Churches of England

Just Debbie again tonight, and this will be a quick post. Yesterday was Sunday, which means it was church day! I've been assigned to attend a different building with a different congregation from Sarah, and mine happens to meet at a building that takes about an hour and a half to reach by the Tube. It's about a 20 minute walk to the nearest Tube station, then a 45 minute ride on the underground, then another 15-20 minute walk to the chapel from that station...and repeat for the journey back home. (I realize that doesn't add up to an hour and a half, but you have to factor in some time to get lost and miss trains and such. Plus the most direct route uses a Tube line that was conveniently out of service over the weekend.) The Oyster cards (London Underground passes) we purchased when we first got here are only effective within certain zones of London, and my chapel happens to be outside of those zones, so we get to pay an extra $4 every time we want to go to church. What does all this mean? It's an ADVENTURE to attend church, with a higher time and money investment than I've ever had to make before. And I'll probably never have to make that sacrifice ever again in my life. But I actually rather enjoy it--it gives me two hours to sit quietly and think, read, write, reflect on life...good stuff.

But if I didn't actually enjoy the down time on public transportation, would it be worth it? ...ABSOLUTELY. The ward is SO welcoming and loving. Before the group of us who traveled together even entered the chapel doors, the CUTEST little girl came up to us all and gave us each a hug. She even gave a couple of us STICKERS! And when we did enter the chapel, the adults were even more welcoming toward us. A couple of women on the opposite side of the room (Susan and Marcia) immediately caught our eye--after multiple others introduced themselves to us, anyway--and motioned for us to sit in the row in front of them. They were simply marvelous. They were both from Africa, though I unfortunately don't remember which specific country. The woman and child sitting in front of us were from Brazil, and there were some couples from the Philippines in nearby rows, and they all introduced themselves to us and seemed sincerely excited to meet this year's crop of BYU Cougars. The bishop told us that this ward might be the most diverse in the church, with its members hailing from upwards of 25 different countries, mostly in Africa. It is WONDERFUL to worship the same God in the same way as all these people from all over the world, and it is wonderful to feel of their pioneer faith and dedication. I was impressed not only by their sincerity in worship but also the unity I felt among the congregation. It really felt like one big, loving family...and I am excited to be a part of that family for the next few weeks. It felt like home.

Today I attended my first real church service at a church that wasn't my own. Elena, Ashley and I went to the Southwark Cathedral (pronounced SUTTHICK Cathedral...just the way it's spelled, of course) for Evensong. The architecture was masterful, the decorations slightly morbid, the singing beautiful, the prayer moving. There is power in humble communication with God, no matter who is speaking or even what exactly is being said. Take a humble heart and willing hands and God will listen and respond.

And tomorrow we wake up early to take a one-hour coach (or bus, if you prefer the American) to the London, UK temple! Here's some trivia for you: the London temple serves a total of 25 LDS stakes or districts, or one third the number of stakes served by the Provo, UT temple. But we rise early tomorrow, so goodnight unto you all...