Welcome
On New Year’s Eve, 29 students, parents, and staff members from Legacy Christian Academy traveled to Turkey for an immersive, faith-centered biblical tour of the early Christian world.
Over the next ten days, travelers will visit historic sites including Aphrodisias, Sardis, Ephesus, the Artemision Temple, Thyatira, Pisidian Antioch, Lystra, Smyrna, Pergamum, Philadelphia, Laodicea, Colossae, Hierapolis, Priene, Miletus, Didyma, Cappadocia, Athens, and Corinth. Along the way, the group will reflect on moments of faith and perseverance connected to places such as the Asclepeion, the martyrdom of Polycarp, and locations traditionally associated with the Crucifixion.
These are not simply destinations on an itinerary. They are places where Scripture was taught, tested, and lived out in real time. By walking these ancient landscapes together, students and parents are able to connect classroom learning with lived experience and gain a deeper understanding of how the early Church took root and endured.
This tour reflects Legacy’s commitment to preparing students to live with purpose, faith, and courage. Learning extends beyond the classroom as students engage history, wrestle with faith, and grow in community through shared experience.
We are grateful to have Todd Kardell providing daily updates from the tour, giving our Legacy community a window into the learning, conversations, and meaningful moments unfolding each day. We invite you to pray for safe travels and follow along for updates and photos throughout the journey.
Day 1 & 2: December 31–January 1
We arrived at the airport a little after 9am. Mr. Mulvihill started us off with a reading of Psalm 121 and a prayer for our day.
Despite a short delay we arrived in Chicago with plenty of time to celebrate New Year’s Eve by sufficiently touring terminal five at the Chicago O’Hare airport as we await our international flight to Turkey about 6 hours later.
Spirits are good and the excitement is real as we anticipate a flight through the night and a 9-hour time difference upon landing.
Thanks for the continued prayers as we embark on a journey of a lifetime exploring many sites of the New Testament Church, and as we embrace how this will bring Scripture to life and transform our understanding of how we shall live as fully devoted followers of Jesus.
Day 3: January 2, 2026
After a night of sleep and an attempt to get adjusted to Turkey time, we ventured out on our first day of exploring sites.
Smyrna, Pergamum, and Acropolis of Pergamum
We had the privilege of learning about Smyrna, Pergamum, and Acropolis of Pergamum today. It’s something quite amazing to not just study about a location but to actually walk, climb, touch and see these biblical landmarks.
A common thread was present throughout the day. Following Jesus is not a prescription for comfort but a devotion to seek, serve and surrender. The life of a Christian is never promised to be easy but is a daily commitment to trust that Christ is better than anything this world has to offer. Our sovereign God has good purposes for anything we might experience in this life. The examples of those who have gone before us who have both succeeded and failed to align their faith and worship to the one true God regardless of circumstance have provided some great guidance for us to strive towards living a more consistent and impactful Christ-like life.
All members of the team are doing well and we have relocated to a new city to rest for tonight as we prepare for a new day and new sites to discover tomorrow.
Photos
