Here are some last few pictures from our wonderful week getting to know London. It has been very informational and exciting getting acclimated to our surroundings and seeing all that London has to offer. We are all so very appreciative of these last twelve days. We are all also very anxious to get started at our placements and start working with the fabulous communities we have been brought here to accompany in solidarity and servanthood. The experience has only just begun.

I also wanted to add a blurb about our experience at Westminster Abbey. We were fortunate enough to attend the Evensong worship service inside Westminster the evening we were visiting. I have been thinking a lot about how to write about the experience and don't think I can find all the right words to describe it. I will just say that we were invited into the building where we waited in the general area, or the nave, where the graves of men such as Winston Churchill, the Unknown Soldier, and Sir Isaac Newton rested. We were ushered behind the choir section to the front of the church to the main alter where weddings and coronations of Kings and Queens for centuries have taken place. It said in our bulletins that the Abbey has held successive coronations since 1066! Wow. The size of the place just made you want to fall to the ground in amazement. The detailed architecture was beyond description. We got to sit in the choir seating. Very close to the alter. I was astounded that I was sitting where hundreds of royals had probably sat before me for special events as recently as the marriage of Kate and William. The whole time during the service I felt mute. The music from the organ and guest children's choir echoed in the arches of the ceilings with haunting beauty. It was just surreal. After the service we walked around the church a bit before exiting where I saw the coronation chair encased behind glass. Good gracious it was an experience.

Buckingham Palace

Me in front of Buckingham Palace

We had lunch one afternoon at the Sherlock Holmes Restaurant and Museum

Westminster Abbey. The side entrance

Westminster Abbey from the front

The British Museum

The Rosetta Stone

We met one day for tea with our field officers 

The London Eye

Me with Big Ben in the background

Ashlyn, Andrea, Vicky, and I on the London Eye

221 B Baker Street. The address of one Sherlock Holmes

Peter Pan statue in Kensington Park

So this past Thursday I was given the opportunity to meet Nadia Bolz-Weber. A former comedian and alcoholic, now Lutheran pastor. She has written two books including Salvation on the Small Screen? and Cranky Beautiful Faith. Her major drive in the Lutheran faith is all are welcome. We are both sinner and saint 100% all the time and by the grace of God and the death of Jesus on the cross we are ALL saved point blank it is finished. It doesn't matter what you look like, who you love, what you have done or not done with or in your life. You are saved. Period. She is a new voice of truth in today's world of Christianity where the faith has become mostly based on nostalgia instead of tradition. She is a reformer of the church. I had never heard of Nadia before my meeting her on Thursday but she is someone who's voice and teachings will weave their way into this coming year and the rest of my life. In this year that I am supposed to be learning to be a servant of God and learning how to be a reformer of the church, my coming to know of Nadia Bolz-Weber was no chance meeting.

Part #2. Tuesday we went back into London to the National Gallery, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, and Westminster Abbey. Below are a few pictures from the Gallery. Another blog post to come about Buckingham and Westminster.

Big, beautiful, awe inspiring works of art.

One of my mothers favorite paintings. Done by Monet.

My new favorite Monet.

This woman caught my eye. She looks daring, full of fire and sass. She reminds me in looks and in spirit of my dear friend Lara.

Hello all, hope all is well with all of you. I have been receiving a huge amount of support lately from emails, comments, messages etc. All of you are really encouraging me and it's so wonderful. So thank you. I am happy to say that currently it is not raining here. It has rained practically non stop for the last two days..so needless to say England has officially opened her arms and her skies to welcome us here. It is all good though. I am learning quickly however, just how much of the wardrobe I brought can handle this kind of weather. Definitely looking forward to buying a pair of wellies, or rain boots, soon. Also, I have found it very difficult to not buying everything with a British flag on it during our tours around London. London is so beautiful all the time, even in the rain.

I wanted to note really quick that even though I have gone back into my blogs and corrected names and titles, I haven't been entirely correct in naming some of the things in the pictures I posted. For example, the London Bridge is in fact officially named the Tower Bridge. I will try and do a better job of that in the future. Another fun fact is Big Ben is a made up name and there is no part of the clock tower or parliament that is named Big Ben. The official name for the clock tower is Elizabeth Tower.  It is still okay to call it Big
Ben though, everyone does.

So, to update you on my most recent adventures. Part #1. Monday was a national bank holiday. Our group of five took this opportunity to go to Notting Hill to witness Carnival. Carnival takes place here in England every August and is the largest street festival in all of Europe. Notting Hill Carnival is a three day long parade where people dress up in traditional "Mas" costumes from Trinidad and Tobago and basically dance in the streets. It is a very beautiful show with elaborate costumes and exciting dancing. The music is loud and life giving and the energy that the dancers have is infectious. Most of the music was from steel drum bands or Soca. I have included a few pictures below.This event was made even more special to us because one of the girls in the group studied abroad in Trinidad and Tobago and has studied the history of Carnival. It was a very special thing to witness and one of many unexpected things I am sure to experience while here in England.

Us soca-ing up the rain (ba dum ch!)

This was predominantly how large the costume groups were 

Ashlyn, Andrea, and Elise soaking in the rain. Luckily people were handing out Brothers hats so they used them for a bit of shelter.

The costumes were pretty elaborate and large. Very beautiful. Most of the women had large wings.

Steel drum band

"Mas" costumes

Another example of the large elaborate costumes.

More Mas costumes

A Lesson in Appreciation...so today was a stay at home day for us five YAGMs staying just north of London for a week until our placements start. We spent most of the day hanging around our dorm and doing laundry. Later in the afternoon, I went to take a shower that I was very much looking forward too after feeling gross from walking all the previous day and then being too tired to shower before bed. So as I went to shower and warm up the water, I began to realize that the water was not getting any warmer. I stood there for quite some time (a little longer that I would like to admit with the water running) and nothing. I even tried another shower and nothing. I realized that from all the laundry being done today, with most of the students being home since it was a Sunday, the hot water had run out in the building.

As you could imagine, I was initially upset and about to refuse to take a freezing cold shower when I remembered that there were fellow YAGMs living in communities around the world right now who didn't even have access to a clean shower or even running water. So...I decided to kill two birds with one stone. I decided to be appreciative of what I had and use the clean, indoor running water to get clean and, to nominate myself for my own ice bucket challenge lol. Sorry, I didn't take a video in this particular case. So, next time you go to use any water, remember that you are the minority. The majority of the world has to either fetch water each and everyday, multiple times a day to drink and bathe from or, they only have enough each day to complete basic tasks such as feeding their family. Be thankful for what you have. I certainly am trying to.

Today we decided to stay local. Below are some pictures I took on our walks. Everything is so beautiful here. I love the look of the buildings and the neighborhoods. We also stumbled upon a street food and craft beer festival going on in the nearby park. One more thing to note...as I am writing to you, outside it is raining for the first time since we've been here. Hope the sunshine keeps up for a little while longer...but also its raining in England! EEEE!

This was taken from a double decker bus on the way into London yesterday

Snacking on some Starbursts I brought. Needed a snack after all this exploring. 

Here are some pictures from our week of Orientation in Chicago. These pics are of the YAGM group as we bonded and learned about what it is like to me a missionary in global service. Some of the big things we learned about during the week were how to walk with each other and our communities in solidarity, accompaniment, and mutuality. We talked about racial justice, religious pluralism, and cross-cultural competencies. We also discussed how to communicate our experiences and how to engage global issues as people of faith. I unfortunately don't have any pictures of our closing worship on Tuesday night, but it was probably the most powerful service I have ever been to. I don't think a single person, either on staff or of the 63 YAGM's, had a dry face at the end. It was a moment that's for sure. Enjoy the pics!

This is the whole YAGM 2014-2015 group

Some of us gathering in the Courtyard

Gathering at Lake Michigan

The UK group on "disorientation" night where we had to find our country alumni who was at a restaurant somewhere in the city and the only way to find her and the restaurant was to use clues. Above: Andrea and Catie. 

(Vicky, Anastasia, and Paige)

(Justin and Matt)

We found it!

Cheers

The Chicago Bean at night

some of the lovely ladies at lunch one afternoon

During the week we would get together in a designated small group and talk. My small group became like a family and we formed a friendship what will last a lifetime. I title this picture Small Group Love!

The

beautiful

courtyard

Our sanctuary. Literally and figuratively.

The Rwanda group

The 5 ladies who would be spending the first 10 days in London together. Getting ready to board our plane.