Trinity sent 11 teenagers and 3 adults to Greece June 11-22, 2024. Here, Debbie Cox shares her impressions of the trip; we share some brief responses from students to our debriefing questions at the end of the trip; and you can read Peter Hartwig’s full summary of the events of the trip.

Participants: Amy Peterson, Peter Hartwig, Debbie Cox, Owen Pearson, James Price, Rosie Peterson, Conner Johnston, Siena Gentry, Will Ray, Matthew Ragaller, Harrison White, Rose Mills, Frida and Oly Vassallo

From Debbie:

This trip was a once-in-a-lifetime trip for me. I have been doing these trips for the past twenty-four years but this one was the first time the trip lasted more than a week. It wasn’t easy to get to Greece. The plane ride was long, and it was sweltering, and we walked over 10,000 steps a day. Some of my favorite things were the young people we took with us, the Church of St Demetrios in

Thessaloniki, Delphi, Hydra, the Parthenon, and one of the monasteries in Meteora. I was struck by how old everything is and it was hard for me to believe some structures were still there. Of course, this trip was about Paul’s time in Greece. I was surprised Paul spent 3 years in Greece and a year and a half in Corinth. Paul was successful in spreading the Good News and established some churches that did very well. I learned more about Greek Mythology. I remember some of it from my high school days. The food was really good. I had Greek yogurt and thyme honey for breakfast every morning. Lunch and dinners were served in a family-style way. If we had a choice of food I don’t think we would have experienced all the different Greek foods. Greece was beautiful and so happy I had the opportunity to go with our people. I want to thank Amy Peterson and Peter Hartwig for coming with me. Thank you Trinity for all your support! Hope to do a

Greece slide show soon!

Debbie Cox

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From the teenagers:

What physical things are you bringing back from Greece?

Olive oil

Sweet treats

Blisters

Gelato

Gifts for family and friends

What non-physical things are you bringing back from Greece?

Great memories.

Being in a different culture.

Creativity and new ideas have flourished for thousands of years and witnessing it firsthand was overwhelming and inspirational. My worldview was greatly expanded because of this trip. I hope I never forget the memories I made.

A better friendship with many of my peers from the trip.

How has your faith changed because of this trip?

It didn’t change my faith because I am still questioning.

I have more knowledge of Paul’s journey.

I have a deeper respect for His creation.

Peter’s Recaps of Each Day

Day One

Our first 36 hours on the ground have been a whirlwind introduction to Greece and to St. Paul! Upon arrival, we had a big Greek meal and celebrated Frida’s 18th birthday. We spent the first full day in Thessaloniki visiting historical sites, eating Gyro, and taking a quick boat ride around the harbor (where some of us got a bit of shut-eye). We saw the Church of St. Demetrios, the Arch of Galerius, the White Tower of Thessaloniki, and the agora. It’s been a blast and tomorrow we’re off to Philippi to see another city where Paul brought the Gospel to this ancient civilization.

Day Two

In Acts 16.12, Luke says that he and Paul went “from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony.” Well yesterday, our crew of 14 did the same.

Traveling north up the coast we went to the place where Paul baptized a woman called Lydia, his first convert in Greece (Acts 16). At a riverside church dedicated to Lydia’s baptism, we took a moment to dip our toes in the snow-cold water and Mother Amy led us in a remembrance of our own baptismal vows. Then we went on just a few miles to Philippi to see the agora, the theater, and the Egnatian road — all sights Paul would have seen himself. It has been amazing to stand where Paul stood. We ended our day with a family-style meal on our last night in Thessaloniki.

Day Three

When Paul came to Greece he found himself surrounded by an ancient civilization that already had a long and rich history. As we follow his footsteps, we get to see glimpses of that same astounding culture. Day three began with a quick visit to Berea and a shrine that commemorates where Paul preached to the Greeks. Then we headed over to the underground tomb of Philip II of Macedon which was built by his son, Alexander the Great. From there we went to likely the most famous holy place of the non-Christian Ancient world: Mount Olympus. We spent the afternoon hiking up the mountain where the gods were said to have lived (some of us further than others) and then ended our night with Greek Pizza.

We are loving the country and this time together as a community. Keep us in your prayers as we keep on tomorrow to see the churches at Meteora.

Day Four & Five

Yesterday we explored Greek Orthodoxy. We stopped at an icon workshop where Amy and Peter spent most of their “allowances”… we then headed up to one of Meteora’s six active monasteries. More than 20 of these bewildering communities were built on the heights of precarious cliffs where monks originally had to scale the rock faces in order to “consider the things above.” Today, we took a look at the other side of Greek religion: the gods of the ancient world. We went to the site of Apollo’s famous oracle at Delphi, believed to be the center (or belly button) of the earth. We saw Apollo’s temple and the place where his legendary oracle, the Pythia, sat above a fissure in the rock. And of course, we spent some time in the town of Delphi, a beautiful little spot of breathtaking views nestled just below Mount Parnassus.

Day Six

Our first full day of Athens gave us the time to see the most famous building in Ancient Greece: Athena’s Parthenon. We started out at the Acropolis Museum. We learned about the history of the construction, alteration, and decline of the temple. Then we climbed up the Mars’ Hill to stand where Paul preached his sermon in Acts 17. Thousands of people have stood there for centuries to exchange ideas – it turns out that millions of feet over thousands of years make the rocks hazardously slippery. In the afternoon, we explored Athens – shopping, snacking, and seeing the sights. As the day cooled off and the crowds thinned out, we headed back up to the top of the Acropolis to see the temple and catch a 360

view of the entire city.

We closed the day with a show! The London Symphony Orchestra came to the Odeon of Herod Atticus to play Tchaikovsky and Stravinsky. Even for those of us who aren’t usually fans of classical music — it was a fantastic performance. Tomorrow we get to rest our legs from all the touring with a beach day at Hydra.

Day Seven

Today we had our “beach day” on the small Island of Hydra where cars are not allowed. With a quick ferry from Athens, we were on that little slice of paradise. We all found spots to swim, hike, eat, and soak in the sun — it was a great day! We’re all rested up now for our last-day excursion to Corinth tomorrow

Day Eight

Today we take our last step following Paul’s journey: Corinth. Paul spent 18 months here, but we at least got to spend a few hours. We crossed the famous canal that separates the mainland of Greece from the Peloponnese. We saw the agora of the city. We read an inscription

to Erastus, a man whom Paul knew personally and named in his letters. And it was there, in the city to which Paul wrote his longest discourse on the Eucharist that Mother Amy led us in discussion and in the Lord’s Supper. After lunch, we challenged ourselves with a hike up the small mountain that overlooks the city, the Acrocorinth. We ended the night with a Cretan dinner back in Athens. Tomorrow is our last full day in Greece, before an early flight on Saturday. We’ll spend it seeing a few more sites in Athens.

Day Nine

The temple of Zeus, Hadrian’s arch, the modern Olympic stadium, the changing of the guard, the National Archaeological Museum, the Metropolitan Church of the Annunciation, parakeets in the public gardens — we really packed it in on our last day in Athens! And that was all before lunch.

We spent our afternoon in Sunio at Poseidon’s temple and the cliffs where the mythical king Aegeus threw himself into the sea that now bears his name. We took some time on the windy outcrop of the coast to reflect together on our trip and solidify the memories we made here. After a dinner of sea brim (where you could eat the fish’s eye if you were brave) we headed to an early bed before our 6am flight.