PrayerWalk Guides

Sorry, folks. Traveler’s Checks are a thing of the ancient past. They’ve been replaced by debit cards, credit cards and most recently … Cash Passports.

I’d heard about Cash Passports for several years but was skeptical about them: I always felt deep down that it was some kind of scam. However, after reading some positive testimonials, I decided to try one this year for my trip to England.

You can get a Cash Passport at the exchange company Travelex, found in the international terminals of major airports. You put an initial sum on the card (you get the best deal on exchange rates if you go over a certain amount, like $700) then use it as if it were a debit card, either as a swipe card or to withdraw money from ATMs. It’s widely accepted here in England.

So why use a Cash Passport instead of a debit card? Several reasons.

(1) It has a “chip and pin” system which makes it very secure for use in Europe; over here they consider our non-chip US cards (both debit and credit) very unsafe as it’s much easier to steal information from them.

(2) The amount of the card is in British Pounds (you can also choose Euros) so you only have to deal with exchange rates one time, upon purchase of the card at the airport, and the rest of the time you can figure out everything in British Pounds based on the remaining balance on your card.

In my opinion, it beats having to monitor the exchange rates on your checking account as transactions go through, as well as being charged a percentage for each transaction. The advantage of a Cash Passport over a credit card is similar to that of a debit card with the additional advantage that the CP lets you withdraw cash without charge, whereas a credit card would charge for a cash advance.

You can check your balance online (supposedly — I’ve just been keeping a tally of all my expenses) and if it gets lost or stoelen there’s a number you can call immediately to deactivate the card and you’ll be issued a new one with the remaining balance.

Bottom line is that everyone has a different system and preference for how to handle their money abroad. I’ve tried the CP this year and been very pleased with how it’s worked for me. I think I’ll continue using the CP in my travels in the future. You might want to check it out, too!

Happy 4th of July!

We would soon be heading out to the Boathouse where our Oxford RAs are preparing for us a dinner to remember. Who would have thought that 236 years after our little revolution, the Brits would be hosting us in a little barbecue to celebrate our Independence Day? Just a little twist of irony.

But not the strangest thing that’s every happened here. I think that award goes to last year’s Oxford program students Trey Ramsey and Alycia Graves teaching the Chinese students how to do the electric slide, after they’d helped us celebrate the 4th of July — a holiday they’d never heard of before.

I love these multicultural interactions.

Will have photos later!

Western Road Rowhouses, Oxford, England

We had a sunshiny and — get this — warm day here in Oxford for the first day of class and the Welcome Tea. In fact (and this is a first-ever phenomenon for me) I got a little sunburn from sitting in the Hertford College quad for the better part of an hour. Sunburnt. In Oxford.

Yesterday’s lunch was chicken in a white wine sauce with a sort of rice pilaf, snowpeas and carrots. Chocolate cake for dessert.

Chicken in Wine Sauce

Walking back from class today, I made the mistake of taking a shortcut through the Covered Market. I came out on the other side with two flower containers and 3 bouquets of flowers from the discount bin!

Blue Flowers

Lilies in my dorm room

Ahhhhh! A traditional English breakfast. The smell wafted up to me on the top floor of Abingdon House as I woke up this morning, my stomach rumbling in anticipation. The fare did not disappoint.

An English Breakfast

Eggs, “bacon,” mushroom, tomato, hash browns, sausage plus toast, croissants, fresh fruit and berries and several options of cereal, juices, milk and coffee. It’s the breakfast of kings. What a great way to start a Sunday morning!

Already Day Three and it’s going much too quickly. Another thing that’s going quickly is my spending money!! Why is it so much easier to spend British pounds than American dollars? I guess partly because it doesn’t feel like real money.

Tea with my colleague Diane — and yes, that is a winter sweater in June.

Lots of administrative details to deal with today but the highlight of the day was probably tea for three at the Grand Cafe, the oldest coffeehouse in England (established in 1650). Had “cream tea” with my colleague Diane and her son: cream tea consists of delicious scones (nothing like the hockey pucks you get in the States!) with clotted cream, jam and — of course — tea. We had a great time discussing the cultural differences between the British and Americans.

Diane & son Josh at Grand Cafe

Another highlight was getting a pass to the Botanic Garden — my favorite spot in Oxford.

Botanic Gardens, Oxford

Our students arrive tomorrow!

Christ Church Cathedral

Oxford.There’s just something about this place that makes me walk around with a smile on my face.

One thing I love about it is that it changes at such a slow pace that everything is still familiar from one year to the next. Sure, students may sometimes have complaints about limited access or no wifi — I understand; I go crazy if I don’t check email daily, too — but this is Oxford!

I am hoping and praying that this year’s group will be predisposed to fall in love with Oxford; that they will be flexible and adaptable; that they will have a sense of humo(u)r and enjoy everything that comes their way here, knowing what a privilege it is to be here and how neat it is to be in England.

This is my sixth year to help coordinate the program and I feel like one of the luckiest (most blessed, in “Christianeze”) gals in the world.

Smartest thing I did this year: PACKED LIGHT!! Everything fit into a rollarboard carryon bag!

Dumbest thing I did this year: Didn’t bring a book to read. My reasoning was that I could buy something here but it’s the end of Day Two and still no book! There’s always tomorrow but it stinks to be without a good book.

Today, my colleague Diane and her son Josh arrived. They were tired from their trip but they were such troopers as I dragged them around town saying, “I promise … although this feels like torture right now, you’ll thank me later when you have the best sleep of your life tonight!” The biggest mistake people can make is to sleep during the day on their first night overseas. The quickest way to get over jetlag is to adapt immediately to the local schedule of eating and sleeping.

We had a pleasant lunch “in Hall” with Fatjon and some other members of the Hertford College staff. They are such lovely people! Each one so smart and sweet-spirited. After lunch, we meet with the International Programmes director and with Fatjon so that they could get to know Diane a little better.

Afterwards we took the “mandatory” Oxford sightseeing bus tour. I think this was my 4th time to go?? It beats a walking tour when you are fighting hard to stay awake but need to get familiar with the layout of the city. Then dinner, then grocery shopping, then “home.”

Goodnight! Will report again tomorrow. The fun shifts into high gear when students arrive on Saturday!

P.S. Blame any typos on the jetlag …

“God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you.” 1 Sam. 12:23

It’s a classic scenario. A friend approaches you with a need, asking you to pray. Eagerly, you nod and assure your friend, “I’ll be praying for you” … only to forget about it approximately 30 seconds later. And then there’s that twinge of guilt when you see the friend again: you meant well, but you totally forgot to pray.

Praying for someone in need is arguably the most unselfish thing you will do today. Committing to pray for someone means that you are willing to shoulder their burdens until the Lord provides answers or relief. But developing the habit of prayer takes discipline. Here are some things to remember:

• You are not responsible to pray for all the requests of the world. Pay special attention when someone comes to you and asks specifically for prayer.
• When you “take on” a prayer request, treat it as what it is: a divine commission.
• Ask God for reminders and take advantage of them when they come; don’t be surprised if they occur in the middle of the night.
• Don’t rely solely on divine reminders. Get the proper systems in place as memory aids. Keep a prayer journal to facilitate recall.
• Schedule a regular time for prayer, just like you would anything else of importance in your life — like exercise and meal times.

Just saying “I’ll be praying for you” may get you some points with your friend in the here-and-now, but it doesn’t make much impact unless you follow through. But the exciting thing is the more you pray, the more you will see God’s hand working in mysterious ways to answer your prayers!

“Gracious Holy Spirit, so much of my life seems to revolve around my interests and my welfare. I would like to live just one day in which everything I did benefited someone besides myself. Perhaps prayer for others is a starting point. Help me to do so without any need for praise or reward. In Jesus’ name. Amen.” (From Richard J. Foster’s Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home)

Praying but not getting answers? See post titled An Explanation for Unanswered Prayer?

Have you ever:

• Felt wide awake in the middle of the night when you should have been sleeping?
• Had huge food cravings at the most inconvenient times?
• Felt groggy and like your head was full of concrete in the middle of the day?

You may have been experiencing jetlag. Anyone who’s suffered jetlag can testify to how maddening it can be. The rule of thumb is that it takes one day to recover from jetlag for every time zone you’ve crossed. For example, if you fly to London from New York you’ll cross five time zones and it will be five hours later at your destination than at your port of departure.

Who wants to spend five days recovering from jetlag? A new study tested the theory that fasting may be key to avoiding jetlag — completely. Watch the video below and see what lengths you’d go through to avoid jetlag. I’m still thinking about this one.

My love for you, Lord, is not an uncertain feeling but a matter of conscious certainty. With your word you pierced my heart, and I loved you … But when I love you, what do I love? It is not physical beauty nor temporal glory nor the brightness of light dear to earthly eyes, nor the sweet melodies of all kinds of songs, nor the gentle odour of flowers and ointments and perfumes, nor manna or honey, nor limbs welcoming the embraces of the flesh; it is not these I love when I love my God.

Yet there is a light I love, and a food, and  a kind of embrace when I love my God — a light, voice, odour, food, embrace of my inner man, where my soul is floodlit by light which space cannot contain, where there is sound that time cannot seize, where there is a perfume which no breeze disperses, where there is a taste for food no amount of eating can lessen, and where there is a bond of union that no satiety can part. That is what I love when I love my God.

– St. Augustine in Confessions