RECALLING EPISODE 6 OF WHY PHILIPPI?

THIS IS NOT THE ORIGINAL EPISODE 6 OF WHY PHILIPPI!!
I am recalling the pretend trip the same way I would an in the flesh trip.

What a day we had yesterday. I think you will understand three old ladies being in shock. We lay on our beds with eyes wide open; we didn't even change into our bedclothes...just kicked off our shoes..would morning ever come????
 We dragged ourselves out of bed, showered, put on fresh clothes and decided NOW WE WERE HUNGRY.

A police detective was also in the restaurant getting a much needed cup of coffee. 
                                  likeness

He approached us. "καλημέρα!!" good morning!!  He and Dorothea had a brief conversation in GREEK.

 He said there were many possibilities about the victim. He was not registered at the hotel. 

There was no identification on the body. Seeing the suite of rooms was empty, someone randomly just chose our extra bathroom to dump the body.

 He could be part of a gang war or even someone in espionage or something like that. He said it might take months to find out.

He suggested that we go home as soon as possible; otherwise, we might get stuck there for a long time needlessly.

Hey! That sounded like a great idea to us!! We had only planned to stay another day anyway...we just called and had our tickets changed to today.

We talked with the lady at the desk when we were making arrangements to check out and get back our passports.

 Beanie told her about Paul and the hidden letter.  We were told it is illegal to to hide things at the ruins;  everything found like that is sent to the museum to be stored in boxes or just thrown away....and pray tell, where is that museum? Beanie and I were thinking...30 years in a box among many. Dorothea's hopes will be dashed!!

We went by cab to the museum...

went in hurriedly...in just 5 hours our plane would depart...!!!!...

 The museum was built in 1961 and includes four major collections of findings from the prehistoric settlement of Dikili-Tash and from the Hellenistic, Roman and Early Christian city of Philippi.

The architectural remains of the Hellenistic city of Philippi have not been excavated because they are covered by the ruins of the Roman city but a great number of Hellenistic grave stelae have been found on the site.


We were handed a pamphlet as we entered. 
Philippi was established by the king of Macedon, Philip II, on the site of the Thasian colony of Krinides or Crenides (Κρηνἱδες, "Fountains"), near the head of the Aegean Sea at the foot of Mt. Orbelos about 8 miles north-west of Kavalla, on the northern border of the marsh that in Antiquity covered the entire plain separating it from the Pangaion hills to the south of Greece.

The objective of founding the town was to take control of the neighbouring gold mines and to establish a garrison at a strategic passage: the site controlled the route between Amphipolis and Neapolis, part of the great royal route which crosses Macedonia from the east to the west and which was reconstructed later by the Roman Empire as the Via Egnatia. Philip II endowed the new city with important fortifications,

No one was on duty at the desk for a few minutes. Then we explained our situation to the employee.

Speaking English she said, "Sorry, we can't help you.

 True there are many boxes stored here;

 but so much junk  has been just thrown away. 

doubt if anything is here from 30 years ago.

Dorothea began to cry ....

Beanie said, " Please let us just look, PLEASE!"

Exasperated the employee took us back to a room full of boxes

 and said to feel free to look but not to get our hopes up.

So we started  going through boxes as quickly as we could. 

Mostly trash. We were gradually running out of time...

Suddenly Beanie found a dirty looking sandwich bag.

               "OH, MY DOROTHEA, LOOK!"

Lo and behold there was a letter in that bag,

and you could see a red heart through it

                 and the word DOROTHEA.

I am sure our sounds of joy and delight

 could be heard all the way back to Memphis.

we even sang a few measures of this (scaring people!!)

Dorothy was given permission to take the letter  with us.  

No way to put into words how excited we were.

When we get back to Memphis we will rehash the trip in my 

kitchen.  You, Blog & Facebook friends... are welcome to be

 with us.

Beanie and I never read that letter...

but understand it is private and precious. 

Tomorrow there will be just one more post. #7 
                                     THEN...
                            
                    fait accompli

with love, Beanie, Dorothea and annie.

We sort of looked like this fifty or more years ago!

 Our hearts haven't changed...just sayin'!!



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In the Bible[

According to the New Testament, in AD 49 or 50 the city was visited by the apostle Paul who was guided there by a vision (Acts 16:9-10). Accompanied bySilas, Timothy and possibly Luke, the author of theActs of the Apostles, he preached for the first time on European soil in Philippi (Acts 16:12-40) and baptized Lydia, a purple dye merchant, in a river to the west of the city. While in Philippi, his exorcism of a demon from a slave girl caused a great uproar in the city, which led to their (Paul and Silas) arrest and public beating (Acts 16:16-24). An earthquake caused their prison to be opened. When the jailer awoke, he prepared to kill himself, thinking all the prisoners had escaped and knowing that he would be severely punished. Paul stopped him, indicating that all the prisoners were in fact still there. The jailer then became one of the first Christians in Europe (Acts 16:25-40).

Paul visited the city at least on two other occasions, in 56 and 57. The Epistle to the Philippiansdates from around 61-62 and shows the immediate impact of Paul's instruction.

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