What gives value to travel is fear. It is the fact that, at a certain moment, when we are so far from our own country…we are seized by a vague fear, and an instinctive desire to go back to the protection of old habits. This is the most obvious benefit of travel. At that moment we are feverish but also porous, so that the slightest touch makes us quiver to the depths of our being. We come across a cascade of light, and there is eternity. This is why we should not say that we travel for pleasure. There is no pleasure in travel, and I look upon it more as an occasion for spiritual testing. Albert Camus, from Notebooks 1935-1942

        The group on my recent trip to the Biblical sites in Greece and Turkey consisted of Aussies, Brits, and folks from all over the U.S. I’m not sure any of them would agree with Camus that there is no pleasure in travel.  Indeed, the journey was filled with delightful and surprising experiences. But we certainly did find the possibility for spiritual growth, as well as that porousness he describes (not to mention a LOT of exercise from going up and down ancient steps).

A few reflections:

**Places are important.  We were traveling to sites that were already dear to us by faith, and seeing them in person was often touching and poignant. 

**As Americans, it is hard to wrap our minds around living in a place with remnants of thousands of years of history and conflict all around.

**Having to change our schedule to accommodate a protest in Athens gave us a sense of European life. Our guide said: “We’re Greeks; we’re always protesting!”

 **Although many spoke English, we were reminded of the limits of our unilingual culture.  Many of the people we encountered could get along in at least two or three languages.

     On the Turkey portion of the trip, we visited sites of the seven churches mentioned in the book of Revelation. We’ll be considering the letters to these churches during our worship in April, exploring what they might be saying to us in the 21st century church.

     Thanks for your prayer and support for me as I was traveling!