We are getting ready to head to Cork via airplane this evening but we’ve enjoyed our time in London. In just the ten days we were on board at the end of this port visit, we saw a great response to the ship with the weekends being extremely busy and letting us see how the ship handles a lot of people. On the first Saturday, when we had just arrived, over 4500 people visited the ship and this past weekend seemed at least as busy. We also had a special event called London Launch which was for supporters, alumni and other partners to experience the ship and to commission the vessel as it sails on to Cork, Ireland and then the Caribbean region.

The ship left London on Monday morning but we stayed behind. Due to immigration uncertainties, we had bought tickets to fly to Cork and while it looks like we might have been able to sail after all, we had an invitation to stay with friends who were on Logos II with us originally and so we decided to do that. We’ve had a great time catching up with them and the boys have enjoyed their yard and looking for frogs and snails. They’ve also been getting to know Hlupha, our friends’ beautiful black labrador. This afternoon we are catching the opening of Ice Age 3 here in the UK which the boys are really excited about and then tonight we will fly to Cork which will be our last port in Europe. From there we have a two week voyage to St Vincent and the start of the Caribbean tour.

We also were able to catch up with other friends from Logos II last week and it’s always great to spend time together. That has really been a highlight for us during this time in the UK and Europe, the opportunities to see friends and share a bit of life together again. Thanks to each of you who have taken time to visit us or to welcome us into your homes!

Speaking of homes, the family who have been renting our house in South Carolina have been moving out this past weekend as they relocate for a new job opportunity so we’re working on getting the home rented out again. We would appreciate your prayers for this as it is a bit challenging to do from a distance with sometimes limited internet and phone capacity on the ship. We’ve been blessed again by help from various ones in Florence to move furniture out and prepare the home for us.