Back to the states!

This morning we leave for the states. I am having mixed emotions as we leave. I have found England to be pleasantly diverting. London is a city filled with culture and historical significance. I have thoroughly enjoyed the area where we are staying. My adjustment into another culture has come quicker than I expected and I feel that I was able to enjoy all that the city has to offer.

We visited Oasis Church in Nottingham and gave a presentation to around 100 people. The people were so responsive and I feel excited about what lies around the corner here in the U.K. Julia Negus, who has become our fast friend, arranged the meeting there at her parent’s church. She is going to be working on charity status for GFR U.K. We are praying that God will lead her to several people that would be willing volunteers for trustee responsibilities. God continues to blow my mind as we follow in step with Him.

Some of the highlights of being here have been eating Yorkshire Pudding with the Negus family, praise and worship and Oasis, our flat in Covent Garden and eating raspberries.

But of all the things that stick out to me here was our visit to see the Crown Jewels at the Tower of London. We took the children with us one day and I was absolutely stunned by the magnificence of the Royal Crown. Actually, I had goose bumps as I watched a video of the current Queen Elizabeth being crowned during her coronation as a young girl. She was so regal and the ritual was reverent and awe inspiring. It struck me that I was watching worship in action. Every one bowed down to her and she was worthy of that admiration and respect.

I think every heart has the desire to worship something. It is in us to give awe and respect. And when I watched that beautiful video with the horse drawn gold carriage procession and the red coronation robes… I can’t help thinking that one day I will be in heaven watching Jesus be crowned. I even was so bold as to imagine putting the heavy crown on his head myself. What an honor it would be to stand so close to Him that day. To see the scars from the thorns and then carefully cover it with the fur lined crown. What a moment that will be. He is so worthy of that kind of attention and awe.

Our lives have been challenged and transformed through our experience this summer. I have watched the children grow more patient and also become closer friends. They start school next week and I know that they are nervous to start in new schools. It is an adjustment that has to be made but with Africa under their belts, I feel more confident that they will do alright.

I have also learned that a little bit of suffering has made them better, not worse. The sacrifices we have endured, though small, have proven significant character builders. I am really proud of them.

So as we leave for home, I am excited to return to our wonderful church and I can’t wait to see all my friends who made this time possible. What a privilege it is for me to be entrusted with this mission to serve in Rwanda. We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus. He is the Potter and we the clay. Which one of us can ever imagine the shape He will create?