The Return to America

It is hard to believe where I was 6 months ago and where God has brought me in that time. In my last blog post I was still in England, and was looking forward to Christmas, let me catch you up from there.

I spent Christmas with the Howsons, and their extended family that came in for Christmas. We all went to church together on Christmas morning. While Americans like our Christmas Eve services, the British head out Christmas morning. We walked to church in Harby, and I finally saw the inside of that Anglican church. The service was unique. A small sermon was spoken, and we sang many songs. There was a leaflet with the songs written on them. While we didn't sing all of these, the leaflet was their Christmas hymnbook, and it wasn't always that Christmas-y or even Christian. Some songs included were: "Jingle, Bells", "In the Bleak Midwinter", "Christ The Lord Is Risen Today", "Good King Wenceslas, "Here We Come A-wassailing", "Lord of the Dance", The Twelve Days of Christmas", and "We Wish You A Merry Christmas". While I know and enjoy many of these songs, none are exceptionally appropriate for the service. We did of course sing "I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day", you can't avoid that one.

As I am writing this 6 months after Christmas, it is somewhat difficult to remember all that happened, however I do want to highlight how generous, thoughtful, and kind my British family was to me. I received a set of shakers (English Bulldogs with the British flag on their backs, very cute and appropriate), blue football socks (Everton colors), two Everton toothbrushes (lovely, thanks Lois), and a fantastic onsie. All in all, I made out well from my British family as I view them now. I have parents, siblings, grandparents, cousins, and cousins' children who I count as two nieces. God has blessed me with families everywhere I go, and Britain was no exception.

My departure was hard, the evening flew by the night I was to leave by train for London. I can remember how the cold bit through my pea coat that night waiting on the platform and my heart pounding realising this would be the last time I would stand in Grantham. It was difficult, and the night was just beginning. My travel to Heathrow was fairly uneventful, but I arrived so late that security and check-in had closed and I was forced to spend the night out in the main concourse and lobby. I could find a comfortable position and my brain wouldn't focus on reading anything. Those wee morning hours were incredibly painful, I thought a lot about how I was leaving may never return.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the airline check-in opened and I finally got 2/3 boarding passes for my travels. Yes, 2/3, my final ticket from O'Hare to Memphis wouldn't print, the attendant said this was common with the big international airlines now sharing flights but coding them differently, she was with British Airways, and the last ticket was American Eagle/American Airlines. How she got my second ticket (Iberia Airlines), I have no idea, but I was so thankful. As we took off from London, my head dropped, and I think I may have drooled on the woman beside me... I was tired and unable to control any body movement or function.

I eventually came to when they served breakfast (I love international flights, complimentary food). I pinched myself to wake myself up enough to eat, then look out the window at the Spanish scenery. For the first time, I actually chatted with the person next to me. First, I apologised for my drooling, snoring, whatever may have occurred while I was dead to the world. We began to chat, and I learned a little about her life, a single woman in her late 40s from Buckinghamshire (west of London). She was on her way to hike in the mountains of Argentina. The trip was a gift from her father. We talked a little of religion as she was curious as to why I was in the UK and for so long. While no spiritual flames were light, nor even sparks, I pray that as she hiked those mountains the Lord would speak to her, and that she would see the emptiness she was already feeling as something only Christ could fill and heal. We landed in Madrid, we parted ways amiably and I then proceeded to get my final boarding ticket to Memphis, another adventure in a foreign land, with a Spanish-speaking attendant for American Airlines.

My Iberia Airlines flight was really nice, I had a window seat beside a younger man (late teens/early 20s), we never talked (except for when I needed the loo), which was saddening after my last flight but it showed me how other perceive my generation. We can be so absorbed in our own little bubbles we often miss the people, places, and happenings that are right beside us.

O'Hare was one of the most frustrating layovers I've experienced (besides the insomnia of Heathrow). After getting through customs, with just a few minutes to spare, I discover that I have to go back through general security to get to my connecting flight... Excuse me? I just went through customs, I shouldn't have to take off the belt, exterior clothing, shoes, etc. all over again! I only had about 20 minutes til my flight was to depart at that! My face was red with frustration and anger over that.

Thankfully, I made it. I was on the flight to Memphis, then we landed, I stepped back into the Memphis Airport on December 30, 2013 through the exact same gate I had departed out of on September 10, 2013. Though a wheel had broken off my big suitcase between Chicago and Memphis, my things and I were safe. I thought as I was eating dinner with some wonderful friends: Chris, Sara Grace, Haley, and Joe how calm life would become. How wrong I was.

I would like for you to continue reading this saga as it continues in my next post, "A Taste of 'The Good Life' & the Blessings of God"

Week 9: New Sights and New Brothers

This week has been a little longer thanks to a very busy and exciting weekend. My apologies for being later than normal with this update.

Even the front half of the week was busy, from belting Christmas carols through the toilet block while cleaning (and serenading others unintentionally) to leading the Bible study, Monday and Tuesday were jam packed. On Tuesdays we try and visit people on the estate, we did not make that goal as we had a couple of projects we needed to do at Andrew's and at the community centre. An older Welsh man joins us every Tuesday, so he and I worked at the community centre sorting good chairs and tables from the rubbish ones. He is a pleasure to be around and talk with.

Thursday through the weekend were full of activity as well. From another adventure in finding a craft to do with the kids, to spiritual talks which has since lead to spiritual growth and commitment (yay!). God is working here, and the joy I have in knowing He has allowed me to be in this work is incredible. In the midst of that we watched the latest Thor in the cinema. Thor was quite good, and was filmed in England (everyone likes London). Also, popcorn at the cinema here is slightly cheaper (although there is a significant need for melted butter over here).

London Skyline from the London Eye. Note St. Paul's just right of center

Saturday, as a team we took the train down to London! With vouchers from Tesco (a grocery store over here), we got onto the London Eye at a discounted price. We explored more of London, including 10 Downing Street (the British version of The White House, where the PM lives), Trafalgar Square, The Royal Mall up to Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park AND Harrod's.

Charis was being silly, hence my looking down.
The London Eye. 

Elizabeth Tower in foreground.
Westminster Abbey in background.

Trafalgar Square and Nelson's Column.

The National Gallery.

Harrod's. Poshest place in the world.

I had always thought of Harrod's as just the British version of Macy's Department Store in New York City. It's not. From the outside I thought it was very festive for Christmas. Then I got inside. The place is posh. By posh, I mean Victoria Beckham posh (She was Posh Spice of the Spice Girls). I do not think you can get any more posh than someone who's nickname is Posh.  The place was ridiculous. While strolling along, we found a watch that was worth £11500. Yes, you read that right. Eleven thousand five hundred pounds. Currently, that is $18,532.14. FOR A WATCH. I paid less than half of that for my current car in America. We also saw one for £88000. But really, at that point I was still in sticker shock from the first watch, and anything beyond that was incomprehensible. Part of our reason for visiting Harrod's was to find the toilets, or as the uber-posh call it, the washroom. We needed this because we had a 3 year old and a 9 month old who desperately needed a nappy change. We had a look around near where the washroom is located (the basement), so we looked around the wine cellar and the cigar room. Cigars are at least £41 PER CIGAR. A pipe is would fleece the lining of my jeans at £300. The price of a simple bottle of Coke would quench your thirst without even purchasing the drink. It costs over 4 quid(pound, to be proper), so the next time you go to a restaurant and you have sticker shock at a $3.00 drink, just remember a single bottle of Coke would be more like $7.00 in Harrod's.

Big Ben is such a pleasure to listen to.
Parliament is just to the right of Elizabeth Tower here.

Buckingham Palace.

After that eventful trip to London, which was truly quite enjoyable, I went online to book my train ticket back to London for when I leave in December. I booked the latest train that night from Grantham. Big Mistake. This train would be leaving around 10:30 at night. Arriving at midnight. Beautiful, that would give me 3 hours to get to Heathrow from King's Cross. No biggie right? Wrong. As it will be a Sunday night, and apparently London officials do not think that anyone would care to travel at midnight from the BIGGEST TRAIN STATION IN THE UK to the BIGGEST AIRPORT IN THE UK, for an international flight that leaves at dawn (which is fairly common). The Underground quits running at 11:30. Thankfully we caught this last night. Otherwise, I would have been stuck in Central London with all my luggage needing to get to Heathrow, and really the only option that I could rely on then would be a taxi. Which could be the most expensive mode of transportation invented by mankind.









Well, we avoided that big obstacle by moving my train, where the change of my reservation only cost 5/6 of the price of the ticket itself. Sigh. Live and learn. Do not ever expect the biggest underground system of trains to run at midnight on a Sunday night.

Hyde Park and The Serpentine. These swans are property of Queen Elizabeth II herself. As are all the swans in England.