Fast Sunday

So I don't have any pictures today....sorry! But today was our first day going to church in London. Although we were separated into various different wards (or congregations), we all went to the same sacrament service today. Since it was the first Sunday of the month (happy May day!) there was a testimony meeting, and it was really cool to see all the different nationalities represented in that congregation. The Stake President later told us that about 75% of the members in the entire stake are first generation members of the church, and from what we saw today they are very valiant and excited about the gospel!

We came back to the flats right after church and broke our fast (we didn't get back until 4, and most of us started eating at 5) and the kitchen was extremely crowded. Then I skyped my family (love you guys!) for a while. It's still extremely amazing to me that I can talk to my family in Georgia when I'm across the Atlantic in the middle of London. This kind of technology seems so common place to us today, but it really is a modern day miracle.

I worked on my novel for a while (the second one) before we had a 'family home evening', I guess you could say. We all talked about why we joined this program and how the arts and the gospel connect. It was a very spiritual meeting. I was struck with the fact that we were all sent here at this time for a reason, whether that reason be to change something about ourselves or to help someone else change themselves, or to meet someone who would become a life-long friend. Whatever the reason, we're all here, and we talked about how we need to follow to spirit in everything we do every day.

We were then separated into five different wards, all of which meet at different buildings and at different times in the day. Some of the people in my group are in the ward that's closest to us, but it's also Portuguese speaking! Not one of them speaks a word of Portuguese, so they should have an interesting experience...

I am going to be attending the Lea Valley Ward, which is the farthest away....and starts at 9:00 AM. It's going to take about an hour and a half to get there every day, which means I'll have to be getting on the tube at 7:30 AM, which means I'll be leaving the flat at 7:10, which means I'll be waking up at 6:00 at the latest. Sounds like a ton of fun, right? Still, I know that there's a reason I'm being sent there, so I'm going to brave it out and keep a positive attitude, along with the six other people I'll be going with :)

So that was the day! This being a BYU programme, I knew that the gospel would be incorporated in our discussions, and it already had been quite a bit, but now I am convinced that there's no way to run this programme without the gospel as an integral part of it. The spirit can testify of truth to you anywhere, including the theatre (even though there's a bar at each and every one for people to get drinks from during intermission...). The Lord has different means of teaching each of us, and for the people here much of that is through stories. As I learn more about theatre here, I am excited to know that I will also be learning more about God. This truly is a special programme, run by a special university. I am so grateful to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and to know that my Saviour lives!