Day 4--The Cotswolds, Oxford, and Bath

Each day we are reminded of how amazing it is to wake up in England. Even a bus ride becomes an exciting experience as the scenery constantly provides new and wonderful views of this amazing country. We left beautiful Stratford behind us to make our way to the city of Bath, stopping along the way at the Cotswolds and Oxford. 

After a brief bus ride, we arrived in the small village of Stow-on-the-Wold where the footpath for our hike through the Cotswolds began. We then took our 3+ mile hike through fields, woods, and small villages, taking in and enjoying the English countryside. The recent rains made for muddy paths, but nothing seems to dampen the spirits of our group...we're having too much fun! We are all truly blessed with how well everyone has gotten along, and we have all enjoyed the conversations and laughter that are the results of these times spent together. 

After our hike, our bus took us to the quaint shopping village of Bourton-on-the-Water. It is the quintessential Cotswold village with little shops and cafés situated along a meandering river running through the center of the town. We didn't have much time here, but it was enough for us to get a quick bite to eat (the ice cream is really good!) and do some shopping. 

After a 45-minute ride on our bus, we arrived in the bustling city of Oxford. This is an eclectic, modern city filled with people from all around the world who come to visit and study at the university. The main focus of our visit was the central library at the university, the Bodleian Library. Established with the university in 1425, the library originally held just 22 books. Today, it has the second largest collection in the UK with over 11 million items. Some of its more famous items in its collection are a copy of Shakespeare's First Folio, the Gutenberg Bible, and the Magna Carta. We were able to get a tour of the original library as well as get in some shopping for all the Oxford gear we wanted. We capped off the day with a delicious meal (pizza served in a castle of course!) before getting back on the bus once more for our trip into Bath. 

We have had another fun-filled but exhausting day taking in all that we can of our time in England.  This literary tour gives us a glimpse into the lives and works created by the authors of this country. Even so, our devotions reminded us that "all human books grow stale after a time, but with the Word of God the desire to study increases, while the more you know of it the less you think you know" (Spurgeon).

Please pray that...

God would protect our students from wrong thinking and theology especially in the next months and years as they attend college;

we would be disciplined to saturate our minds with Scripture as a habit every single day; and

our love for the Word would be contagious to those around us who desperately need its Truth.