Church Picnic Day (just for fun)!!

In my previous post, I had pictures of the sign pointing to the Idea Store (a very "trendy" library where we have church), but never showed you what it actually looks like! So here ya go! This is actually an old photo of my sister and nephew standing outside the store.

The Idea Store has several "classrooms" which we use to hold church services; God has really given us favor there because they now let us use 2 rooms for church and another room for Sunday School (pictures to follow in next blog!)! This is me and my friend Karlene leading worship two Sundays ago. Those of you who remember old school Bible College days might remember Karlene, she was one of the first Brits to come to Murrieta back in the day!

So after church what do we do?? Glad you asked...

WE HAVE A PICNIC!! (At least, in August we can have a picnic because the weather is actually decent)!

Our summer picnic this year was held at Thames Barrier Park along the river (which you can see in the background).

So what do we do at the picnic? Glad you asked...

We learn how to play British ROUNDERS!!!

So here we have one of the teams huddling up...actually Lauren (on the left in the blue shorts, she plays rounders in school) is trying to explain the rules since most of the Brits didn't even seem to remember how to play! :)

In a nutshell, Rounders is kinda like American baseball...but different! You still hit the ball with a bat, run around stakes (poles in the ground), and pitch (bowl), as you can see me doing here...but other than that it's a whole new ballgame (pun intended)!

For one thing, you can only swing the bat with one hand...awkward! Plus the bat is short, so even strong guys (like Terry here) had a hard time hitting the ball!

See what I mean? :)

Well, ultimately, whether you hit the ball or not, on your third swing you have to run around the outside of the 4 stakes, which is what Peter is doing here. There's more to it than that, but I think that's probably enough for one blog post!

This post was kinda just "for fun," but I wanted you to see some of the "faces" in our little fellowship here. The Lord really is doing a neat work in London, moving in the hearts of His people and bringing in new folks as well...it seems like the Lord is continually drawing newcomers in and giving us opportunities to reach out with the love of Jesus! Please continue to pray, it means so much and I know the Lord is using it!

Here are some pictures, yippee!!

Here's an artsy photo of me getting a (rare) London tan at Canary Wharf, where Calvary Chapel Docklands meets. In the background you can see the subway station and a couple of the many skyscrapers that give this part of London the name "Little Manhattan."

Here's another shot of the same area at the Wharf.

Once inside the building complex, you can simply follow the signs to the Prayer Room (where Friday night Bible study is held) or to the Idea Store (where church is held on Sundays)! Praise the Lord for such convenient access and strategic location!

This is a shot of our flat from inside the courtyard. It's a beautiful three-story home that the Lord provided for my parents last month. The windows pictured here face the River Thames, which is an awesome view!!

Those of you from Murrieta probably recognize these guys! We were blessed to have Lu Wing and his family stay with us for a couple days this week. Here they are at the Royal Observatory at Greenwich (where the Prime Meridian was discovered, wahoo!). This gives a great view of Greenwich Park, the Queen's House, Greenwich University, and Canary Wharf (where the skyscrapers are). We actually live right across the river from this beautiful place--God is good!

Here are a few folks from church. The church body here at CC Docklands is so loving and genuine, the Lord is doing a neat work in the lives of the people here in London...what a huge blessing it is to be a part of it!

I made it!!

I know, I know, it took me forever to get here, but at last I am in England!! After a very busy (and tearful) week wrapping things up and saying good-byes in Murrieta, I headed for London on Monday night. I arrived safe and sound on Tuesday night, but alas, one of my suitcases didn't! Fortunately, it came in on the next flight so everything seems to be present and accounted for!
I jumped right in leading worship for Thursday night prayer meeting and Friday night Bible study. I will also be doing worship for church on Sunday (and, for a few weeks at least, another Bible study on Wednesdays!). When I play piano I'm fine, but my guitar skills are a bit rusty so please pray for me to get in the groove quickly!
So that is Week One in a nutshell...there is a really sweet fellowship of believers here and I am definitely looking forward to being involved and seeing how the Lord leads!! More updates to come (and pictures I hope!!)!!