carrot and coriander soup

as i type this, i'm eating carrot and coriander soup, my new favorite soup. and i couldn't think of a good title for this blog, so there you have it.

Here are some pictures from my trip to London. I had a great time, minus the fact it was cold and rainy all day. Sara and I stayed under the covered part of the bus for the most part, but every now and then I jumped out to snap a few shots. It was surreal for me, to be sitting on a red double decker bus, passing by the Tower of London, Big Ben, and the London Eye. Things I've always wanted to see, but never dreamed it would actually happen. I was very blessed by Sara, her willingness to be a geeky tourist, and the Brubakers, who opened their home to us. London was a great experience, the underground, the people, the sights. I enjoyed every minute of it.

After coming back on Tuesday and straight into a 4 day camp, we were given a mini break. We had 5 days off. I spent those 5 days in Newcastle, with Danielle. She's originally from there, so we went and stayed at her moms house. We took a 3 hour bus ride, getting into Newcastle just before midnight on Friday, and came home Tuesday afternoon. Saturday we spent the day in Durham. Durham was gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous. It's a quiet place, with people just going on about their lives up and down the cobblestone streets. We visited the Durham Cathedral, the oldest cathedral in England. Unfortunately I couldn't take any pictures inside the cathedral. And words cannot express the beauty of that building. Every wall was covered in ornate detail from floor to ceiling. Stained glass windows stretched from side to side, illuminating the vast expanse of space with vibrant reds, blues and greens. Rows upon rows of pews lined the main sanctuary. As I sat praying in that glorious piece of the past, I realized how lucky I've been. So many people don't have the chance to worship in public, and yet here I was, in a massive stone cathedral, lifting up a pray for friends, family, strangers and life in general. It was a very real moment for me in my walk with God.

Even though I didn't get any shots from inside the cathedral, I did get some of the outside.

It's been a busy, and really good couple of weeks. We've got camp in this weekend, and then another one next weekend. So the busyness continues. Busy is good for me though. It keeps my mind of my homesickness. It keeps me focused on what I'm here for. It keeps me focused on Him, if you can believe that. Usually being busy distracts us from Him. But here, for me, I have to be busy to keep my sights on Him. Otherwise my desire to curl up in a ball and cry takes over. I miss home, and it's a really hard struggle. So being constantly moving keeps me going. That sounds so redundant, but it's true.

Anyways, with camp in, I won't be bloggin at all this weekend, but I'll try to be better about the updates. I've got my February update to get done this week, and I'll post it here as well as email it.

Thank you, for reading my blog. By doing so, you're hearing my heart. And it encourages me knowing that you're taking the time to do so. I love you all.