The moments are fleeting and while we are anxious for home,
we are realizing that this experience may never happen again. Our bodies are very, very tired but the
adventurous spirit within us tells us to press on just a bit further. We finally woke up to a proper London morning
with a light touch of rain! A full
English breakfast prepared us to walk the halls of Parliament. It was a surreal moment to stand in the rooms
of the House of Commons and House of Lords where we’ve seen British politicians
debate vigorously over the country’s issues.
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| Ready to go into Parliament on this drizzly morning |
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| This was as far in as I was allowed to take pictures ... but this place is amazing! |
Our next stop was to Buckingham Palace and it was on that
journey that we had one of those serendipitous moments that are
remarkable! We stumbled onto the street
where the Queen herself was laying a wreath in honor at a memorial. The music, the pomp and circumstance and the
fact that she was just several yards
from us was surreal!
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| That first small memorial monument, right in front of all the guards, was where the Queen was |
Onto Buckingham
Palace where we saw the changing of the guards and the preparations being made
for the London 2015 Marathon. It was a
colorful explosion of Union Jacks!
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| Walking down the final stretch with Buckingham Palace right at the end of the road |
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| The beautiful gardens in front of Buckingham Palace |
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| Changing of the guard | |
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The
next stop was Harrods Department store via The Tube. We had waited for the most anticipated moment
when 41 of us hopped on and off in true British parkour style! We navigated
fairly well (at least 35 of us did J). A world-class shopping spree followed at the
store where there is nothing they don’t offer on their shelves or will order
for you from anywhere in the world.
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| Heading down to the Underground |
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| Riding a very busy tube |
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| Harrods here we come |
A
quick stop at the British Library afforded us a view of the Magna Carta and
Beowulf.
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| Inside the British Library |
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| Waiting to go see the Magna Carta & Beowulf |
Back to the hotel for a quick
rest, we prepared ourselves for a final dinner in The Library, a room with a
view overlooking Big Ben. We ate a
delicious dinner and each precious traveler recounted their “moment” on the
trip – the event, or conversation or observation that was the most meaningful
to them. It was a beautiful reflective
moment. The benediction of the trip
happened as we soared above this incredible city in the pods of the London Eye.
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| Our view out the window from dinner in the Library |
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| A view of the city from the London Eye |
This final event gave us some altitude on all that we have
seen and experienced over the last eight days.
We saw, with new perspective, the city that we have come to know and
love in a country that has intrigued and captured our hearts. But down below is a city, a country, a
people who are lost. For all the
delights we have experienced, England is a godless country destitute of hope
and desperately in need of a Savior.
This elevated perspective reminded us that walking those streets are the
store clerks who served us, coach drivers who transported us, porters who
welcomed us, tour guides who explained mysteries to us, actors who entertained us
- Englanders who were looking for someone to answer a longing in their heart
they may not even be aware that they have.
We pray that God would make His name great in this country and draw the
hearts of the people back to Himself. We
pray for those who are doing the hard work of ministry here. For those at the Metropolitan
Tabernacle. For this country to be
humbled before its God. And then we ask
God to stir our own hearts for those who are waiting back home for us. We must return changed. If we have not, we’ve lost nine days. We resolve to take the things that we have
seen and heard and bring the message back:
England was great, but Christ is magnificent!
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| Junior - Kylie Brown |
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| Senior - Adam Li |
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| Freshman - Ben Wyllie |
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| Dan & Sandra, with Sandra showing off her new 25th wedding anniversary diamond ring |
Psalm 96:3 Declare His glory among the nations, His
marvelous works among all the peoples!"
“The surest way
to promote godliness abroad is to labour for it at home.” Spurgeon
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