OLYMPICS | Serena Butler
Even before the Olympics bring thousands of people from around the world to London, it seems as though the world has already arrived here. During our second day of orientation, we learned about the city’s diverse population:
- 12-14 million people in the greater London area
- More than 300 languages spoken in the public schools here
- Less than 10% of Londoners are in church on any given Sunday
You can’t see them, but there are 21 other Americans waiting to take a picture in this phone booth.
We also got a lesson in pin trading, a major Olympic past-time. It’s also an outreach tool used to share the Gospel. We each received some pins to give away, and had an opportunity to purchase pins from past Olympics to help us start conversations with people we’ll meet.
To end the day, we had a traditional English dinner – fish and chips- in St. Margarets, the town where we’re staying. Then we “took a wander” down the main street, enjoying the quaint homes. We found a phone booth and each team member took a turn posing in it. We drew several onlookers. I’m sure it was quite a site to see 22 Americans all excited about one phone booth. As we strolled along, several people asked us why we’re here. We had the chance to tell them we’re here for the Olympics and are working with some churches in the area.
Up next: Heading into the city to meet our host churches and being the ministry part of our trip. We’re excited and ready to get started!
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