Hey Friends,

It has been a day of distress for many people in Central London. I am so grateful for God's grace and mercy. His hand was guiding me. This morning for some reason I left my flat thirty minutes early to go to work at Age Concern on Edgware Road. I left the Earl's Court tube station for the Edgware Road tube station at a little past 8:15 am. I arrived at Edgware Road shortly past 8:30am. I usually leave Earl's Court at 8:30 am and arrive at Edgware Road between 8:50am and 9:00am. If I had left at my usual time today, then I would have been using the underground when the bomb exploded at Edgware Road.

When I finally got in touch with my family at 2:30 pm, my Mom said that sometimes God puts little thoughts of directions into our heads sometimes. He definitely put a thought in my head this morning to leave earlier than usual. There was no need for me to because I could have chosen to wait, but I went. God protected me all day. I am so blessed and grateful. But my heart goes out for the 33+ who unexpectedly lost there lives today. It just seems so ironic that yesterday I was in Trafalgar's Square during the joyous announcement that London won the bid for the 2012 Olympic games, and today I was a two minute walk from the Edgware Road stop where seven people lost their lives. I missed that tube by thirty minutes. I get chills just thinking about it. I cannot answer all of the why questions, but I do know that I grateful serve a loving God who protects his children. When I was watching the reports in the Leonora Centre, I asked God a question. (The Leonora Centre is a ten minute walk going north away from Edgware Road. This is where we went when we were evacuated today shortly after the explosion at 8:50 this morning.) I want to know this God, "How am I to be a vessel of your peace in a series of crisis such as these?" Pain and heartache have flooded the lives of many families today. Jesus is the truth. He gives life in his water and healing in his touch. These are things that I do know in a moment of peace or chaos. Please pray for the people who are hurting and those who do not yet know that they have lost loved ones. And the perpetrators, too.

I do hope that each one of you who read this e-mail are doing well. God's blessings.
Consecrated to God,
Elizabeth