I finally prevailed upon Nathaniel, and he has graced us with a few thoughtful and well-written words that provide an appropriate final post before we fly out tomorrow.  Thank you so much for following along with us and for praying for us.  God has been more than kind in terms of providing for our safety and even minor conveniences.  It has been very smooth, rich and fun (not to sound too much like a milkshake), and no doubt your prayers have played a major role in that.  Now, I give you Nathaniel.  Enjoy.

Today is the last day of the 2011 Europe Trip. We have seen many cathedrals, memorials to people long dead, and many other things most of us thought we’d probably never see. We’ve made many memories that we will never forget and share with many people and despite my forgone conclusions this has been a very tiring but amazing trip and totally worth going on. With all the amazing things we’ve seen it’s easy to forget some things and just remember others or even take stuff for granted but the things we’ve seen need to be remembered and learned from. The many things we’ve seen are a constant reminder of God’s grace and care for His people. With all the Reformers and people that stood up to corrupt monarchs, furthering the cause of Christ, there has been a huge testimony grown through their testimonies that have reached many people and changed their lives. Even the enemies of the Reformers had to admit that they were different and even joyful and we have seen many testaments to that affect. Though unlike the random rich people that paid huge amounts of money to have monolithic statues of themselves immortalized in a cathedral, most reformers and those who furthered the cause of Christ have just plain ordinary grave stones or just small plaques because they were just plain ordinary people who had the faith and courage to stand up for the truth and they wouldn’t have it any other way. The would much prefer that to having people coming to their 13 ton granite memorial and worshiping them as a saint; they wanted people to look to God as the source of their strength and the many things we have seen on this trip attest to just that.

The morning began with a walk to a local Starbucks.  I know what you’re thinking: “You guys didn’t go to Europe to go to Starbucks.”  Yes, you’re right, but there were surprisingly few places open when we were out and about, and we wanted to get on the road to St. Andrews, so we cut our losses and wound up at Starbucks.  It turned out to be a fantastic decision; the baristas were speedy drink artists and there was a spacious lounging area upstairs that overlooked the Royal Mile, so we were very happy at Starbucks…in EUROPE!

Anyway, on to St. Andrews.  We could tell straight away that we were going to enjoy the day if nothing else due to the 70-degree temperature and sunny skies.  Word has it the conditions have been slightly different back home….  We’ll do our best to bring the sunshine with us when we return on Sunday.

We ventured to St. Andrews – yes, the home of golf – and saw the traditional birthplace of the Scottish Reformation: St. Andrews Castle.  It was here that George Wishart, the Reformer and friend of John Knox, was burned at the stake by Cardinal David Beaton (Nope.  No link for him.  I don’t have a whole ton of respect for guys who make vows to celibacy then prolifically father illegitimate children – or who burn reformers at the stake…but that’s me, and I’m blogging, so yeah.).  That event was the spark that really ignited the Reformation in Scotland, and it happened where we were today.

In a somewhat comical or even ironic twist, the site of Wishart’s execution is about as heralded as that of John Knox’s burial.  Both were men who were focused on directing the attention and affection of men Godward rather than on other men (particularly saints).  Well, my guess is that relatively few make pilgrimages to parking spot number 23 on the south side of St. Giles’ church, where there is a small, tan concrete square amid the asphalt.  It is unmarked, but it does serve as Knox’s only grave marker. Similarly, a Ford van was parked on the spot where Wishart was executed, and both men would be glad that the land were being used for something other than pushing up flowers, or distracting men’s attention from God in some man-centered worship.  Just a thought.

So, after spending some time at St. Andrews Castle, we grabbed some lunch and some of the students did a bit of shopping before we headed to the William Wallace Memorial, near Sterling, Scotland.

After this, we ventured back to Edinburgh, ate some fish ‘n’ chips (most of us, anyway), and came back to our hostel before the social life on the Royal Mile really went from a “PG” to an “R” rating.  Enjoy the pics, and perhaps tomorrow I’ll be able to coerce some student into blogging about Holyrood Palace (the Queen’s residence in Scotland) and a day spent hanging out in Edinburgh…our last day in the UK!

Lovey’s report:

“Do I really want to wake up at 5:00am?” I thought this morning. I would rather sleep some more, but then I might not get this opportunity again. I pulled myself out of bed and I got ready to walk Hadrian’s Wall to see the sunrise.

The hills are steep and the path is long, but there is no turning back now. We are committed to getting to the point where we can see the sunrise. The sun is starting to become visible as we get closer. The clouds are breaking on the left side and there are dark clouds on the right. Just a few feet more and we will see the sun. The second that I saw the sunrise my first thought was, “How great is our God.”

We are all in awe of His creation. Just as James said that many artists try to capture it, but they never capture the full glory of it. The Lord is so gracious to us by giving us sunrises and sunsets every day. Mr. Sarr read Psalm 19 and Psalm 5 for us. The verse that really stood out to me was Psalm 19:14 which states, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my rock, and my Redeemer.” For me the sunrise was a great reminder of the power of God and how I need to continue growing in Him. Our God is a great God.

Josiah’s report:

The dream is distant. Maybe I was at the top of the world at Hadrian’s Wall yesterday, with the wind embracing my being. But maybe I wasn’t. Maybe that was only a dream. Both ideas offer themselves to my mind with forcefulness.

This morning we are going to climb. Eight of our group of eleven are going to climb to a high spot to see the sun rise. To see the sun rise! The same sun that has risen every morning, every day. The sun keeps rising and will rise because God has promised it. I wonder what it will look like, to get a glimpse from somewhere up high.

The hike is vigorous. Cold air is our food, for now anyway. Morning twilight and frigidity is our world. The hike is enrapturing, offering itself as a worthy paradigm. Yet we know that we haven’t been here forever. We started hiking twenty minutes ago. Keep telling yourself that. The creation is a channel. The hike is a worthy communicator, declaring the fact of something outside itself, outside of us. Christ is glorious. And there are things telling us that. Screaming to me to listen and behold. To behold something truly worthy.

The top is near. Exhilarated, several of us break into a run. I follow. Bounding up the hill, finding footing on the rocks, now slowing, now sprinting straight through a knoll. Then it happens. The vase breaks after hours of falling. The shattering takes an instant, though. It happened. The sun broke over the crest. The sun! The sun. It’s a messenger, too. Overcome, my vocal chords produce a sound. A yell. A shout!

A shout. Now I remember. The dream was real. Yesterday I was at the top of the world. Yesterday I shouted. Yesterday my paradigm was expanded, just as the horizon was as I climbed. Today I am above the top of the world. Today the sun is newly born and shouting with me. Today my paradigm is not only expanded, but focused.

The newborn sun is shouting with me. Christ has been the subject of his learning all his ancient life. The creation learns of Christ and passes on their knowledge to us. That is what we are to behold. The worthy paradigm is Christ. Keep beholding Him. Here we are, gazing on Christ. Keep gazing.

Yet there is another subject we learn that creation does not know. The sun and the hills tell us of Christ as Creator, yet they know nothing. Their subject is infinite. They speak of infinite glories. Yet it is insignificant compared to what we learn from the Book. What angels long to look into we are freely given.

When the shout went up, God was glorified for His majesty. The paradigm of Christ enraptured my heart. When the shout settled, God was glorified for His grace.

Grace. The shout is worship, for Christ is honored and recognized as worthy. As a worthy paradigm, as a worthy essence of existence. As a worthy Lord. The shout signifies the worship of Christ in the heart. Right here, higher than the top of the world, we are all brought low in humble worship of our God. The sun shouts. But we worship.

Keep worshipping.

“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork”  (Psalm 19:1).

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of His will, according to His purpose, which He set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Him, things in heaven and things on earth” (Ephesians 1:7-10).

Thanks all.  Enjoy.

My ears are red, I’m sure. Of course why shouldn’t they be?  They feel it and I can see everybody else’s are quite red with the cold. Just thirty minutes ago I was with the group in the rolling glens of Vindolanda. Quite warm, really. Over here in northern England it is unseasonably sunny and quite a good temperature. But here, at the top of the world, it’s quite a different story.

Yes, for here, at the top of the world, our group of eleven brave travelers is experiencing something—and not just the wind. The wind is impressive, of course. Incredibly blustery gales are the cause for the cold up here at the top. Our red ears are only one symptom. Maybe the fact that we are walking like drunken men is evidence to the brute strength of the wind. Or the whipping and frazzled hair. So of course the wind is real and important. But we are experiencing something far greater. You see, up here, the world is different. It’s conquered. Glens and fields of sheep stretch out to my right and left as far as I can see. I am standing here on the crest—right at the top—with a view of the world. Front row seats, really. And then there’s the wind. Its importance transcends the physical phenomena. Just as a stoic spectator watching a slow caravan, I stand here, turning full circle to drink in the view. The wind carries any sounds over the vast glens, so I decide to try it. Bounding up the Roman mile marker, I muster my strength. A particularly robust gust of wind whips up without warning. The sheep, grazing as they have always done, in their own paradigm, are serene. The horizon expands as I ascend. Then I do it. As the wind is shifting, pulling, raging, and my fellow travelers are gazing, learning, experiencing, I empty my lungs of air with a tremendous shout.

Just a shout. The sound is gone. The wind catches the sound and destroys all memory of it within a moment. But the shout lives on. The shout will continue to live on because we will remember.

I shouted. The group shouted. And why not? We were at the top to the world.

Right on top with front row seats. This is the top of the world. This is Hadrian’s Wall. This is Europe Trip 2011.

Cambridge to Durham, the next segment in our trip. We woke up nice and early and had the wheels on our luggage rolling at 6:15. Mike (our new driver) loaded the luggage on the bus. Then at 6:30 the wheels on the bus started rolling. We traveled for about two and a half hours, and then took a restroom break (or loo stop to the British). After the rest we got back on the road. The first major stop today was the Durham Cathedral. This cathedral was huge and unlike the others we had been to it had a common architecture all the way through it. At this cathedral there was a shrine to a man named St. Cuthbert. Many people come from far and wide to come see this shrine. Now, coming to a church (or cathedral in this case) is a good thing. But when we place people and even saints in front of God it becomes dangerous.

On that note you can see the decline in moral temperature in this country.  They have been consistently putting people in front of God, just like America is doing now. Britain in this case should be a warning to us that we need to turn around while there is time left. We (the American church) must put God at the center or we will risk turning into a more Godless society than we already are. We need to learn from this example.

The happy thing is that far from being macabre thinking, this inspires me to act, to take spiritual inventory, to consider what is of greatest, of most lasting value.  It makes me miss my family, love my church, and want to pour into my students.  I suspect that some of the students are being pressed and challenged in the same ways, though they have various ways of expressing it.

We are all looking forward to tomorrow.  Lord willing, we’ll take in Durham Cathedral, the William Wallace Monument, the site of the historical Battle of Sterling, Vindolanda Roman Fort, and Hadrian’s wall…all by dusk.  But the day starts with a 6:30AM departure.  That’s eight short hours from now.

Anyway, Wilson wanted to record his thoughts on the Bunyan sites and Cambridge, so I’ll let him do just that.  Thanks again and again for your kind comments and continued prayer.

Hello family and friends! It’s Wilson blogging again. Today we went to John Bunyan’s church that he went to while he was growing up and the church that he pastored for 17 years. It was amazing to stand in the same pulpit that John Bunyan preached from for 17 years. This trip has me thinking more about the men and women who were persecuted for their faith in God and Christ Jesus, and has given me new thoughts about the reformation. Later in the day we arrived in Cambridge, and did the Cambridge walking tour which included a tour of Sussex College, Magdalene College, and the Trinity College. It was a good experience to be in the same college in which many men that changed the course of history have been educated. We will be home in 5 days! I love you Mom, Dad, and Becca. I will see you soon.

I’d ask you to continue to pray for safety, but also please pray for the hearts of the students – that they may view these things and learn of these people and places with a view to application.  What lessons can they learn from the spiritual heritage – or lack thereof – of the people in whose steps we walk this week?

Well, since we got on the plane in Seattle, Oksana has been a ray of sunshine among us.  I sat next to Mr. Pearce on the plane, and our elbows and knees were in constant for the better part of nine hours.  The conditions were cozy.  While we taxied away from the gate, Oksana turned toward us and smiled from her seat five rows ahead of us.  Pearce deadpanned, “Oksana. She could be crammed into a space half that size and still be happy.”  She’s made the best of things on the trip, been eager to serve others, and tried to process and synthesize the information as we all should.  She offered to write about today, so here you are.  Enjoy.

Another great day in England! I am still trying to convince myself that I am in England. I’m just so thankful that I have this amazing privilege with such a remarkable group of students and staff.

We made our way to the Kilns which is the house in which C.S.Lewis (or Jack Lewis) lived. First, we walked around the outside of the house and saw the brick bench on which two of the Inklings, Lewis and Tolkien, spend their time “inkling” and conversing with each other. This bench overlooked a manmade pond onto which Lewis and Tolkien took out a boat often to spend time talking. Second, we proceeded into the house. We had a very helpful guide who walked us around the house. We were in the “common room,” which was like a living room, the kitchen, and Lewis’ personal quarters. In general, the Kilns is a sweet little place with a nice surrounding. Also, the house is still used by students for studying.

Our next stop was at Anne Hathaway’s Cottage. It appeared to be a cute little cottage with a heavy thatched roof. Since this cottage was built a while back (i.e., the 17^th century), it is not like today’s usual buildings. The logs and the wood used for the cottage are not symmetrical straight 2×4’s; the doorways are not like the usual doorways in today’s buildings.  As a result of this Mr. Sarr decided to keep up with the tradition and banged his head once again, against the lintel of the doorway. OUCH!!!

Our tour guide shared a very fun fact, actually a little story. He said that when the cottage was occupied and the dwellers decided to clean out the chimney they used a very unusual method. They took a walk into their backyard, chose one of their oldest chickens, tied its legs together, and let it down the chimney by a rope. Chickens tend to flap their wings when they are held upside down, so in this manner, the dwellers were able to clean the chimney. Fortunately the chickens did not die of bronchitis, but if for some reason it did die, then the family knew what they would have for dinner. The garden outside of the cottage was beautiful! We took a fun walk around and afterwards went to the gift shop.

To end the day our staff was very generous and gave us a couple hours to go about Stratford and do some shopping. That was fun! I am not a very big shopper, but I have to say that was a bunch of fun and one of my best shopping experiences. Stratford is an amazing place; I really, really like it. J Thanks for all the prayers!

I heard that it is Mrs. Pearce’s birthday tomorrow, so I and the whole gang want to wish Mrs. Pearce a very happy birthday, so HAPPY BIRTHDAY Mrs. Pearce!!! We all love you very much!!!

Words flash across a screen as the letters are filled in with color. A captivated French audience claps along with the music, interrupted by periodic fits of laughter. In the distance out the window, a gray channel goes by under a gray sky. And in the middle of it all is Kendall, Loveleen, and Rachelle, rocking out and “wowing” the spectators with their unique rendition of “Delilah.” This is karaoke on the Normandie, the 2011 Europe Trip group’s ferry passage back to the UK. With France behind us, though the memories of it ever before us, we arrived uneventfully this morning (except for some new French friends and sore vocal chords, of course) in Portsmouth, UK, and began our journey northward.

The first city in which our crew stopped this side of France was Oxford. As I type this, I am sitting in a youth hostel in downtown Oxford, just a stone’s throw away from the very site where bishops Thomas Cranmer, Hugh Latimer, and Nicholas Ridley were burned at the stake on Bloody Mary’s orders. They died a bold witness to the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, as is evidenced by their dying statements. Our faith is buttressed by the encouragement that Latimer gave to Ridley when he said, as the flames were lit around their feet, “Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man. We shall this day light such a candle, by God’s grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out.”  Hearing about the grace given by God to these men while seeing the very spot where they were burned was an experience that not one of us can forget or dismiss easily.

Of course, the city of Oxford is known for something else, too. Our wonderful tour guide and coach driver, Jeff, gave us the fifteen minute version of the tour of Oxford University, which is located in, or should I say is, the city of Oxford. Seeing the university that was originally founded as an institution of religious education and is now a center of secular humanism was startling for me as I realized with what ease solid institutions can go south. Our group walked by The Eagle and the Child (a.k.a., “The Bird and the Baby”), the pub in which the literary club The Inklings met. The Inklings included such famous writers as C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. Tomorrow we are going to visit the Kilns, the home of Lewis while a professor at Oxford.

So far, the Europe Trip 2011 has been incredible. The crew has been tight-knit, which is a sweet blessing from the Lord. The items on the itinerary have defied expectation, shattering previous notions of all that we had assumed. The impact of the tour comes from the “up close, in-your-face” reality of the famous things and people and places we see. It feels as if we have been here for a month. Yet we are only half-done! The Lord has been gracious to us. We covet your continuing prayers. May we continue to bear witness to the gospel wherever we are and know more of Christ through the experiences we receive.

There is a bend in the path ahead. Our motley group of eleven winds its way through the landscaped hedgerows in silence. Not a word is spoken, not because we have been forbidden to do so, but because the very solemnity of the site demands awed respect. Yet the full potency of Pont du Hoc’s power has not yet hit. For that bend—that bend in the path—holds secrets which are unintelligible to all, save for those who have seen and learned from Pont du Hoc’s broken plain.

When our group walked around a simple, commonplace bend in the path leading to Pont du Hoc in Normandie on Friday morning, we were there. We were there when the young men, who had only known their safe farms and cities back home, climbed past machine gun bullets on a sheer rock face to free a people whom they did not know. We were there when young German soldiers, doing their job as warriors for the Third Reich, which many naively knew very little about, shot out of bunkers to hordes of Americans and British troops landing on shore. We were there when a devastating artillery shell hit its target, delivering its deadly payload with accuracy. And yes, as we walked through the American cemetery in Normandie, we were there when the parents and the wife received a letter in the mail, informing them of a new hero made. For the countryside that I scanned, just around the bend, when I stopped dead in my tracks that day, told me the secrets which I cannot relay.

The scenes I have just depicted, in describing where we were, are the titles of the secrets of Pont du Hoc. They are not easily explained by those who know them, much less understood by those who do not. Our motley group of eleven wound its way through the landscaped hedgerows in silence, and found what lay beyond the bend.

May our lives be forever different by God’s grace.