More Than a Stay — A Divine Appointment

On our final day in London, before we make our way to board the beautiful MS Nieuw Statendam (and yes… ships set sail, not take off—we’re learning!), Carl and I did something we had been looking forward to.

We took a tour of our hotel—The Royal Horseguards Hotel. Oh my… what a place.

Perfectly positioned along the River Thames, we could walk to so many iconic sights—the London Eye, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, and even catch a glimpse of Big Ben standing tall in the distance. We truly felt like we were right in the heartbeat of London.

But what we didn’t expect… was what happened next.

Our guide, a kind and gentle man named Stamatios, began walking us through the rich history—marble staircases, portraits of royalty, stories of leaders and legends. This building dates back to 1884, once luxury apartments, later becoming headquarters for intelligence agencies like MI5 and MI6, even holding secret tunnels used during World War II.

Fascinating? Absolutely. But then… something even more meaningful happened.

He paused… looked at me… and said, “Are you Christians? I see your cross.”

And just like that, the tour became something holy.

He shared about his illness—the long road, the uncertainty—and asked if we would pray for him.

Oh Donna… right there… in a place where history was made… God made a moment.

We didn’t hesitate.

We prayed right there in that grand, historic space. Not rushed. Not quiet. Just real. Asking our Great Physician to touch his body, to bring healing, to bring peace.

In that moment, it didn’t matter who had walked those halls before us.

What mattered… was that God had walked us right to him.

We exchanged cards, hugged like old friends, and went on our way—but not unchanged.

Because sometimes the greatest part of a trip isn’t the places you see…

…it’s the people God places right in front of you.

And I can tell you this—
That moment?

It was worth the entire trip.