 3rd centuries. However, at this site my roommate for the trip, Thomas Farrow, pastor of First Baptist Clinton, led a wonderful devotion from Paul's journey in this part of Europe, reminding the group, and me especially, that we aren't called to be celebrities, we are called to be servants.  
View of Thessaloiki from the Acropolis

Tomorrow is our last long bus ride of the trip, when we will make the roughly five hour drive south to Athens. The good news about that is we will be able to stay in the same hotel for our last three nights, rather than moving from place to place each day. It is hard to believe how fast this trip has gone by. It certainly is a bookend moment for me personally because it is my last act with CUDS. It has been a great experience so far, and I am really looking forward to visiting Athens and Corinth. Good night from the beautiful Thessaloniki! 
Location: Thessaloniki Thessaloniki

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