Let’s share Jesus with everyone, explore history at The British Museum, and try lots of good London eats.
📅 Trip Dates: March 10-19, 2023
Day 6: Wednesday, March 15th
Hidden Coffee
📍 47-49 Camden Rd, London NW1 9SL, United Kingdom ✘ Camden Town
Started my morning with a coffee. Happiness to my soul!! This flat white was so good. Hidden Coffee is a cute local coffeeshop.
My Order: DF, GF flat white w/coconut milk.
London Zoo
📍 Regent’s Park ✘ Camden Town
We ventured to Regent’s Park to start our prayer walks. John Michael and I discovered a zoo within the park and we were geeking at the camel haha.
Regent’s Canal
📍 Regent’s Canal ✘ Camden Town
Regent’s Canal was beautiful. I love being near water. Water is an element that always brings me peace.
Prayer Walks @ Primrose Hill
📍 Primrose Hill ✘ Regent’s Park
As a team, we split off into groups for prayer walks around Regent’s Park. Evangelizing with strangers involved a lot of rejection, and that is life.
Although conversations are not a tangible success metric, the impact of sharing the Gospel with someone who has possibly never heard of it before, is huge. Oftentimes, you aren’t able to see the fruit of your work. But, by simply putting your best foot forward, that’s all you can do! Jesus is for everyone.
One conversation that stuck with me, to this day over 1-year ago after the mission, was a lady we walked past who was feeding birds. Immediately, John Michael and I wanted to get to know her story! I definitely believe God called us to talk to her because she shared how she used to be involved in church, but had deep church hurt. It was really sad to hear about. We, humans, are indeed imperfect and flawed. John Michael and I listened to her and were able to give her a flyer to Redeemer Queens Park‘s church services.
Dinner @ Alice House
📍 53-55 Salusbury Rd, London NW6 6NJ, United Kingdom ✘ Queen’s Park
We grabbed dinner in Queen’s Park with the some of the West family: Elizabeth, Perry, and Shepherd, which was so sweet! This restaurant was so aesthetic!! My first time ever having mackerel!
My Order: Mackerel, Pink Fir Potatoes, Rainbow Chard, Capers, Apple Gremolata.
A Series of Events: Olivia + Shepherd being silly @ Good Space
📍 4a Lonsdale Rd, London NW6 6RD, United Kingdom ✘ Queen’s Park
Shepherd was being silly, so of course I encouraged it and channeled my inner-child playing along. We tested out the Good Space Coworking soundproof office booth and played telephone through the walls HAHA. I will take the crown as the winner of the wall sit champion!
David Brown, Founder of Good Space Coworking, shared his entrepreneurial wisdom with the team to why, he and his family, left the U.S. to help launch RQP and to found Good Space Coworking in London. He spoke about “Faith and Work” and I LOVED it. I quickly realized I think similarly to David Brown and share a similar aptitude towards entrepreneurship.
Day 7: Thursday, March 16th
GAIL’S Bakery
📍 75 Salusbury Rd, London NW6 6NH, United Kingdom ✘ Queen’s Park
We grabbed some coffee at GAILS’s Bakery to start our day. No shocker here, yet another flat white!
My Order: DF Oat Milk Flat White.
Gordon Ramsay Street Burger
📍 26 Cowcross St, London EC1M 6DQ, United Kingdom ✘ Farringdon
I was very excited to have my first burger in like 8 years omg! Also geeking we went to a Gordon Ramsay restaurant haha!! This place was alright, but we were all so hungry. The sweet potato fries did hit.
My Order: DF, GF #BAE burger (Grass-fed Hereford beef, smoked cheese, beechwood dry cured bacon, over easy egg) with sweet potato fries. YUM!
RQP Sermon by Thomas West
📍 Inspire Church ✘ Saint James Church Garden
We did a lot of passing out flyers this day throughout the neighborhoods of Queen’s Park. We ended our night with a sermon taught by Thomas West, the pastor of RQP at the time. The West family now lives in the U.S., as I am writing this in June 2024. Here’s a picture of all of the women on mission, from my church and the mission partner church from Florida. So sweet! Sisters in Christ!!
Day 8: Friday, March 17th
Brunch @ GAIL’s
📍 GAIL’s Bakery Westbourne Grove
The gals grabbed brunch at GAIL’s. GAIL’s is very popular in London! My chia seed pudding was pretty mid lol.
My Order: DF, GF Mango Chia Seed Pudding and an Americano.
The British Museum
📍 Great Russell St, London WC1B 3DG, United Kingdom
Seeing the Rosetta Stone was SO COOL. The description card stated, “The Rosetta Stone carries an inscription in different languages which helped decipher the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic script. It is the only surviving fragment of a larger stone slab (stela) recording a decree on 27 March, 196 BC” (Source: The British Museum).
WELLNESS HEAVEN: Planet Organic
📍 23-24 Tottenham Ct Rd, London W1T 1BJ, United Kingdom
Mana Foods in Maui was Heaven on earth. Well, Planet Organic might be Wellness Heaven of the UK. Omg. I found this place after YELPing for a lunch spot, and this was the coolest place EVER. I was literally geeking around the whole store hahahaha. The “GRIND” products totally inspire my brand vision for when GAINS AND GLOW has products someday!! 10/10 shop!! Petition to have “Planet Organic” in the U.S.!!!!
My Order: DF, GF Blueberry Peanut Butter Protein Oats (yum!!), Superfood Coffee (with espresso, maca, reishi & hazelnut milk), and deliciously ella (her brand was founded in the UK) double chocolate caramel cups.
Grandma Mary ❤️ 3.17.2023
We were on our way to a RQP team dinner, when I got the call that my best friend in the whole wide world, my Grandma, went to heaven on this day. This was probably one of the hardest moments for me to grieve in a place that was foreign to me. I was still going through my knee injury at the time, and I just graduated college 4 months prior. This was extremely devastating. I didn’t know how to feel. I didn’t know how to function. But, I just continued to lean in on my faith and my relationship with God.
It’s been over a year now, and I am able to reflect and write about this. I believe my Grandma chose the sweetest time to return home to our Creator. She chose to leave this earth when I was surrounded by my church family, not when I was solo-traveling to Hawaii or other travels during my 3-months of adventures. My Grandma was the closest person to me. We spent so much of my middle and high school years together. I know she is so proud of me. I miss her all the time. She is the one person who believed in me beyond understanding. I felt so loved by my Grandmother. She missed my Grandfather so much! Now they are both home with Jesus.
Day 9: Saturday, March 18th
Morning Quiet Time
📍 The Phoenix Hotel
God gives his toughest battles to His strongest soldiers. For the remainder of my mission, I truly clung to the word of God and my faith.
Fortnum & Mason | Tea
📍 181 Piccadilly, St. James’s, London W1A 1ER, United Kingdom ✘ Piccadilly Circus
Fortum & Mason was tea paradise. Omg. This made me too happy. I got SO much tea, lowkey went way too wild. I got 8 loose-leaf teas and a Madagascar honey hehe.
Kahve Dunyasi | Turkish Coffee
📍 200 Piccadilly, St. James’s, London W1J 9HU, United Kingdom ✘ Piccadilly Circus
This was my first time trying Turkish coffee and I was really excited!! Very much so inspired by The Chronicles of Narnia. Turkish coffee is prepared by leaving the grounds at the bottom. So, DON’T TRY THE WHOLE THING like I did lol. I was in for a gross treat: not knowing, quickly realizing, and a good laugh.
My Order: Turkish Coffee.
Cocotte Queen’s Park
📍 79 Salusbury Rd, London NW6 6NH, United Kingdom
The gals grabbed brunch at Cocotte after walking around Piccadilly Circus. This brunch spot was SO yum!!
My Order: Avocado toast with turkey bacon and an sunny side up egg.
RQP Church Service
📍 Salusbury Primary School ✘ Salusbury Rd, London NW6 6RG, United Kingdom
We attended church service at Redeemer Queen’s Park, which was a joy!!! Being able to pray as a team before Pastor Thomas West spoke a sermon was very special. RQP meets at the local Primary School on Saturday’s. My sweet friend, Tilly (on the left) who I got to know dearly on the mission and my new friend Lily (on the right), all got to capture a memory picture together! SO sweet making friends who love Jesus too!!
Pub Pizza + Gelato with RQP Friends
📍 The Salisbury Pub + Creams Gelato
After service ended, it was near dinner time and a few of us went to the local pub and grabbed some pizza. The GF pizza was pretty mid in my opinion lol. And, the DF gelato was too lol. A little underwhelming. But, it was sweet hanging out with friends!
Day 10: Sunday, March 19th
Sunrise Prayer Walk
📍 Kensington Gardens
Ann Frances and I woke up early for a sunrise prayer and reflection walk before we went off to the airport! Gosh! The sunrise was so pretty!! I felt really close to my Grandma and God, by being in nature.
Breakfast @ GAIL’s
📍 Paddington Basin, London W2 1LA, United Kingdom ✘ Paddington
One last time at GAIL’s! I really wanted to try European gluten…so I got a chocolate croissant and it was SO GOOD. I was so excited hehe!! I can’t wait to go back to Europe and try all the things!
My Order: DF, GF flat white w/coconut milk and chocolate croissant.
Flight Home: LHR -> RDU
📍 London -> Raleigh
In the Heathrow airport, I sprinted around (kinda lol) to find postal stamps so that I could mail my London postcard back to my apartment in Raleigh, NC. I am happy to report that my postcard made it to NC, and now lives on my wall.
London, thank you teaching me a lot about my faith, and how one can grow and lean on the Lord even when our faith is tested. Jesus suffered immense pain for our sins, yet He is perfect. Run to Jesus. He is always the answer. He is the Prince of Peace. He is the Son of God. He is our Shepherd.
Providence College Ministry, thank you for allowing me to serve on your team. Redeemer Queen’s Park, thank you for welcoming our church with open hands and thank you for teaching and loving others with a heart like Jesus, in a city as lost as London. There is Hope, Jesus is our Hope.
Psalm 23 - The Lord Is My Shepherd
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
carpe diem,
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