We went to Ontario on October 23-26 to participate in a Missions Conference at the Wainfleet Brethren in Christ Church, where Charlie Mashinter is the senior pastor.

The conference was well-planned and well-attended, with an international meal, talks by Randy and Jodi Goshorn who serve among the Isaan people in Thailand, sessions for the children, and a Sunday evening session on “Missions Means…” illustrated with stories by Wainfleet persons from their short-term or long-trm missionary service.

I spoke three times; JoLene spoke once, at the ladies luncheon.

Here are just a few of the tables at the international meal.

We thoroughly enjoyed reconnecting with Chuck Rickman and his sister Theresa Rickman Gilmore, whom we knew when they were children in KS and I was pastor at Zion Brethren in Christ Church and their father was pastor of the Abilene Church.

For this weekend Chuck and his wife Rosa entertained us like family in their home.

On Monday we visited some tourist spots. First, the town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, where in summertime theaters feature plays by George Bernard Shaw and his contemporaries. Fortunately, Shaw himself happened to be strolling around town.

Here are other views of the town.

Here is the theater on the main street. Come and see a Shaw play here next season.

And at this shop you will find everything you always dreamed of…and more.

Leaving this charming town to GBS and the tourists, we drove south along the Niagara River, going upriver to the Falls, which we had seen before, so we gave it only a brief glance from the car. But from an earlier trip, here is a view of the Horseshoe Falls (Canadian Falls) from the Skylon tower.

Near the Falls is the Niagara Parks Greenhouse. Tropical birds sing and fly about inside.

Regarding the last photo above, even the electrical power station along the Niagara River looks like a museum!

I attended a Camp Meeting Leaders Conference held in Wilmore, KY, on October 7-9. I went because of my role as Director of Roxbury Holiness Camp here in PA.

The sessions were held on the campuses of Asbury College and Asbury Theological Seminary. I am an alumnus of the seminary, so it was a delight to be back on campus again.

As you enter the little town of Wilmore, you see this statue of Francis Asbury (1745-1816), known as the Father of Methodism in America. He was the first Methodist Bishop in America. He traveled some 6,000 miles on horseback each year, often on the rugged frontier roads. Obviously, the two educational institutions in Wilmore are named after him.

Here are three seminary buildings unchanged since I was a student here from 1965-1968. The first is the Administration Building, the second is the Chapel, and the third is B. L.Fisher Library, where I served as janitor.

As a student I did not travel to Wilmore on horseback.

Behind the library is a life-size statue of John Wesley, shown in outdoor preaching, which was a frequent part of his ministry as an evangelist in England.

Here is one of the banners on the Seminary campus.

At the conference it was a special joy to meet Dennis Kinlaw again. He was professor of Old Testament studies when I was a student at the Seminary and has been one of the most influential men in my life.

Our last day in London was a long one.

By 6:45 AM we were at Heathrow Airport to meet Phillip and Krista, friends of ours who are on the way to Asia to check out the possibilities for going there as medical workers. They wanted to talk with us and have us show them a few sights of London; we were eager to do both things.

We took a narrated bus tour around the city, sitting on the top open deck. The day was cloudy and cool, so we weren’t exactly comfortable, but the view from the upper deck was worth the chill.

Here is Trafalgar Square, with its statue of Lord Admiral Horatio Nelson, British naval hero who died at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. This was a sea battle in which the British Royal Navy defeated the combined navies of France and Spain in the Napoleonic Wars. The battle took place off the southwest coast of Spain, near Cape Trafalgar, hence the name of the battle and now the square.

At the base of the column are four large bronze lions, said to be the most photographed lions in the world. People lean on, climb on, or drape themselves over the lions to have their photo taken. My close-up shots of the lions were unusable because the bus started moving, but in this fountain scene, if you look carefully, you can spot two of the lions.

This is St. Paul’s Cathedral, built in the days of John Wesley. It was designed by Sir Christopher Wren and took 35 years to build.

The top of the dome is 365 feet tall, the height deliberately chosen to represent the days of the year. Prince Charles and Princess Diana were married in this cathedral. While admission is free at all museums in London, there is a fee of 11 pounds sterling to visit St. Paul’s. So because our time was limited and we wanted to spend our money wisely, we glanced around the foyer and went on our way.

Out bus tour included an option for a 40-minute cruise on the Thames, which we took. From the river you catch a glimpse of this unusual building.

It is the Swiss Re building, also affectionately known as The Gherkin. It is in London’s main financial district.

After lunch at the Orangery (described in an earlier bog) with our friends we said goodbye to them and went on our way to two planning meetings for different aspects of the work of our team. One meeting included personnel from Arab World Ministries, a group that provides training for some of our team.

After dinner with two of our team members at Cafe Rouge, a delightful French restaurant that offers many tempting dishes that I would like to return to some other day, we returned to our apartment to do office work and pack. When I finally got to bed, it was nearly 1:00 AM.

Tomorrow we fly home. Thanks for checking our blog. Thanks for your prayers for us and our ministry.

The past two days have included more of the same that relates to my work – appointments, review of programs, discussion of missions methods, learning about visa complications for our workers, projections for the future, and emails and other computer work late into the night.

One of our meetings was over a late evening dinner at a Bangladeshi restaurant – a buffet meal for 6.95 pounds sterling, or just over $11. The waiter, Faisal, was quite friendly and talked with us at length about many things.

On Monday evening we attended a training time in which Jay taught on the subject of Muhammad: A Christian Evaluation. This seminar was open to other people, not just our team.

In some free time we went to Harrod’s, the famous, huge, expensive department store. In several rooms they use decorations inspired by Egyptian art. Here is the Egyptian Hall.

In the entertainment department I saw a simplified race car in which you sit, with a large screen video in front of you with all kinds of challenging or impossible terrain for you to navigate. The cost? A mere 13,500 pounds sterling, or $22,000. Think it over.

The current exchange rate is one pound sterling for $1.60.

We also had a tour of Buckingham Palace, Her Majesty’s residence when in London. The palace is open to visitors only one month of the year.

We walked through the state rooms, where the Queen receives important guests, and holds dinners, dances and other events. The collection of paintings in one of the halls is quite impressive. All in all, it was almost more than we could comprehend, coming as we do, from a country with no royalty.

This is a working palace, from which the Queen and her assistants conduct the business of the nation and the Commonwealth.

You are not allowed to take photos inside the palace, but here are a few views of the outside.

This stands in front of the palace.

It is the Queen Victoria Memorial and features a winged statue.

Statues and monuments of all kinds fill this city.

Egyptian Hall

This morning we went to Hollingbury Hotel to have a chat with two of the men who sit at the front desk. It was good to catch up with them again. One of them has completed his law exams and will be looking for a job in his field.

Then off to All Souls Church at Langham Place, just north of Oxford Circus.

The service was quite meaningful, with blended music (small choir, 7-piece orchestra, pipe organ, hymns and contemporary songs) and a clear, content-rich message on Jesus’ post-resurrection appearance to the disciples in which he granted them a great catch of fish and invited them to breakfast on the shore.

On the street near the church we noted many hanging baskets.

During our quick cold lunch at Pret A Manger I noticed that this deli has some new posters with creative food images.

Next, to the workshop, where a young woman spoke on the role of jihad (struggle, sometimes meaning moral and spiritual struggle, sometimes meaning holy war) in Muslim thought and practice. We had prayer.

Then we walked to Speakers’ Corner for the kind of interaction we have every Sunday with folks there. One interaction I had was a real conversation as a young couple asked thoughtful questions about what the Bible says about Jesus. We were able to tell them about his death as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all who will believe and follow Jesus.

Every Sunday we pray that people who hear the good news about Jesus at Speakers’ Corner will trust in Jesus and receive God’s gift of eternal life and go on to follow Jesus in daily life.

JoLene and I then went back to All Souls Church for the evening service to hear Stephen Lungu give his life story and preach. He is Malawian but spent much time in Zimbabwe. As a teenager he was a gang member and terrorist who hated all white people and sought to bring down white leaders with violence and killing. At age 22 when he and his buddies went to bomb a Christian tent meeting, he was dramatically converted and became a fearless evangelist. (They never got around to bombing that meeting.)

He worked for years with Dorothea Mission and is now the director of African Enterprise, a ministry that works for evangelism, discipleship, reconciliation, aid and development, and leadership training.

Elias Moyo, from Zimbabwe and now a Brethren in Christ pastor and church planter here in London, knows Stephen well. Perhaps some of my other readers know him, too.

We bought a copy of Stephen’s life story Out of the Black Shadows. Black Shadows was the name of his terrorist group.

How I rejoice to hear any story of God at work transforming a person’s life, even if the story is less dramatic than that of Stephen Lungu. What is God doing in your life?

We took our exercise walk in nearby Bryent Park, which is more like fields than the usual park.

We spent the morning in office work. (You probably get tired of hearing this, but that’s a big part of our life in London.)

Then we and our entire team went to Paul and Claire’s house for business discussion and a birthday party for Paul and Claire’s daughter Carolyn who turned 13 on Thursday.

Late in the afternoon I went for a walk to a playground with the four children of our team. The children spent a lot of time on the ship’s-rigging merry-go-round.

Actually, I took a spin, too, and really enjoyed it.

On the way to and from the playground we saw something new to me.

This bus was ringing with music and laughter. Evidently you can rent it for a party for children. I was quite curious but, thinking I was a bit old, and realizing I had not been invited, I did not venture to go inside.

The past three days have been filled with office work, appointments with out staff, attending a lecture, and the travel time on public transportation required to get to these events.

The lecture was sponsored by the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity, which was founded in 1982 by John Stott.

The speaker was Dr. Peter Ridell, who is Dean of the Centre for Study of the Christian Faith and Other Faiths at the Bible College of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia. He is Jay’s advisor for his doctoral thesis, so it was significant for me to meet and hear this man.

Nearly all of our London team attended.

Peter spoke on “How Muslims Do Mission: Diverse Methods and Christian Responses.” I was impressed with his breadth of knowledge and his balanced view of the many ways Christians can and do respond to Muslim mission advances.

One evening we had dinner with Michael, a student at Syracuse University who is studying here in London along with 200 other Syracuse students. He is interested in having a British Museum tour for his fellow students. As you may know this tour, led by members of our London team, points out various artifacts that confirm the historical accuracy of the Bible. So I have put Michael in touch with Jay.

We visited Paul and Claire in their home. Nearby is a building that dates from the 15th century.

And one of their neighbors has the fullest front yard I have ever seen.

So all you flower lovers can see that you have something to live up to.

On Friday we took our exercise walk in Lindsay Park in Kenton. Among other common birds I saw several white wagtails. This image is from: birdfinders,co.uk.

The wagtail is aptly named; it frequently flips its tail up and down. It also walks with an exaggerated bobbing of the head.

After office work this morning, we took off for the Thames River.

We had hoped to go to Bath, to visit the Roman ruins and hot springs there, but the train fare was 271 British pounds, or about $400, so we abandoned that idea.

So, to the Thames to see what boat rides may be available. We decided to go upriver to Kew Gardens and back again.

We boarded near the Houses of Parliament. One of the crew gave an entertaining running commentary on the sights. He pointed out that all around the Parliament, above the first story, the Lord’s Prayer in Latin is chiseled in stone “to ward off evil spirits,” in the narrator’s words.

The ride upriver was an hour and a half long. The afternoon was mostly sunny but cool and breezy, so we sat on the top deck in the open air until that no longer felt comfortable – then down inside the cabin, where we bought hot drinks and a snack.

Here is one view of the boat, river and the Albert Bridge.

We made the acquaintance of a fine young husband and wife from Montana.

At Kew Gardens, which is expansive, we walked a lot and still did not see everything. Here are a few scenes. The first is the Palm House.

The Gardens has a feature I have never seen before – Xstrata Treetop Walkway. The name says it all – except the detail that it is 118 stair steps into the sky!

At each observation point plaques gave tidbits of information such as:
There are 89 million trees in England.
Tree buds here are bursting open earlier because of global warmer.
A jay can bury 5,000 acorns in autumn.

We also kept seeing large birds in the sky.

At regular intervals of about 60 seconds. Noisier than a jay. Very strange.

On our transportation rides I am absorbed in reading Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, which I reading for the first time in my life. How Stevenson draws you in with the first long sentence! This continues for page after page.

Back home, I worked on office work and blogs until midnight.

Up early to go with our friend Edgar Moyo to St. Helen’s Church of England Church in Notting Hill. I had met the church’s Vicar (Pastor) Steve Divall on previous visits, and he invited me to give a brief report about the work I do and the varied ministries of our missionary team.

Here are two views of the interior of the church building.

After lunch with Edgar at a sidewalk cafe across from the church JoLene and I went to Speakers’ Corner to join our group who go there to engage anyone who wishes in conversation about life, God, the Bible and Jesus.

Speakers’ Corner is in an eastern corner of Hyde Park, but it is actually a fenced walkway, as you see here.

Every Sunday ten or more persons get up on a small stepladder (all at the same time, at different spots along the fences) to give a loud, informal speech on a subject of their choosing. Depending on the interest of the passersby, five or ten or 30 or more will stop to listen – and some heckle and interrupt.

Of our team, usually only one person gives a talk on a ladder (or an informal debate with someone of a different view). The rest of us listen, cheer, and enter into quieter (if possible) conversation with one person or a small group. Our speakers do not talk politics or government; they talk about religion, comparative religions, God and the Christian Scriptures.

While, as I said above, most speakers stand on a small ladder, one fellow today climbed up on the fence and held forth loudly, and angrily it seemed, in a language I did not understand. Soon two others got up on the fence with him.

The speaker is the one on the left. It was not clear to me if the other two were agreeing with him, but it seemed as if they were. However, at one point someone (I did not see who) knocked Mr. White Shirt off the fence, and I feared things might get ugly, but fortunately, they did not.

Here is Jay Smith, our team leader, on the left, in a duo presentation with one of our friends.

The street not far from Speakers’ Corner has been re-landscaped and now has beautiful and unusual features.

As darkness came on, twelve of us went to a Malaysian restaurant on Edgware Road for food, discussion of our ministry experiences, learning about current debates on missions methods, and prayer.

Because of my slide-illustrated talk at St. Helen’s Church, I had to lug my laptop with me all day, which was quite a bother, but I managed.

No travelogue to report today. A day of missions work.

We met with Angelina, here on a one-year internship, and learned that she is adjusting as well as can be expected to London and its weather and its transportation systems. We talked about her connections with our staff, which will be somewhat limited because her first priority is to be fully involved in the training program of the organization that is supervising her internship. However, we all have access to each other all the time by email or texting or phone.

Next, I went to Hollingbury Hotel to greet my friends on the staff there. Since I am not staying at the Hollingbury on this trip, I wanted at least to stop by to say hello to the staff and catch up on each other’s lives.

Then we met with the missionary team, Angelina included, except for three of the team who had unavoidable schedule conflicts. This was both a social time, first at a Portuguese coffee shop and then at Burger King, and a review of ministry issues.

The evening was filled with preparation for tomorrow.

One of our favorite delis is Pret A Manger (Ready to Eat). They have creative art work that incorporates things edible and healthful, such as this…

The weather today was mostly sunny and warm.