Don’t you know that Friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.*

This weekend has been amazing. You heard all about the awesomeness that ensued at Bath but yesterday and today have really confirmed just how great I knew this weekend would be. Hope you lucky ducks are having a great Labor Day weekend as well.

Dancing with Isaac at Bath

Yesterday began with a trip to Camden Market with my friend Isaac. It probably wasn’t the best idea to visit that particular market on a weekend but it was incredible nonetheless. It was street vendor after street vendor of some of the coolest clothes I’ve seen here. Granted, they had some weird stuff but most of it was incredibly cute. There was everything from socks to prom dresses, necklaces and jewelry to luggage. And it was all really inexpensive!! I’ll definitely be going back on a weekday when there aren’t so many people. We walked through a good majority of the market before stumbling into the food section which had literally every type of food from around the world, all for really cheap. We settled with some great Chinese food and found a spot near the river to sit, eat, and chat.

Natural History Museum

When we finished it was early afternoon and since neither of us wanted to be tempted to spend money just yet (we both agreed to wait till the 60 pound food stipend was given out on Monday) we decided to head over to the Natural History Museum since we had yet to take advantage of the amazing free museums in the city. Usually there’s a long line that wraps around the front of the massive building but for some reason it was completely empty and we just waltzed right in. (School here starts tomorrow so I think a lot of people were taking it easy this weekend). The museum was definitely interesting. Everything was laid out beautifully and their dinosaur section was really neat to walk through but I got the feeling that all of the information was really dumbed down. It definitely felt like I was walking through the Children’s Museum at home where you can press buttons to see what the sun does when the moon’s out or see how ripples in water make ripples in the sand beneath, etc. It all seemed really basic. I haven’t been to a Natural History Museum in a long time but I certainly don’t remember them being so fundamental…Maybe I just have a bad memory or I was really young on my last visit. As much as I love seeing fossils and learning about the Earth’s crust and such, I think my favorite part was the Human Biology exhibit. (Biology was, in fact, my favorite science in high school). It was equally as childish with games and cartoons at practically every section but what struck me was how completely unashamed Brits are about the human body and sexuality. There were definitely diagrams on conception, racing sperm games, and pictures on the process of a woman giving birth, not to mention an entire section on puberty. Not that any of these things were particularly new to me but I was struck with how blunt and in your face they were about it. In the states, I’m certain that not only would you have to have a ticket to actually see an exhibition like this, but you’d have to be warned of the content and sign an agreement before entering. We’re so conservative at home and here they’re DEFINITELY not. It was definitely a bit of a culture shock more than anything.

The Best Roommate the World Has Ever Known

We got through the majority of the museum in a few hours so by the time we were headed back, it was just about time for dinner. Bree and I made some soup and watched the Batman film from the 60’s. Man, that’s some good stuff. I skyped with my lovely Heather Darling for a while and realized how much I miss campus. There’s so much going on there and I can’t wait to jump back into it all in January. After, the rest of the girls in our building came over and we had a pajama party and watched Love Actually, complete with popcorn and tea. I’m REALLY trying to like tea but I just can’t get into it. It’s much too bitter and leafy, even with a crap ton of sugar. The goal is to at least be able to tolerate it by the time my parents get here so we can have high tea. We’ll see how that goes.

Today was incredibly lazy. Neither of us felt particularly motivated to do school work and since we almost completely out of food, we went grocery shopping. Steven would be proud of the amount of fruit and veggies we got. Granted, we still have a ton of pasta lying around here…I mean, it’s two for one pound at Poundland and you can’t exactly pass that up…And I’m forcing myself to drink at least one small glass of orange juice or grapefruit juice every day for Vitamin C. I refuse to get sick when there’s so much to do in this city.  But shopping took a while, particularly because we spent 40 pounds (which doesn’t sound like a lot but it gets you SO MUCH here) and had to walk in the pouring rain the entire way home. For the record though, that was the first time it had rained in about a week so we’ve had abnormally wonderful weather. (Tomorrow is 65 with a 30% chance of rain (which means it’ll rain) just to make you Texas folks jealous).

We spent the rest of the day cleaning, reading for class, working out, and since it’s Sunday I listened to my Terranova podcast. I miss my church. I’m glad that I have access to it here but it’s not the same as being there in person. (Yet another thing I can’t wait to get back into next semester). Kyle’s sermon was on Jesus Christ as the Ultimate Authority for our lives and God was really calling me out on how much I’ve become a people pleaser since I’ve been here. My general soberness tends to alienate me from the group so I’ve been trying to make up for it in other ways. But the truth is, I’m called to be different, set apart, and by trying to please the world, I’m conforming to it instead of being the light God needs me to be. I’m not supposed to be trying to please them, I’m supposed to be praying for them and letting God use me for His glory. Technically, they’re supposed to hate me. I suppose it’s a matter of priority, pleasing God vs. pleasing the people here, I just need to make a conscious effort to chose God before I climb out of bed every morning. I’m excited to see what else He’s going to show me this semester and even more excited about what He’s going to do. I know He’s already doing crazy-amazing things on campus which just bolsters my faith in His ability to work miracles here.

“You're calling me to lay aside the worries of my day
To quiet down my busy mind and find a hiding place
Worthy, Worthy

I open up my heart and let my spirit worship Yours
I open up my mouth and let a song of praise come forth
Worthy, You are worthy

Of a child-like faith
And of my honest praise
And of my unashamed love
Of a holy life
And of my sacrifice
And of my unashamed love”

*James 4:4