We ventured into downtown London to see the London Bridge and the Tower of London. Per the usual London weather, it began to sprinkle as we walked along the Thames River. As we began to cross London Bridge it seemed that the Heavens opened and it began to rain. Not just a little summer rain storm, but, a monsoon! By the time we got half way across the bridge we were soaked to the bone and looked something a kin to drowned rats. So we did the only logical thing...we ran. We finally ducked into a pub, the name of which I did not catch, where we were immediately met with knowing gazes. We quickly raced downstairs to the toilets where we spent the next twenty minutes attempting to get dry.
We agreed that it would be best to wait out the storm in the pub and as we left the downstairs area we ran into a mother and her son who had also taken shelter. As we exchanged pleasantries we realized that both parties were from the States. Mary and her son, Joshua, offered that they were from San Diego, California. Sam explained she was from Montana and I was from Ohio. Mary's eyes instantly brightened at "Ohio," and she asked where about. I explained very "generally" that I lived "near" Columbus, assuming that she would have no idea where Springfield actually was.
And this is where it gets interesting!
She said, "Well, I grew up in Urbana!" And that, ladies and gentlemen, is when my mouth hit the floor! I explained that that is where my father grew up. Now, if you know anything at all about Urbana, you know that it is a town where everyone knows everyone. Well, it turns out that the know Mary Miller (formerly a Dye) grew up a few houses down from the incredibly "famous" Alan Watson. Her brother, Matt, and my father grew up best friends.
Unbelievable...there are over 7 billion people on this entire earth and we ran into someone who grew up with my dad. It was wonderful! And though I had never met Mary before, or had the pleasure to meet Matt, we were able to find that common connection: a lasting friendship, that neither of us was a part of. We spent the next hour and a half trying to dry off and sharing some great stories.
Joshua, Sam, Me, and Mary enjoying some pub food and attempting to dry off from the rain!
God works in mysterious ways. What if we had gone into a different pub? What if we had just sat down instead of drying off a bit first? It was either fate, or an act of God that caused us to cross paths. We talked about God's mission for us and Mary told us she would add us to her prayer list. It was comforting to know that even after our brief meeting that we would be kept close to her heart.
Well tomorrow we head to Stratford to meet up with a Time for God field officer, Victoria, who has graciously invited us to church and "a very English" lunch afterward. As promised, I will update everyone on our travel stories, but I just had to share this unbelievable story!!!
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