Through the AP exam-filled haze that was my May of junior year, I distantly remember receiving an email notifying me of my acceptance to Apostles to Altars, Westminster’s global JanTerm that travels to Greece to retrace the footsteps of Saint Paul. While I was elated, January seemed so far away, and in the midst of summer internships and college applications, my upcoming trip to Greece somewhat slipped my mind. Eventually, though, January 5 came around and I showed up for our first day of class in the brand new Blake Hall. I then spent the next ten minutes with my mouth agape, running from floor-to-floor of the building with my new classmates as we discovered the countless cool features installed around the halls. For those first few days, we researched the sites we’d be visiting and learned about Paul’s backstory, which definitely primed us to make the most out of our visit to Greece. We were scheduled to leave on January 10, but the night before, our flight was cancelled. Yet less than twenty-four hours later, we were rebooked – to an earlier flight, no less – and set off. Immediately, our group began bonding with rounds of Imposter during our two layovers, and this trend only continued during our daily, hours-long bus rides from city to city. Each night, we sat together, talked, and played games; one of my favorite memories was in the city of Nafplio, when our entire group ran through the city to try and catch the sunset on the beach. As corny as it may sound, I’ve gotten to know people I never otherwise would’ve met, and that’s invaluable.

But just as important as the friendships I’ve forged over the past few weeks is the academic and spiritual growth I underwent. As a Christian, I got to delve into the Scriptures in a way that I haven’t in a long time, and I also got to make connections between them and the secular world. I’ve always regarded Christianity primarily through a lens of conviction and belief, but this trip helped me ground my faith differently. Seeing and hearing the archaeological history of Greece helped buttress it, as my faith and its figures now feel less abstract and more grounded in real places, moments, and people. Each night, we were given a reading assignment, and we would go over the Bible passages pertaining to the locations we were visiting once beforehand, then again at the actual site. This was something that I really loved, since it helped me make connections and personalize what I had read. I’m beyond blessed to have had the opportunity to be a part of the Apostles to Altars 2026 cohort, and I’d highly recommend it to anyone interested, regardless of your faith!