Big Ben, Little Mason

Friends! My inconsistent blog does continue, whether you'd like it to or not! This past week has been a busy one, and I am no less than ecstatic to share it with you.

Last Thursday evening, most all of the Harlaxton students got aboard 3 large coaches (buses remember?) and began the two hour trek south to the largest city in Europe, London. Watching a combination of street lamps streak past and my friends sleepy head nodding, I became anxious to experience such a great city... and a great city it was.

The first night in London was very enjoyable, but also a little embarrassing due to a couple of things. First, upon arriving in the hotel room, (which was quaintly dressed with three twin sized beds; one for Evan, Kyle and myself) I broke one of the three complementary drinking-glasses. Most of you readers being cognizant of my "eclectic" personality are probably assuming the worst in how this might have happened. So I'll shoot it straight, I did shatter a glass (into a ridiculous amount of pieces may I add, had I seen the room with out context I would have immediately considered the use of a hand grenade) attempting to juggle all three of them, but nonetheless we left the hotel without a fine! And that's what matters most... right? Another embarrassing event was our first meal in London. Expected to become cultured while we were here, our group decided to walk past dozens of London's cafe's, pubs and shops... to get McDonald's. Yes, we did walk twenty-five minutes to devour the BEST Big Mac I've ever had... worth it.

Anyways... London: The two full days I spent in the city will be some I remember all of my days. The first day, Friday, about 10 of us did a "walking tour" of London. This tour encompassed Westminster (home of Big Ben as well as the parliament building pictured to the right), St. Paul's Cathedral, the London Eye, and the far side of Westminster Abbey. These buildings were each powerful enough and so particularly built to take your breath away as well as steal a gig of memory from any device you had on you that contained a camera.

The second full day in London is most incomparable to all my days abroad so far. It started with a visit to the National Museum in which I saw artifacts and galleries from all of Europe's long and impressive history. From there we grabbed a cheap lunch and were off to the tube (London's underground subway system) to catch a ride to Fulham. In Fulham, we were to see my very first premier league match, and from a very close distance, the second row in fact. The oldest football stadium in England housed the Fulham vs. Wigan game (which ended in a 1-1 draw) as well as nine Americans who's minds were blown. First off, being 15 feet away from Dimitar Berbatov (ex Manchester United star) is something I can boast about for a very long time. Outside of being starstruck and overwhelmed by the soccer being played, the stadium set an atmosphere that truly no American sport, stadium or match can compare to. Granted, we Americans may have bigger and "better" sporting events, but the passion these fans had was extreme. With each soft touch of the ball in the final third of the pitch (it means field for those of you who are less familiar with soccer) the fans would rise, lean and itch for something greater. Hearing the gasp of 25,000 people almost every minute is an experience that truly draws out your emotions. But a goal, oh a goal, that will change the way you think of every sport celebration. (Imagine a slam-dunk to win the national championship... accompanied by a host of angels and free donuts, the place went nuts). Chants were composed and songs were shouted over and over, what a passionate game it is.

A small pub, a trip to Picadilly Circus, Buckingham Palace and a night visit to Big Ben brought my weekend in London to a close. I've done a poor job at portraying how fantastic it really was, but this is a blog and I'm struggling to find out what portions I should focus on!

I stood on a bridge in Westminster where a sharp wind took the fog of my exhale down above the dark River Thames running quickly to somewhere I don't know. A clock so large, unique and fantastic towered bright and elegant above my head. The overcast hid any chance of a starry sky, leaving just the extravagant Big Ben as a light. I stared in awe at such a large city, spinning around asking myself how it could exist. How could 8 million people function together? How could people build the magnificent things I was seeing?  Slowly I'm beginning to realize how big this world is, and how small I am. But I'm also learning that I'm not lost amongst the madness, the Creator made me small so I could see how big He really is.

I very much miss you friends and family! Please be praying for me as I experience different things and that in all situations I may rely on God. Also pray for conviction via the Holy Spirit and that the Spirit may work on this campus. Also, I'd like to be praying for you, send me a text or a message via Facebook to let me know how I can pray from you. God is here, I can promise you that.

Here are some pictures of the crazy weather we've had in a short week and a half here!

Kyle and I stumbled upon a field of about 200 sheep on a snowy hike!