Portobello Road and a Song (May 7th - 8th)

--- Saturday May 7th ---

We went to Portobello Road today. This road is home to a large street market the specializes in antiques but is still home to many other spoils and goods. Some of the places will banter with you as it is a street market. For example, I wanted to get myself a new hat. There are a lot of places that sell hats along the market so you could potentially play one against another. The hat ended up getting was originally priced for 25 pounds but I managed to get the hat and a hat brush for 18 pounds.

The Road also has a number of food stalls featuring cuisine from around the world. I found a place that sold DÖnor Kebabs, or simply called 'Donors' or 'Kebabs'. Donor Kebabs originally come from Turkey but these ones were the German-Turkish kind. I don't know what they did to the bread and meat but it was amazing! It was one of the best things I've eaten here.

Donor Kebab
(Not my photo)

We also found a place called Sir Plus (I see what you did there). It's a higher end fashion store and they had a setup on Portobello Road. They were showing off their vest and so i decided to try one on. With the expert help of one of the salesmen, we found instantly found a vest that fit me. The vest was very nice. However that probably wasn't the reason they are 135 pounds (yep...135 pounds = 200 dollars at the moment). The reason was probably the fact that they make everything from "cabbage". Not actual cabbage but "cabbage" meaning the unused scraps of fabric. So when someone makes a dress, or something, the leftover fabric that they don't use is the "cabbage". These scraps are generally sold for cheap at fabric stores but if you're a good business man you can make that cheap excess into a wonderful vest and make a killing off of it.

That night we went to see a Indian movie called Charulata. i wish I could tell you want it was about and recommend it or not but I took a nap part way through and it was kind of hard to follow when I woke up.

--- May 8th Sunday ---

It was Stake Conference today. The Stake President, who had been serving for the past 15 years in a Stake Presidency calling, was released and called as an Area Seventy. Talk about having no breaks.

We had a bit of a laugh during the meeting. One of the speakers was telling a story about his teenage years. If he went out to hangout with friends, his parents would have a scripture family meeting with him. If his friends met at his place, they would have to wait for or participate in this meeting. Here is what the man said "One of the cherished memories was during one of these meetings was passing my scriptures to my non-member friend: Big John, the Jew." I and the 2 guys next to me did a double take and began cracking up. Big John the Jew. Isn't that just the greatest name ever? The 2 guys next to me are in a screenwriting class and both of them wanted to use that name for their assignment.

After Church we went to Westminster Abbey to not only marvel in its art, architecture, and history but to participate in one of their services known as Evensong. Here's what the program says about the service. "At Choral Evensong most of the service is sung by the choir on our behalf. We participate through our presence and our listening, that the words and the music might become a prayer within us and lift us to contemplate God's beauty and glory."

Many of us found the service to be very uplifting, inspiring, and in ways more spiritual than our own Church meeting that day. We had a wonderful discussion about it later that evening. In our church we talk about the Gift of the Holy Ghost. It is the bringer of light and sanctifies all of those who have it. The thing we tend to forget about it is that it can sanctify us anywhere and bring light to us from all things that are trying to find light and truth. It's the reason why we can read, for example, books by C.S. Lewis and have a spiritual experience, be taught by the Spirit, and have more light and truth given to us.

"We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things."