Day 5 in England

On to London! We packed up this morning and loaded the bus to leave Bath, taking in one last magnificent view of the city as we drove away. After about an hour drive, we arrived at Stonehenge. I know I've said it before, but each day seems to be colder than the one before it, even more so when yesterday gave us a warmer, sunny afternoon. But, with Stonehenge located out in the open, the bone-chilling wind added to the atmosphere of the place. We keep getting told it's the coldest winter they've had in fifty years! Oh well. We can soak up the sun when we get back, and the beaches will always be there, but England is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. 

Last views of Bath

Stonehenge was amazing, both because of its mystery as well as because of the impressive size of the stones. Rays of sunlight were streaming through the clouds as we approached the stones, and the sheep were milling about the adjacent countryside among the ancient burial grounds scattered around the hills. As some of the kids remarked, we've all seen pictures of Stonehenge, but to see it in person was truly remarkable. 

Our devotions focused on what these stones have to teach us considering that Stonehenge was most likely a place of pagan worship. While it might be easy to indict these people as the worst of sinners, we need to remember what Surgeon himself reminded us: "Whatever a man depends upon, whatever rules his mind, whatever governs his affections, whatever is the chief object of his delight, is his god." This makes us all idolaters. Our devotions reminded us that the question to be asked is not, "Am I an idolater?" But rather, "Am I striving to remove the idols in my life." 

I should also mention that our devotions have not been our only teachers. Each student had to prepare a brief presentation for one of our stops on the tour. They have done remarkably well as our instructors along the way. We have also been listening to English hymns on the drives between our stops (all put together by Davis Muxlow). We were blessed today with "Come Thou Fount," "Crown Him with Many Crowns," "In Christ Alone," and "It Is Well with My Soul." What a soundtrack for our trip! 

And then there was London! As we moved closer and closer to our hotel as we drove through the city, the excitement level of the bus rose higher and higher. And, then we got our first glimpse of Big Ben and the cameras started clicking and the kids could hardly contain themselves. To see their thrill at being in such an incredible city was truly a joy. We arrived at our hotel, the Marriott at County Hall. It's absolutely incredible. Situated on the Thames and right next to The London Eye, it is a magnificent way to spend our last few days in England. 

The London Eye and The County Hall (our hotel!)

The entrance to our hotel

 

We had just enough time to drop off our luggage before we boarded the bus to head over to the Tower of London. There, we were able to explore the various towers that house the armory as well as areas that highlighted the tower's more infamous past as a prison and place of torture and execution. But, the greatest display available to visitors were the Crown Jewels. What an incredible (and beautiful) exhibit. 

The Tower of London

Tower Bridge

The White Tower (armory)

On our way to see the Crown Jewels

Once we finished there, we all took our first ride on the Tube. Keeping 30 people all together for our first ride was a little nerve-racking, but we didn't lose anyone. But, the best part was when we walked out of the Tube at the destination for our hotel. Right there in front of us was the impressive Westminster Abbey and Big Ben! To our right was the Thames and an incredible view of the Eye and our hotel. I keep marveling at the sights I am seeing with my very own eyes. 

Mind the Gap!

Big Ben!

We had just enough time to get checked into our rooms and get some dinner before heading back to the Tower of London (once again on the Tube) for the Ceremony of the Keys. This is a special ceremony that was a privilege for us to attend since this is not a ceremony that is open to the public. It was a great experience to watch the locking of the gate, an activity that is done every day of the year and has been done every day with no interruption for the last 700 years! 

The Tower of London at night

The Tower Bridge at night

Trying to stay warm before heading in for the Ceremony of the Keys

Waiting for the ceremony to begin

Coming back to our hotel after the Ceremony of the Keys

It's been a long day, and we are finally all back in our rooms trying to warm up and get some sleep. Tomorrow will come quickly, but at the same time we can't wait for it to come. There is so much to do, and we are realizing that we just have two days left. 

Pray today... 

• that God would give us eyes to see the idols of our heart and the courage to eliminate them 
• that we would hunger for and be satisfied in Him only 
• for the British people who, to this day, continue to construct individual Stonehenges

--MrB