1st Homework

Thursday 1st October
Even moooooooore tired!!

Stayed up talking till roughly the same time again last night! We have resolved to go to sleep earlier. But it’s still good fun.

I got the whole lounge cleaned!! Started as soon as I finished breakfast, so hardly anyone was in the lounge and I didn’t have to wait for Henry. He was a very happy hoover when I finished! And just to make my Mum faint again: I quite enjoyed it today.

We had another session on outreach, all about testimonies. I didn’t realise, but testimonies are very powerful because my testimony is my story. It belongs to me and no one can refute it, which is important because we live in an age where truth is not absolute: what is true for one person may not be considered truth by someone else. Apparently it’s called post-modernism. I could think of a few other words for it, but a) they wouldn’t be allowed on the Capernwray network b) they’d probably result in my blog being taken down c) they’d do nothing for my witness and d) . . . Mum, I’ll let you fill in that particular blank. It was a really practical session – and one that would be helpful for anyone on UBM, OAM or any other outreach missions you can think of. If you want my notes (not typed up at time of writing, but will be soon), let me know!

Downside: we have homework already!! Or castle-work or whatever it’s called here. We get to prepare our testimony, but with different timeframes to work with. Great fun!

Our final session on prayer was about how to pray, as a follow on from the Lord’s Prayer session. If a prayer life becomes stale, Psalms are good for restoring that, because the start with adoration, have a confessional element then thanksgiving and finish with a supplication and more praise. Or at the very least, they contain adoration. The ACTS pattern is the pattern the Lord’s Prayer follows, and it’s what should be in our prayers for a healthy prayer life. Not sure how to summarise that without blogging all my notes.

One of our sessions today, the men went to the lounge and had a session and us girls had a session in the conference hall. For the sake of any men who might read this, I won’t write everything that was said. It was practical information, a caution not to flirt but to develop healthy relationships and then something called Secret Sisters. I have never heard of Secret Sisters before, but it sounds like such a good idea. All the girls are going to get a name on a piece of paper on Monday and that girl will be our secret sister. Each week, at least, we pray for them, try to encourage them whether with a note on their desk or in the pigeon hole, or maybe even a gift. Then at Christmas, we’re going to have a grand unveiling and find out who our secret sister was. It’s all meant to be anonymous, so we DON’T sign anything!!

The rest of the sessions were Introduction to the Bible again where we were looking at why we should read and study the Bible, why we can believe and what will help us understand the Bible and about the Persons of Christ and the Holy Spirit (which came under why we can believe etc.). Somewhere in all there – whilst talking about the Person of Christ – Mark (MD of Capernwray) through in a question for instance, as he likes to do, and then ended up in a twenty minute question and answer session on heaven and hell. The session overran, Mark got more than he bargained for, but it was really good. My attitude to things like that tends to be that if I don’t understand it, I know what I believe and God understands it. But when the questions start, I do love getting answers, so it was a great time.

There was a bonfire last night. I didn’t go though because I had some sleep to catch up on. Not everyone went to it anyway. It was sooooo nice to sleep! Roll on Saturday and my lie-in!