November 14

       Early morning today, erg. I must say, waking up early to go do something fun is WAY better than waking up early to serve rude and rushed customers their coffee drug as they scurry off to work during rush hour(s). I've said it before, but I must say it again - I am SO GLAD that I'm not working at Starbucks anymore.
       The campus shuttle bus must have decided that it was "Let's drive Lauren crazy by leaving right as she gets to the bus stop and then by taking our 30+ minute breaks while she waits in the freezing cold" day. Seriously frustrating. I spent a total of 1.5 hours just WAITING for the bus today. I miss my car. After missing the first bus this morning (my fault), my friend Marta and I finally left for Brick Lane. Since it's the weekend, there were bound to be some tube closures. We were lucky enough to run into them, and we had to take 3 different tube lines to get to our destination. Most of the shops weren't open yet when we got there around 9:30, so we hadn't missed much. For about 5 hours we wandered around the general Brick Lane area sauntering through endless vintage shops, craft stalls, and crap stalls (not literal crap, just junk). I have never seen so many vintage shops in my life! It's crazy how many fur and leather coats there are in those places, along with super heavy knit sweaters. I also found a lot of old U.S. military coats which was kind of ironic. Yes, they were very cool, but I would never buy one in ENGLAND. That's just backwards. Plus, they were expensive, so I just admired them and moved on. For lunch, I had a spinach and feta Turkish wrap and some baklava which were both delicious. I bought 4 pairs of super cozy socks, 2 hankies, and ( uh oh ) I totally splurged . . . on a hat, of all things. Oh dear, it was expensive, but it's adorable. Shelby, you would love it. I would take a picture of it, but I can't do it justice right now because I'm in my room and in my grubbies. You'll see it eventually.
       It was really cold outside as we walked around, and it rained most of the time too. To ease our misery, Marta and I stopped in a small cafe for some hot chocolate and then decided we were done with the wet and cold. We manuevered our way back to campus through the 3 tube lines while catching small naps in between stops. Freezing and exhausted, we waited at the bus stop for 40 minutes while the driver took his break. Maddening! When we finally got back, I promptly took a nap until it was time to leave for church. I missed the bus by about 1 minute (of course), but thankfully caught the next one which actually did arrive according to schedule in about 15 minutes. I met up with a friend at the tube station, and we went to church. While I'm really enjoying Christ Church, I still feel like a visitor. I don't want to get too settled there because I know I have to leave soon, but now I'm starting to realize the value in having a "home church." You can invest yourself in a "home church." It's kinda like the difference between casual dating and a serious relationship. There isn't much investment in casual dating but there definately is in a serious relationship. I guess you could say that FBCFO is my church boyfriend, but I'm seeing another man (Christ Church) on the side. Hmmm, that's a messy example, but you get my point, right?
       On the way back from church, I got stuck at the bus stop for about 40 minutes AGAIN in the freezing cold. Having quickly fallen out of the post-church "holy" mood, I was pissed and ready for my warm bed. Now, I'm in my room, wearing 3 pairs of socks, thick sweatpants, and a sweatshirt.
       Despite my frustrations with the bus situation, I am still troubled/burdened with the poor plight of the bus drivers, and the security guards as well, for that matter. I want to find a way to make their days better. I think I should cook something for them.
       One other burden. I really want my friends to know Jesus, but I'm having a really hard time with how to go about sharing Him with them. This leads me into my prayer request:

Prayer Request of the Day: That the Lord would fill my heart with His love and that it would spill over onto others.