darkness and light

I can never escape from your Spirit!

I can never get away from your presence!

If I go up to heaven, you are there;

if I go down to the grave, you are there.

If I ride the wings of the morning, 

If I dwell by the farthest oceans, 

even there your hand will guide me, 

and your strength will support me.

I could ask the darkness to hide me

and the light around me to become night--

but even in the darkness I cannot hide from you.

To you the night shines bright as day.

Darkness and light are the same to you

Psalm 139: 7-12 (NLT)

fall colours, London calling...

 The beauty of fall in Pennsylvania never ceases to amaze me.  I'm blessed to have been here to experience it this year.  If you haven't already read it in some other form, I have good news.  My visa is set and plane ticket purchased and I'm heading back to London-town!  The time I've had here in Pennsylvania has been amazing but I'm ready to go back to the UK.  Although I love the leaves and the creeks and the paths through the trees, I miss the British Museum, Oxford Circus, and my little house.  

Unfortunately, I'll be returning to sunset being around 4:45 in the afternoon and it will only get worse for about two more months.  (At least I'm not even further north!) Now that's just not right!  I much prefer the sun going down around 10 p.m, as it does during the summer months!

I might need some ideas of places to explore in England in the winter months...feel free to leave comments or email if you have any suggestions!  

The Flyover!

To the Palace to see the Queen

Trooping the Colour!

Trooping the Colour is the official celebration of the Queen's birthday, but the tradition actually dates back over two hundred years (I think to Charles II). I found out about it and thought it sounded like fun, so I convinced a friend to go along....and it was a great day! Tons of people, even more pictures, and I got to see the Queen three times!

Gordie (an American/Canadian visiting for the summer) expressing his excitement at seeing the Queen!

Twists and Turns of Life

I normally leave this blog for pictures with little commentary about life, but today will be different.  

Life has been challenging lately and I've been struggling a bit here in London.  I've been so tired from a crazy schedule, missing family, and worrying about my grandmother (who has not been feeling so great lately).  But God is so good, and I'm so thankful that I have a God who loves me and gives me strength.

This morning, my pastor at church was reminding us that God meets us where we are, with as much or as little energy we have, God just wants us to keep turning to Him.  The pastor made the valid point that we often turn to God when we feel weak or overwhelmed, but he really reminded the church that we need to continue to turn to God when we feel strong also.  He commented, "Even if you feel like you only have 5% to give, God will the other 95% for you."  Well, honestly, when I woke up, I felt like I was at about 5%!  But God is so good.  Church was really encouraging to me.  The sermon was a great reminder to worship God, regardless of how I feel.  God is faithful.

Then this afternoon, I went down to London's famous Corner and I got into some really good conversations.  Perhaps the best one was with a man who does not believe in a higher authority (other than human morality) but yet seems hesitant to claim to be an atheist.  A friend of mine and another girl were speaking to this man and I went over to listen but joined in and ended up carrying on the conversation after they left.  We had a great conversation and as he is in London for five weeks for business, I'm hoping I'll see him another week.  After we said our goodbyes, one of my friend's, who had been talking to this man earlier, came over and said, "What did you say to him?  After you started talking him, he seemed to soften..."  Thanks be to God, because I was praying the entire time we were talking!

And as I sat on the tube on the way home, I had time to reflect on how good God is to me.  I started my day, tired and not really interested in engaging with anyone, and instead, God encouraged me through a conversation with an atheist.  Did I expect that this morning?  Not in my wildest dreams.

The big move :-)

Sigh.  It's June, and I'm not sure what happened to May.  Part of the busyness was because I was looking for a new house!  Through God's grace and the connections of friends, I found a good place in the house pictured below.  I moved in on June 1.  I'm on the second floor, and I think I'll enjoy living here.  My two housemates are both older, which contributes to our house being quiet.  Everyone keeps to themselves other than some chats in the kitchen.  By the way, "our" house is only the left side of the house (when facing the house from the street).  

above: my house from the street

below: the view when you first enter the house.  To the right is a sitting room/dining room and the stairs go up to the three bedrooms and bathroom.

The kitchen

The back yard: It's quite a treat to have both a front yard and back yard!  It seems rare here in London.

So, there's a little view of my new home.  As you may have guessed, its a bit further out from the centre of London, but I really appreciate that.  This bush baby needs some space!  There is a huge, beautiful park about ten minutes walk away, and in the opposite direction, its about 10 minutes to the tube station and grocery stores, pharmacy, restaurants, etc.  It lets me have my space and yet I can to the centre of London without too much effort!  

Cambridge with Kate

Yesterday was a bank holiday, so I caught a train up to Cambridge and spent the day with my friend Kate.  Kate and I met on a training program and travelled to China and Thailand together two years ago.  We've stayed in touch, and finally had a chance to see each other in person.  It was a great day!  It was so relaxing to get to spend the day with someone who has known for several years, who has seen me at my best and at my worst, and is still my friend!  After all the first impressions of the last two months, it was so nice to have the comfort of familiarity.  

Cambridge is only a 45 minute train ride from London, and Kate met me at the station.  We wandered around Cambridge for a few hours.  I think my IQ increased just from breathing the Cambridge air :)  The university aspect of Cambridge dates back to 1209, if my memory is correct, and the buildings are fantastic.  

green in the midst of concrete

This park is only a few streets over from my house.  I think I'll be spending a lot of time there.  The park is open from dawn until dusk, and there is a little tuck (snack) shop and cafe inside the park boundaries.  I've already sampled the lattes.  

The park, as you go up to the highest point, gives a nice view of the area, as well as the Wembley Arch.  The arch is part of Wembley Stadium and, at 316 meters (1037 feet) wide, it is the longest single roof structure in the world.  Its also a really pretty site when it is lit up at night.  

My favorite part of the park is the dogs.  I miss my puppies, and although dogs are supposed to be on a lead at the park, but many owners disregard that rule, and I don't mind a bit!  Its great to have a dog come running over to you, tail wagging, happy to be running free.  

(I don't really walk like that, by the way!) 

Spring is on its way....

to London-town.  Today was a windy, overcast day for the most part, one of the first in the month that I've been here.  However, as I was walking home to grab some dinner , the wind was blowing clouds away, enough to see the sun and the beautiful blue of the sky.  On my way, I started to see all of the wonderful brightness of Spring!  The parks are green, and now we are starting to see the brilliant colours everywhere.  I love the yellow of daffodils, the white and pink of blossoms on the trees, and so many other plants that I do not know...(horticulturalist I am not).   I came across a quote the other day that I rather like...Bern Williams (I really have now idea who he is) said, "The day the Lord created hope was probably the same day he created spring."  I like the sound of that :)  

Meandering along the Seine

The Seine runs through Paris, and there are 37 bridges across it just within the limits of the city.  While we didn't cross all 37, it was a lovely day to walk along the Seine to our various destinations.  

Basilique du Sacre-Coeur

Basilique du Sacre-Coeur (Basilica of the Sacred Heart) is a Roman Catholic basilica in Montmartre, which is the highest point in Paris.  The church is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ.  It is surprising new, considering the history and age of Paris, because building for it began in 1875.  This was actually the first stop on our day tour of Paris.  It offers a fantastic view of the city and the streets around Montmartre are beautiful as well.  

Notre Dame

For about a year, I had been dreaming of spending my birthday in Paris.  Yesterday was my birthday, and I spent it in Paris!  From London, it takes about two hours by train to get to Paris, which makes a day trip possible.  Its a long day, but completely worth it.  I definitely intend to take a longer vacation in Paris, but for now, this was a day I'll never forget.  Thanks to my friend Valerie, who graciously accompanied me and put up with my repeated squeal of "I'm in Paris!", I did seven things that I dreamt of doing...

1. visit Notre Dame
2. explore the Louvre
3. see Arc de Triumphe
4. climb the Tour Eiffel 
5. eat crepes and drink coffee in an outdoor cafe in Paris
6. walk the Champs Elysees
7. see the lights of Paris at night

In the end, we did all of the above and more.  By the time we got back to London at midnight, our bodies were tired, particularly our feet!  As one might expect, a multitude of photographs were taken during the course of the day.  Too numerous to post here.  I'll put more up at a later date, but to start, here are a few of my favourites from Notre Dame.