More On London

Hi friends:
A lot of Thames River water has gone under a dozen bridges here in London since we last communicated about our travels. Rosie and I have been in England for a little over three weeks now. It has been a great time; we have enjoyed most every minute of it (well, almost every minute!).
One of the first weekends we went to Oxford by public bus. Some of us took a walking tour in the University area; quite different from our concept of a U in the US. Oxford is made up of over 35 independent residential colleges, large and small. It was a good look around (covered market, shops, etc.) before catching a bus back to the Center.
The following Saturday we all went by coach bus to Bourton-on-the-Waters and Stratford-Upon-Avon (Shakespeare country).
Both places were beautiful, mostly sunny giving us a good time walking around to see Shakespeare’s birthplace, the church were he was buried, the theaters in town and other sights, but we didn’t have time to take in a play.
This past weekend we went to London, visiting the son and daughter-in-law of a cousin of mine and their 9-month-old boy. We got a ride down with a couple who come here to work every Friday and then take couples to their home for the weekend.
On Saturday morning our friend walked us to The Tube (Underground) and from there on we were on our own in the city. From St. James Station we walked to Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Tower Bridge, the Tower of London--the big tourist sites. We walked for miles, but it was fun to see the sites again after 36 years since we were last here. From the Tower we took 3 different double-decker buses across town to within a few blocks of our friends house. On Sunday morning we walked to the nearby church with the family and then went out for a Thai dinner before coming back to the Wycliffe Center. We had a fun time together.

The work here is going well. Every day is a full one--meals, coffee breaks, devotional session, visiting with so many wonderful people. And, yes we do work too, about 7 hours a day for me on construction and about 5 for Rosie in the kitchen. Most of my time is spent putting up drywall and joint compound; and occasional sanding as a final prep for painting. Two to 4 guys work with me each day so I give some supervision of the drywall process. I am enjoying the work in spite of all the dust and mess!

Rosie and I are enjoying our time here--the friendships we have made, the camaraderie, the food, the sightseeing and the work. I’ve done the Sunday evening chapel once, and two of the morning devotions. Last night I stayed up until 1 a.m. to watch the first half of the Super Bowl game. Several guys stayed up until 3 a.m. to see the finish--they were glad they did!

Thanks for traveling with us.

Abner and Rosie