Chester, England

Yesterday The Kunars took us to Chester, which is an old Roman city from about 200 AD. You know Trace was drooling all over himself at all the history! It was beautiful!! We got to walk on the roman wall that surrounds the city, which was unbelievable and walked to the tower where King Charles stood and watched his army get defeated. We also went in the cathedral where Handel wrote and practiced 'Messiah'. Just craziness! We also shopped and ate lunch at a great cafe', then bought lots of yummy chocolate. I tried Turkish Delight there, too, and it was good, but I wouldn't betray my family for it! (Narnia) On the way home we stopped at a store like WalMart and got to compare grocery prices, which is comparable to the States on most things. Next to it was a old church that was converted into a wall climbing facility! There are others that have been converted to liquor stores!

I knew ahead of time that Western Europe was in desperate need of the Gospel of Grace, but I have learned some more things about the culture that just shocked me! The break down of the family unit is tremendous! The children just walk the streets at night because their parents kick them out after supper. They are not allowed to discipline their children, so there is no sense of respect for anyone or even themselves really. Britain has the highest teen pregnancy rate in Europe,as you can imagine. Economically, its better for a couple not to get married and both parents work (if there are even two parents in the home) and work longer evening hours (typical workday is 9-6 or 7). So, with no way to discipline the kids, you can kind of see why parents tell them to go and not come back until bedtime! The gangs of kids are causing most of the violent crimes lately. Not long ago, a gang of kids were vandalizing a man's home and he came out to run them off and they beat him to death! That is a glimpse of a culture with no discipline. The common thought here is not just 'I don't want to go to church', but 'Church is bad for you'. I'd say that's one step away from persecution.

Tonight, we are meeting with a couple from the church-Paul and Anne-Marie Burchall. They can be a great resource for us because she worked in the school system for a long time, so we have a lot of questions for her! Also, they are members of the local Sports Club, which is apparently hard to get into to unless you know a member who will get you in. If we move here, we'd definitely want in to that club to meet lots of people. Also, Alan (the other missionary)coaches 2 American Football teams, so he'll need help with that!

Tomorrow, we take the train to Dundee to see another team. This site visit has been very helpful! We can't wait to get home and see you guys! Thank you all for your support and prayers! More later...