Today, we’re marking two anniversaries. Some of you may know that today Kyla and I celebrate 18 years of marriage. We’re also celebrating 6 months in England. Six months ago today, we stumbled out of Gatwick airport exhausted, homeless, one of us jobless, with only 2 grumpy kids and 8 suitcases between us.
This past week, we’ve mostly been on leave from work and it’s been a fantastic week. We’ve relaxed, been to the cinema (Detective Pikachu), took a day trip with Kyla to London, and today, went to preach at another new church.
My love for the Tower of London, and really, for England in general, can be summed up by this innocuous sign at the entrance to the White Tower:
Circa 1080…..nearly 1000 years of recorded history has happened on this spot. Little things like loves and heartbreaks right up to events that literally shaped world history. All have taken place on this spot. We spent the entire afternoon at the Tower, just wandering around. We’ve been there before, but we’ll go back as often as we can, just to be in that place with so much history.
It didn’t fall down…at least not that day. 
The White Tower 
Tower Bridge (often confused with London Bridge) 
Memorial to the Great Fire of London (1666). 
The Shard (nicknamed the Cheese Grater) 
A Beef Eater guarding the entrance. 
“Died” = “probably murdered” 
One of the more interesting tidbits regarding the Tower have to do with these ravens that wander around the grounds. There’s an old superstition that says “if the Tower of London ravens are lost or fly away, the Crown will fall and Britain with it”. Naturally, they keep the ravens wings mostly clipped now to keep them from flying too far.
Today, we went to Buckinghamshire, to a town called Marlow, to preach. It was another extremely friendly and welcoming church. We’re not sure how old the building was, but it was beautiful.
After church we walked down the High Street and had lunch at a little cafe. We then went into a church where Christians have been worshipping for 1,000 years. It also had the coolest pulpit I have ever seen.
Marlow sits on the Thames, upriver from London, and is a popular boating spot. We walked to the river then to a playground before heading home.
Now we get to wait to see what the next six months offers.
Payne Family Live 
I see Giraffy went to church! I’m excited that you get to preach again.
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How interesting that you allow us to enjoy your new ventures. What a wonderful experience that you are participating in.
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Thank You Adam love love love seeing your family so adventurous keep it coming
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I’m so glad you’re enjoying England! Wish we were there, too! How different do the girls think the schools are compared to here?
Happy anniversary to you and Kyla! Love you all.
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