Enjoying England: Hereford and Oxford

Hello,

So yesterday we spent our time in Hereford at Leslie's mom, 
Lina's house. She is soooooo sweet and hospitable! It was a great time to get away from the busyness of 
London and just to relax and enjoy our time... I got to sleep in till 
about ten then we got some breakfast and walked to town with beth, her granddaughter. She's a sweetheart- 18 years old and in college 
and plays bass guitar. So we walked and chatted with her on our way to 
town. Hereford is a pretty small town- most people walk and bike and 
the pace of life is a LOT slower than London. Which was a nice break 
from the craziness o London. We got some coffee, tried some Cornish  pasties (traditional calzones-style thingsr with meat potatoes and  onion, only about 100x better than American ones), got coffee and just 
took in the town- people are more friendly here. Then on our way home 
bought some black pudding and some flowers for lina and made our way 
home just in time to talk to Marshall on the phone. He cares 
about us so much and we definitely appreciate it. :)
After dinner (pasta, salad, grilled veggies, and a sample of black 
pudding- which honestly wasn't so bad! I wouldn't have a whole Piece 
of it, but I wasn't that appalled- maybe because I grew up on liver 
sandwiches anyways. After dinner we watched Mamma Mia! A cheesy movie 
but I didn't mind because I slept for the first half and got to hear awesome ABBA songs.

We got up early today and headed for Oxford for the day. I LOVE this town! Definitely a college town, but full of history and culture...and interesting things such as Alice in Wonderland, Harry Potter, C.S. Lewis, and JRR Tolkien. 

First place we went to was The Eagle and Child- a pub where CS Lewis used to go to for a pint, sit and talk with JRR, debate about Christianity and spend his spare time. It was a cute little pub, we took some pictures, had lunch, then went exploring around town. Stopped by a Natural History Museum, a few churches, and down to Christ Church....

Oxford is FULL of history...! It's absolutely everywhere- there are a bunch of different colleges, museums, shops, and libraries. 

Now for my favorite part today. 

I could not have left this town without visiting CS Lewis' grave and church he attended. So I looked it up and knew it was in Headington, a suburb of Oxford, so we grabbed a bus and made our way to it. I wasn't sure where it was, so on the bus I prayed God would show us the way. We went to the Post Office, they gave us general directions, but the real help came when one lady, walking her dog, passed us and I asked her if she knew where it was. She gave us directions very clearly and then told us she went to that church! 

The church was enclosed in a gate/brick wall and the cemetery surrounded it. It was so serene, as we walked in a flock of birds flew by, thin mist surrounded us, and cloudy sky dwelled above us. Few people were on the path nearby as well. It felt so still, to no suprise, for it was a cemetery. 

Following signs to his grave, I found it. And it was beautifully laid out on the ground, no headstone or anything. It had a cross on it and some memorable words along with two bouquets of flowers. I almost started crying. 

We then entered the church, a medium-sized church. It looked like the pastor and someone were having a meeting in the front left, but they didn't mind. Saw and sat where CS Lewis would sit with his brother when he would go to church! The back left of the church. You know what's kinda funny is that he would go for 8 am communion, then leave before the sermon was over- he didn't like church singing or boring sermons. ALSO, the Narnia window was there as well. 

Then we made our way back to town, stopped by a Jaimie Oliver Italian place, had some great snacks then caught the bus back to London. 

And that's where my story ends today- Tomorrow we head to France via the Chunnel! 

Also, 

I want to say THANK YOU and MISS YOU to everyone out there who is praying and thinking about us. Could not do this trip without all of your support and love. You are all so special to me and not a day goes by without me thinking of you all! Keep us in your prayers. 

Until next time!