From Germany to London

It has been strange to be unconnected to the general populace. My phone stays off and we rarely have internet connectivity as we are out and about.
Germany was another new country and we drove along the Rheine seeing castle after castle on the high hilltops on either side. Quaint little towns below with adorable old buildings lining the river banks. Barges and boats floating by. The weather was perfect, very warm with a slight wind. We were in the car but we would have loved to climb those steps to the castles which had differing qualities of repair. Some were just ruins and others were clearly still in use in some manner. Oh to have google at my finger tips! I would have looked up St. Goar and Obervessel (I have that second one spelled incorrectly.)
We had driven on the autobahn to Veldhoven in the Netherlands--I have already been through Amsterdam but now I was really somewhere in the Netherlands rather than just passing through. and there was no border check. That was odd. It was just like crossing a state line in the USA. Just a sign and then you are somewhere else.
and oh I already miss precious little Julian and little Sophie!!! My goodness those children have captured my heart. I asked to speak to Julien on the phone and he said, Aunt Stephanie, I am missing you. (PRECIOUS!) because we had gone around that day talking and talking. He's such an interesting little guy. Very verbal in both languages. He told us he wanted to be a train driver. Then later he said he wanted to be a bus driver. His mom asked him, Which one then? and I explained that it depended on what he liked. Did he want to have lots of people get on and off and make lots of turns and go around different places? or did he want to go in one sort of straight line but with lots of power. He thought a minute and said; " I want the power." I told him, "Trains it is, then."  and he agreed.
and now we've come to London. It is always good to be in London. Such a hub of activity! and the variety of peoples everywhere--great to watch and pray for. We are close to Picadilly Circus in this crazy hotel. It is very expensive due to location, but they are really working on everything to be ready for the Olympics in 375 days (we saw a countdown clock in front of the National Gallery.) I wish I could show the room--I did make a video because I was incredulous. Purple crushed velvet bedding and garish silver printed lavender leather for a wall of a headboard. Purple couch and well, you half expected to see something like a mirror on the ceiling, but praise God, they didn't go that far. The toilet room had a bidet and a sink and a door for privacy but the tub in like smack in the middle of the whole suite! It's shaped like half an egg shell. I love baths but it seems scary to try to get out of that one and step on the marble floor. The towels hang on heated bars--that is super cool--but steve made it super COOLER and by that I mean cold! the room was at 19 c and I froze this morning. I had them bring an overpriced breakfast to the room and I guess I'll make do in the future with something from a nearby grocery in order to avoid those costs. We got that blood sausage which looks like a black jimmy dean sausage patty but if you bite into it, you spit it right out--UGH! I did get them to leave off the tomato and mushrooms. Just not what I like to see in the morning. and the baked beans don't work for me in the states, I sure don't want them here.
I have no idea what we'll do today. We keep trying to decide. We've done all our supreme favorites at least twice already--but we may do the tower of London anyway. I'll go out to the Kew Gardens and view the National Gallery when Steve works on Mon and Tues. I'd like to go see if I can find something cool for Nicole's baby due in November. Other than that, I never buy trinkets for anyone because they end up in the trash or worse--some people keep them and clutter their lives needlessly. I am really not a shopper anyhow and so although everything looks so cool, the prices here will keep you from reaching out to bring something home. No---just look and smile and walk on by.
I think I am finally rested. My shoulder seems to have stopped bothering me for now. I am working well on this time zone. It's 9am here and I want the room to warm up a bit before getting ready. We are near a lovely park and I'd like to go sit and watch the geese or hear some music in the square. I am right by Jeremyn St. where I think an ancestor was a butcher--unless that's the one that was a watchmaker/jeweler. I had ancestors who were from SoCo when it was nice and then in the70s it turned into a dive. Now it is restored again and I hear it is lively in a good way.
We are at Leicester square (really I should check out the spelling in the guide) but it does seem like a bit of a red light district-and I don't recall seeing it this way before. The theatres are all around here--maybe that is part of it, but we feel so out of place in this modern hotel. In Germany, it was so cool and European. Everything seemed so European--because it was!! ha ha! Here, we get to speak our language---I keep struggling on accident to say Bitte (please) or Dankeshen (thank you spelled wrong by me) or even Spanish or Swahili. I want to say, Asanta Sana (thank you very much.) it is fun. I'm in England. The motherland. Steve was in his German motherland. Actually, I am a citizen of heaven on my way home and I can't wait---but for now, I am in this part of the world where the congestion of Chicago seems mild and suddenly everything in the US seems low priced and reasonable.
I'd like to visit some churches. I'd like to sit in the parks. I might go see a palace on mon or tues. I know I want to see some gardens. I watched Martin Luther (the movie) on my Ipod last week and really enjoyed Germany thinking about him. How good it is that he translated the bible to common language. how thankful I am.
in the middle of all this here in London, I spied a white board where someone had written Psalm 107. (He sent His Word and healed our disease.) and I was so encouraged in my heart. What is this life but a gate to the next? A testing. An opportunity to love and obey God. when you love Him, it is so easy to obey--He puts that love in your heart and you love other people! When you don't love God, I can see and remember how everything feels like you aren't allowed to have your own way. it feels like you are shamed and you resist that shaming. When you come to Christ in repentance, your sins are forgiven and what power to LIVE! and to live well. and to enjoy things! Did I even notice the flowers before i knew Jesus? Did I even see the beauty in others before I knew Him? Did I long to help the downtrodden or the helpless? maybe a little of that, but mosty I just cared for me and mine. Mostly I wanted to avoid getting hurt by all the mean people in the world. Now I care that they understand God's love and I understand they are hurting or just sinful, as I am. Meanness has such a small effect on my now, although it can make you lose your balance at first from shock.
We saw a guy in the lane who seemed to be persuing the crowd for an opportunity to steal. We prayed for him in several ways.
How can I make a difference in this world for Jesus as I'm here in London? I ask the Lord but I am unsure if I will do anything I would consider meaningful. For now, I'm with my husband who prefers to travel WITH me. I got to visit family on the other side of the world. That was lovely. and I guess I will just enjoy where I am at and praise Him.