England

Greetings, friends!

I have returned. England was absolutely amazing, in every way. I had a rocky start (as many of you know), spending the flight from NYC to London with intense abdominal pain, then my first night there in the ER. But God provided in amazing ways, giving the doctors wisdom to give me the right medication and keep me relatively pain-free for the rest of the trip! Because of all the medication, I was able to eat almost normally! Yay!!! I did try some traditional English dishes (Alas, not Fish and Chips), including a Trifle, which I was then taught how to make! I stayed with some dear friends (from London originally, but they've relocated to America) and their family, who live in London. They were more than happy to take me around and show me as much as they could from my (rather long) list of sites to see. I saw many things, including:
Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace, Windsor Palace, Hampton Court Palace, Framlingham Castle, Leeds Castle, Highclere Castle, the Tower, The Royal Observatory, the Prime Meridian, the 2012 Olympic Stadium (and several other Olympic sites), the National Gallery, "Much Ado About Nothing" (starring David Tennant and Catherine Tate), "War Horse," "Flare Path" (starring James Purefoy, Sienna Miller, Sheridan Smith, and directed by Trevor Nunn), the London Eye, the British Library, the British Museum, the Sherlock Holmes Museum, the Charles Dickens Museum, the Globe Theatre, St. Paul's Cathedral, St. Paul's Church, St. Bartholomew's Church, Southwark Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, Scotland Yard, the Royal Albert Hall, the Albert Memorial, the Greenwich Naval College, and more!
Sorry, I know that's a lot, but people have been asking me what I saw while I was there, so those are the main points. :D
God perfectly orchestrated my time there so that I could A) feel relatively normal, B) spend some quality time with my friends and their family (and experience England with the locals!), and C) witness His kindness and care in every single detail, from the sites I saw to when I saw them to exactly what I saw there. I'm so overwhelmed by His kindness and His grace. As my dear friend (whose family I stayed with in London) pointed out, I did not need this trip. I wanted it, badly. This long-awaited trip was the kindness of my Father to His daughter. I'm SO grateful that God cares about what we care about! That's what I learned about the most on this trip. I saw things I've dreamt of seeing for most of my life, and they were absolutely incredible! And the fact that that mattered to God was even more amazing. I knew that before, but I experienced it in a major way on this trip. He's amazing!

Here are a few pictures! Until next time, cheerio!

Below:

Highclere Castle, The Globe Theatre, Buckingham Palace/Victoria Memorial, Kensington Palace, and Leeds Castle

A Royal Wedding!

Okay, I know everyone's posting about today's royal wedding, but...it was breathtaking. I wasn't going to watch it because the way I saw it, they've already been living together for years, and the royal family isn't exactly known for their long marriages. So what was all the excitement about? But then I changed my mind. I started reading tidbits of their wedding preparations, getting excited... And I woke up before 6:00 today to watch the ceremony with my Mom. Then I left around 7:30 to join some of my American and English friends in a tea party to watch the pre-wedding excitement, the ceremony (again), and the post-wedding excitement. I was thrilled by the fairytale feel of the day, the beautiful (EXPENSIVE!) clothes, the breathtaking music, the gorgeous, smiling bride and her strong, dutiful groom...it was lovely. SO romantic!

I suppose, on one level, it was no different than anyone else's marriage. On a broader note, they had the usual inconveniences: their wishes were altered by an imposing family, they had an exhausting day, the wedding planning stress... And then on a personal note, it was simply a man and a woman pledging to spend their lives in love and support of one another. That's a big job for anyone!

The tradition that was woven throughout the day was absolutely beautiful, but I also love the personal stamp that the bride and groom had placed on it. They were responsibly complying with the wishes of their subjects by having a public procession, wedding, and kiss, and then they had a more personal, private ceremony and reception. I love that! I hope and pray that that sort of attention to the importance of privacy serves them well. A royal wedding is fantastically romantic, but it's probably much more unromantic to those taking part in it. I'm glad that this couple has taken pains to make it their day, and not just England's day.

I'm very happy and excited for this new couple, and this important chapter in English history. It was the first royal wedding that I've witnessed, and I'm so glad to have seen it. I'm also glad that I was able to get excited about it! The excitement continues as I watch the post-wedding coverage on the DVR with my Mom, since she had to go to work and miss it when it was live. I can't wait to read all about what the bride was wearing over the next few days! I LOVE her dress (designed by Sarah Burton, of Alexander McQueen!), and she did her own makeup! That's inspiring! Maybe I'll do my own makeup on my wedding day too! If Princess Catherine of England can do her own makeup on her special day, I suppose I can do the same. But we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. ;)

God Save the Queen!

Remember Me?

Hello everyone!

Remember me? Sorry, I know it's been a while. The last time I spoke with you I was days away from beginning my first semester at Regent University, and now I'm days away from finishing it. I have been enormously blessed during my time there. I've made many wonderful friendships, learned four different accents (and the IPA system to learn more!), honed my Improv skills, Tap basics, and learned the technicalities of Text Analysis. It's been a productive semester, to say the least! I had a blast, and I'm actually sorry to see this semester end. I'll start my summer classes in June, so I won't be away for too long! Again, I've been so blessed this semester. I've learned so much, and God has shown His love and purpose for me in amazing ways over the past few months.

My best friend got married in February, and it was beautiful. The wedding and the couple were (and are!) inspiring and fairytale-like. Just before that, rehearsals for "The Play" began, culminating in our best run of performances yet, which ended just this past week! Hundreds of people were brought to Christ, and our audiences left excited and encouraged by our performances. Thanks be to God! His strength carried me through this intensive week, and I'm so grateful!

Now, with only a few more classes to finish up, I'm looking ahead to a dream vacation that I'm going on in just a few weeks! Some close friends of mine are from England, and they're going to visit their family in the south of London for 3 weeks. I'll be heading out a few days ahead of them to meet up with the group from Virginia Wesleyan that I went with to Paris and Rome last year. I'll spend 5 days in London with that group, then meet up with my other friends for the remaining 2 weeks. I'll be there from May 15-June 5! This was a complete gift from God, and I'm so excited! I really wanted to travel with my friends and stay with them and their family (we've talked about it for years), I wanted to travel this summer, and I've ALWAYS wanted to visit London. Now, all three will happen. All of the details got worked out, no matter how dicey they seemed at times. From nearly-impossible-to-get tickets to see David Tennant and Catherine Tate in "Much Ado About Nothing" to convenient travel schedules, God has gift-wrapped this trip for me, and I'm so excited! He is so kind!

The saga with my stomach continues. I am currently in the beginning stages of a detox diet. In a few weeks, I should be able to incorporate fresh fruits and veggies back into my diet, along with other foods (so long as I'm not allergic to them). I'm so excited! My doctor says that I should be able to eat semi-normally by the time I go to England! Yet again, evidence of God's love and kindness at work.

My last post mentioned fears and apprehensions about this year. I hope I've been able to give you encouragement in this recap; God is ALWAYS good, kind, loving, and sovereign. He has comforted me and made me content (even EXCITED) about where I am now, and where He'll have me in the future. God is faithful, and I am so grateful for how He's tenderly held me close and walked me through each and every moment of my life, showing me His love and care with unimaginable patience. I love Him so much, and He has made me rejoice in Him. I'm looking forward to posting (hopefully more frequent) updates about what's going on in my life, and how He's continued to be faithful.

Until next time...

~Micah

Happy New Year!

Well friends, here we are in 2011. It seems like 2010 just began! This year is going to be a full one, I know. Personally, I'm apprehensive, but I'm praying that it's a year of harvest. Last year was a year of sowing, and God brought me through many things that I never thought I could get through at the beginning of the year. Even in the last days of December, God was taking me into situations that I begged Him to never put me through. This year, I'm afraid of many things. Last year was so difficult, and I'm so afraid this year will be more of the same. But...I grew so much this past year. As hard as it was, as much as I don't want to go through it again, I'm grateful for it and I don't regret it. God showed me His faithfulness every step of the way, and He allowed me to encourage others as I was learning those lessons. God provided many blessings, and I know He'll be faithful to fulfill each and every one of His promises. It won't always be this hard, and when it is, He'll be right there with me, making every moment worth it. So I guess the question and challenge I'm faced with this year is this: Knowing how much God has done for me, knowing His faithfulness and promises and blessings...am I willing to face the worst, if it comes? Are the prospects I'm facing too big to handle for Him, the Creator of the Universe and the Author of my life?

Of course they're not. So yes, I'm willing to go through what I'm afraid of. Today as I was thinking of the year ahead, God reminded me that I'm not to worry about tomorrow. He has it all taken care of, and worrying about it won't come to anything. Especially if it never happens!

And I have a lot of blessings to look forward to this year as well! I start my Masters in Theatre at Regent University (my dream field of study at my dream school) on Tuesday, and I absolutely can't wait! I have reason to hope...in fact, I have more reason to hope than to fear! Fear may look bigger and more powerful, but in the end I know I have victory in Christ. This year will be full of blessings in many forms, I just know it.

Have a blessed New Year!