A Very English England

Hello from the good ole UK!

I've decided I may have better luck getting in a bi-weekly blog written and posted as opposed to once a week. So here we go!

The last 2 weeks have been full of fun and rather English; if there can be a week that's more English than the last. One day we went up to Lincoln College because we were told Princess Anne was going to be there. It was quite exciting to go be a part of the crowd, waving UK flags, and fidgeting to get a better view of a member of the royal family. Who knows, maybe I’ll run into William and Kate at the grocery store or even bump into the Queen at a hair salon or someplace :)

In 6 weeks we have managed to spot a royal, visit a number of old churches/cathedrals, watch Vikings fight and see 3 castles. On the surface that's crazy exciting and what someone could expect when they come England. The funny bit is that the royal we saw, I didn't know existed and didn't wear a crown or even a big English hat. The churches are old but have next to no church membership and cost a fortune to maintain. The Vikings were actually really neat and made me wish all towns here had people dressed up like it were still the Middle Ages, just to add a bit of theatrics to a simple walk down the street or a stop for coffee. The castles might have been legit back in the day, but have withered away to next to nothing now. I am very appreciative of the information stands and models that show what the structures looked like once upon a time. It helps you see the bit of history you're standing on.


 

The biggest highlights of the last two weeks have to go to the kids of course. The daughter of a church worker here has been very entertaining. She will probably pop in on this blog more just because she is one of the cutest 4-year olds I know. She has recently discovered photo booth on my iPad and absolutely loves showing everyone in the building her silly photos. If you haven’t heard of this app, I think the photos help explain how it is meant to distort the image, and the kids here get a kick out of it.

Last Monday, during Humpty Dumptys, we had face painting for the kids. The kids loved it, but loved it more when they got to paint the worker's faces of course. After that, the week was rather chill. Since last week was half term, many families went out of town with their kids. Some of our activities were canceled and resulted in a rather empty week. But we ended the week with our first independent trip out of the city- to York.

 
It was an adventure from the start. We thought we should get an early train so we can see as much of the city as possible. This meant catching the train at 7am. So I had to leave my house in time to walk into town and then to the station. In the overcast, dim, early morning I power walked/ ran to the train station terrified of being late. If it was freezing outside I couldn’t tell. We made it on time to the train and then after an hour and a half we were in York. In case anyone was wondering, the trains here are not like the ones in Harry Potter, unfortunately.

Once in the city, we got a map and attempted to figure out where everything was. It only took a few moments to decide we would just wander about. After some time of walking around we met up with some of the other Americans working at churches here. Natalie, Greer, and Andrew. A full day of sightseeing, eating, and fellowship really lifted my spirits. It was such a blessing to hear their stories from their churches and to be able to talk it out from similar perspectives. God blessed me with a taste of home, new friends, and a change of scenery (which is good from time to time.)

 

 

 

 

 

The “American day” was only one of the many encouragements the Lord has provided me of course. I am encouraged to hear from home that people are praying for me and the ministries here. I am encouraged by Sonora Baptist Church; their support has been such a blessing! Scripture has been my daily encouragement.

 

 

 

 

I will end this post with my recent encouragement, found in James 4:13-15

“Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”

In this passage I’ve been reminded that my life and my time here is not my own. I have no idea what will happen tomorrow or even next month, but I need to live this moment for Christ and be willing to follow the plan God has set for me. I pray that I do make the most of this wonderful opportunity the Lord has given me and that thru my being here His plan and purpose is fulfilled.