After a full week under our belts in London our adventure is really beginning to take shape. We have had more amazing experiences at the Visitors' Centre (VC) and have now ventured out into London beyond just walking distance.

The international flavor of London and of our mission continued to be evidenced this past week. As we have worked at the VC we have welcomed people from Poland, Cameroon, Bermuda, Spain, Portugal, Brazil, Persia, India, Egypt, Norway, Sweden, and Scotland to name a few (as well as the U.S.). Many of our visitors are in London on vacation or on business. Some come into the VC because they are curious about what our building is (we are located right on Exhibition Road where many famous museums are located along with the prestigious Imperial College) and others come in wanting to know more about the church.

Tonight we witnessed our first baptisms at the Hyde Park Chapel (the baptismal font for the church is literally in the VC). A lady who is from China and teaches at Imperial College across the street from the VC was baptized. She shared a powerful testimony after her baptism that she wants to change her life for the better and follow Jesus Christ. A mother and her young daughter who are from Spain (but the mother is originally from Ecuador) were also baptized. The baptism was well attended and a spiritual experience.

We have also been involved in some of the administrative matters of the VC this past week. We had a video training session with Salt Lake and are working out some of the "minor details" of our service here (like getting our purchasing card activated, purchasing an Oyster Card used for the local subway called the Tube, getting internet in our flat and so on). There are more administrative matters to deal with but that is part of our role as Director of the VC.

Connie and I managed to get out and see some of the city this past week. We walked all around Hyde Park and it is beautiful and big. We took the Tube to the theater district at Covent Gardens and we visited London Bridge, Tower Bridge, and the London Tower. This is a beautiful city and quite different from the cities in the U.S. that we have visited. We are gaining some real insights into this diverse world that we live in.

Tower Bridge

Tower of London