2025 Greek Pilgrimage - Day Six

Walking in the Footsteps of the Apostles: Ephesus & Patmos

This morning, we arrived in Kuşadası, Türkiye, ready to step back in time to one of the cities of the New Testament—Ephesus. Once called “the marble city,” Ephesus was where the apostle Paul spent three years planting a church, preaching the Gospel, and later addressing believers through his Epistle to the Ephesians.

We learned as we toured that this city is only 15% excavated which is incredible because there was so much already brought back to life! Unfortunately, not only are the archaeologists dealing with the challenges of time, this area is prone to earthquakes which continue to destroy the history they are working on bringing back to life.

In the afternoon, we set sail for the serene Island of Patmos, a place of exile turned into a site of divine revelation. We made our way down to the Grotto of the Apocalypse, a quiet, sacred cave where tradition holds that the apostle John received the visions that became the Book of Revelation. From there, we traveled high on the mountain to the Monastery of St. John.

Tomorrow, James and I will visit Crete and Santorini as tourists, return to Athens on Monday, and fly home on Tuesday. This week in Greece has been an incredible journey, bringing Scripture to life in vivid and powerful ways. It is humbling to imagine the faith, courage, and perseverance of the early church and to deepen our own sense of awe at the enduring story of God’s kingdom.  

Kalinikta (good night),

Donna Matthews