The first ten days of my time away have involved many emotions and many challenges, but I can say without hesitation that the astonishing thing has been the generosity of my hosts. Symbols of how I have been received run through my mind: an oscillating fan brought to a hot room, a cup of Nescafé in a moment of exhaustion, a monastic parlor table bearing glasses of cranberry water, ouzo, and a bowl of candies. These symbolize for me something deeper, something that points me very directly to the love of God at the heart of our world. I have been allowed to see Christ in the people treating me (me!) as if I were Christ.

The assistance has been completely necessary. I took off my shoes when I arrived in Rome on Sep 3 and saw that one of my socks had already developed a big hole right in the toe. I’m falling apart already!

So far I have been in Rome, Greece, and now Istanbul. I will follow up with some vignettes over the next days, but I can share a couple quick photos here just to prove I am still alive. I cannot thank you enough for the prayers, which have sustained me.