On Sunday I visited my friend's church, Westminster Chapel (not Westminster Abbey, which many tourists mistake it for).
It was so special to worship with my Christian family, overseas. I love how no matter where I go, I will always have family in the Church. I will always find a haven, and people that I have common ground with. Amazing! The congregation was friendly and welcoming, and the church was thriving and diverse, with many opportunities for fellowship and outreach. The pastor was honest, caring, and preached a wonderful expository message about the sufficiency and authority of Scripture, and how we should be obedient to God's Word and bold enough to change our society. When he prayed, he prayed specifically for ailing members of the church, for the Queen and her Jubilee, for David Cameron and the Parliament, for the churches of England, for their pastors, etc. I was so inspired by his passion, care and specificity. It was wonderful! The church reminded me so much of my church back home! It was Gospel-centered, and the pastor was truly an example for his congregation, willing to challenge and quick to exhort. I loved it!
After catching up with my friend, I left to meet Nathan and Kerrie, friends from my home church. We spent the afternoon at Kensington Palace! I went there last year, but it was being renovated. They had made it into a magical, princess-themed palace, filled with interactive exhibits and decor that seemed almost straight out of Alice-in-Wonderland (except less trippy and scary). This year, the palace has a new look to it. I didn't take pictures of most of the inside, because it was too dark and we weren't allowed to use our flash. But it was still magical!
Besides the awe I felt at standing in the room where Queen Victoria was born, or where she held her first Privy Council meeting, where Albert died, or where she first heard that she was queen, the castle continued to be interactive. I was looking at a piece of music that Albert had written for Victoria, and suddenly, out of nowhere, it began to play. I looked over at my friends, who had just read the instructions to press the button to hear the music, but did not press it. Someone else must have. It was a beautiful song! Victoria was a lucky girl! Which she was thoroughly aware of, of course.
Kensington Palace!
They really did! It was slightly creepy, but AWESOME!
This, in a way, sums up Kensington. It's whimsical, magical, and beautiful. I love it!
My favorite couple! They'll be moving into the royal apartments at Kensington (which we saw the outside of!) next summer.
The palace also had a section for William and Mary; George I; James II and his wife, Mary of Modena; and Diana. Diana's section had photographs and some of her beautiful dresses, but it felt very strange to me. I know it's because she's the one I can remember; I remember the 90's and the styles that she made famous, I remember what she did, what she stood for, and when she died. I remember how the world wept at her sudden and untimely death. She was no saint, but it was still sad. So that room was interesting, but poignant. The section for George I was fun, as moving through the rooms involved a card game! You would collect cards as you walked through the rooms (if you could find them), then find out what they spell at the end to discover what your position would have been at the court. You could also play one of the "courtiers" to win a more elusive card. As it turned out, I would have been the Court Physician, which is ironic, as I would never touch a leech, nor am I able to watch surgery shows. But the game was fun. :)
After that, we were starving, so we made our way to the Prince of Wales pub, where we shared a LOVELY supper of bacon and cheese jacket potatoes, a roasted chicken and bacon sandwich with chips (french fries), a hamburger (with an egg--odd, but good according to Nathan) and cider that tasted like candy!
From there, we made our way to another pub, where there was a comedy show going on, hosted by a friend of Kerrie's (and a fellow cupcake maker!). It was hilarious! There were five acts, and all of them were fantastic. The comedians had very quick wits and fantastic material. Once the MC found out that we were Americans, and that Nathan was in the Navy, he quickly and enthusiastically made Nathan the center of his acts (in a good-natured way). It was an absolutely fantastic evening. After the show ended, we spent time with Kerrie's friend and some of the comedians over a drink. Have I mentioned I love the pubs here? They're nothing like the pubs at home! Everyone is there for fellowship; it's a really friendly, welcoming place, not at all like the rowdy crowd I usually stay away from in pubs in the U.S.. It was a really fun night!
No comments:
Post a Comment