Sitting in Frankfurt

I've spent the last ten hours sleeping at a 45-degree angle, watching He's Not That Into You and Slumdog Millionaire, and reading a few essays on aesthetics of the novel. Now I'm sitting in the Frankfurt airport awaiting my flight to Istanbul. Walking through the terminal, I've seen only one short newsclip and a single headline relating to Michael Jackson. Everything else focuses on Iran, the European Union, sporting events (swimming especially), the worldwide economic meltdown ...

I'm headed to Turkey and the Aegean for two weeks of research. My next Coffee Cup study is tentatively titled Sumatra with the Seven Churches. For the first week I'm in Turkey visiting the location of six of the seven churches from Revelation 2-3. Also on the agenda is Philippi, where the biblical Book of Philippians was sent. I have two new studies releasing July 27, and one is on Philippians. So hopefully we can shoot some photos and upload them to my web site.

The seventh and final rev-church site is Ephesus. That happens the second week, during which I'm set to sail from Istanbul and end up in Athens with Ephesus, Patmos, and a number of Aegean sites between. I hope to set my dissertation project in Ephesus, and this visit should give me a close-up look that will hopefully also give me some clearer direction. The trip happened through amazing provision from the Lord, and I'm still pinching myself.

I have about 3 more hours of sitting around plus three hours or so of flight time before meeting up with my hubby, who's joining me in Istanbul from Nairobi for the Turkey part.

He was in Kenya with a small team from East-West purchasing and delivering home-building supplies to destitute families displaced in last year's civil war. The team has experienced good weather (better than Dallas's 104 degrees!), smooth purchase and delivery of supplies, and obtained video footage of recipients expressing gratitude that they will now have homes. More about that in the days ahead.

Meanwhile, stay tuned here for photos and thoughts as I embark on what promises to be an unforgettable adventure.