SJ8 - Paul's Bridge and Appollonia

 Today we made the trek to some significant archaeological sites in Albania.  The landscape of this beautiful country reminds me of the Santa Monica Mountains in some ways. The big difference is that instead of oak trees there are huge groves of olive trees dotting the landscape. The other big difference is that everything is so lush and green.  If we got a good couple months of steady, light rain in the Santa Monicas, they might look like this beautiful rolling landscape.

The triple-arched stone bridge you see behind us, according to local tradition, was part of the route used by the Apostle Paul as he traveled into this region on his missionary journeys.  In Romans 15 17-19, Paul writes: 

Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God. I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done— by the power of signs and wonders, through the power of the Spirit of God. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ.

The ancient region of Illycrium is now part of modern Albania. This is the same area where this bridge exists. It is also along the route whre the anciet Egnatian Way ran as it passed through what is Albania today.

The above picture shows Tom and Tami standing on the bridge with the modern village behind them. It was stirring to be here and imagine what this view must have looked like and what the inhabitants were like as Paul crossed this bridge on his journey of sharing the Gospel in his day.  

Our next stop was the ancient ruins of the city of Apollonia.  This city set on a hill served as a Roman outpost during the 2nd and 3rd centuries.  Some of the archaeological finds here date back as far as the 5th century BC.

 Apollonia had two theaters and a temple to the goddess Diana.

In the photo below you can see the pillars of the portico of a large building which was likely the political center of the city. The photo on the left shows what remains of shops and columns which ran along each side of the main thoroughfare coming into the city center.

Appollonia had most of its treasures carried away to other locations during the years that Albnia was under communist rule. For this reason, sections of it have been reconstructed.  Careful archaeological work was not done here until after  the fall of the communist regime in 1944. The main columns of the portico in the city center was in severe decay and collapsing.  In 1978, they were carefully reconstructed, adding materials found in the region to sections of original columns, in order to restore it as faithfully as possible.

It  is fascinating to walk through these ruins or across Paul's bridge and let your imagination journey back in time.  At the same time it is a bit disappointing that it is not more well preserved and some is a reproductions rather than the original city as it was.  Archaeological work continues here today.  In sections we could not visit, there is word of an even larger theater and multiple other finds.  All in all, this was a great day of discovery.  It only whets our appetites for what we hope to see when we travel to Greece next week!

SJ7 - Beautiful Albania and the tale of the selfie stick

I've made a couple references to using a selfie stick in these posts

over the last week.  Let me bring you all into the loop so you will understand why.   A few weeks ago, I purchased a selfie stick through Amazon, thinking that it would make it easier for Tami and I to get good shots of both of us in all the places we are going to visit. I am not a big taker of selfies, but I thought it sounded like a good idea.  Then, one fateful Tuesday, Andy and Travis saw modern wonder on the table from my office and began to laugh and take good-natured digs at me for owning selfie stick.  Undaunted, I proudly stated that it was specifically for my trip.  I can take the ribbing - I certainly give it out, so to get it back was not a surprise.  Anyway. . .when we packed up and left for our trip, I was saddened about half way to Istanbul to realize that I had forgotten to pack the selfie-stick!!!  Not to worry though - there were street vendors in Istanbul selling this amazing modern narcissist enabling device!  So, i simple bought another one - I had planned to get some kind of gift for Travis while I was traveling anyway.  So below you can see the beautiful, hot pink selfie stick I purchased which enabled beautiful pics today  It will be a welcome gift to Travis upon my return.  Try to control your excitement, Travis  . . .and yes, the hot pink was so that it will match your eyes!



Today was another wonderful day in Albania!  We began by going to meet with Bledi an Albanian leader in the Church of Christ in Tirana who is also the Director of the Bible School where Olti and Sojana, attend. He was in town today to teach class. We were able to have coffee with him beforehand.  It was a real joy.  Some of you may know that Bledi was at one time financially supported by the Conejo church.  He spoke very highly of Tim Pownall. He also asked about Emily Pownall's health,  He is concerned and praying for her.  We were  also joined by Altin, from Fier and his wife Vosjana. In the picture here, Bledi is on the right with the white shirt. Vosjana is the woman who is not Tami. :-)

Tom had to meet with students to teach English classes, in the afternoon.  So after coffee with Bledi, Altin and Vosjana,  we took a brief jaunt out to an ancient monastery called Adenica.  We were fortunate to find and care-taker there because the monastery is still used at times as an Orthodox Christian church, but it is not always open. The caretaker told us that it operated as a monastery between 1,000 and 1,600 a.d.  Inside, the chapel walls were completely covered with amazingly detailed icons depicting the birth of Mary and the life story of Christ. It also had painted images of the Apostles and of Paul.  the wood craftsmanship for the round pulpit was exquisite.  It looked almost like gold leaf, but it was polished wood. I wish I could have taken pictures of the interior to share with you, but he would not allow it.  I did, however find some images this afternoon from Google search and have them for you here.


Returning from Adenica, Tom needed to go meet with a student. This gave Tami and m some good quiet time at Tom's home. It felt so good to just rest and reflect on where we have been so far/  I got caught up on posting pics to Facebook from our time in Istanbul.  We also both sneaked  in a little nap. Ahh...

A few hours later, Tom picked us up and we went to the church office, where English classes are held.  There we met with a few students and several of the ladies who teach English and help Tom in the administrative work of the church.  I took the opportunity to grab a picture of us all in a selfie!  We hope to take a trip with these lovely ladies later on in the week, I will tel you more about them then.

SJ6- First Sunday in Lushnje

Okay, first of all confession time.  I confess here and now that I am not as good as Andy Wall...by that I mean that I was so excited to meet people and worship with the church in Lushnje today that I completely forgot to take my phone or a camera.  Therefore, we have no photos from our first Sunday service with the church here.  If I were Andy I am certain you would have several wonderful shots, so just imagine and you will be able to make me look better than the photos probably would have anyway!

What I do have are photos of our time this afternoon and evening after worship - trust me, we did worship with the church here today, I just can't prove it.  When you think about it, that just means that I have blessed anyone who is interested with the opportunity to practice your faith - faith that the church in Lushnje met this morning and faith that we were there.  Next weekend I will lead a time with the teens on Saturday and preach on Sunday.  Will will probably have pictures of that, but without pics of today, it seems a bit self serving to take pics next week....what is a lame amateur photographer like me to do?

After worship services we drove to the lovely town of Fier where we enjoyed lunch at a beautiful mountain top cafe called Acropoli. The food and the view were both amazing!

Here are some pics from that lunch - there is more of today's story after the pics so scroll on down!!!

After a relaxing lunch - with way too much delicious food - we met with Altin, a former student of Tom's who now lives in Fier.  Altin and his wife have a three year old son. Unfortunately for us his son was napping so we did not get to meet him or Altin's wife.  Altin is currently the minister for the Church of Christ in Fier.  It was such a blessing to hear Tom and Altin talk about their memories of when they first met and how Tom brought Altin to the Lord.  The two also picked at each other and told jokes on each other just like long-time best friends. Altin is definitely one of God's success stories brought about by Tom's faithful years of ministry here,


Later in the evening we were able to go out for coffee with Olti and Sojana.  It was so good to sit with them for a couple of hours to talk over ministry, share stories, and get to know each other better. Their passion for the Lord and love for the church here is Lushnje is evident - especially for the youth. They are so full of hope and enthusiasm for ministry and service. They are in the process of seeking full-time support so they can continue to work full-time for the church while completing their biblical education.  Please pray for them in their marriage and ministry!

One note to Andy and Travis - I forgot to take my selfie stick to the cafe tonight, so I accidentally got my hand in the way of this selfie!  I will show you better pics because of the selfie stick tomorrow!

SJ5 - Albania Mania!

We left Istanbul in the darkness of early morning on our way to the Tirana International Airport in Albania.  The flight was just over an hour and a half. As we came in toward the airport we broke through some very thick clouds to reveal a beautifully green landscape of mountains, giving way to what looked like lush agricultural valleys.  Once on the ground we were happily reunited with Tami's Dad, Tom Bonner.

After stopping for a mid-morning fresh squeezed orange juice blended drink, we headed on to

Lushnje.  Tom has been a missionary here for 13 years now. After my extensive 12 hours of experience here in Albania I can tell you my first impressions. The people we have met are delightful.  It is clear that Tom is loved and well known in his neighborhod.  Those of you who know him will find that this is no surprise.  He has never had trouble making friends or drawing people in around him.


After a brief mid-morning nap ( making up for having gotten up at 3:45 a.m. in Istanbul to make it to the airport) we went to join Olti and Sojana, a young couple who are working with the church in Lushnje along with Tom. They are eager and hoping to be a ful time ministry couple with the church here.  Both have completed Master's Degrees. Olit's degree is in maratime engineering and Sojana's is in finance.  After their scholing they felt called to pursue ministry. They are currently attending Bible training classes and working with the youth of the church on Lushjne and hoping to find full support.

Olti takes a selfie!

From 4:30 to abut 6:30 we were with Olti, Sojana, and the youth group.  School starts up on Monday and the numbers tonight were smaller than normal.  Still, it was fun to get to know a few of the kids and watch Olti and Sojana teach and interact with them.  I look forward to getting more time with them this week.  They are eager for training and mentoring.  I am prayerful that we can have some engaging a fruitful ministry conversations this week.  Please pray for Tami and I so we can be effective sounding boards for them this week.

Our plan for this week is to just be with Tom and the members of the church in Lushnje. We are eager to see how the week unfolds.  I will be leading the youth group time along with Olti next Saturday and preaching for the church on Sunday morning before heading to Athens.  Wahoo!!!

SJ4 - Touring Istanbul

Today was a beautiful day!  The weather was perfect and we enjoyed the company of an amazing guide named Sedah.  She is the smiling woman holding the pink umbrella. 

First of all - an update on the hotel drama.  After spending the night in a very nice hotel just up the road from the Daphne Hotel, we went to breakfast at the Daphne and were warmly greeted by the hotel staff.  They promised us one of their best rooms and escorted us into a delicious breakfast. After breakfast, they got us on the way to our tours for the day and  put our luggage into safe keeping until our room was ready.  When we returned from the day of touring, our room was all set and even more beautiful and confortable than the hotel in which we stayed the night before.  I just realized that we did not take any pictures of the hotel room, but who wants to see that anyway!?!  Instead you can enjoy a couple of beautiful shots of our view from the rooftop café of the Daphne Hotel.  Our room is directly below this terrace with a window facing the same direction.  I know, you are probably jealous, but don’t worry, that doesn’t bother me.

On our tours we saw so many amazing and historically significant sites! These include, Sultan Ahmet Mosque, also known as the Blue Mosque,  Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, the Little Hagia Sophia and the Hippodrome.  I will give more details about each of these sites in the next couple of blog posts. For now I just want to share a few impressions and experiences from our first full day in Istanbul. 

One thing I didn’t really expect is that there are dogs and cats everywhere.  It’s not that I saw so many of them, but when I think back on the day, there was no place we visited today that I did not see at least one stray dog or cat, usually more, Sedah tells me that they are commonly cared for by the general public.  They are just part of the landscape.  The government even sponsors a recycling program where all of the proceeds go to feeding the dogs and cats that live around Istanbul!  Every dog I saw seemed happy and content to just be a part of the crowd.  The cats all seemed indifferent – what’s new?

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At the end of the day we enjoyed dinner in the rooftop café at the Daphne. This was followed by a leisurely stroll around our new neighborhood. We stopped at a café and had dessert. As yu could have seen if I had taken the picture before we ate it. . .  it was white chocolate baked inside a pastry and served with rich vanilla ice cream: decadently delicious! To accompany it Tami had a perfect selection of their finest bottled water and I enjoyed an exquisite cup of Turkish coffee.  Had I spilled the coffee, I am quite sure it could have taken the alluring red shellac right off of the chair I was sitting in, but it’s flavor was complex, rich, and nutty, with a hint of BOOM!  It was the perfect way to end a wonderful day!

Istanbul used to be Constantinople, but today it is just pretty downright amazing!  I have only seen a very small part of the powerful city. It is urban and yet welcoming. It has more to offer than we will ever be able to see in our short time here, but that’s OK. When the small part I am able to take in is already more than I can really understand it is humbling and inspiring at the same time.  We have another day here tomorrow – and so I sleep.

SJ3 - Arriving in Istanbul

Well we made it to Istanbul! Our first leg of the journey was successful. We landed in Istanbul with no problems and eagerly set out to find a taxi and get to the lovely Hotel Dapnhe. Upon arriving,  I paid the taxi driver and he immediately whisked away.

Once inside the hotel we  found that they had no record of our reservation. This would be no problem except that it was prepaid and they currently had no rooms we could move into. No problem, we are only in Istanbul!!! Well at least we weren't stuck in ancient Constantinople or somewhere like that . . . wait. .. . that's exactly what it was like.

After a couple calls to the states to re-confrm our reservation and an email or two - about 30 minutes into this exercise in circle running, they "found our reservation." the desk clerk quickly promised to put us up in a hotel just a few hundred yards away for tonight and get  us into the Daphne tomorrow. All's well that ends well, or so they say. . . and we learned that when in Istanbul you sometimes need to be able to withstand some bull.

Undaunted by our slight delay, we headed out to explore the area.  We found a wonderful little cafe where we enjoyed a delightful Kabab dinner. After eating we strolled around and found the Blue Mosque, the German Fountain and several other interesting sites we look forward to fully exploring in the daylight tomorrow.  Stay tuned, the adventure is only beginning...

Sabbatical Journey (SJ)2 - Thanks at the Outset

I am writing this on the eve of our long- awaited trip to Turkey, Albania and Greece. As we spent the last few days packing and pulling everything together, I have been reflecting on how blessed we are to be able to make this journey which lies ahead.

I want to take just a moment before the trip starts to acknowledge those who have been instrumental in making this possible or in helping us prepare to get the most out of the experience. These may sound a bit like Jimmy Fallon's tongue in cheek "Thank You Notes." but I assure you, these words of thanks are sincere.

• Thank you Elders at Conejo for holding to your promise for this sabbatical. I know that some of you will think, "There's no need to say 'thanks.' Sabbaticals are a policy - of course we stuck to that promise." I still want to say "Thank you." This is a policy you put in place and honor because you recognize the importance of these times for spiritual and personal renewal for ministers at Conejo. I am very grateful for that. Tami and I would likely never go to the places we are about to see without your faithful partnership and support. 
• Thank you David Jack for being a good friend and a terrific travel professional.  It is so good to have a friend like you I can count on for solid guidance and direction.  Your advice and expertise have been invaluable as we made reservations, plans, and asked 1,000 questions.
• Thank you Jim and Penny White for lending us your big sturdy luggage which has been travel tested and approved. This was such a thoughtful gift. Our luggage would have made the trip, but it may not have survived the entire journey there and back again. You saved us from having to buy new luggage now and gave us peace of mind for the travel process.
• Thank you Ty and Kindy DeLong for the travel books on Istanbul. We are even more excited having read through them last night.  Your generosity in lending them to us and your enthusiasm about what awaits us there have us even more eager to go and explore on our own.
• Thank you to all of you who we have had conversations with or who have given us advice on where to go and what to see. Many have wished us safe travel and good adventures. You are all too numerous to name here.  We are very grateful for your well wishes and even more grateful for your prayers on our behalf.  

Tomorrow we embark on what we believe will be a grand adventure! Thank you for supporting us and continuing to pray for us on our journey. God has blessed us with 23 wonderful years of ministry at Conejo.  Please join Tami and me in praying that this sabbatical journey will give us renewal, energy, and fresh eyes and enthusiasm for the road ahead.  May God empower and prepare us for even more effective ministry together with all of you in the future.