A Very Good Place to Start

I understand that there are currently millions of blogs floating around about things that are not nearly interesting enough to warrant an online play-by-play. In fact,  I often finding myself wondering why in the world some people feel the need to fill me in on every detail of their lives. With this in mind I fully acknowledge that I am most likely about to become one of those people. However, I am overlooking that fact because I have a million family members that will enjoy a play-by-play and I have no phone... With that being said...

I woke up in London today. I would like to emphasize the "woke up" part because, indeed, this is not a dream. If I walk out the door of our 17th century townhouse and about 500 feet to the left I could walk straight into the British Museum.

We arrived at the Gatwick airport yesterday at about 6:30 am London time, which is about 12:30 am Nashville time. Needless to say we were tired, but we were over the moon to be on the ground in our home for the next four months. The first thing that I saw when I walked off the plane was a Coca-Cola dispenser advertising "Diet Coke" on the front... not "Coca-Cola Light" or whatever else some crazy people think is Diet Coke. My biggest fear was relieved and I guessed that this would be a good trip. My suspicions were confirmed when we loaded our luggage onto a double-decker coach and spent two hours looking at beautiful scenery as we drove into the city. I couldn't quite believe that I was actually here until I looked out the window of the bus and suddenly saw Big Ben creep up over the Thames river. Even then it didn't seem plausible that I could be about to embark on such an incredible adventure.

And yet...here I am. My first two days have been full of discovering the cultural differences and trying not to get run over by the thousands of red double-decker buses zooming around. Those aren't a myth.

There have been a few moments that I have felt utterly American despite my sad attempt at looking like a local. One of these happened in the grocery store when a man asked me if I was in the "queue" and then proceeded to pass me in line after I delivered a very non-committal grunt in response. The next came during a picnic in the park that we shared with a few pigeons. Thinking that I would make friends with the feathered scavenger, I threw a corner of bread onto the ground and then watched as a SWARM of pigeons came shooting across the park in our direction. We tossed the remaining bread and left as fast as we could to avoid the dirty looks from the men sitting on the bench next to us. The worst however was four of us walking into a McDonald's for dinner tonight. It is our second night and already we resorted to American fast-food. We were ashamed but desperate enough to enter despite every stereotype that we were fulfilling by going. Karma got the better of us, however, when Colin got chicken-nugget-mugged by a homeless woman that came up to our table and snatched one of his McNuggets.

The biggest culture shock, however, was realizing just how lucky I am to be here. Looking around at the beautiful buildings and parks, I can't help but be amazed by the history and culture that surrounds me. The people are lovely and the weather has been wonderful. Not only that, but our house is about as central as you can get in downtown London. I realized while we were searching in vain for household items for our flat that no one lives here. You don't LIVE in downtown London, you visit... and yet we are lucky enough to be in the heart of the city. I am so blessed to be here and by the people that have worked so hard to get me here.

I look around and can't help but see God's glory reflected in the majestic buildings and the friendly faces of the bustling crowd. I am anxious to see not only how I will change over these next months, but also how God will use me to bring change. This is a new and exciting opportunity and I hope to make the best of it and maybe have a little fun as well :)