I, Christin Kapp, servant of the Most High, pilgrim to Greece and Turkey in the year 2007, pray grace and peace to you who read this, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

First, I thank my God and The Salvation Army for the opportunity to embark on this once–in–a–lifetime journey retracing the steps of Paul the Apostle. For as we walked the streets of ancient cities, sailed on cobalt blue seas, and worshiped together in the very places the early church worshiped, the Book of Acts came to life and became incredibly familiar to us—it was like reading the diary of a fellow traveler, who had happened to pass the same way years before.

From the first day, Luke’s description of Paul’s encounters as he traveled through Greece and Turkey resonated with us. Approaching Mars Hill, we came upon a book fair set up at the base of the Acropolis. Kiosks were full of books on philosophy, politics, science; dozens of people were sitting around reading and debating their content. We were reminded of Acts 17:21. (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.) Two thousand years separated us from Paul, but in that moment, the Word came to life.

Coming to Berea, Major Wayne Maynor reminded us during his devotional thought that the Bereans received the Word of God with eagerness—the Word came alive to them in their reception of it. As a group, the 30 of us then spent time at this small monument in the heart of the city, speaking aloud the Scriptures that had personally come alive to each of us. Confidently spoken phrases such as “for God has not given us a spirit of fear,” “I know that my redeemer lives,” and “even so, I will praise the Lord” rang out among the sounds of traffic, of people talking, laughing, and going about their day.

The island of Patmos, where the Apostle John received and penned the book of Revelation, was of particular significance to us. We docked at sunrise on Sunday morning, and immediately proceeded to the cave of the revelation for worship. The amphitheatre outside the cave was under construction, with piles of wood and tools lying about. As Major Janet Munn rose to share a dance presentation of Revelation 1, she discovered that the only place flat and large enough to stand on was one of the stacks of wooden boards.

As she stood in that ancient space on the new construction materials, she stretched both hands to heaven and proclaimed the Word of the Lord—“Behold! I am making ALL THINGS NEW!” The power of God, the One who created and shakes heaven and earth, the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, in whom we are new creations, and the Spirit of Pentecost, the Comforter, who imparts to each believer spiritual gifts, was revealed to each of us in a powerful way as the Word came alive on that island.

Our final stop on the tour was Corinth Harbor, where Paul sailed for Ephesus. It was a poignant experience, knowing that we were bidding farewell to Greece and Turkey at the same location where Paul bid farewell to his beloved friends Priscilla and Aquila.

It struck me that Paul had no way of knowing if he would ever pass that way again, and neither did we. Chances are, most of us will never walk the roads of Greece and Turkey again in our lifetimes, but, like Paul, we will make the most of the rest of our ministry journeys as Salvation Army officers, moving from place to place, using our voices to preach Christ to all we meet along the way.

—Captain Christin Kapp is the assistant
corps officer in Flemington, N.J.