London 17/4/2011 - by Luke

We woke up today, had brekky and got dressed. We had to get to church by 11:00am, so we set out as soon as we could.

Firstly, we walked a while until we got to the train station, and caught the train. From there we got on a double decker bus, and we got off a little while later. We then went into a church called St. John’s.

The people in there were really friendly, even though we came in halfway through the service. It was an extremely small church, with a population of about 30-40. But they all had passion and longing to become better followers of Jesus, which was great. The sermon was on Jesus’ trial, and how even though it seemed like he was being beaten he was actually in control the entire time. After the service finished they invited us to the church lunch, which we decided to go to. We had potatoes with different fillings in them, which was nice. At about 1:30pm we said goodbye, and started walking to the Royal Albert Hall, where we were going to see a show at 3:00pm.

We walked through a very rich area of London, and the reason we could tell this was because of the cars. I saw about 5 Aston Martins, 4 Jaguars, so many Porsches I lost count (Including a bright orange 911), 3 Masaratis, heaps of Mercedes, Audi and BMW and 3 awesome Ferraris. Almost every second car though, was a Mini Cooper. We spent a while looking at cars, but eventually we started to walk along the Kensington Gardens, and we reached the Royal Albert Hall.

After we got our tickets we went in, and I was gobbsmacked. The hall was HUGE!!!!!! The organ at the back was the largest dad had ever seen in his life, and there was row after row of seats. Above, on the roof, was heaps of strange light thingys, and I noticed a massive net filled with red and white balloons. The show then started.

The concert we had gone to was a St George’s Day concert, to celebrate England’s saint by putting on a big show with heaps of English songs in it. A full orchestra was there, along with a choir. They performed songs like “There’ll Always Be An England” where everyone waved English flags enthusiastically, and “Zadok The Priest”, which is the song they play at every king or queen’s coronation. To finish off though, “Rule Britannia” was played with gusto, and during “Pomp And Circumstance No.1” all the red and white balloons fell from the ceiling and landed on the audience. It was an atmosphere and event I’ll never forget.


Back outside, to finish off out flashy car day, we saw a black Lamborghini Gallardo, which roared through the streets, attracting everyone’s attention. We walked back past the Thames again, and by the time we got back home it was dinner time, and after dinner we got into our PJ’s and went to bed.

While I was washing up ...

... the boys were growing up.

Over these three and a half months they have all grown so much. In size definitely, each of them have grown out of the clothes we originally packed and we’ve bought new ones. Yet they have also grown as people more like Jesus as God has shaped them and matured them through this odyssey.

They have all grown mightily in patience with long waits and frustrating boredom in uncomfortable circumstances. They’ve all grown in tolerance of one another’s deficits and appreciation of one another’s strengths. They’ve all grown in appreciation of what they enjoy at home in relationships, space, freedom and food. None of these growths would have occurred so quickly were it not for the close proximity living and challenges of travel that we have been privileged to enjoy and endure together in this time.

I have likewise grown in love for each of them beyond my wildest dreams. I am quite broken hearted that our odyssey is over and that as I write this post they are in separate bedrooms once more and I am more than 10m away from any one of them. I can’t hear them breathing, I can’t hear them whispering, giggling or wrestling. I miss them terribly and I’m still in the same house.

Each night in the RV it was quite difficult to get them to be quiet and go to sleep. Such exciting days, such exciting plans for the next day and such close proximity meant that it was hard for them to calm down and go to sleep. To help this Karen would journal & plan the details of the next day in the back of the RV while I would wash-up right next to where the boys were supposed to be sleeping. My presence that close was enough to silence the atmosphere and even though I was making a racket washing up they would all generally be asleep by the time I finished. This was also a terrific time for me to observe them and pray for them. With all this time I have been privileged to see them grow more like Jesus.

Time and again throughout the trip we have had people speak to us about our boys and their extraordinary good behaviour, listening, sharing, helping, obedience, cheerfulness, patience and more. Tour guides, fellow passengers, stewardesses, people we’ve stayed with and complete strangers who have watched from a distance and then approached us to make comment. God has blessed us mightily with four wonderful sons who are a credit to his great work in them and an honour for us.

I know, appreciate and thank God for my four sons now more than ever before and will always treasure the precious time of this odyssey with them, when I was free to watch them grow.


Michael

Tour De France - Viva Le Spain

The German AutoBahn is more exciting with speeds exceeding 180km/h and their rest rooms might include toilet seats, but the French and Spanish countryside is more beautiful to drive through.

Draw a line from Strasburg to Belceon to Bordeaux to Biarritz and you have crossed the country west to south east through ever changing countryside so lovely you’ll want to do it again. Spectacular bridges and ravines, castles and villages, verdant green valleys, white cows and well maintained roads all come together to make it thoroughly enjoyable. Take a detour off the main highways and you find yourself travelling through farmlands and tiny villages with cobbled streets, sleepy squares and gorgeous architecture – you might even find yourself driving through the grounds of a castle.

The north coast of Spain, from the border near San Sebastion west across to Gijon is nothing short of spectacular. The road is rarely straight, the tunnels are up to 1.5kms long, the bridges over ravines are spectacular and the mountains are on all sides, except for where there is a cliff side run along the ocean. The mountains to the south tower into the sky and change shape continually. The little towns are either nestled in valleys or hug the coastline. The entire stretch of coast is a feast for the eyes magnificent driving experience.

Michael

Disney Efficiency

Something we have come to highly admire and sadly miss when it is absent.

Disney Efficiency refers to the way they have put careful thought into every part of (what they call) the Disney experience. If they could cure sore feet and whiny children I’m sure they would have by now for nothing else is left uncared for. The rides load swiftly and efficiently. Their Fast Pass system is effective and free. Their food outlets are consistent and plentiful. Their gift shops are abundant and duplicate their merchandise. Their parking is enormous and the traffic management is brilliant. None of these issues seem like a big deal until you are there, having paid hundreds of dollars to enter and it all goes astray because the staff and management of the park just haven’t put enough thought into people movement. Disney won without a battle over Seaworld, Universal, LegoLand on every front on every occasion in every way. They also out performed all the airports, all that is EXCEPT Changi Airport in Singapore who actually beat Disney in the “free fun” category. We only spent a few hours there but we were actually sad to leave it. Disney could even learn from Changi – those free foot massages were amazing!

Changi Airport or Disney World – we reckon it might be a close call!

Michael

U.S.A Quiz by Luke

1. Who is the current president of the USA?
2. How many states are in the USA?
3. What is the capitol city of the USA?
4. What state is the city of Los Angeles located in?
5. The biggest state in the USA is:
a. North Carolina
b. Colorado
c. Texas
6. ‘New York’ is a:
a. State
b. City
c. Both
7. The northernmost state in the USA is Maine. True/False
8. Florida and Arizona are the only states with a Disney theme park in them. True/False
9. Match these cities with the states they are in:
a. Miami 1. Georgia
b. Savannah 2. Virginia
c. Columbia 3. Florida
d. Richmond 4. South Carolina
10. What position is the USA on the biggest countries in the world list?
11. Who was the first president of the USA?
12. Which country did the USA fight for independence against?
13. What state is Hollywood in?
14. Which state is Forrest Gump from?
15. What was the building that King Kong climbed, and where is it?
16. Which is further south, Pittsburgh or Washington DC?
17. Where are these famous icons from: a. Chrysler Building b. Lincon Memorial c. 7 Mile Bridge
18. Where is the city of Houston, and why is it important to astronauts?
19. Which state was JFK from?
20. Which is the smallest state?
21. How many states have the Williamson’s been in? a. 13 b. 10 c. 11

Driving Overseas

The final tally is just over 11,000 kms on foreign roads in 6 different motor vehicles
- A Dodge Van in LA
- A Chrysler Town & Country in Orlando
- A Mazda MPV in Virginia
- A Ford F350 29 foot motorhome (5,600kms) in the USA (South to North on the East Coast)
- A Volkswagon Sharon in the Cottswolds
- A Fiat Dethleffs Motor home (4,003kms) in Europe (Germany, France, Luxemburg, Spain)

How many incidents?

We nearly took out a Pheasant in the Volkswagon & a motorcyclist in the Fiat. We did however massacre countless thousands of bugs on our windscreen. One cracked blinker on the Fiat thanks to European style bumper parking – why do they do that?

How much petrol?

Too much, our environmental footprint is now the size of a small African nation!

How many navigational issues?

Not as many as it could have been. The invention of the GPS has saved countless marriages around the world now including ours.

How many Tolls?

Way too many, especially in France. However at least the French charge to use really good roads with high speed limits whereas the Americans only ever charge for really narrow, poorly kept, unpleasant windy roads that make you question every mile of the charge.

Now all I have to do is get used to driving on the other side of the road back home.

Michael

Legoland by Max - 21st April, 2011

Yesterday morning we got up and 6am in the morning and caught 2 buses to Victoria Station where the bus which would take us to Legoland was waiting. We got on and got seats at the back of the bus. The trip took 2 hours so we played our DS’s for entertainment. When we arrived we got off and walked to the entrance and bought tickets to go in.

The entrance was very big and had life size Lego bricks and Lego men all over it. It looked really good. Then we entered in. Once we were all inside we had a look around taking in all the surroundings. There was legop nearly everywhere! After a good look around we headed on past sculptures and other exhibits till we arrived at Driving School. Driving School is a ride where you drive a Lego Fiat car around a life like road with traffic lights, stop signs, roundabouts and pedestrian crossings. It was all very fun. Next we walked to the far side of the park and went on a ride called Dragon. Dragon was a roller-coaster that goes around and through a castle, going through different Lego scenes. They were all life like and really brilliant, leading up to entering a dragon’s lair with a huge moving Lego dragon which blew hot steam at us. It was fun and very interesting. Thirdly we went on Jolly Rocker, which was a ride on a Pirate Ship which was attached to a pole which was attached to a few more poles, which were attached to an engine thingy which made you swing really high from side to side. Next we sat down on a bench and had lunch.

After lunch we walked over to the Pirates of Skeleton Bay Extreme Stunt Show. It was fun and clever, but it didn’t have much to do with Lego, though it was easy to enjoy. Sixthly we walked over to a ride called Rocket Races. It is a ride where you create your own Lego mini-figure and car and you get to race it against others on a track. It is all done electronically and the race is on a racing arcade sort of thing like Mario Cart. It was heaps of fun and I had a great time. Next we walked to mini land which was a series of world-wide Lego sculptures. It had Scotland, Denmark, England USA & Italy. I recognised lots of Lego buildings and places from the USA and from England. The entire thing was incredible and had everything perfect! Then we bought the things we wanted from the Lego shop and left Legoland. We caught another bus back to London where we had Maccas for dinner at Victoria Station. Then we caught another bus back to our flat, had dinner, got into our pj’s and went to bed.







Max