London: Days 2-3

Sunday:

The morning started with laughter. I opened my eyes and turned to my left and I had eyes staring back at me. I love the feeling and emotions that come along with laughter. Krislynn and I are sharing a bed and the guys each have a bed. I've fallen off the bed once already and am sure it will happen again. We talked about how I stole the covers and how she ended up in the fetal position trying to get warm as I hogged the covers. Jeremy came to the rescue during the night and put his comforter on her so she wouldn't freeze to death. After laughing about our first night, Krislynn, Sean and I went for a run. Our run started in Green Park. Then we headed past Buckingham Palace before heading into Hyde Park for a big loop and returned back to the hotel through Green Park. Our hour long run turned out to be beautiful but I was pretty sweaty afterwards. Once we were showered, we headed to Starbucks for coffee and breakfast. It was a day set aside for exploring the landmarks nearby so as we walked we enjoyed the city life. We started by going to Buckingham Palace and the surrounding area was filled with people. Music filled the air. Guards filled the streets. Why? We soon realized we just experienced the changing of the guards and we just happened upon it!

In order to head back down the main street, we had to head back through Green Park. Of course the park was calling our name and we had to stop and get a few pictures.

The rays through the trees were so beautiful. As we laid there on the ground and looked up, I couldn't help but think about how amazing it is to be in London. Our common phrase is "We're in London... No big deal!"

After that, we decided we should continue to walk around and see what else we could find! Someone told Krislynn about a restaurant called Wagamama that we went to for lunch. She's a vegetarian so we are trying to find as many different places since Kosovo is limited in their vegetarian selections! Wagamama was a noodle place and I had yaki soba that was delicious.

As our food settled, we walked around the National Gallery to see all the famous paintings. I thought about Beth for much of my time there as I admired the paintings from my limited artistic perspective. I thought about how she would view these paintings in terms of their meaning. Some of my favorites included things related to Biblical stories and made me think about what the artist was thinking as he was painting. It made me think about his relationship with the Lord and how the Lord gave him a vision for creating a visual representation of an event that occurred so long ago. All the works of the famous artists were also impressive. As I stood there I thought about the events in their lives that caused them to paint in a certain style. Some of them used lots of the same colors as others used a variety of colors. Some stayed with deep colors while others used vibrant colors. No matter the medium, no matter what the background, the artist starts with something blank and creates a masterpiece. Art hasn't always impressed me but the older I get the more appreciation I gain from dissecting a painting or coming up with a story for why the artist painted in such a way. The museum led me to start thinking about all the different forms of art and how expressive it can be. As we exited the museum a guy started talking to Sean and Krislynn and he ended up making Krislynn a bracelet out of red, white, and blue thread. This is an expression of love and art in terms of how the process leads to something beautiful. So many things in life start as disjointed/separate pieces of the puzzle just like the bracelet. In the middle of the process it's not always easy to see the end product but the artist always has a vision in mind. In the end, everything fits together perfectly. As I watched him work, I questioned his ability to make something pretty, but who am I to question the creator? I thought he was just making three stripes as he kept twisting the blue around and around. Then he made a pattern of red/white on top of the blue. When he finished, I admired his work. He made something beautiful out of thread. There is depth to the bracelet and although we cannot see what's underneath at all times, there are times it shows the base or root of what it was before. This connects so well to life because only God knows who we will be one day. Only He knows where we've been and what we once were. Like the bracelet, you see who we are at the root at times and what we've been through, while other times you only see the beautiful new creation. This piece of art shows God's love for the individual, who he/she was and who he/she will become. It shows how something seen as insignificant can be beautiful with the creator. Then we walked away smiling at the new creation and walked right up to another form of art on the sidewalk. A lady was creating flags from around the world out of chalk. It was pretty impressive and also shows a love of the nations. These forms of art wrap up God's love... An artist may start with a canvas, paint, thread, or chalk but this one thing tied with purpose from the creator can be made into a masterpiece. The artists all show God's love through His word, His people, and His creation. I absolutely love this because all of these forms of art start with nothing and end up being beautiful and this is us. I can totally see how God is working right now in my life and how he is making something beautiful. It reminds me of some song lyrics,  "You make beautiful things. You make beautiful things out of dust."-Gungor song. Although I cannot see the end as the artists do, He can, and I'm excited about what is to come.  

Here are the rest of the lyrics to the song. 

GUNGOR - BEAUTIFUL THINGS LYRICS 

All this painI wonder if I'll ever find my way?I wonder if my life could really change at all?All this earthCould all that is lost ever be found?Could a garden come up from this ground at all?

You make beautiful thingsYou make beautiful things out of the dustYou make beautiful thingsYou make beautiful things out of us

All aroundHope is springing up from this old groundOut of chaos life is being found in You

You make beautiful thingsYou make beautiful things out of the dustYou make beautiful thingsYou make beautiful things out of us

Oh, you make beautiful thingsYou make beautiful things out of the dustYou make beautiful thingsYou make beautiful things out of us

You make me new, You are making me newYou make me new, You are making me newMaking me new

You make beautiful things(You make me new)You make beautiful things out of the dust(You are making me new, making me new)

You make beautiful things(You make me new)You make beautiful things out of us(You are making me new, making me new)

Oh, you make beautiful things(You make me new)You make beautiful things out of the dust(You are making me new, making me new)

You make beautiful thingsYou make beautiful things out of the dust

You make me new, You are making me newYou make me new, You are making me new
[ From: http://www.metrolyrics.com/beautiful-things-lyrics-gungor.html ]

After all of these expressions of art, we headed to Notes, a coffee shop. First of all the name Notes, of course, signifies music, which is another form of art. Music shows such a rich element of verbalizing and visualizing feelings and creating with sounds. I've loved music since I was a child. I love how a blank page or an instrument can fill with words or sounds that touch the soul. While there, we experimented with some elements of artistic photography. While music helps people verbalize and experience various feelings through the chord progressions or words, photography captures emotions. Paintings can capture emotions to some degree, but photography allows for the memories to flood ones mind everytime one looks at the picture. It's incredible. Yet again, something blank can end up into a beautiful reminder of who we are. God has given people so many artistic abilities that allow us to experience just a glimpse of who His and what He wants for us. It's incredible.

The rest of the day we shopped, but then realized all the stores were closing early because it was Sunday.


We ended the day with dinner at a pub called Kings Arms. Although we went to fill our bellies, we left with our spirits full to the brim.







Man, I love the community and conversations with these guys. I cannot even remember the turn of conversation, but somehow it steered towards a session of edification, which has quickly become my favorite part of the trip. Krislynn and I had a quick conversation Saturday night related to me not recieving compliments. She talked about the fact that humble people are actually able to handle compliments. Jeremy was kind and talked about how he wished I would realize how great I am. Sean told me I was like his mom in the fact that she does so many things for others. He also said that our marriage is incredible and that he hasn't seen many people who have a relationship like this. Krislynn made comments about my wisdom and how much I think. She said she cannot wait for me to just let loose and start sharing all my wisdom with people. 

I wrote these things down afterwards because I feel like it's going to be a huge part in helping me in the next season of my life. I'm very visual so if I am able to read over them I feel as if I will get to a point of receiving them. 

This is a trip of rich blessings and it's just begun. 

Monday:

Our morning started fairly early. We ventured out to Chop'd for breakfast and then headed to Caffe Nero for coffee.

After breakfast we headed down the tube to Westminster. As you exit the tube station, you see the Westminster bridge, House of Parliment, and Big Ben. What an amazing view to see as you exit the not so new station. It's like stepping out of the dark and into the light. However, at the exit there was a guy playing the steel drums to usher you into a state of excitement. After taking a few pictures around Big Ben, we walked down the street to see the backside of the House of Parliament and from this side we saw Westminster, the Supreme Court, and the treasury. 

 

In the middle of our walking around, we had to go to the bathroom so badly. We walked back to the tube station and realized we had to pay to get into the bathroom. Thanks for the warm welcome Europe. 

Around noon we got on a boat and headed down the Thames River for a river tour. Along the way we saw the London Tower, London Bridge, Tower Bridge, Globe replica- Shakespeare theater, and lots of other historical things. The tour ended at Greenwich the home of the prime meridian.

We were pretty hungry so we found a Mexican restaurant, Cafe Sol, before heading to the National Observatory. Tiredness started to hit though because we got pretty quiet and were lost in thought much of the meal. 

Once the food was devoured we headed to the National Observatory where you can stand in both the Eastern and the Western Hemisphere at the same time. While there, we relaxed and rested. The boys spent most of their time on a bench talking about life while we headed to the grassy area/park next to the observatory. Krislynn started our conversation by doing a headstand and attracted the attention of an older lady nearby. The lady clapped when Krislynn returned to the upright position because she was impressed with the ability to hold the position for so long. Sometimes all it takes to get someone's attention is doing something out of the ordinary. Whether it is a simple word to a stranger or a headstand in a park, people are taken back and then start thinking differently about humanity. It should be a goal to make people think and question so in the end they think about someone greater than they are. As we laid in the grass I processed our conversation from the night before a little more. During this time, Krislynn and I talked about the process of stepping into our calling. Our intentionality and deep conversations continue to challenge me in my walk and for that I'm thankful. 

Our walk back to the town of Greenwich was pretty uneventful. We stopped at a little restaurant called Jamie Oliver's Italian for some coffee/dessert. It's the way of life here. Europeans know how to find time to just be in the midst of the busyiness. The waiters/waitresses do not bring you a check until you ask for it, which is just like Kosovo. They truly respect your purpose for visiting the restaurant. Thinking more about it makes me wonder which way I prefer. Do I like the states way of bringing you the check and allowing you to let it sit there as you talk, or does that pressure you to pay a little quicker? Or do I prefer the European way of life of conversation with those around? Does one show community more than the other? I think the European way of life values it more. Does that mean that the American way doesn't respect your time? By all means, no. I think people in America are always in a hurry and haven't ever learned just to be. Oh to intoduce this concept into the culture of hustle and bustle would be amazing. I mean to prove this, Jeremy was so relaxed that he fell asleep while we were sitting there. There's something that happens when there is community. The word is COMFORT. People let down their guard. People are vulnerable. People are open. People are comfortable being themself and I love it. There's something lovely about the life of community. There's something life-giving in community and I for this I am thankful.

After we left the coffee place, we venured out to find a map for the nearest tube station. Although we found a map, it was not all encompasing and so we started on a journey towards a destination that was halfway unknown. All of us thought it would be fun to walk in the tunnel that went underneath the Thames River, so that was our original purpose in the way we walked. The underground tunnel was busy with joggers, bikers, and commuters. Where were they all going? Were they as cold as me? What were they thinking as they briskly passed? It was a fun walk, but laughter erupted after we exited. All Krislynn could think abot was how tired Sean looked with bags underneath his eyes and how Jeremy's allergies were bothering him so much. What a bunch we are. We realized we were kilometers way from the nearest tube station, so our purpose around the Isle of Dogs was to find the station so we could get home. However, our purpose quickly changed. Both Krislynn and I had to go to the bathroom and couldn't stop layghing at things, which made it so hard to not think about it. While here in London, we've had to pay to use the bathroom because we've had to go that bad. That's right, you have to pay 50p for the bathrooms in the tube station. Ugh. It is worth the price if you are unable to wait any longer though! This time, we kept joking about where we could go and ended up in a restaurant. It was extremely awkward to ask a waiter if we could just use the bathroom because we weren't getting anything, but we were thankful for his generosity. Now we could enjoy the view for the rest of the way. The tube station was extremly busy because we got there just in time for everyone to get off work. This was a business district and there was hardly space to move in the station or on the train. I watched the people keep to themselves as they read, listened to music, or just sat/stood quietly. It's funny how they flip into a culture of community when they want to and other times they flip into a culture of isolation. Yet again, which do I prefer?

We got back and headed to an indian restaurant, Masala Zone, where we spent about 3 hours. We got into a conversation with the two businessmen at the table next to us. Sharing expertise. Showing kindness. Expressing gratitude. It was a night of thankfulness and living out a calling.