Day 3 in England

Our day started off eating a wonderful English breakfast at our B&Bs in Stratford before getting on the bus and heading to the Cotswolds. We got off our bus in Stow-on-the-Wold where we began our two-mile hike across the chilly English countryside to a little village called Lower-Slaughter (which, believe me, is so much more wonderful than the name suggests). The walk took us across fields and over the rolling hills and down narrow country roads. We crossed bridges, hopped fences, and even petted some horses who were in a field we walked through. Everyday it's been fun to hear students say, "This is the best day, ever," and that phrase was heard often on our hike. 

How cool...A Morgan drove past us on our walk today!

Abbey Road or Duck Crossing?

I told you Lower-Slaughter was pretty!

After we were picked up by our bus we headed over to the small village called Bourton-on-the-Water. It has many little shops so we had some time to walk around and do some shopping after eating a sack lunch. Bourton-on-the-Water is well-known for its ice cream. Not too many of us were willing to get any, though, with the temps still in the 30s and wind chills that make it feel much colder. Hot teas and lattes were more appropriate. 

Bourton-on-the-Water

A view from one of the many bridges that cross the river at Bourton-on-the-Water

The shops at Bourton-on-the-Water

Three brave ice cream eaters

We have marveled how we keep thinking that nothing could get better than what we are experiencing at the moment. How could anything be better than the Bronte Parsonage? Then we found ourselves in Stratford thinking, how could anything be better than walking in the footsteps of Shakespeare? Even this morning, we were so excited about the walk through the English countryside. Nothing could surely beat that, but then we arrived in Oxford!  (These pictures are from around Oxford.)

 

Now, I'm a book person, but I wasn't prepared for the breathtaking beauty on the architecture of the buildings that make up one of the world's most widely know universities. Our one stop was to visit the Bodlein Library. I fail to find the words to describe the incredible majesty of the buildings that make up the library. Hopefully the pictures give you a sense of what we were privileged to take in ourselves. We were even able to tour the original library and see the old books that line the shelves and the reading room the scholars use. There is just something about standing in a place that holds the knowledge and intellect of men, which has been collected over the past 700 years!  

Inside the quadrangle of the Bodlein Library

The other side of the quadrangle of the library

The Divinity Room at the Bodlein Library

One of the many buildings that make up the Bodlein Library

 

Inside the reading room of the Bodlein Library

Today, before our long walk in the countryside and a visit to Oxford, Mrs. Wyllie reminded us in our devotions that while we explore the depths of man's ability to communicate and debate and learn, we should be even more amazed by the Source of all knowledge and Truth. As Spurgeon said, "Visit many good books, but live in the Bible." How true! Even the books that have been part of the Bodlein Library have faded with time; some were even purposely destroyed through the ages. But, God's Word will never fade. 

All together at dinner tonight

After having a nice dinner together in Oxford, we boarded our bus for the drive to our hotel in Bath. We are all definitely tired from another wonderful day in England but looking forward to what the day holds for us tomorrow. Continue to pray with us that... 

• God would protect us from wrong thinking and theology especially for our students who will be heading off to college in a few short months, 
• we would be disciplined to saturate our minds with Scripture as a habit every single day of our lives, and 
• our love for the Word would be contagious to those around us who desperately need Truth.

--MrB