Florence & Venice Italy

Aloha,

Our last few days on holiday were spend in Florence and Venice. What a great time Evelyn and I had learning to use the trains to get around Italy. We now feel confident that on our next trip we will be able to move around the country fairly easy providing that we scale down our luggage. HA! HA!!! I’m sure our local cab driver will much appreciate it as every time he would look at our luggage he would say “Mama Mai.” Venice was soooo beautiful and can’t wait to come back and spend more time just walking around and taking in all the beauty, history and romance. Back to Maui sounds so foreign after being away for a month. This is the first time in my life that I have ever been away for such a long time but now that I have done it, I‘m ready to do it again! As this trip come to close my life at home begins as I take in all the Lord has taugh me on this journey of a lifetime. Stay tune for updates.

Jan's Second Post

Jerry & Jan in Turkiye
Ephesus is definitely the highlight of our tour. Visiting this well preserved ruin and walking where Paul walked clarifies our understanding of bible insights. Our seminar at sea is enriching us in our concept of Biblical Study.
Besides all that this trip is just plain fun! So much more so because of deeper investments into one another and making new friends.
Everyday is full of laughs at one another. Laura and Mike on stage during the magician’s show. The donkey ride up to Santorini. Rough seas making all the tableware rattle, and all the passengers walk like drunken sailors. Cheering on Carrie in the casino for an hour free entertainment for an hour. Shopping in Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar with Toni and Cassie who was especially popular with the Turkish vendors. The leak in our cabin, yes LEAK as in Posiden. Plumbers standing on our bed, removing the ceiling. Lunch at the same Corinth restaurant that we visited in 2001. The same stray dogs were there to greet us and share our lunch.
Today at sea, with 3 Seminar at Sea sessions, formal night for dinner with a promised Flaming Baked Alaska parade, you should see us all dolled up in our fancy clothes.
Tomorrow Naples and Pompei.

Istanbul & Ephesus

Aloha,

The last two days have been very full of activity and so stimulating. It’s amazing and life changing to be and walk where St Paul walked Wow!!!. It is so very stirring to learn in this way, as I am a person that learns better visually. This experience is putting things together for me in a way that has changed me forever! Sure wish you were all here with me.

We had sooo much fun shopping in Turkey especially because we have Evelyn with us. For those of you that thought that I was able to get a good deal, you need to meet Evelyn, she is even better than me. Even with our tight schedule our guide made time for us to visit a leather shop, have a full fashion show, a school of rug making and even a great ethnic lunch. Yum the Turkish food is good and watching Jason and Cassie model for us was impressive. Looking forward to more wonderful sights to see and great teaching and fellowship.

Jan's Posting

We love cruising. This had been quite an adventure. So far Jan has lost two and a half pair of shoes and Jerry has been trampled by a donkey on Santorini. After five days in Rome we are able to find our way around usually only taking one wrong turn or bus each time we ventured out. We did all the touristy things of course and got lost in some surprisingly interesting places. Luckily there is a gelataria on every corner so that we could refuel and get our bearings. Our favorite flavor is noccola (hazelnut). It has been so much fun sharing all of this with all our Maui buddies. Myconos is maze of narrow lanes with many shops. Rhodes has wider lanes and more shops. We’re not too sure about Santorini because after the donkey incident we had a glass of ouzo and slowly headed back to the ship. Right now we are on board ship listening to the call to prayer from the minarets on shore in Istanbul. Amid all this exotic travel we are experiencing amazing teaching about Paul’s ministry from Dr. Randy Smith our favorite tour guide/Bible teacher in the world! We have another five days before we return to reality. See you all soon.

Rhoda & Santorini Greece

Aloha,

We have been traveling now for four days and have visited Mykonos, Rhoda and Santorini Greece. The ship is impressive and Evelyn and I are enjoying our time together in such a gorgeous environment. It has been wonder to be able to sit back have all our need meet and just enjoy our exquisite meals and be able to be in God word without any distractions with friends. It has been wonderful to visit and stand in places where Randy is able to bring the Bible to life for us. He is such a great teacher.

It has been a very busy schedule for me with my morning swim and then either class all day if we are at sea or land tours and then class back on the ship before dinner. We have learned soooo much from Randy my head is just full of information. I’m so glad that Jim is recording the session because I’m not such that I will be able to remember all that he is teaching. By the time that dinner is over we are all ready for bed and not much energy for enjoying all the night life on the ship.

Today was very exciting for me as Dee Dee, Gilda, and others took a donkey ride up the mountain to Santorini on a very scary steep switch back route. I don’t know that I would do it again but I couldn’t see coming all this way without the experience. What a day full of adventure as we walked up and around the island just exploring. The trip back down the mountain to the tender was done via a cable car and ended with a swim back at the ship. Sure wish I had been able to swim in Greece as the water looks so beautiful. I was however able to put my feet in at Mykonos and have that to remember.

Pictures

Aloha,

Not easy to connection on the ship to do this blog. Sorry!! I will post a few pictures for a test.

Friends Arrive In Rome

Aloha,

Today was a day of reflection as we prepared for our friends to arrive. While waiting at the hotel we witnessed a Communist parade and had to hold Jerry back from letting them know how we all felt. That Jerry, we just love him!

It has been so wonderful getting to see Rome at night with Jerry and Janice and getting to know them better. To see the love and high regard that these two people have for each other and the Lord has been inspirational. I strong recommend to any of you that had not gotten to know them better to make the time and see what love looks like. The love of the Lord that Jerry expresses to everyone he meets and his wife Janice is better than watching any romantic movie. What a great location to have your hopes restored and see the true example of what the Lord speaks of in his word about love. For those of you that may not know I am getting a degree in Biblical Marriage and Family Counseling and this trip is being used for some of the bible credits. As I return home to complete my study I praise the Lord for providing me such great experiences on this trip that I will be able to draw from to help others and myself in showing the love of Christ to others.

Evelyn and I had a late start today as the night before we spend most of the night just talking, laughing and having great girl time. This had been such a great time for both Evelyn and myself as we reflected on how blessed we were to have Christ meet us where we are.

Tonight we had dinner with the Jason, Cassie, Toni, Jim, Cheryl, Jerry and Janice. Off to the Trevi fountain early via the metro for a great dinner and gelato before bed as we prepare to start out early tomorrow as the balance of the group will arrive and start our group tours and get the pleasure of Randy’s teachings.

In His Love and Service
Lydia, Evelyn, Jerry ,Janice, Jason, Cassie, Toni, Jim and Cheryl

City Tour of Colosseum, Maria Maggiore, Capitol Hill and More

Today was the best day yet!! I was able to physically see man’s translations of God’s majesty by visiting some of the churches.

Seeing the Maria Maggiore church has made me become more eager to stand in his presence in humility. It has helped me recognize who God is (magnificent and awesome) and who I am. Being here has humbled me and blessed me with the knowledge that he loves me with his unconditional love, despite the fact that I have not always loved him. Experiencing this made it so real to me that his is the creator and I am his creation. I pray that I am able to be the person that God created despite by shortcomings. I wish I were able to put in writing this experience but mere words cannot began to express what my heart and sprit felt as I connected to my creator. As the tears rolled down my face I thought of all you my close friends, family and what a blessing to know that we will all be together in God presence one day. What a blessing God has given me to be able to share this with my beautiful friend Evelyn and all of you with this blog. Now I say that I have been eased of the pain I carried for the ones that have gone before me because I now know and experienced that as they stand in God presence they lack nothing as my mere experience today is just a drop of what it must be to be in God glory. As I get ready to post and review pictures I am disappointed that they are not able to replicate what which God let me see personally. The sweet fragrance of incents the golden candlesticks, the choir praising him the seraphim guarding this throne quicken my spirit that I will someday stand in his presence and witness greater magnificent then what I have seen today.

When we visited the Colosseum all I could think of is the pain and the sadness of wasted lives of those who died not known my Christ. As I try to write more about the day nothing can compare or even seem important enough to write about. We truly feel that God gifted us with his presence and allowed us to see a glimpse of things yet to come and for that alone it was well worth this trip.

In His Love and Service
Lydia, Evelyn, Jerry and Janis