Day 6 in England

Have I mentioned that it's cold here? That it's the worst winter in 50 years? The blessing is that we haven't had a day of rain...snow,yes...but no rain. :) God is good! The group has been in good spirits, and it was fun to walk around London with the snow flurries swirling around us.

We started our day at Westminster Abbey. What a magnificent and historic building! The beauty inside and out is stunning and everyone marveled at the history. Numerous kings and queens of England are buried there and hundreds of memorials for prominent men and women of Britain are scattered throughout the Abbey. The girls were especially excited to walk the very aisle that Princess Kate had walked in her wedding. But, the highlight for our literary tour was seeing the Poets' Corner. We saw the tomb of Chaucer as well as memorials to many of the great British poets the students have studied in class. I thought I was the only one who got giddy over things like that, but this time the students beat me to that area of the Abbey and came back to get me so they could excitedly show me all the poets they had found. It was so fun to see their genuine excitement for what they were getting to see.

Westminster Abbey

Father and Daughter walking down the aisle :)

By the time we left Westminster, the snow flurries had begun to fall. Our walk to Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guards got colder and colder, but we had to move fast to see the event, so our movement kept us warm. :) We got there just in time to see the Men in Blue walk trough the palace gates led by a military band and followed by the helmeted guards in red riding on their horses. To take the chill off, we stopped for some quick hot chocolates and lattes on our way to Kensington Palace.

 

Mrs. Bannerman trying to stay warm

Mrs. Muxlow also trying to stay warm

We grabbed a double-decker bus to get us to the palace and surrounding gardens. By the time we got to the park, the snow flurries had become large snow flakes, and we could truly say that it snowed in England while we were there. It even snowed hard enough to cover the ground for a bit--a truly beautiful sight among the flowers of the gardens. Some students went to see the Peter Pan statue, while the rest headed for the warmth of the cafe at the palace museum to grab some lunch.

Trying to stay warm in a WWII monument while waiting for the bus

Walking through Kensington Park

Kensington Palace (with snow)

From there we headed off to Harrods for some shopping. Actually, I think we did more looking at this high-end department store. Even so, it was fun to see and explore this giant and famous retailer of London.

We had just enough time after Harrods to head back to the hotel on The Tube to freshen up and grab a quick bite to eat before heading off to Les Miserables at The Queens Theater near Piccadilly Circus.  This is a perfect way to begin the closing act of our trip. The kids absolutely loved the show.

 

Tomorrow brings us to our last day here. We can't believe it. Just a week ago we were boarding a plane to get here, and now it's almost done. What a wonderful time we have had!  These will truly be memories that will last a lifetime.

We were encouraged in our devotions today to find our heart's delight in the Lord.  As Spurgeon said, "I am sure, if you are a child of God you cannot be happy in the world, you cannot be content while leaving Christ, but you are in a miserable way.  Grace has spoiled you for the world, and it is of no use your attempting to get comfort out of it. Your only hope of happiness lies Godward." Or as Colossians 3:2-3 says, "Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God."

Pray today that...

• we would be easily identified as a person set apart from the world because of our contentment in Christ,
• we would never compromise convictions or accommodate sin, and
• we would have a chance today to speak highly of God to someone who doesn't know of His worth.

--MrB