Our first full day in England has proven to be just that...FULL! All of our excitement and anticipation has been truly rewarded with the experiences we already have been privileged to take in.
The day started after a well-deserved night of sleep. The day before was fueled with the adrenaline and excitement of the trip becoming reality. That excitement was hardly tempered by a long, somewhat sleepless night on the plane ride from LA to Paris. Our "sightseeing" in Paris was limited to the airport as we made a dash to our connecting flight that would take us to Manchester. Yet, while we easily made the flight, our luggage did not.
This news, along with a bus ride that was delayed by congested traffic due to an accident on the motorway, might have caused some people to complain, but not our wonderful SCCS students. I may be biased, but we are obviously blessed with some of the best young people who find joy in the blessings given to them despite the circumstances they are in. The ooooo's and ahhhhh's and the clicking of cameras as we drove through the English countryside was all they needed to put the rest behind them.
A recent (and somewhat unusual snow storm) has left much of the countryside near Manchester covered in snow. Yet, despite the chill (and no coats or gloves since all were in luggage that was somewhere between Paris and Manchester) the excitement of arriving at Hollins Hall, our manor-hotel for the evening, couldn't stop the excitement. The kids were running through the snow, laughing with each other and taking pictures to share with all of you once they finally were able to connect to the wi-fi in the hotel lobby.
:)
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| Hollins Hall Marriott (at night) |
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| Hollins Hall Marriott (the next day) |
We enjoyed a delicious meal in Heathcliff's Lounge and relaxed on the comfortable couches and chairs in the sitting areas of the hotel, overlooking the rolling hills of Bradford. But, for all the joys, no luggage had arrived yet. By 8 o'clock we had been told that the luggage was with the courier service, but they were no longer answering their phones. 9 o'clock came and so did 10. We had prayed that God would bring the luggage to us before we went to bed, but we trusted that He would still provide if it did not. Shortly after 10, we passed out toothbrushes and toothpaste from the hotel and had sent the kids up to bed. Then (Praise God!) the courier pulled up with every single piece of luggage! We were all ready for a good night's sleep and God provided that as well.
Saturday promised to be so much better, and that promise was fulfilled and then some. After a hot English breakfast at the hotel (complete with blood sausage for those who would dare), we checked out of our hotel and loaded the bus to head over to the Bronte parsonage and moors.
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| On the way to the Moors |
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| Walking to the Bronte Parsonage |
The parsonage sits among the beautiful hills near the quaint village of Haworth. What a thrill for our students to visit the home of the Brontes and to finally see the setting that was the inspiration for Wuthering Heights, one of Mrs Wyllie's most favorite novels to teach.
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| On our tour looking at the village church where the Bronte sisters' father preached |
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| On our tour in front of the Bronte Parsonage |
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| Having fun dressing up in the Wuthering Heights costumes |
Mrs. Wyllie was so moved by the experience, that when we walked into the church and stood near the pillar that marked the location of the Bronte family crypt, Mrs. Wylie could only sit down in the pew near that spot, the very pews the Bronte sisters would have sat in as they heard their father preach, and cry. I know our teachers are committed to their classes and to the content they teach, but Mrs. Wyllie showed that this is a passion that extends outside the classroom and is interwoven into the very fabric of who she is.
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| Inside the church at the Bronte Parsonage |
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| Mrs. Wyllie taking in the view where the Bronte sisters sat in church |
Our time in Haworth ended after we had walked though the parsonage, seeing the rooms these talented writers grew up in, played in, and wrote in. We had walked among the gravestones that fill the space between the parsonage and church, and we had walked along the cobblestone roads of Haworth, stopping to shop in the many quaint shops. What a marvelous way to take in literary history.
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| Old-fashioned candy shop in the village on Haworth |
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| Walking through the village of Haworth |
With a quick sack lunch to eat on the bus, we headed off on the two-hour ride to Warwick Castle. Our schedule was running a bit tight, but we weren't going to give up the chance to see a historic castle (it's over 1000 years old!). We got to the castle just in time to spend 45 minutes exploring the grounds. With so much to see, it was hard to imagine that we could take it all in, but we did. We passed the peasants working in their tents, walked through the halls of the stately manor (think Downton Abby), and climbed over 500 spiraling stairs through the turrets of the castle walls. The castle grounds were beautiful, and for those who made it to the top of the walls, the sight of the surrounding village along the Avon River was magnificent. But, our stay was brief since we had to get to Stratford to check in to our bed and breakfast rooms, get our fish and chips at Barnaby's, and head off to see Hamlet at the Royal Shakespeare Company.
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| A group shot in front of Warwick Castle |
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| The manor at Warwick Castle (taken from on top of one of the castle turrets) |
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| Heading into the Royal Shakespeare Company for Hamlet |
The rooms at the bed and breakfast are quaint, cozy little rooms and the fish and chips were delicious, but Hamlet ended up to unfortunately be a dud. The theater itself is gorgeous and the atmosphere is the stuff that theater lovers savor, but the acting company's interpretation of Hamlet was a little odd, and so we decided to call it an early night. Well, it's not too early. We're back in our rooms at 10 o clock England time after a long and fun-filled day, but Easter morning is coming at Holy Trinity Church and it's Daylight Savings Time in England tonight. Yes, we will have the joy of moving our clocks one hour ahead tonight.
:)
I'll leave you with our devotions for today which focused on the Bronte sisters. These women sat under the preaching of their father only to turn their back on the Truth, a bitterness that often shows itself in their writing. We were challenged to live our lives in such a way that we do nothing that would be interpreted as hypocritical and that we would instead find more desire to please the Lord than to worry about pleasing our friends. Spurgeon has been our "guide" through these devotions. He once said, "I would do many things to please my friends, but to go to hell to please them is more than I would venture. It may be very well to do this and that for good fellowship, but it will never do to lose the friendship of God in order to keep on good terms with men."
Please continue to pray for us and for our trip. Today we are specifically praying for...
- an authenticity in our faith to be obvious to all,
- the repentance if those on our trip and in our SCCS family who have rejected Christ,
- and
sweet and encouraging conversations between each other and those we meet on our trip.
-MrB
