Our group of 36 included Christians from Alabama, Florida, Montana, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia. Drs. Ileene and Evertt Huffard, professors at Harding University, were our brave hosts.

Gradually members of the group converged at the gate of departure . Our orange luggage tags were telltale signs that we were members of the "Huffard Group".

The first person I met was Melinda. Melinda is a very intelligent and cultured person who met no stranger and seemed to have a zeal for life. She is retired from teaching French, has a home in Canada and a home in Montana where she takes care of her dad. At the end of the trip, Melinda invited me to visit Montana and I whole heartily accepted.

And then came Mary. Mary disappeared for a bit and popped up later. Very energetic and interested in her surroundings and the people within them. Full of life and caring. That was my first and lasting impression of Mary. I will never forget the time we hurriedly hiked down to the spring at Mycenae while everyone else headed back to the bus. We got to the spring, took our pictures, and nearly sprinted back over and down the hill so we would not be late to get back on the bus. Afterward, she invited me to hike Kilimanjaro with her . I am inspired by her enthusiasm and heart.

Kendra, who was Melinda's roommate, is a special friend now. We are now friends on Facebook. I was with Melinda at the airport when Kendra introduced herself to Melinda and explained that she was a heavy snorer and that a previous roommate had slept in the bathroom to avoid her ferocious snore. Luck would have it, Melinda could not hear well out of one ear, so she said she would lay on the good ear so the snoring would not bother her. I never asked Melinda how that worked out for her. Kendra is a strong, yet humble person with a beautiful voice and an unwavering love for the Lord and her family.

My first and lasting impression of our group was a positive one. Everyone was pleasant, kind & experienced in travel. By the end of the trip, I felt like I knew these people very well. Over the course of our journey, we shared laughter, tears, experiences and prayers.

I feel fortunate to have shared this trip with brothers and sisters in Christ on such an arduous and exciting journey! Notwithstanding the heated revolt throughout Turkey, which began near our hotel in Istanbul, we had a wonderful experience. We walked through ancient cities that we've read about in the Bible. We walked in places that 1st and 2nd Century Christians walked. We came to realize more vividly that the temples we visited were built in honor of worldly gods and were destroyed time and time again; yet, 2000+ years later, we - the temples of God, walked among the ruins, reminding us that our God, He is alive.