You're Eating Turkey, I'm Eating Greek

Hey yall!

For most everyone reading this, you will be eating Turkey and all of the accompanying treats, and I'm in the LTS library studying Greek.

Here's my visual aide for my above update

This is me having fun instead of studying

Still having fun, still not studying

Last one...I promise

But seriously, while we miss yall and wish we could be with yall and enjoy family, friends, food, and football, we are SO VERY THANKFUL to the Lord for lovingly sending us to London. We know and experience His goodness every day. Thank yall for your prayers and support!

Happy Thanksgiving,
Robert

Give Thanks

The upcoming holidays can bring with them a nostalgia for holidays gone by. We've enjoyed many Thanksgiving turkeys and Christmas breakfast spreads with our beloved families, and this year will be different. It will be special and beautiful in its difference, but this year will also bring a few tears of longing to be closer to loved ones.

Yet in all this, God has given us such a sense of family here at LTS. Tonight they hosted a traditional Thanksgiving dinner for everyone - largely because they had Americans (us!!) here this year. Robert, in the spirit of Thanksgiving traditions, had everyone go around and say something for which they were thankful. Then he prayed for us all...

THEN we ATE!

This was my contribution to the evening: 2 pecan pies and deviled eggs. Nigel said these weren't very common dishes for the English and I was happy to share 2 of my Thanksgiving favs!

This was part of the delicious spread. Truly, no English meal is complete without peas, and I'm thankful this cultural staple has "overruled" Robert's aversion to them.

Turkey, potatoes, stuffing... all the comforts we're used to!

Happy eaters =) The children ate first and then ran wild around the halls together. Their cheeks were pink by the end of the night and the girls went straight to sleep!

I sat next to one of the seminarian wives tonight who works at the London School of Economics... I think I started drooling when she told me. I've been on their website one too many times dreaming of further education...

More friends enjoying their meal at table 2:

Look who I got to hold! Ellie took this picture of Isabel, which is not surprising as none of us can get enough of her...

It was such a special night to celebrate with this new family we've been given. And - as Robert prayed tonight - it was a sweet reminder of the fellowship God gives His children in each other. No matter where we go, there will be family to love and be loved by. For this we can heartily give thanks.

Brrrr!

It's getting colder outside! It even snowed for about 60 seconds the other day outside our window.

Word on the street is it may even snow and stick next week. Very exciting for these Southerners! So, it was time to bring out one of the true joys of parenting: fleece footie pajamas.

And one picture just wouldn't do...

I worry I could just squeeze them to pieces wearing these!

Birthdays

November means birthday time for me and Robert. Robert's birthday is a week before mine, and I have to say I like it that way because he always does a better job of it!

Leading up to our birthdays we started receiving box after box in the mail of gifts from family. It was SO exciting to visit our little pigeon hole every day to look for cards and packages! On Robert's actual birthday I think I must have received 5 packages - it was hysterical! Like when someone is handing out gifts on Christmas morning and they're all going to the person next to you!

This year for his birthday dinner Robert requested breakfast for dinner. I mean, the man makes it easy on me, doesn't he?!

We had eggs, bacon, sausage, cheese grits (thanks to some American friends), toast and cantaloupe melon. YUM.

Then we opened cards and gifts (which included copious amounts of chocolate this year).

Then, right before dessert, there was a knock at the door. It was Paulo & Paula & Isabel, how nice! Except not, because I realized in that moment I had invited them over, and then FORGOTTEN I had invited them... and by then of course we had eaten all the food. WOW. Somebody just commit me now.

So after I scraped together some left-over grits and toast (!!!) we broke out the chocolate cake I made and fig preserves cake Paula had made and celebrated Robert in song. Then the girls played with Isabel while Robert & Paulo talked theology and me & Paula talked food & kids. It was a sweet night.

For my birthday I was willing to eat anything - as long as I didn't have to cook it :) That morning Robert got up and made eggs and toast for everyone, and that evening we caught the bus to the mall for a stroll and to eat at one of the restaurants there. Meg made a friend while we were there, and I'll emphasize: this was NOT a coaxed photo!

Then we made it to the Food Court. Well, I think I walked around and read every...single...menu...! The only thing that looked good to me was Chinese noodles and Burger King (more on this later)! In the interest of everyone else with me I settled on a Whopper, Jr.

WOW, ya'll, I could have eaten 5 of them! Ha! It was the best flame-broiled burger I ever put in my mouth!

 After a little more window shopping and a nativity find, we headed home.

That night after baths and bedtime, Robert shopped around online for our main gift to each other: TICKETS!

We're so excited! It will be our first night out in the city together sans the kiddos. We'll let you know how it goes.

Another Saturday in the City

The weeks seem to be picking up as we're more settled into our home and routines. Robert is in class and studying all week and the girls and I have our own little routine worked out. We spend our days out at playgroups, BSF, the library, and the park. We spend our days in at home playing, learning our letters & numbers, painting, watching animal videos (they can't get enough of these!), cleaning, cooking, etc. The "usual". The context and details have changed, but the content of our lives is very similar to what it's always been. During those days at home I sometimes forget we live in LONDON!

Then we have outings like today and I'm railroaded with the excitement of the city we call home.

Today we took a trip into the city to do a little window-shopping at Covent Garden.

We just can't seem to leave out the public transport pictures when we talk about trips into the city. It's just still that exciting that we get to ride an underground train, I guess!

We made it to Covent Garden and were welcomed with lots of festive Christmas decorations - including this massive Christmas tree.

Robert took the girls to look around and gave me some time to wander alone through the market and shops. I could have stayed all day.

I think my favorite store of the day was this Sass & Belle shop.

Then I wandered into this Jubilee Market Hall with lots more individual vendor booths. I don't care if I'm in New Orleans or the Bahamas or London, I just love a good market!

The girls loved this candy cane lane.

Then we went to a beautiful, historic church... to eat lunch...

Mozart's Requiem will be played tonight by candlelight in here! 

... in the crypt! It was delicious and pretty affordable for London... and it was a CRYPT! I mean, talk about atmosphere!

Soup & Sandwiches

And a Coca-Cola Classic for Robert!

We also just happened to be right next to Trafalgar Square, so we walked off some lunch around "the sea captain with the sword" as Ellie called him.

This is Meg asking to swim in the fountain. She promised she wouldn't be cold. Somehow we denied those cute cheeks.

Then each girl wanted to pet those majestic lions.

It was as hard to leave as it was to drag them away.

Then we hopped on the Tube again...

... and walked home.

It was winter hat weather :)

Have I ever mentioned the gorgeous tree we can see from our window??

We ended the day at home with a little dinner and a little Auburn football indoctrination. Ellie was all ears and asked if she could cheer for Auburn AND the orange team (UT). Robert let her know that this family only cheers for Auburn... to which Ellie kindly reminded "Don't we also cheer for LSU, Daddy?" That's my girl :)

Meg enjoyed reading a Barbie leaflet during the game.

Ahhh, family time :)

Conversion Stories

I love hearing conversion stories, and I read/watched two really encouraging ones today.

This one was shared several times on my Facebook newsfeed, so I finally clicked on it. It's the story of Kirsten Powers, news media contributor and commentator.

"I tried to write off the experience as misfiring synapses, but I couldn't shake it. When I returned to New York a few days later, I was lost. I suddenly felt God everywhere and it was terrifying. More important, it was unwelcome. It felt like an invasion. I started to fear I was going crazy."

Kirsten also mentions Eric Mataxes in her story and I remembered that I had started reading that Bonhoeffer book. Hmmm... I need to finish that! I thought. Then I went to the Eric Mataxes website and watched his description of his conversion - it's a must-watch!

"I'm flooded with joy in the dream because I realize that God has used my own symbol system to, sort of, one-up me, to blow my mind."

Both Kristen and Eric have ties to Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York. This also reminded me that I've been meaning to write about reading Keller's book on marriage...

So though my internet time today lengthened my to-do list, it was well worth it! It's a gift every time to hear about the God of the universe revealing Himself, and people coming "into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade." (1 Peter 1:4)

~Kim

Update from Robert

Hey everyone!!

I just sent an update to my old youth group back in the states, so I thought I would post some of it to update everyone else. Now, this isnt very grammatically correct or anything since I wrote this for the students, so dont judge me too much (Pastor Rob - haha)! It's long - sorry! I tried to condense some of it and add a couple pictures.

Here is basically what I said:

First of all, I have to say we miss you all so much, like really miss yall. We think of yall every day...except Laurence...and Henry....and ummmm....Christy.....and Anna.....and, yeah, that's it. We dont think of them, but we think of the rest of yall every day!  haha! We just are dying to know all the stupid details that is happening in your lives - who's growing taller, who's got a new crush, besides Crawford, how's school, how's sports teams - and theatre (your welcome, Amelia!), and all that fun stuff. 

But of course we are dying to know how your walk with the Lord is going - how is He challenging you and growing you and what awesome things is He teaching you and what hard things is taking you through. Oh how I pray for your relationship with Jesus and your joy in Him! 

Ok, as for us in London. Wow, it's crazy, isnt it - I'm in London. Who'd of thunk it! The main thing to say is that we are 100% sure this is where we are suppose to be. Every day, God confirms that we are doing what He has called us to do. We feel His tangible presence with us literally every step of the way. Even last night, He woke me up at 4am and I just had a sweet time with Him for a couple hours praying and in His Word as He was affirming me and preparing me for ministry. Now before that sounds super holy or anything, I hadnt spent really good time with Him for a couple weeks!! Now I've been reading and reading and reading all this great Christian literature from Piper to Jonathan Edwards to John Calvin to Tim Keller, all this great stuff, but I was neglecting my PERSONAL time with the Lord, so last night was much needed. 

But yeah, I feel so blessed to get the opportunity every day to spend time studying the Bible, being lectured by current and former pastors on how to know God, how to lead a church, how to be a pastor, how to understand the Bible, etc. It is awesome - every so often I get so worked up in class, I say "Amen!"

So I'm loving class. However the Languages are hard! I'm learning both Greek and Hebrew at the same time - crazy cray!! It truly is opening up a whole new world of understanding the bible, it's just that i'm at the very beginning of it, and it's hard, very hard! Right now, i'm just having to memorize a bunch of stuff, so there isnt a ton of actual work with passages of scripture - we dont know enough yet to really get into that. But that is our goal, that is what is motivating us to keep up with our studies now. That's what I'm doing right now, I'm in the library writing out all my greek vocabulary to memorize b/c I have a test in less than a week - that's a right a test!! Crazy!

Ok, enough about school!

Kim and the girls are doing great. We have this little flat (apartment) on campus that we love. Everybody here thinks, that since we are american and use to big houses, that we wouldnt like the flat, but we love it. It is such a blessing to have, and to be on campus. Kim is getting to know some of the wives of the other seminary students. She has organized a weekly prayer time with them, which is cool. Three or so other women usually come to it - all from different countries. This is one thing Kim (and me) is loving about LTS and about London, it is SOOO diverse, so international. All of our friends are from literally all over the world. England of course, and then China, India, Butan, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Germany, Canada, France, Italy, Wales, South Korea, etc. What a blessing it is to befriend these people! They can tell of course that we are from America, and know we are from the south, especially when Ellie and Meg talk (thanks to Diane, Ruthie, Lisa, and Ashley - the "southern belles" of First Pres!)

The girls are still at home with Kim everyday and they have stuff they go to each week -  play group, Bible Study Fellowship (Kim has her class and the girls have their own class as well), the prayer time, a kid's club at a local church on Friday nights, and church on Sundays. The girls are slowly making friends. Sunday at church they were running around with 2 kids while we were eating lunch, so that was fun to see. Meg smashed her finger and came up to me and said, "I hurt my finger, I'm not going to run anymore." And then of course she took off running again! 

But mainly, the girls really are each other's best friends! It is so fun to see them playing and running around the flat, making tents, coloring, singing, doing school for their animals and barbies, and of course yelling, screaming, fighting, crying, weeping, and all that comes with being sisters!! Overall, they have really transitioned well. And no, they do not have the slightest bit of a British accent yet - not even close.

Ooh - I forgot to mention this - as for my receding hairline, it's still about the same... no, I promise, still the same. Stop laughing....BUT, new development! On the left side of the receding hairline, I have a patch of hair that is turning grey! - it's SO DISTINGUISHED looking in my opinion, so ha! you cant make fun of me for that anymore b/c it's cool now!! I'm sure Elizabeth still will though. Oh, pit stains are still in full force. I did buy a breathable underarmor white under-shirt to help wick away sweat!! Hope it works!! I'll send you picture updates on it!

Ok, we miss yall! We would LOVE to hear from you - it's great when some of you email/facebook us and update us on stuff! Duncan, you havent written yet, come on man! I have an iphone now and I think Kim is getting one too, and that's a God thing - we've gotten them for basically free!! So if anyone else has an iphone, you can imessage us or facetime us for free! Just remember that we are 6 hours ahead of yall, so when it is 6pm your time, it's midnight my time! If you want our numbers, just contact me on facebook or email me. If you dont have an iphone, you can google chat with me if you have a gmail email address or use the google hangouts app. My email address is robertmjones13@gmail.com. And of course you can always facebook me!

Ok, gotta go - studying to do!!

Here is my prayer for you - Philippians 1:3-11 - every time I see this, I think of yall:

"3 I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. 7 It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God's grace with me. 8 God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ--to the glory and praise of God."

Love yall, miss yall. My prayers and my heart is with yall,

Robert