Hyde Park Chapel

It is so incredible to have the Hyde Park Chapel right in central London. Right next to the V&A, the South Kensington museums, the Royal Albert Concert Hall, and Hyde Park-- right there in one of the most beautiful and buzzing parts of London lies this wonderful meeting house. It is really miraculous. It is also the most expensive piece of property the church owns. There is no doubt that the church wanted to make a statement here in London, and show this big city that we are here and are here to stay. It is not only a meeting house, but a monument that "Truth will Prevail!"

Trapped By the Mormons!!!

This film was a real treasure. Actually, it was a pretty ridiculous, and hard to believe that it wasn't a joke. It really represented the kind of attacks and false speculations that were being made about the Mormon missionaries in Britain and their followers. It portrayed the missionaries as visions of "all-conquering manhood" who use their suave and cunning tactics to trap women. I mean, look at those mesmerizing eyes! He is one wily, wily Mormon. If I were an young, innocent British woman, I would surely fall for those hypnotizing eyes! NOT. Everything about this 1922 film was absolute nonsense, but highly entertaining!

The Synagogue

Attending the synagogue on Thanksgiving was a very interesting experience. I admit, that I do not much about Judaism, but this experience helped me understand new things about this religion. One of the most interesting things our host told us was that Jews do not believe that one has to be a part of the Jewish church in order to be righteous. Only if they are born into Judaism, they are encouraged to practice the religion, and anyone is welcome to join their religion. Because of this, they do not believe missionary work or attracting people to their congregation is necessary.

I also found it very interesting just how strongly they follow their religion and have kept their traditions. For instance, the concept of not traveling on Sunday, or spending money is observed very strictly. In fact, it keeps people from being able to attend church. And they are very strict about what kinds of animal products they eat. 

I really enjoyed seeing one of the Toras they had at the synagogue. I had never seen such a huge scroll, filled with hebrew writing! It was a cool experience to become better acquainted with this religion.

Sainte Chapelle

This lovely little chapel is a jewel in the crown of Paris. It lies in the courtyard of royal palace on the Île de la Cité, and was built by Louis IX to house holy relics: Christ's crown of thorns, image of Edessa, and thirty other relics of Christ.
The stained glass of the chapel is absolutely stunning. The room is small, but has tall, stretching walls that are completely paneled with the colorful glass pictures. When inside you seem to be completely encompassed by them, and the gothic stone tracery that delicately frames each panel. There is also one large rose window in the back of the chapel that is quite lovely.
Two-thirds of the stained glass in the chapel is the original that Louis IX had built, but some of it was severely damaged during the French Revolution. Still, I couldn't which were new or old. They were all absolutely gorgeous.

Gadfield Chapel

What I most enjoyed about this little church was:

 1) The series of questions you had to be able to answer in order to enter the chapel, such as "How many chapters are in the Book of Enos?" That was an easy one.

2) I really enjoyed our Peter's commentary on the chapel. When he read the quote about how people just flooded Wilford Woodfruff with questions before he returned to America was very moving. You could tell that these people wanted to do whatever it would take to get to America to be with the rest of the saints. They loved the missionaries and did not want to see them leave England, but most of all, they loved the gospel. Many of them sacrificed a lot to make the journey to Zion.

Benbow Farm

The Benbow Farm is where the church really began to take off in Herefordshire. William Benbow, a recent convert to the church, felt inspired to take Wilford Woodruff to visit his brother John Benbow at his home on March 4, 1840. John and his wife Jane were open to Woodruff's message of the gospel and soon baptized in the pond on their farm. Afterwards their home became a regular center for religious meetings, and over 600 converts were baptized in the same pond on their farm. Eventually the Benbows, like most converts, emigrated to America to join the saints. This little farm and pond still remains as a memorial to all the great work that took place in the beginnings of the church in England.

Westminster Cathedral

Westminster Cathedral was a very different Cathedral experience in London. The exterior, itself, hinted that it was not a typical Gothic/Norman/Baroque style cathedral that most of the Wren-inspired religious buildings adhere to. The cathedral is a large red brick building built in a Byzantine style. If I had only passed by, I wouldn't have known if it were a Catholic church or a Greek orthodox. The style was very unique for this type of Cathedral.
The interior was just as different. Rather than stone, the whole inside was made of green marble with gold gilding.  The set-up of the cathedral was very traditional, but the appearance alone distinguished it from other Cathedrals I have been to. The style had an almost Middle Eastern feel to it. It was very different, but very beautiful.

I also enjoyed looking at the many chapels in the cathedral. They had very detailed descriptions of each chapel, and its purpose. St. Paul's chapel is for those who wish to pray on behalf of missionaries spreading the gospel and those who are persecuted because of their beliefs. Another chapel is for prayer on behalf of those who have passed away, that their  journey through Purgatory might be peaceful and smooth. There were a few people praying in this particular chapel. I enjoyed learning more about these chapels, and their religious significance.

The British Library

(above: Captain James Cooke's Journal)

The exhibitions at the British Museum are truly a sight to Behold. What a wonder it was to lay my eyes on such important and historic texts and manuscripts  on display. I'm talking about all the legends of literature, music, science, and religion and their original works preserved. An original copy of Beowulf, perhaps the oldest piece of literature in English, is displayed there. Original copies of the English Bible are also displayed.
I particularly enjoyed the sections devoted to the legends of music and science. Above is a manuscript of Beethoven's. It is filled with scribbles and corrections. You can almost see his frustration in working the piece into perfection. It was fascinating. They had many other manuscripts from Mozart, Haydn, and other famous British composers as well.
In this above picture, there is a page of a notebook from Leonardo Da Vinci. On the page he is trying to systematically understand the properties of sound and music-- or at least the plaque said something like that. Can we really begin to understand these scribbles that a genius like him produced? Still, very fascinating. In the science section, they also had a book by Galileo, letters from Darwin, and notes written by Newton. Many of the great minds in British history were represented in this display.
Here is the touchstone of them all-- the Magna Carta. There are only about 4 original copies left, and this is one of them. You cannot begin to read anything on the document, but the fact that this thing till exists is pretty amazing. This is where constitutional law began in the English speaking world. Right here in this glass case.

First Stop Liverpool, Next Stop America.

What an awesome experience it was to see and spend time at the Liverpool Docks. This is where my ancestors, the McBrides, boarded the Horizon Half Clipper and set off for the Boston Harbor across the Atlantic. At the nearby Maritime Museum, we learned the rough conditions that many emigrants had to endure for weeks and weeks out on the ocean. As for Heber McBride, who was about nine years old at the time, he described the voyage as "quick and full of good weather." Then again, he loved the sea. He even says in his journal that he was sad when they reached America because he did not want to leave the ship. Though the journey may have gone relatively smooth for the McBrides, the decision to go to America was not without sacrifice. Margaret was disowned by her family who wished never to see her again. They sold their comfortable home and auctioned off their possessions for the money to go. They took many risks in order to go to America to be with the Saints.

I was greatly touched by Sister Wimmer's devotional that she gave at the docks by the memorial that our church donated. She spoke of the tremendous desire these people had to go to America to be with the saints. There was nothing that they wanted more, and they risked so much to make that journey. "They wanted so badly to be in a community of saints in Zion and you are their dream," said Sister Wimmer. This made me very grateful for the sacrifices that these people made, and the incredible devotion that they had. Our group then sang "Come, Come Ye Saints, " and I think we were all very touched by the spirit as we sang there.

Come, come, ye saints, no toil nor labor fear;
But with joy wend your way.
Though hard to you this journey may appear,
Grace shall be as your day.
Tis better far for us to strive our useless cares from us to drive;
Do this, and joy your hearts will swell -
All is well! All is well!

And should we die before our journey's through,
Happy day! All is well!
We then are free from toil and sorrow, too;
With the just we shall dwell!
But if our lives are spared again to see the Saints their rest obtain,
Oh, how we'll make this chorus swell-
All is well! All is well!

Preston: Truth Will Prevail!

I loved the tour that Peter Fag gave us in Preston because it really brought all that we had bee learning about in class to life. We walked to where the missionaries, including Heber C. Kimball, lived and heard the tales about their experiences there.  I enjoyed visiting the site of the Vauxhall Chapel, and hearing the "dusting the feet" story associated with it.

I particularly enjoyed visiting the River Ribble. I knew it was special, but I didn't know it was going to be so beautiful too! I could almost see George Watts racing down the hill, so he could have the privilege of being the first saint in England to be baptized into the church. This is also  where my ancestor Robert McBride was baptized. It is probable that he was there watching when Watts and the very first members of the church were baptized. He was baptized on the second day of baptisms, and proved to be a faithful member of the church ever since. He was among the truth seekers at the Vauxhall Chapel, and I believe that he found the truth he was looking for.
My impression of this place, and our guide's information that he have on it, was that it was prepared for the work. The people in Preston were searching for truth, and their hearts were open to the message of the gospel. When the missionaries arrived, there was a large banner for elections reading, "Truth Will Prevail." And considering the overwhelming success of the missionaries there, I think truth did prevail in Preston.

Quarry Bank Mill

I admit, the idea of visiting a textile mill did not sound very exciting to me as we were sitting on the bus on the way to the North. Though I had to drag my tired body off the vehicle all the way up to the museum to engage my mind on cotton and its production, I do not regret that I did it. I had never in my life visited anything like this place. Learning about the Mill's history and the development of cotton production was areal eye opener for me.

I could not believe the conditions that these people worked in for hours upon hours at a time. I imagine the quality of the air must have been horrible, which led to related sicknesses. The chaotic noise that the machinery made must have driven everyone mad if not made them deaf. I can't fathom a day when children would work hours as long and hard as their parents did, and were expected to keep up. The very idea of this place running in its day seems to be something of another world, but I guess its not far from a correct statement. It was a different world back then.

On a lighter note, learning about how the cotton was produced was quite interesting. It was enlightening to see the genius developments that took place during the Industrial Revolution. To watch the old, clanking machinery spinning the thread in perfect synchronization was awe-inspiring. I really had never seen anything like it before. As loud and rackety as this machinery was this was the beginning of mass production and the growth of businesses. They proved to be pretty successful too. At least from the looks of Port Sunlight, the mansion filled with the Mill owner's extensive personal art collection, business must've been pretty good at the Mill!

This is Speaker's Corner

I recently took the trip to Speaker's Corner when I had a free morning on Sunday. I arived there pretty early, so there weren't many people out yet. But it wasn't long before the crowds and speakers began to develop. I stood listening to a religious man who was holding up signs that said, "The Blood of Jesus Christ" in bright red. His message was that there will be an evil force coming to this world in these last days. It will seem good, and we will want to accept it, but it will ultimately destroy us. The only way we can save ourselves is through Christ. He was a little over the top at times, but most of his commentary on the prophecies of Revelations I actually agreed with.

Next I listened to man who had plastic devil horns glued to his hat. He spoke about how we should eliminate descriptive color words that refer to race from our language. We should not call someone "black" or "white" because that is not what they are. We should only describe someone by their personality. One younger black girl was getting frustrated with him, and he called her and her friend racists. It was all very interesting.

I think my favorite person was this old, hippie man who was just walking around making commentary on everyone else's points. He had long hair and dressed in ragged clothing, and had buttons on his jacket that said "One People." He was a peculiar sight, but when he spoke he was remarkably eloquent. To me, he was the epitome of a "street philosopher." 

I understand why missionaries do not use this as a venue for reaching the gospel anymore. It is a unique place, but not a spiritual environment for teaching the gospel. Still, I had a very memorable time here.

Old Old Old Church

My excursion to St. Bride's Fleet Street Church was definitely of note. I was interested in the name, first of all, because I know that St. Bride, refers to St. Bridget. This is the saint that McBride, a prominent family name of mine, comes from. An old church with her as the patron saint was definitely of interest to me.

Upon entering the church, set in the middle of a busy part of the city, I had no idea just how old the church was. The site that the current church is set on is one of seven in that have occupied that very spot for about 2000 years. That goes all the way back to the Celts, Romans, and Anglo Saxons! In the Crypt there was a an exhibit showing the history of the church. If the church could speak, I'm sure it could give a very extraordinary biography of London, because it has seen it all. It saw the Great Plague, the medieval version of the church was consumed by The Great Fire, this was followed by witnessing Wren's genius in rebuilding the new church. This church saw  the bombings of WWII, and other important events in history. This church also has strong ties with the history of the printing press in England, which has continued to abound on

Fleet Street for the last 500 years.

Westminster Palace: Here Lies Our Dear History

I did not know what to expect of Westminster Abbey. I confess I have heard the name of this famous abbey many a time, but without actually ever figuring out what was so famous about it. I did, however, know that there were famous people-- kings, queens, and poets-- buried there.  In my head, I created an imagination of what this place was. And was I far off? Immeasurably. The collective presence of the memorials of hundreds of important lives throughout history afforded a powerful-- almost sacred feeling inside the walls of Westminster.

The audio tour was extremely helpful. I think I would've been overwhelmed with the mass of scattered memorials to take in. It was almost dizzying. The tour took us to each of the memorials of the important people who are buried there, explained their history, and things significant about the design of their memorial. I thought it was interesting that Queen Elizabeth and Mary Queen of Scots, the relentless rival queens who fought one another all their lives, were buried right next to one another in the abbey. The menacing enemies could've even escape each other in their deaths-- we all end up in the same place, don't we?

The only person that was mentioned to be removed from their burial spot in Westminster was Oliver Cromwell-- and they did not just remove it. They also hung and decapitated his dead corpse. Pretty harsh, right? I guess some people were still holding some grudges for ol' Ollie.

The poets corner was probably the neatest part of the tour for me. Kings and Queens bear significance for history, but I felt a special proximity to the impact that these writers have had, and continue to have, on my life. Perhaps, the pen is mightier than the crown. The influence of monarchs passes on, but words can last forever.

After taking physics, I also enjoyed seeing the memorial for Sir Isaac Newton. The man was a real genius, and according to genealogy.com I could be related to him somehow. The memorials of William Wilberforce and William Pitt, dear friends buried side by side, was also a moving sight. I had only watched the movie Amazing Grace the previous night. With the realization of their profound influence on Britain's abolition of the slave trade, it was a profound sight for me to behold.

It is marvelous to think that there in the foundations of this incredible building lie the lives, the foundations, that made Britain what it is today.

A Tour of Parliament at Westminster Palace

Our trip to Parliament at Westminster Palace gave me the experience to become more familiar with the history of Britain’s Government, and another democratic government besides that of the United States. It was very interesting to see the history of Britain’s government through the halls of the palace: The paintings, portraits, statues, and details marking the reign of each monarch. I especially enjoyed the Queen’s robbing room, and learning about her royal rituals. It interesting to me that Britain continues to preserve the beauty of the palace as well as its flaws, such as the dark, fading frescos in the robbing room. To me, this showed how much Britain values and preserves its history and culture—the good and the ugly.

            What was most awesome to me was to see the transformation that has taken place in Britain’s government from a monarchy to a democracy, and how they preserve their traditions. One thing I though was especially interesting, was the ritual where the queen gets the door shut in her face to show that she has no power in Parliament, though she is still greatly admired as a symbol. I really enjoyed the contrast of the House of Commons to the rest of the palace in its simplicity as well as the contrast between the statues of modern leaders compared to those of the old monarchy. It shows just how much the British government has changed, though it remains to hold tightly onto the traditions of its country.