.... Part 2?

I have a story to tell, and its way overdue. It's from my summer and one of my most cherished memories. I actually wrote this post in January but never published it.

Speakers Corner
We arrived in London on a chilly Saturday morning. We groggily sat through orientation/training that day, and happily went to bed that night. The next morning my team woke up and hit the ground running- no time for jet lag! We went to an area of Hyde Park called Speaker's Corner. I'm not really sure how to describe Speaker's Corner; it's unlike any place in the U.S. Basically, anybody from anywhere can go there and say anything they want (as long is it's not talking bad about the Queen). On any given Sunday, there are about five to seven speakers speaking at once while crowds stand around them discussing and arguing. Sometimes the crowds break into smaller groups of debate, other times they become one large debate. Muslims and Christians largely dominate Speaker's Corner, and the hostility is very clear. The best I can do is give you two YouTube videos to illustrate the atmosphere:

I absolutely hated every single minute of being there. The darkness swallowed you up as you walked towards the crowds; the oppression was physically present to me. As we walked up to Speaker's Corner, we all agreed that since it was our first day in the city, we would most likely listen to what everybody had to say and keep away from debating or shouting matches. That lasted about ten minutes. Before you know it, several men from my group were engaged in a debate with the imam in the second video. As they were talking, the man's years of expertise started to show. I seriously started to second guess everything I believe and wonder why in the world I am actually a Christian. I wasn't even sure if Jesus is the Son of God. (side note: I'm very sure of it now)

Then.

A random British woman with long blonde hair popped out of nowhere and began to talk to the man on the stool. As they argued, he commented that she should not be speaking because she was a woman. He meant to quote 1 Corinthians 11, but accidentally said 1 Corinthians 13. To set him straight, the British woman whipped out her iPhone and began reading God's living and active word.

"If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."

As those words were spoken (shouted) I felt something I had never felt before. The darkness that suppressed the area was literally and physically FLEEING. At the mention of God's truth, lies from the Quran had nothing on which to stand. 1 Corinthians was completely irrelevant to the imam's argument, but he stood speechless for a moment. During that pause, one of our men shouted, "JESUS IS LORD!" Suddenly all the Christians began shouting and praising Jesus- it's like we couldn't contain ourselves! I don't care who you are- the Word of God is living and active and sharper than any double edged sword.