Yes, England gets its own full blog report. Such is its place in my heart. I had previously received the university approval for two weeks in England to do workshops with the teachers there at the invitation of David Freeman. I wrote, “I leave for two weeks in England, without my wonderful husband, but with the LORD of the journey.”
These were “the most remarkable 2 weeks of my life. I experienced the continuous presence and anointing of God most miraculously and felt like a tool in the Master’s Hand. They called me the “mid-wife” as God birthed a new baby, a school for the nations. Never have I seen an entire staff joined together in such singleness of purpose and with such a call and gifting to teach and write curriculum built around Biblical bridges to academic content. It was awesome and humbling as I watched God join our hearts. I had never felt so bound to a group of people, profoundly.
While there with these dear people, one lady had a word for me that “I had been a snowdrop that forged its way up through the snow and much resistance, that I have hung my head in humility, as the snowdrop, but that God was making me a daffodil, a trumpet of the Lord, proclaiming His voice.”
In addition to this most amazing time with teachers so in love with Jesus, the Freemans made sure I saw the country and took me all around. I even got to spend a morning in a local public school, which was so different than the US ones I had spent time in--much more like a family home enviornment.The classrooms all had couches, or comfortable places for kids to sit and read. I loved it!
I also picked up some new figures of speech and a wonderful new accent. Jolly good show, lad! Oh, that cost a bomb! I fell so much in love with these people and this place, that we began to probe how we might move to England and work there.
So many visual memories: church bells ringing, beautiful gardens, sheep, white brick with red, gabled homes, much lattice work, milk bottles, horses riding down the street.
The Freemans took me to many amazing places too, including Lord Farrigdon’s gardens, to Oxford, Christ church, to Alice’s Shop, Blackwell’s Bookshop, Stratford upon Avon and best of all, drum roll please………C. S. Lewis own home.
David and his family, in whose home I was staying, only lived a few blocks from the C.S. Lewis home in Oxford. So one morning we walked over there. As of this date, no one was living in the house. However, we saw a car parked near by so went around to the back door and knocked. A lady came to the door who was getting things ready for his home to be a major center. I told her I taught children’s literature and was studying character messages sent to kids in children’s award winning books, including the Narnia ones. She invited us in to see the house and showed us the original wardrobe (it didn't look like the one in the movie!). She also let us explore the grounds on our own. Later we kept in touch and I shared my research findings with them.
Anyway, my journal says that “the nature reserve was where he wrote his Narnia stories and talked with Tolkien even!" Here are the photos, first of his grave, where I am sitting. Then the Nature Preserve on his land.
The top photo below is the pond behind his house. Helen and I are acting super careful because of the warning sign about "deep mud." The bottom photo below is CS Lewis' home, with me in front of the back door where I knocked and we got to tour the home.
When I tried to find similar photos of this house online, it was hard as it has changed so much. Apparently they've fixed up the place and now it's become more of a museum. The CS Lewis Institute stewards his legacy. Here are a couple other photos similar to mine.
These were “the most remarkable 2 weeks of my life. I experienced the continuous presence and anointing of God most miraculously and felt like a tool in the Master’s Hand. They called me the “mid-wife” as God birthed a new baby, a school for the nations. Never have I seen an entire staff joined together in such singleness of purpose and with such a call and gifting to teach and write curriculum built around Biblical bridges to academic content. It was awesome and humbling as I watched God join our hearts. I had never felt so bound to a group of people, profoundly.
While there with these dear people, one lady had a word for me that “I had been a snowdrop that forged its way up through the snow and much resistance, that I have hung my head in humility, as the snowdrop, but that God was making me a daffodil, a trumpet of the Lord, proclaiming His voice.”
In addition to this most amazing time with teachers so in love with Jesus, the Freemans made sure I saw the country and took me all around. I even got to spend a morning in a local public school, which was so different than the US ones I had spent time in--much more like a family home enviornment.The classrooms all had couches, or comfortable places for kids to sit and read. I loved it!
I also picked up some new figures of speech and a wonderful new accent. Jolly good show, lad! Oh, that cost a bomb! I fell so much in love with these people and this place, that we began to probe how we might move to England and work there.
So many visual memories: church bells ringing, beautiful gardens, sheep, white brick with red, gabled homes, much lattice work, milk bottles, horses riding down the street.
The Freemans took me to many amazing places too, including Lord Farrigdon’s gardens, to Oxford, Christ church, to Alice’s Shop, Blackwell’s Bookshop, Stratford upon Avon and best of all, drum roll please………C. S. Lewis own home.
David and his family, in whose home I was staying, only lived a few blocks from the C.S. Lewis home in Oxford. So one morning we walked over there. As of this date, no one was living in the house. However, we saw a car parked near by so went around to the back door and knocked. A lady came to the door who was getting things ready for his home to be a major center. I told her I taught children’s literature and was studying character messages sent to kids in children’s award winning books, including the Narnia ones. She invited us in to see the house and showed us the original wardrobe (it didn't look like the one in the movie!). She also let us explore the grounds on our own. Later we kept in touch and I shared my research findings with them.
Anyway, my journal says that “the nature reserve was where he wrote his Narnia stories and talked with Tolkien even!" Here are the photos, first of his grave, where I am sitting. Then the Nature Preserve on his land.
The top photo below is the pond behind his house. Helen and I are acting super careful because of the warning sign about "deep mud." The bottom photo below is CS Lewis' home, with me in front of the back door where I knocked and we got to tour the home.
When I tried to find similar photos of this house online, it was hard as it has changed so much. Apparently they've fixed up the place and now it's become more of a museum. The CS Lewis Institute stewards his legacy. Here are a couple other photos similar to mine.
Lewis' home photo - Lewis' updated home
So, yes, I left a part of my heart there. Yet I was very grateful to be back with Bill again. We vowed never to be apart for two weeks again. Ever. And we've kept that vow.
So, yes, I left a part of my heart there. Yet I was very grateful to be back with Bill again. We vowed never to be apart for two weeks again. Ever. And we've kept that vow.
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