London - Saturday, March 29, 2008

What an awesome time we had at Hillhouse Retreat! God really worked in that place in the lives of the Brit's as well as in our own lives. Pastor Chris closed the morning meeting with comments about what a great week we had and their teens gathered around our teens and prayed over them. We packed lunches for the trip, and after a tearful goodbye, we boarded the coach for London.
After arriving at Highbury Centre in London, we went to dinner at a little Italian place called, The Stingray. The kids ordered pizza and the adults ordered some really great pasta dinners. Our servers were definitely not English. One was from Bulgaria, the other may have been French. The food was good and the service was great.
Everyone was really tired from travelling, so we came back to Highbury and met together to begin our first "debrief" session, sharing things God had done in our lives, what had gone really well in the ministry, and some ideas about things to do differently next time. It is amazing to hear our kids share what God has done in their lives! Pray for them as they prepare to come home and face their day-to-day lives that they will continue walking close to the Lord and sharing His love with others. (This is truly the desire of their hearts and we need to continue encouraging them to be faithful!)
This morning began with sunshine and a little warmer than other days. We had an early breakfast at Highbury at 7:30 AM and then we were off to the tube and to the Tower of London. We took photos of the Tower Bridge, then spent the morning at the tower, which was quite an amazing place. Probably the highlight for many of us was seeing the crown jewels, plus the magnificent architecture throughout the city. After the tower, we took a bus to the St. Paul's Cathedral and walked across the Millenium Bridge to the Globe Theatre.
After the tour of Globe, we stopped for lunch, just when the rain began. After lunch we toured St. Paul's Cathedral, with many brave ones going the 434 (or so) stairs all the way to the top.
The choir was singing and the organ was being played, so that was an added bonus to seeing the cathedral.
We were all so very tired that we stopped at a little food mart near Highbury and everyone bought a few light things for dinner. (Some bought Chinese food or a burger nearby).
Tonight's meeting was really great. This debriefing time is really a great time for all of us to share more of what God has done this week and build up the relationships with one another that have been formed during this trip.
Tomorrow we will leave bright and early for the early Sunday service at Hillsong Church. After lunch, we will visit Covent Gardens for shopping, then Trafalgar Square, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, and Buckingham Palace. So that will be a full day.
Then on Monday, we will head home. If possible, we will post tomorrow evening. If not, pray for a safe, uneventful trip home on Monday. We will look forward to seeing everyone!