A God encounter in Philippi

Day 5 (13 Nov 2025) 

Even though I found this hotel creepy, it does have an exceptional breakfast buffet spread. They even have honeycomb which you can cut into your Greek yoghurt! Incidentally, I have discovered that Greek yoghurt with mixed nuts and honey is an amazing breakfast food.

 

 

 

 

Today, we visited Philippi which was the Apostle Paul’s first stop in his second missionary journey. It's significant as it was the first church he planted after being called to Macedonia (Greece) and it became the gateway for Christianity to enter Europe. 

We visited the archaeological site which revealed many historical buildings in an ancient city. The first structure we came to was the theatre. Theatre was born in Athens and for ancient Greeks, the theatre was an important piece of infrastructure because it was for education, not entertainment. Plays taught people about life, philosophy, gods and democracy. The rise of democracy was in line with the existence of the theatre. Since the Greeks considered education very important, tickets were free so people could participate in politics. Philippi was the cultural centre in its time.

 

After the Romans conquered the area, they transformed the theatre into entertainment venues instead and animal fights were held here. I guess we know now which civilisation was more cultured! Today, performances are still held here by celebrities. The tour guide explained that ancient theatres used to be built on slopes of mountains to make use of the natural incline of the rock as they didn’t have cement back then. The acoustics are amazing because the actor can project his voice and be heard by the audience without the use of mikes.

Within this small area, four churches were found, including the largest basilica in Greece, which showed that Christianity flourished here. There's even a gymnasium as the Greeks believed in training both body and mind. 

 

We also saw the prison where Paul was held for preaching the gospel. It was here that the prison doors flew open at midnight, Paul and Silas stopped the jailer from killing himself, and the jailer and his whole family was eventually saved (Acts 16:16-35).

 

Next, we visited the river area where Lydia the purple seller was said to be baptised. 

 

 

"On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us." - Acts 16:13-15

 

Lydia is a significant character because she was not just the first person in Greece to be baptised but she was a woman. At a time when the culture was highly male-dominated, there was an entrepreneurial woman running her own business. She was dealing in purple cloth, meaning that she catered to the well-heeled as purple dye was extremely expensive (you needed 6,000 shells from a type of snail just to make 1kg of purple dye). I identify with Lydia greatly - she was a woman of courage in a man's world.

 

Nobody really knows where Lydia was baptised, but a baptistry was built by the river to commemorate the event. 

 

A map depicting Paul's journey is on the floor in mosaic

Paul's journey is painted on the walls and ceiling

Today, the baptistry is used to baptise babies. 

 

 

The dean of Tung Ling held a devotional outside the baptistry.

 

The whole area is so gorgeous and tranquil, with running river and autumn hues. I wish I could stay to paint.  

 

We stopped for lunch and once again, it's a huge meal. It was pretty good though. The appetiser was plateful of different items including rice wrapped in grape leaves which was interesting. With Tsatsiki sauce, of course. Back in Singapore, I don't like tomatoes but the tomatoes in Greece are so sweet and not mushy that I've eaten more than I can count. I'm technically allergic to shellfish but I couldn't resist a few pieces of the fried calamari. Oh how I miss seafood 🥺

 

 

During lunch, I shared with the ladies at my table about the women’s ministry I'd set up. I said God had given me and others prophetic words that it will multiply but I could only go by faith that it would happen as honestly, I couldn’t see with my human eyes how it could possibly be.

After lunch, as we were walking down a couple of steps towards the beach, the lady in front of me turned her head downwards and said, “Oh, a dandelion! So pretty.” I stopped in my tracks and looked down. At the corner of the step was a dandelion. Just one. It was so small growing from a crack next to a concrete step, I don’t know how my friend could have possibly spotted it. I instantly knew it was meant for me.

 

At the beginning of this year, I’d shared how I was led to paint a picture of dandelions which turned out to be prophetic. That started a chain of events including my last-minute enrolment in Tung Ling. 

 

When we went back on the bus to get to our next destination, I thanked God for sending the dandelion. Perhaps it was to confirm my calling but was there something more? Almost immediately, I saw an image of Jesus sitting next to me on my left and before us was a whole field of dandelions. He gently reminded me that dandelions pollinate by the wind and I need not worry about how and where they will grow. Then he gave me this verse:

“The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” – John 3:8

I’m currently in the season of pollination. God was teaching me that even though I can’t see how the ministry will multiply, it will grow in the most unlikely places (like this dandelion) because pollination is by the Holy Spirit. All I need to do is stay the course.

I sat in the bus and cried and cried. It felt like Jesus was enjoying my company and explaining things to me like a friend would, with such love and kindness 😭.

We headed back to Thessaloniki for the night. Along the way, the tour guide showed us the church of St Demetrius. They happened to be holding a service so we went in to have a listen for a few minutes.

 

 

There were only a few people in attendance and it seems they follow a liturgy. I felt a little uncomfortable so I went outside instead. The night air is crisp and wonderful. I looked at all the buildings surrounding the church and wondered how many people knew God.