A Full Week with Many Things Wesley

I am sorry for the lack of updates this past week. As I recount the travels, I think you will understand. There is a lot I could say in terms of reflection for each day, however for the sake of time my reflections unfortunately will have to wait until another time.

Sunday, we attended a Methodist church in Oxford. It was a wonderful communion service. In the evening, we went out to dinner with my uncle and aunt to begin our week together with them serving as our tour guides.

Monday, we drove to Wales to visit my Aunt’s mom, Sheila. Along the way, we stopped at a few old English and Welsh towns. One church we visited dated back to the 13th century. You know a building is old when the “newer” grave markers are dated from the 17th century. That night we had a wonderful meal with Sheila. Her house is the former home of the village miller. The mill itself, dating back to the Medieval period, sits across the street.

Tuesday, we traveled to the ocean. The scene included a rocky cliff covered in sheep, the ocean, rain clouds (a common occurrence in the UK), and a large island named “Worm’s Head.” Upon the return drive toward Sheila’s we stopped to look at an old cottage where John Wesley stayed a number of times as he passed through the town of Oxwich Bay. Complete with thatched roof, the cottage was postcard material.

Wednesday, we visited a museum of Welsh Life. It was the Welsh equivalent to Greenfield Village. That night we stayed in a B & B in Wickwar. The building, now a B & B, once served as a 17th century stable used to house horses of visitors passing through town. On September 5, 1753, John Wesley preached in the streets of Wickwar. It is likely his horse stayed where we slept. However, I think the horse was in a different room, the bed would have been too small.

Thursday, we traveled to Bath. Bath was established as a resort town for the Roman Empire in 43 A.D. The baths were built utilizing the naturally occurring hot springs. The construction, architecture, technology, and even the plumbing used centuries ago were impressive to say the least. It is interesting to think of the likelihood that a person who may have seen Jesus face-to-face may have visited this place. Bath was also a town which John Wesley frequented on his preaching circuit. The man traveled 250,000 miles on horseback throughout his life, there are not too many towns which he missed. Rachel enjoyed walking through a restaurant called “The Pump Room,” any Jane Austen fan would find this a familiar place. That night we returned to my Uncle and Aunt’s home.

Friday, we visited Windsor Castle. Natalie loved seeing a real castle where a real queen lives and soaked in the whole tour. Having recently experienced Disney World, Alana asked if there were any pirates in this ride. I found it interesting to see the grave marker of Henry VIII, the founder of the Church of England (although not under the purest of motives). Probably even more exciting was the opportunity this provided to break out in the popular song by Herman’s Hermits. Friday night we enjoyed visiting with my cousin Sophie. Sophie is a Paralympic equestrian athlete who competes for Great Britain. We asked her to bring her medals from the Athens and Beijing Games. Natalie thought it was really cool to meet Sophie and to hold her medals, especially after seeing footage the night before of Sophie receiving an award from the Queen herself.

Saturday, my uncle and I traveled to Bristol to tour the oldest Methodist church in the world, the New Room as it was called, established by John Wesley. In the upstairs, they preserved John Wesley’s room where he stayed when traveling to Bristol, along with many artifacts relevant to his life. Afterward, the timing worked great allowing us the opportunity to watch my cousin Alex play field hockey for his university in Bristol. I enjoyed watching my first ever field hockey match, however, it was quite cold. I threatened to introduce some American customs like “the wave” and let out a few loud cheers, but I was afraid I would find Alex’s embarrassment threshold.

Sunday, we returned home to Oxford, keeping a low-key day.

Monday, we toured the Oxford Castle. The castle dates back over a thousand years. In more recent years (meaning the past few hundred) it was used as a prison until the mid-1990’s. While in Oxford, John and Charles Wesley used to visit the inmates. When hearing of the extremely harsh treatment the prisoners received, I realized how incredibly revolutionary the Wesley brothers were in ministering to those neglected by society.

Well, you can see it was an incredibly full, educational, exciting, and enjoyable week while also being able to connect with my extended family this side of the Atlantic. Each day would probably deserve its own blog entry, but limited internet access last week prevented it. In a word of summary, WOW! The history here is remarkable. Just wait until you hear what I did today!