A Little London Hospitality

I am ashamed to say that it has taken a month to share with you about our trip to London! Over Passover week (Nate had the week off from classes) we were able to take a little trip to the lovely London. We did all the tourist things there were…National Gallery (one of my personal favorites!), The British Museum (one of my hubby’s favorites), Churchill War Rooms, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace and the Queen’s Gallery, Tower of London, Parliament and Big Ben, and we even made our way to Oxford for a day (ok, this was really probably both our favorite!) We had such a great time. Was our trip restful? Eh, not so much, but it was refreshing to be able to spend the time together doing fun touristy things and being surrounded by people who spoke EnglishJ And While I could spend a lot of time talking about the things that we did, I wanted to share a special part of our trip that the Lord used to encourage and refresh us.

The church in Auburn we were a part of has a very close relationship with a church in London, so we knew we wanted to spend some time fellowshipping and worshipping with them if we could. Nathan contacted a friend, Nick, from the church and we found out they were having a Good Friday service. Nick offered to pick us up and bring us (sadly, due to the slow tube service on holidays, we made him late!) It was such an encouragement to us to worship with this congregation and to see them love on one another and love on us. We were reminded of the sweetness of the Body of Christ. These men and women were not only welcoming friends, they were our own brothers and sisters in Christ. After the service, Nick and Amanda treated us to an amazing and elaborate meal at Amanda’s mom’s home. It was Nick, Amanda, their children, their mothers, some friends, and the pastor and his wife. Their hospitality was such an encouragement to us, and their fellowship was truly refreshing. After spending the whole afternoon with them, we got back to our hotel and talked about the meaning of the Body of Christ and the hospitality of our brothers and sisters. It was such a picture of the abundance we have been given in Christ. We had nothing to offer Nick and Amanda, we weren’t really able to contribute to this incredible meal, and we were humbled at their joy in giving so much. We thank God for the Taylors and their family and friends who gave abundantly! I praise the Lord that He has given abundantly to us, and I pray that, like our London friends, we too will give graciously to those around us because of what He has given us.

The church set up for Good Friday! By some colossal oversight we forgot to get a picture with the Taylors, but we're thankful for the welcome of the whole church!