Bulgaria, Italy, Switzerland June 2009 Days 1 & 2

DAY 1
June 11

Even though I wasn’t being picked up by Isaac until 5:45am, I awoke just after 3:00am and decided that I might as well start acclimating to European time by getting up! Call me crazy, but I find it easier to get up at such an hour than to stay up to such an hour. I remembered, while laying there, that I hadn’t packed a belt or my flip-flops—important last minute details—so I got up, got them and placed them in my suitcase before I forgot again.

Isaac kindly brought me a cup of coffee for our ride to San Francisco. He said he could have brought me breakfast at such a late hour because he is used to going to work about an hour earlier. We laughed over that one, but not many other people would likely find much humor in calling 5:45am late in the morning. We enjoyed a spirited conversation about the recent Foursquare Convention; Isaac and Patrice, as well as a dozen other people, went with me to help with the CTW booth, but more importantly, to offer prayer to anyone who wanted it. Many pastors and leaders took us up on our offer of prayer—many saying that they had not been prayed for in years!

Following Convention, we invited several international guests, including the National Leader of Thailand and one of their pastoral couples, Dton and Goy from the main church in Bangkok. We had such fun, and they got to visit with so many of the people in our church. I believe we have established a deep and lasting connection with the Thailand Foursquare Church. In fact, Goy gave her testimony at MD1 (our monthly leadership meeting) and thanked everyone for providing her with a family she could open herself to in trust. Her husband, Dton, as well as Pastor John (the National Leader), expressed a condition that I find is true almost everywhere I travel: our pastors and leaders yearn for more genuine and rich relationship—especially with mentors and “older brothers.”

I suppose I’m thinking about our dear international friends as I begin this trip because they are the whole point of my travels. I am reminded of Paul’s 2nd missionary journey. Whereas the 1st trip began with fasting, prophecy and laying on of hands, the 2nd journey started with a simple concern for the friends he had met on the 1st trip. Love and affection drew him away from the comforts of his home base. All he did on those trips was encourage the believers and teach them more of what he had come to understand about God’s Kingdom.
In a way, that’s really all we’re called to do in our daily life—pass along lessons-learned to people with whom we have established relationship. Love for them is the motivation. That’s why Paul speaks about love in the midst of his discourse on ministry gifts and spiritual enablements. Love motivates. Love compels. Love guides us. Otherwise, it’s just a sham!

My flight to Dallas got cancelled due to inclement weather there, so AA routed me through Chicago and on to London. That meant I didn’t end up with the most desirable seats—like the ones I had selected when I purchased my ticket months earlier—but I took it all in stride and remained grateful for seats of any kind when I might easily have simply been forced to delay my trip. In Chicago I barely had time to grab a quick fist-full of carrots and celery from the Lounge, call home, call Lorrel and get back on a plane.

I arrived in London eighteen hours after leaving the house—at 11:30pm PST (7:30am GMT). Since I’ve been at Heathrow many times, I know the drill: pass customs, pass through baggage reclaim (I didn’t check my bag) and head for AA’s “Arrivals Lounge.” It’s great to take a shower, get some light breakfast and read a paper before heading off on the Paddington Express train into London. Once at Paddington station, I walked about half a mile to my hotel. I paid an extra twenty pounds to check in early, so I could sleep a few hours.

Sounds exciting, huh? Early morning, long flight(s), jetlag, a brisk walk with roller board suitcase in-tow, a hotel room with no internet cable and no wireless access… Hmmm. Not so spiritual-sounding. But it’s just the beginning of the trip.

DAY 2
June 12

My day in London (en route to Bulgaria) was an uneventful, but delightful day. I took a nap for several minutes in the hotel, and rested for about two hours before heading off on an all-day walk. Except for brief excursions, I stayed on main roads (Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly, etc.), so I could easily find my way back without a map. I walked about two hours before lunch, and for the first time in all my years of traveling to and through London, I took a bus. It was one of those red, double-deckers.

I was a man-on-a-mission—and have been for the last month. The band of my black Swatch watch has been breaking for several weeks, tearing a little more each day. Knowing it is only a matter of days before it falls off my skinny wrist, I’ve been thinking about replacing the band. But that’s all I’ve done—think about it! I’m not sure what I’ve been waiting for—the magic moment—but deep down I’ve lived with the ridiculous notion that a Swatch watch opportunity would present itself to me without me needing to make any special arrangements (called an errand).

Low and behold, there it was! A Swatch store right along my path! Congratulating myself on my patient endurance, and feeling marvelously confirmed in my procrastination these last weeks, I marched in and inquired about a new band. “I’m sure we have replacements,” said the smiling young lady. However, when she looked for them, she didn’t have any of the ones I needed. “But,” she enjoined, “I know our store in Victoria Station has them.”

The blank look in my touristic eyes compelled her to continue. “Take #8 or #73 bus, right over there,” she explained, pointing to the bus stop right outside the shop. So, I did. I clambered up to the top deck of the #8 to Victoria Station, and enjoyed 20 minutes of sightseeing in London! Plus, I got a replacement band for my black Swatch watch at the end of the trip.

Hungry from my errand-exertions, I bought lunch in a health-food type grocery store. I got a little bag of carrots, some Bing cherries and a small Greek salad. I took the Underground (Circle Line) directly from Victoria Station to Edgeware Road, the nearest stop to my hotel. I ate my salad while sitting in the large lobby of the Hilton where I’m staying (I had already munched my bag of carrots while on the Underground). I zipped back up to my room to get a sweater, to eat half my cherries (saving the other half for dessert that evening) and to ready myself for the second walk of the day.

I wanted to see the new movie “Red Cliff” that just opened. It is a remake of a classic Chinese epic—all about loyalty, love, devotion and battle. It’s an “old West” style movie with very clear heroes and villains who fight simple right/wrong wars. OK, it is very battle-focused, and it has more bloody sword cuts, spear throws and body crunches than anyone should want to see… But, I wanted to see it. The hotel concierge found where it was playing, so I headed off on another cross-city jaunt, arriving in plenty of time for the 3:00pm showing. There were five of us in a theater that holds 400 people! Oh well, perhaps the movie WILL become another classic in the future.

It was after 7:00pm by the time I walked back near my hotel, and the last mile or so, I kept my eye out for a likely-seeming place for dinner. I almost never eat in a restaurant located on a main street (except in Paris where it’s generally ok) because they rely on location (to attract tourists), rather than good food (to attract loyal locals). I usually look a block or two down the side streets in order to find good restaurants. Nothing struck my fancy before I neared my hotel, so I diverted my course to a parallel street two blocks down from the busy road. I did a mental wish list: sidewalk table, Indian (with Nann bread) or Italian food, smallish establishment, locals eating, posted menu, quiet street.

After checking out a few likely looking places, I found a restaurant with a name and look I couldn’t categorize quickly. I spotted (heard) locals eating at small tables on the sidewalk. When I checked the menu, I read Shish Kabob and Nann bread, but I didn’t see lots of other dishes I identified with India. I decided this was the best place I’d seen, so I sat and waited for the full menu. The food was fabulous! I think the cuisine was a combo of Indian and Persian. I had a mixed grill Kabob with salad on Nann bread. The appetizer was like salsa made of cucumbers, dill, onions, garlic, tomatoes and who knows what else. I heaped gobs of it on more Nann bread…

Good thing the restaurant was just a five-minute walk from the hotel because it was all I could do to walk home before I was ready for bed with a full stomach, exercised legs and jetlag! Yes, I did finish off my cherries just before I went to bed at 9:00pm.