Our First English Holiday | Plymouth

To close out the summer, we went on a beautiful English holiday in southwest England as a family. We stayed in the town of Plymouth which is known for the port where the Mayflower set sail on the way to America in 1620 (400+ years ago!). We enjoyed the Mayflower museum and monumental stairs at the port (and Aletheia enjoyed riding the carousel right on the pier). For one of the days we took a trip farther south into Cornwall and visited St. Michaels Mount. It is a castle built on a tidal island. There is a walkable path at low tide across to the castle, but we were there at high tide and got to ride in a ferry across to the castle. The church of the castle was built in the 1300s and the gardens made us think of California because they were FULL of succulents! After walking through the castle, we made our way even farther southwest to Land’s End, the westernmost point of England. The views were stunning, I especially enjoyed seeing the light break through the clouds and reflect on the sea. Creation truly puts God’s glory on display. On the way home from our holiday, we made a quick and unplanned stop in Gloucester to visit the Gloucester Cathedral. Boy, we were glad we stopped there! It is a beautiful cathedral built in 1089 and they even filmed scenes for Harry Potter in some of the hallways. The stained glass was extravagant and there is a king of England buried inside. All in all, we had a wonderful time away and felt very refreshed to return to Oxford. I will include some photos below the text of this email for you to see.

It blows my mind to see such old buildings and be in such old places. Everywhere in England is literally MUCH older than anywhere in the US. But, that age I see in the buildings and places we visited also reminds me that God has never changed.

Though the floors in the churches are worn from all the feet and knees that have been there, though the roofs have been rebuilt because of wear, tear, and war, though the island we visited shifts with the sea every day, God does not change.

Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” He has never changed and will never change.

That means that we can trust Him! He will be faithful as He has always been. What a comfort and solace when our world shifts and changes so often.

It is especially comforting to me as an expat living overseas. There are many changes in my life, but my God is the same.

Enjoy the gallery below of our trip to the south of England. Who knows where we will explore next!