Good grief, friends. I sincerely apologize for leaving you hanging midway through my time in London. I am currently at FIT (The Fashion Institute of Technology) in New York City in the cafeteria where I finally have unlimited access to the internet for free and a charged battery on my computer. The luxuries that seem so commonplace have been more sporadic in the last week or so. Welcome to international travel. : ) So, ok. I will most likely break up these postings as not to overwhelm. I will pick up where I left off.

My trip to ASL in the city was definitely a success and felt to me like windows of opportunity opening for loving on kids there. Going back to that time in the gym watching volleyball...I got to meet the Athletic Director, Mr. Lockwood! He is a Brit, and I had to replay many of the things he said in my head a few times to truly understand. He taught me a new word, "que", which means "line". I will use it in a sentence for all you former spelling bee champs..."When I was driving on the M25 (the major highway around London), I sat still for quite some time due to long "queues". The gist is that he thinks it truly could be a possibility for me to help coach softball @ ASL. Huge. Oh! I also found out that ASL has open lunch, meaning that all the kids in the high school may leave campus to eat. Huge! I can just hang out on the high street and be with kids (when I find out where they congregate).

Thursday I sat in on a semi-staff meeting, as previously mentioned, as Tate, Brooke, and Kerry planned for their banquet that is about two weeks away. Fun times! The three of them are most definitely a family! I love it! Tate drove me to Windsor, a 10 min. drive or so, to meet Liz, the intern on staff in Hillingdon. Liz, Paul (her boyfriend that was visiting from NY), and I toured Windsor Castle, walked over a bridge with a beautiful view of the Thames River, and walked over to Eton, trying to catch a glimpse of boys running around the campus in "tails", a tuxedo with tails is the required uniform there. (Harry and William went to school at Eton.) No such luck because it was too late in the day and all were dressed for sport. (They don't pluralize "sports" in England.)
I drove back to Hillingdon with Liz and Paul to check out what Bible study looked like there. We picked up Mark, the British guy that is on Student Staff, and were on our way to The Daly's house. The Daly's have two daughters involved in YL there in Hillingdon. About 20 kids showed up for the meeting. These kids are very sharp and eager to learn. All the kids I met and encountered are well-adjusted, happy, smart...also kids who worry about normal kid things like music, appearance, the opposite sex, etc. Tate picked me up at the Davis' house, where Liz is staying. The Davis' are one of many American families that have lived overseas for many years. The opened their home for Liz to stay at least for a few months while she get accustomed to life in England. We are praying that a similar kind of situation will open up for me when it comes time for me to go, saving a great deal of money and providing a great homebase at least in the beginning of the acclimatization period.
The last few days thoughts coming next...
kb