It's been a while--sorry for that, but I had no internet access in Helmsley. Which was actually a wonderful thing. Our whole group seemed to take so much joy in the time of rest we had there.
To fill you in, we left London Thursday morning, and drove north for about four or so hours (I don't really remember how many, I slept a good bit) to York. On the way, we passed through Nottinghamshire, which, in case you didn't know, is the home of the Robin Hood legends. So I silently freaked out in the front of the coach, and took random pictures of the countryside.
York is a wonderful city. A sizeable stone wall has surrounded it from Medieval times, and tourists can still walk about the city on top of it. The real attraction, however, is the great York Minster, which is the most important cathedral in the North of England. It is so large that the entirety of Canterbury Cathedral could fit inside with some room to spare, and it's stained glass windows are magnificent. Visiting all of these ancient holy places has been a great blessing--seeing something so beautiful is a reminder of the greatness of God and the wealth of faith of Christians throughout the centuries.
From York we travelled to Helmsley, a tiny market town about 45 minutes' coach drive away. It is the most lovely place--entirely green, covered in pastures and fields, with stands of trees in between, and in the town, the houses are all old, built with grey stone, and look as if they have grown up out of the ground. They are fronted by tiny gardens stuffed with flowers. Hedges cover most of the fences to make them more sightly, and public footpaths lead straight through sheep pastures. Nothing but the odd car engine, birdsong, and the bleating of sheep interrupts the silence of the place. Just up the hill lie the North Yorkshire Moors, high, rolling, and open for miles. It's something out of James Herriot and Agatha Christie and Jane Austen all at once, and I adored it.
All of the students crammed into a small youth hostel in town, which was actually a delightful experience. Sharing the same common area and meals all to ourselves made it feel like one large family, and we certainly had plenty of good laughs and enjoyed one anothers' company in a way that the hectic schedule of London did not allow for.
Friday morning, we all went on a three-mile walk with Dr. Jacobs across moors and fields and through a small forest to find the ruins of Rievaulx Abbey, a monastic community which dissolved after Henry VIII abolished it in the 1500s. The ruins are magnificent--the sanctuary still stands, roofless and outer-wall-less, but with all arches and pillars intact, and combined with the brilliant carpet of green grass and incomparable ceiling of blue sky, the image was absolutely perfect. Sitting up against one of the pillars, I had the opportunity to marvel at the intense beauty of God's creation.
That afternoon, we relaxed. I wandered into town, bought food from a little cheese stand and a bakery that sold me two scones and a mince pie for one and a half pounds, which was a wonderful price, and ate them in a sheep field with Lauren. Delightful.
Later on, I managed to take a nap, read some, wash clothes, and generally make the most of the time before packing to leave for Durham. I don't think anyone was happy to leave Helmsley, but it is nice to know that we can settle down to classes for a week--I am totally ready for that stability of schedule.
On the way to Durham, we stopped at the Holy Island f Lindisfarne, a significant spiritual center of Northern England, which sports a beautiful view of the North Sea, another ruined monastic community, and a history of housing the Venerable Bede, St. Aidan, and St. Cuthbert. I'm really intrigued by these amazing fathers of the faith, and I'm looking forward to reading more about them and their contemplative approach to the faith in future. That sort of history is so exciting to me.
From there, on to the University of Durham, my home until Friday. We settled into our rooms last night. I was really blessed by God to have a single room--I had prayed for one. The quiet and privacy it affords is something I sorely need at the moment. This morning, we attended Matins at Durham Cathedral, which is across the street from our college. The priest leading us was an American, and it turns out that he is a fan of one of my professor's books, so it was good fun to meet him. He was very excited to have a group to say happy 4th of July to!
The rest of the morning, I had the opportunity to get a really good time of Scripture reading in. I was so blessed by God during that time. I knew my focus and desire for God were lagging, and was really feeling guilty over it, but being able to pour that out in prayer helped. I was then blessed by three fantastic Scripture readings. The quote that I named this post after is from Jeremiah chapter 31, which has really blessed me recently. But particularly powerful were the last two chapters of Revelation. Just pondering the mystery of how wonderful the New Heaven and New Earth will be awoke my hunger for God, and that is a blessing that doesn't come often enough to me. Praise the Lord.
This afternoon has been very relaxing--I've read a great deal. Tomorrow classes begin! Which means that I should probably be asleep quite soon. So, blessings to you all, and to all a good night!
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