A Day at the Gower

I woke up yesterday morning with the sun shining through my windows ... a view I had not seen in quite a few days. It tends to be quite rainy in the United Kingdom ... who would have though?! It was at this point I knew I had to get out of the house and explore. Therefore, Lindsey, Stephanie, (both students from UT and amazing people) and I headed to the Gower Peninsula! It took roughly an hour and half to get there, but it was an hour and a half of Welsh country side. It was beautiful; recall all the country side you have ever seen in Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, and Emma .... it exists; I drove through it yesterday. The bus even had to stop several times to allow horses to cross the street ..... there were horses, cows, and sheep just roaming about. When we finally arrived at Rhossili Bay, we stepped out of the bus and stood there in awe. It is one of the most incredible sights I have ever seen.

Rhossili Bay is made up of huge cliffs and mountains rising over the ocean. Before I began taking thousands of pictures, I walked ahead of the others, and walked out to the edge of one of the cliffs. I stood there, with the wind blowing, gazing into the sun, with mountains and ocean about me, and just listened to the sound of seagulls and waves crashing. It was that sound you love to hear every day in Destin ... but without all the noise of people. Cheesy, I know, but so worth it! As I stood there I wondered how any one could look at this and dare to think .... "Oh, this just popped up one day." Insane. Only "The God of Wonders" could create something as beautiful as what I saw yesterday. Romans 1:20, "For since the creation of the world, God's invisible qualities - His eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." Never before have I really felt the power of this verse until now. Even "the heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the works of His hands" (Pslam 19:1); we have no excuse either.

I have several moments in my life that have had great impacts on me. One, being a moment between my papaw and I right before he passed away. Another, being listening to TAPS play as I looked out over Omaha Beach and the American Cemetery at Normandy. Or the moment spent with great friends, lying under the stars, and watching the amazing Eiffel Tower light show at midnight in Paris. However, standing on a cliff, looking out over the ocean, watching the sun rise, and spending a quiet moment with God may have to be at the top of my list. Absolutely Incredible. "O LORD, Our LORD, How majestic is your name in all of the earth!"(Psalm 8:1) After that, I met back up with the girls, and we continued to take way too many pictures, but they are beautiful memories! We also got to watch the sun rise, chat, and laugh together in one of the most beautiful places.

We ended the day with a HUGE dinner at a local restaurant, plus some Welsh chocolate cake and hot chocolate! Yesterday was a day I will never forget; God showed me so many great things. Psalm 8:3-4, "When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?" I cannot wait to see what God will teach and show me in the next few months and all the adventures I have ahead of me!

Much love from Wales!