I had a very uplifting and enriching week, especially with my experience at church today. I learned a lot about myself: things I appreciate and love and value so highly.
MONDAY
Rebekah, Emma, Jordan, and I visited Hampton Court. My favourite part of this excursion was walking the grounds; they were the epitome of the Autumn season. Crunchy leaves everywhere, vibrant golds, oranges, and reds blanketing the ground, that crisp air as you breathe in deeply. It was wonderful.
TUESDAY
Bek, Emma, and I visited the Banqueting House on White Hall. It is such a magnificent building; you walk up a flight of stairs into a large, very open room. There, you may sit on bean bags in you fancy, and stare up at the astounding ceiling painted by Rubens.
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| Visiting the Banqueting House was an assignment. This means, that for homework, I went and sat on a bean bag for 45 minutes to stare at the ceiling. London is brilliant. |
WEDNESDAY
Day trip! We started off the day by busing out to Wales. It was INCREDIBLE. I cannot begin to describe the vividness and intensiveness of the green. It is such that it cannot be duplicated, unless seen by your eye. We visited Tintern Abbey, which has by far been the most beautiful thing I have seen while on my trip.
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| I spy with my little eye...a lovely bride and groom! |
Next up, we traveled to Bath, where we spent the rest of our day.
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| Bath Abbey |
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| Roman Bath House |
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| Being ever so candid at lunch. |
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| Mozart. One of the things I learned this week: I really regret not keeping up with playing the violin. |
THURSDAY
A fairly lazy day, as I was recovering from rigorous studying for a midterm. I attending institute at the Hyde Park Chapel in the evening, which was grand. It's been really neat to be able to mingle with the young single adults group here, to interact with the local members, learn about their lives, etc. It's something that is truly enriching my experience here.
FRIDAY
We were scheduled to visit St. Paul's in the morning, but as the Golden Dome was closed, we decided to go another day. I explored the city for a while by myself, then caught up on some homework. Bek and I adventured to Holland Park in the evening, then returned to the flat to don our group costume: The Black Death, the PLAGUE, the very illness in the FLESH. Yes, my friends, we are that nerdy: we dressed up as the Bubonic Plague for Halloween.
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| We represented three different aspects of the plague. Rebekah was the disease itself, bringing death wherever she went. I was the rat, the spreader of said death. Emma: a plague victim, on the verge of dying from this historic illness. |
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| #nerdalert |
SATURDAY
Another day of getting stuff done before going out into the city. Austin and I went to Covent Gardens for delicious crepes, then wandered around the area. We went to Byron's (a burger joint) to get shakes for dessert, but were kicked out. Yes. We were kicked out of a restaurant. Why, might you ask? We just wanted to order shakes. And apparently you are not allowed to do that when they are busy. So we were asked to leave. Yup.
Following that adventure, our program group went to see "The Woman in Black" at the Fortune Theatre. It was CRAZY good. I definitely screamed out loud, multiple times...like, I lost count of how many, it happened so frequently. It was incredible and spine-chilling.
What's Halloween night, without a party, right? Hosted by our friends Robin and Eliot, it was held at a cool flat in Chelsea, complete with a rooftop dance party, solid English party food, and a scary movie.
SUNDAY
It has been such a blessing, eye-opening, and humbling experience to have the opportunity of attending church here. Attending church has become a sort of all day event for me. I leave around 8:30 a.m. to catch the tube and a bus to church. After church, I have the privilege of teaching piano lessons to a couple of primary children, which I love. It has been such a great chance for me to share my talents with others; as I do, my skills have become stronger and greater than they could have done by mere practicing alone. I arrive at home around 2:30-3 p.m. It's a very full day of church, but I would not have it any other way. Being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints gives my life purpose and meaning; I don't always have all the answers, and I never will. But I have felt of the sweet peace the gospel brings, of having a relationship with my Heavenly Father and my Saviour, Jesus Christ, of feeling of their love for me, of having my silent prayers answered in moments of need, in ways that cannot be counted as coincidence. This gives me such great hope. And that is enough for me.
"We have but faith;
We cannot know,
For knowledge is of things we see;
And yet we trust it comes from Thee,
A bean in darkness;
Let it grow."
Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Here are a couple of photos from last week's adventures that missed the blog!
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| Train ride at Blenheim Palace to the Pleasure Gardens. |
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| My heart is so full of joy for life. It is a wondrous thing, even with its ups, downs, curves, and setbacks. |
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