Home!

Well, determined as I was to keep my posts in chronological order, I have to skip the last few days (temporarily) and say it: WE ARE HOME!!! Not home to Colorado quite yet. We'll be flying out of Chicago to Denver later this afternoon. By home, I mean my beautiful country, the United States of America.

When we landed in Chicago last night, I immediately felt such contentment and happiness to belong to this wonderful country. Britain was outstanding and an amazing experience, but nothing can compare to the U.S. Even with all our problems, economic, political and otherwise... no place will ever come close to the glory of this land.

I hope I always remember my feelings when we landed back home--and always keep in my how blessed we are. God bless America!

Cambridge

St. John's College in Cambridge

We were in Cambridge two days ago, on Tuesday. I would have posted then, but had no internet access. Now I do, so the posting may begin!

We started out when Mr. Barry Hack picked us up. He is working with my dad (or my dad is working with him... they keep arguing about which it is) while we're over here. He is a great person and so funny to listen to. He talks about many interesting topics... I may have to dedicate a post to all the fascinating and hilarious conversations I've listened to over the last few days.

Anyway, the reason I mention the beginning of our day was because it started with us running late. We were stuck in traffic when my dad and Mr. Hack were supposed to be in Cambridge for a meeting. So what do we do? Stop for coffee, of course! Not just a quick drive through McDonald's or Starbucks though... no, we go inside, order something to drink and sit for half an hour! It was my first experience with what is obviously a different attitude towards work over here!


Boats on the river!

Once we finally got to Cambridge, Matthew and I walked from the offices we arrived at to the downtown area of Cambridge. Once we found our way (it took awhile, what with detours to a shopping mall and a museum and such), we finally were able to see the beautiful, ancient colleges of Cambridge. Apparently there are 31 colleges that comprise Cambridge University. We only saw a few, but they were all remarkable.

St. John's College (again!)

I could talk (type?) forever about all saw and did, but here is a brief summary. We started at Corpus Christi College, where we were yelled at by a not-so-nice gentlemen for 'goofing off' (we weren't), took a million pictures of King's College Chapel, walked through the lesser known Clare's College and saw some of the best landscaping, climbed 123 stairs to the top of the Great St. Mary's Chapel, saw the Christopher Wren Library from a distance (SO sad I couldn't see it up close!), walked by many more beautiful colleges, visited the Christian Heritage Tours of Cambridge in the Round Church and saw and learned so much amazing history!

Matthew in the courtyard of Corpus Christi College.

Of all I learned, one of the most remarkable was discovering how old these building actually are. For example, Great St. Mary's steeple (that would be one of the LAST things to be built) was started in 1491. Henry VI started the building of King’s College Chapel which was eventually finished by Henry VIII. And the historic section of Cambridge was finished around 1600… around the time America was just getting started! Isn’t it amazing?


King's College Chapel from the top of Great St. Mary's


You have to look at this one sideways. These are the ropes to pull the bells in Great St. Mary's Cathedral. As we headed up the stairs, Matthew asked "Did they hang people in here?"


All of us on top of Great St. Mary's Church.


Heading down the stairs from the top of Great St. Mary's


Beautiful landscaping (for December) inside Clare's College.


Another view of St. John's College (and my dad!)

Stevenage, Hertfordshire, UK

Here we are in Stevenage, UK! So far we’ve only walked around Stevenage—and there isn’t a whole lot to see here. (In fact, when we went to the Stevenage Museum and asked what else we should see, the two ladies looked at each other and said “This is about it!”) We did see “Six Hills,” which is quite literally six mounds where ancient Romans and Britons are buried. It was rather strange to see them and think 1) there are people buried there and 2) they have been buried there for over a thousand years!

However, we are still having a great time, especially noting several (rather random)things that are just a little bit different than they are in the United States. Here are a few…

1. Moss grows everywhere! The roofs are covered with it.

2. Lights switches must be flipped the other way to turn on!

3. Of course, cars drive on the wrong side of the road. Which isn’t as odd as I thought it would be—unless you’re crossing a street! Then you have to make sure you’re looking for traffic coming from the right direction.

4. Matthew thinks it’s hilarious that you have to ask for the “toilets” instead of the restroom/bathroom. On that note… the bathrooms are horribly small here.

5. There are no traffic lights! Only very confusing round-a-bouts. That’s another thing to look out for when you cross the street. Instead of looking ‘both ways,’ you almost end up turning in a circle to check all the directions traffic is coming from!

6. Matthew also points out that they “talk weird” here. Which was to be expected. ;)

7. The electric outlets are different. I have to use my dad’s adaptor to charge all my electronics.

8. I saw sheep! In a field that is. Do you know, I realized upon seeing those sheep that I’ve never seen sheep outside of a zoo. Rather sad…

9. We passed a sign on the road that read “Motor Regulations End Here.” Which is rather scary to think about… there are also places with no speed limits.

10. Stevenage is a “new town,” meaning it was built after WWII. It also means that roads were designed with no traffic lights and cars, bicyclists and pedestrians all have their own road/path. And they are designed to never (or seldom) intersect. All the walking paths go under the road instead of crossing it.

11. Just about everyone looks SO proper here—even the little kids are dressed very nicely. I can’t imagine Tiffany (who is 10) ever dressing as nice as the little kids I saw at McDonalds! Of course, that might be more indicative of a laid back Midwestern life rather than an American trait… but still, it was interesting to see. :)

12. Apparently they don’t believe in ice here. At least, I have yet to get any in any of my drinks.

It’s funny… I remember thinking everything was a little different when we first got here, but they are all such small things that I can’t remember what they all are! I’m sure I will think of more eventually and when I do, I’ll be sure to make note of them!

Tomorrow we head to Cambridge for the day! We plan to follow a walking tour route we found online and see the sights listed on it. It also came with 18 pages of historical information, so we’ll learn as we go. (Just don’t tell Matthew!)

Heading to London!!!

The day has finally arrived and Matthew (my 13 year old brother) and I are heading to the UK for a week! If possible, I intend to update my blog more frequently while I'm gone, both so my friends can keep up with me and so I may have a good account of our trip when we return!

I expected packing to be a rather bigger deal than previous trips I have made since we are going overseas. I was pleasantly surprised to find out I did not need much additional time. In fact, I began packing much too early and ended up sitting around wondering if I was forgetting something! Matthew took a little longer to get everything together (I'm still not sure if he has his toothbrush!) but we are almost ready to go!

Here is what our travel schedule looks like:

Leave Granby, CO no later than 10:00am.
Arrive in Denver around noon.
Get lunch with our family.
Fly out of Denver around 2:40pm.
Arrive in Chicago sometime after 6:00pm.
Meet my dad in Chicago and board a plane to London after 10:00pm tonight!

So that is the plan. It will be Matthew's first flight in years and the first Trans-Atlantic flight for both of us. We are mildly excited... ;) (Actually, Matthew said he didn't sleep much last night, he was so excited. I suppose that's a little more than 'mildly').

Well, I suppose I should finish getting ready to go! Next update will probably come from another country!

Pajama School Interview!

I am excited to let you all know that I recently completed an interview with Pajama School Blog.

And while you are there, be sure to check out Natalie's book! It's an excellent read for anyone!

Amazingly, Generation Joshua (whom I mentioned a few times in the interview) already found it and posted a link on their website as well!

It's so neat to see how quickly word can spread!

Anyway, I hope you take time to stop by Natalie's blog and enjoy reading the interview!

Bringing children to Christ... one shoebox at a time.

That's right... a shoebox. For those of you who may not know about Operation Christmas Child, they are an organization that delivers shoeboxes full of toys, hygiene items and school supplies to children in Third World countries who may never own such things otherwise. Last year, OCC delivered over 8 million shoeboxes to little boys and girls. 8 million! And they all came from individuals and families who spent some time and money to bless a child in need.

Today I volunteered at a processing center in Denver. Over the next three weeks, they expect to sort and ship over 650,000 shoeboxes! While there, I met a man named Eddie, from Africa. I learned after the fact that he is a part of the International Operation Christmas Child leadership teams who distributes boxes overseas. He became a part of this incredible program after receiving a shoebox himself many years ago. When I heard his story, I was reminded of other stories I had heard... stories that could only be true because one man or one woman or one family followed God's call to share Christ with the nations--through a shoebox.

There is the story about a family who sent eight toothbrushes to a little boy who "just happened" to have seven brothers and sisters.

The one about a little girl who had decided God didn't exist because He never gave her shoes--until she received a pair in her shoebox!

Story after story of children and their families who now know Christ because of the Gospel that is shared along with the wonderful gifts of shoeboxes.

A shoebox... such a simple act, but such a powerful tool.

If you have never filled a shoebox, I ask you to visit http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/OCC/ and consider what you might be able to do next year.

If you have sent shoeboxes before, consider taking another step... telling others about this remarkable program, either informally or by volunteering with the organization itself. http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/OCC/Volunteer

As we celebrate Thanksgiving, I hope we will not only give thanks, but be called to action to help those who so desperately need the greatest blessing of all--the love of God and His salvation.

Compromise

One of the students that I coach wrote the following essay after taking her US History I exam. She chose the subject of compromise and what she had to say both convicted and motivated me. Many of us have been deceived into viewing compromise as an only option, possibly even a beneficial one, especially in politics. But this essay was a powerful reminder that compromise is not a solution, only a postponement of making a final decision. I hope that in future, I will keep in mind the vitally important truths communicated here.

Compromise: Permanent Solution or Impossibility?

by Elizabeth Sampayan

Our nation is currently faced with many evils. From the growing acceptance of homosexuality to the rampant slaughter of the unborn, the fight against evil lies at the root of many controversies in America. However, in an attempt to put an end to these controversies, many unbelievers, and sadly even some believers, are calling for compromising good and evil. A brief look at history denies the effectiveness of this approach. One of the darkest hours in our nation’s history, the struggle over slavery, demonstrates that when the epic struggle between good and evil lies at the root of a problem, compromise is impossible and only delays the inevitable climax.

From the writing of the Constitution to the Kansas-Nebraska Act, our forefathers made several attempts at coming to a lasting solution to slavery through compromises, but they all ultimately failed. At the Constitutional Convention, the delegates compromised by promising the slave trade could not be banned until 1808, but slaves would not count as a whole person for representation purposes in the House. But, this failed to bring any permanent settlement. In 1820, the issue once more arose and once more politicians attempted to settle the question of slavery with a compromise. The Missouri Compromise attempted to resolve the matter with the 3630’ line. This also failed to last longer than a generation. The Kansas-Nebraska Act and Douglas’s advocacy of Popular Sovereignty were last desperate attempts at compromise. But, they succeeded even less than the previous compromises. Each of these “solutions” failed to permanently resolve the dispute. They only delayed the crisis that would ultimately come.

There is a reason for the failures of these compromises. The real struggle over slavery lay not in the issue of slavery itself; but rather in a much deeper struggle between two incompatible forces—Good and Evil. Just as white can not be mixed with black and remain white, so it is with Good and Evil. Good cannot remain good if it has been tainted with Evil in a compromise. Because slavery is wrong, there was no meeting place between its supporters and opponents. Contrary to popular belief, they could not compromise, or even peacefully coexist. As the Bible says in 2 Corinthians 6:14; “for what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” (NIV). Good and Evil are at war with each other and always will be until Evil is ended by Christ’s return.

Ultimately, the only option that provided a lasting solution to the issue of slavery in America was a battle and a decisive victor. Despite decades of attempts at compromise, the dispute over slavery was not resolved until the Civil War. Abraham Lincoln recognized this in his famous speech at in Springfield Illinois when he said, “that agitation [over slavery] has not ceased but has constantly augmented. In my opinion, it will not cease until a crisis has been reached and passed” (Schweikart and Allen 288). He realized because of their incompatibility, a permanent resolution between Good and the evil of slavery could only come after a battle in which one was defeated. There were no other options.

As we continue to battle the evil in today’s society, we need to remember the history of the conflict over slavery. As our forefathers discovered, compromise with evil will not bring about a lasting resolution. We can learn from the past that compromise will only delay the climax that must ultimately occur. Instead, we must continue fight for what is right, no matter how attractive a compromise appears. The battle may appear difficult and futile at times, but ultimately there will be no resolution until Good triumphs over Evil.