Hertzler Doings-April 30-May 6, 2012

Mon.-Reading Mother's NKJV Life Application Bible. Reading just what is underlined. She underlined Gen. 15:1-"The Word of the LORD came to Abraham in a vision, saying, 'Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedlingly great reward.'
And because I am thinking about armor bearers, I read in that verse, "God is My Armor. He IS my shield. And He bears me up and carries me on eagle's wings." While reading around that part of the Bible, I came across an interesting verse in Gen. 35:22. "Rueben went in and lay with his father's concubine, Bilhah, and Israel heard about it" and so has the rest of the world for that matter. Bilhah was the mother of his half brothers, Dan and Naphtali. Reuben was Leah's first born. Bilhah was Rachel's maid. A psychologist would have a hayday unpacking this mess. Can you imagine the family dynamics? And years down the road, Jesus was born into the line of this very human family, just as He is born into the line of other very human and disfunctional families. Thanks be to God for His speakable gift. Well, back to Rueben. I thought of a few things. #1. What is done in secret will be shouted from the housetops and it may even go to print. #2. What you do in secret will not only affect those involved and all family relationships related to those involved, but it will also affect many other people. #3. Rueben did not love Bilhah. He lusted after her. You do not sleep around with people you love. You love them more. You love them and keep them in the will of God for their life. You love them and help them to see the good in their spouses. You trust them and guard them from falling, but you always remember that even though a man or a woman is faithful to their spouse, you cannot trust their sin nature and you never ever trust the devil. He will make what is evil look good. He can even give you a sense of peace and you may think God is leading you towards the beautiful side of evil. But one day, you will come to your senses, and you will say, "I was deceived. It was like I had been put under a spell." It does not always feel peaceful to do the right thing. There will be a battle between your soul, your body, and your spirit. Your spirit, where God lives, must win. Your body must obey your Spirit and so must your soul. It is the only way out of any temptation. And don't ever think that this couldn't happen to you. And don't ever point a judgmental finger. If you were in their shoes and had their marriage and their difficult childhood, you might be just as tempted as they were. In every relationship, there is an ebb and flow. Ebb means "the flowing of the tide back to sea, a weakening or a lessening, to recede, as the tide." Flow means "to come in; rise; as the tide." It is important to not freak out when you sense an ebbing of the flow of love. It is also important for the flow to return and for the tide to not keep going out. Never let the ebb flow to the point of no return. Be the one to draw it back in to shore.
Emma called Philip today. She was very excited that Miss Pretty, his pig, was about to have babies. Catch up day. Felt like a truck ran over me.

Tues.-out to town for homeschool co-op. Lunch with Michelle M. at Chick Fillet. Last meeting with KNIT group in eve.

Wed.-Final wash of clothes. Went to Dr. F. for foot adjustment. So much better. Packing. Cleaning. Contact info. taped to cabinet. Left home around 2:45 in the afternoon. Stopped for cash at Ruthie's bank. Stopped at Walmart at Zion's crossroads to pick up a few last minute items. Arrived at Dullas, in D.C. around 6:40. Parked in Economy parking for $10 a day. Got in line to check in baggage behind a gazillions British atheletes dressed in blue. Phil befriended one. Another bumped into Susan and said, "Oh, sorry Love." Discovered at the ticket desk that the team had taken our tickets so we were bumped up to World Class Traveler-which was next to first class. Very nice. Left Dullas around 10:30 at night.

Thurs.-Uncle Dan's met us at the Heathrow Airport around 11 in the morning. We had about 2 hours worth of delays in the air. It was smoggy and foggy in London so we were in a holding pattern for awhile. We checked into a Travelodge in downtown London. Our room smelled really bad and the floor was wet. They changed us into another room the next day and were going to tear up the floor to find the leak, etc. We had lunch and met Erin and Emily there, and then took a red bus all around London. We sat upstairs in the open air, but after awhile, it was too cold and rainy, so we came downstairs. We saw the sights and decided what we wanted to see close up tomorrow. I should have taken more notes for this day. Can't seem to get used to driving on the wrong side of the road. Kept falling asleep during the ride. It was great to see Erin. She, Emily, and Susan went shopping after we were tucked in for the night. Susan had a great time with them. Public transportation is pretty amazing in London. Uncle Dan had purchased us Oyster cards and we'd swipe them for the subway, bus, etc. They were hooked into his bank account and if we needed more money, the card would draw on his bank account. Susan and I were awakened around 1 that night by loud voices. I took my earplugs out in case I was going to hear a murder. Susan thinks they were drunk. They were right outside our window in the alley. I fell asleep again before they finished doing whatever they were doing.

Fri.-We had breakfast at Wings on Drury Lane. Met Erin there. Walked all around London. Weather cold and damp. Walked at least 5 miles. We heard artists singing and playing in a tunnel like area with their guitar cases open. Aunt Myrt always gave money to the muscicians and the mime guy with the invisible head. I am not writing this in the order in which we did it but here goes. We walked to Buckingham Palace and saw the changing of the guard and the beautiful gardens and had a creamy ice cream cone called 99-Erin's treat. We saw Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's Cathedral, Museum of Natural Arts (Is that the right name, Erin?), Millenium Bridge, drank hot chocolate at Neros at the Hinde coffeeshop, found a pen on the table that said, "In quietness and trust shall be your strength," which was just what I needed to read at the time. I kept the pen. Saw the eye, the great ferris wheel. Had lunch at Burroughs Market-some sort of Caribbean rice and chicken curry. Saw an artist painting Big Ben and I talked with him for a bit. Took pictures with the big lions on T...? square. Witnessed an altercation between a young man who wanted to roller blade down into a tunnel area and the security guard was not letting him. It was coming to pushes and hollers and the young man was screaming, "Bugger Off!" repeatedly. Another man was on a cell phone and later we heard the police going in that direction. Don't know what happened but prayed for peace for that city. Saw sellers roasting honey peanuts or almonds on Millenial Bridge. Women were walking around in dresses with pants underneath them. One lady had a fleece housecoat on. Nobody cared what anybody looked like. Enjoyed a gelatin ice of chocolate and coconut some time Thurs. eve. Went to War Horse production just down the block from our hotel. It was incredible. Three people operated the horse puppet and after about 10 min. or so, I forgot that it wasn't a real horse. Moving and amazing.

Sat.-Met Erin at Wing's for breakfast again. Packed up and went to the underground. Said good bye to Erin. Will see her in 3 weeks so I didn't have to cry. Then took train to Cambridge. Saw yellow fields of flowers that would be turned into canola oil. Beautiful English Countryside and villages and a bit of sunshine! Many men dressed in jackets and ties and headed to the horse races. Went to the market at Bury-St. Edmunds and Cambridge. Met people from the states who had a german shepherd puppy, and later, people who had a boxer, and then someone who had a boston terrier. Our three favorite dogs. Went into a cathedral church there and a choir and orchestra was practicing Verdi's Requiem which was out of this world in beauty. The church had stained glass windows and it's acoustics could make anyone sound good but these people could sing! Had lunch at the market-carrot soup with coriander. Interesting. Uncle Dan and Phil went out to bring back 'take away' supper after we were settled at at their place. Fish and chips. British style.

Sun.-Leisurely breakfast-Aunt Myrts homemade coffee cake. Went to their church-St. John's at Beckrow. Uncle Dan is the Anglican priest there. He looked rather dignified in his off white garments. The service reminded me about why I am 50% Anglican. The liturgy, the hymns, the ten min. sermon that was deep and to the point, the lay people reading the two different scriptures, everything mapped out with not alot of surprises. Sermon started out with him saying that having company has its down points. He had to wash windows this week in preparation for our coming. The news print made his hands black and he needed soap and hot water to wash it off and it didn't take it all off. Like the world, being imprinted into him. Wouldn't it be great if we would receive the imprint of God's word in our lives and never be able to wash it off? After the service we went over to the church hall and had hot chocolate, coffee, or tea with cookies and biscuits. We had lovely visits with the ladies, esp. one, named Iris, who has a daughter who lives not far from us. We have her contact information and will call her when we get back home. Had a delicious lunch of grilled cheese and ham sandwiches, crisps (chips), celery, fruit, and Cantebury Chocolate wafer cookies. Phil and Uncle Dan went to an airplane museum. Larry R. had told Phil not to miss it. We ladies planned to stroll around some nearby gardens and take photos but it began to rain in earnest, so we had tea and watched two movies-"Calendar Girls" which Aunt Myrt described as naughty, nice, and a little bit sad. It was. And we also watched Ladies in Lavender. Uncle Dan took a nap with his cat, Molly, when they got back home. I recorded some of Aunt Myrt's childhood memories while Phil asked her questions. Susan spent some time deleting the not so good pictures from her camera. Uncle Dan, who is quite the photographer, took a look at her pictures and said that she was a much better photographer than him. He was impressed with her macro setting. We had chicken breasts, new potatoes, corn, gravy, and waldorf salad for supper. We played two rousing games of Chicken Feet with Dominoes. I won both games. We ate pecan pie and heath ice cream and went to bed around 11. I didn't sleep well and woke up early. We missed a super moon due to the clouds.