Day 5 London

Today we went to Windsor to see the changing of the guard. Morgan wanted to see the guys with the big hats if at all possible while we were here. The changing of the guard is now only done for show but it is really neat to watch. Show or not the guns that they are carrying are quite real. We then walked around the city of Windsor a bit and tried to see the Castle, it was not easy to see from the ground. After Windsor we went back to the Shepherds for dinner we had Indian food it was delicious. After dinner we took a drive into the city to see it at night. It is quite a beautiful city during the day but the lights at night give the city an all new look. I will not be able to post for day 6 as I am a day behind and we are about to leave for the airport so I will have to get caught up in Ghana. Will try to get some more pictures up then as well.

Gary

Day 4 London

Today we had an opportunity to go into London and see a bit of the city. We don't have much money so our entertainment had to be cheap. We walked to the train station and took a train ride into the city and a ride on a double decker bus made the trip fun for the girls. We went to the British Museum as the museums in London are free. Taylor wanted to see a mummy and they had a bunch of them. It was really quite interesting to see. After seeing the Mummies we headed for the Africa display where we were determined to find as many items as we could that were from Ghana or Togo. We found a few from Ghana but none from Togo. Many of the Ghanaian items were not on display which was a bit disappointing. So from Africa we decided to head to North America, not sure what we were expecting there but were a bit disappointed at how small the display was. Left there and the gang was getting a bit tired so we were on our way out when we saw a display of pills. It took me a bit to figure it out but it was a neat display once you understood it. It showed how many pills the average person will take during the span of their life, approximately 14,000 pills. While we were looking at this display I noticed a large camera in a glass display box, of course it was a Canon camera. So of course I had to get a photo of it, while I was reading to see what it was about I noticed that there were many things in the cabinet with it that were from Ghana. As I began reading I figured out that everything in this case was from somewhere in Ghana, all of the things that had been missing in their regular display area was in this cabinet. It turns out that the large camera is actually a coffin. That's right a coffin, it was made by two Ghanaian brothers for some poor soul to be buried in. Their grandmother who always wanted to take a ride in an airplane died before getting her wish, so the brothers made her a coffin shaped like an airplane and carried her to her grave sight in it. As a result other people commissioned them to create a unique coffin for them. Probably my favorite thing in the museum was seeing this display, I think I will look them up while there and see how much a camera coffin will cost. After the museum we went to Covent Gardens an area where there are street performers and people selling there wares. While we were there we decided to watch this Brit as he performed for those he could get to stop and watch. While waiting to see what he would do I was called from the audience to help him onto a 15 foot tall unicycle. It was quite humorous and quite surprising when the guy kissed me on the nose and said that Americans were hot blooded. All in good fun though and nobody was hurt. I hope you enjoy the photos as well as the story, more to come later.


Gary

Day 3 London

Today was a day of resting and getting our bearings straight. Visited Twynholm Baptist Church in Fulham (a part of London) and shared about our trip. Getting ready to eat dinner so I do not have long but wanted to give you an update. Hopefully after dinner I will have time to upload a photo from our walk through Richmond Park. It is a very large park that is abundant with wildlife. I have had the privilege of visiting this park on two occasions now and am still amazed at how the deer react to the people. Watching jay Leno on a British show called Top Gear, I used to watch this show when I had BBC America at home but now I have to wait for reruns and watch it on Hulu.com. Guys should check it out sometime.

Gary

Day 2 London

Just wanted to give a quick note to let you know that we are in England, all a bit tired but all in one piece. Hopefully we will be over our jet lag quickly. Other than Lyndsey who used me for a bed post last night on the plane we have had little sleep and it is now about 1:00 in the afternoon. Plan on going to bed tonight around 10:00 or so. Will try to get some photos up soon.

Gary and Family

Day 1 Departure

We are sitting at gate B19 waiting for our flight. Praise God all of the luggage made it through with no extra fees. We were told last night that we were only allowed one bag per person and the rest would be $50.00 each. God worked it out out so that the lady checking us in was a Christian and she did her best to find a way to get them through with no fees. So now we are waiting for the plane to come in so we can board. We will be in Washington D.C. in a couple of hours waiting for our next flight that will take us to London. We leave D.C. at 10:08 p.m. keep checking back for updates. The man at the gate is right now making a call to the passengers of the flight about to leave. He is telling them that they are only allowed 1 personal bag we were told that we would be allowed 2. If you happen to read this before we board in the next hour please pray that we will not have any problems getting them on board. Thank you to all those who helped us get ready for this trip. At one of the last churches where we visited and I spoke the first thing that I said was how great it is to be a part of the Family of God. This week many of the family of God went out of there way to help us get ready for this trip and I am so thankful and blessed by your friendship.

Gary Phillips & Family

Visa #5 is in Our Hands!

We are set to go, all 5 visas came back and we have our tickets as well. We are leaving our house tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. to head to the airport. We depart at 7:46 p.m. heading to Washington D.C. and from there to London. We will arrive in London at 10:15 a.m. on the 30th. Can't wait, it has only been a short time but it seems like it has been forever. God is in control and though He has allowed a lot of things to happen that we would rather not have happened we know that He is in control. Though we wish we were not leaving on the heals of a funeral we know that Kelly's dad would want us to go. Please pray that while we are away she will be able to work through the grieving process. We are at 85% and are praying that the rest will come in while we are gone. Keep checking back and hopefully soon we will have some interesting pictures share with you.

Gary

Visa Visa Visa Visa

In case you were wondering we have 4 Visas in hand now hence the title of this blog. We are still waiting on Taylor's which is supposed to be here on Thursday. No guarantee! Bags are being packed, fridge and freezer's are being emptied! We are mourning the loss of Kelly's dad amidst all the activity. There is a funeral on Thursday and we are supposed to leave on Friday! I say supposed as I have left it up to Kelly as to when we will leave. So far she is still wanting to leave on Friday as planned. Please pray that she will feel God's love and embrace and the love of her family and our Church family. Pray that I will be attentive to her needs at this time.

Oh yeah we are at 85% now, God is amazing it seems like we get a gift just about every day now.

Gary