Introduction to Bible School

Monday 28th September
Finally learnt when the internet is available, so I know when I can update this thing and e-mail everyone. More importantly, learnt how the day works.

We have four lecture slots in the morning that are 45 minutes, two lots of 50 minutes in the evening and unless there’s duties, we have free time (I think in Spring School, they’ll be in the morning and afternoon and we’ll have the evenings free). One session each day is given to something different. Mondays, we have interactive groups where students from the same part of the world (or in the case of North America, state/province) get together for a devotional time. Tuesdays, we have a session of student-led worship and a chance to catch up on our reading! Wednesday’s we meet with our family groups. Both kinds of groups have about a dozen students and family groups have a couple of staff members assigned to them who are the ‘parents’. I think the idea is that we meet and socialise, get to know each other better, maybe do some kind of studying together – not sure about that last point. Thursdays, we have a slot for World Prayer or a Mission speaker.

That’s Monday to Thursday. Friday’s are work days or seminars. More on that later. From the look of the syllabus in the handbook, we have a few subjects running alongside each other. This week we’ve got an introduction to Bible School – how the place runs, rules, our roles, all the staff. We have two pastoral workers who introduced themselves as our Mum and Dad for the year. The staff are all very loving, friendly and outgoing and it looks like we’ve got a fantastic bunch of people looking after us.
We’re also getting a couple of miniseries, one on The Transforming Friendship which is based on a book of the same name. It’s based on the beliefs that genuine Christianity begins, matures and develops in the context of a personal, deep friendship with Jesus that empowers and transforms our lives and it is very, very easy to pick up all the words about “friendship with Jesus” but actually not to be experiencing that. Basically, walking the walk rather than just talking the talk. Sounds promising.

The other miniseries is on prayer – how to pray and keep a good prayer life. It started with the priority of prayer, how effective a weapon it is and can be in the spiritual warfare we’re engaged in, but also a reminder that we’re not alone: the Holy Spirit searches out our spirit when our words would otherwise be inadequate, then communicates with the great High Priest who is interceding for us. We’ve also looked at some of the hindrances to our prayer lives, and it was very challenging. The devil knows where to attack: our minds. It can be easy to get bogged down in our own unworthiness that we can’t see or let the Holy Spirit work in us. Also what we put in our minds will probably be found in our hearts and spirits, which should be open and poured out in prayer. I know I have a lot of struggles with my mind and once again I found myself thankful that I was here.

Unforgiveness was another issue. It’s very easy to take for granted what Jesus went through on the cross and endured to forgive us. He paid a debt that we would never be able to repay, and yet we very easily have anger towards and refuse to forgive people who have done nothing in comparison. He was separated from the Father that we might be forgiven, and yet how often do we refuse to forgive? There were a few other points, but those were the ones that really struck me.

Turns out my duty for the next few weeks is cleaning the lounge. For those who have never been to Capernwray, the lounge is ENORMOUS!! And it has lots of chairs which have to be put back in the right arrangement and they ALWAYS get moved during the day. On the plus side (if that’s possible!) I’m getting to know Henry very well. Before my mother or anyone else starts planning the wedding, Henry is the vacuum cleaner. Didn’t manage to get all of it done today because Graih, the housekeeper had to explain everything to us. I think there’s going to be some serious frustration involved (chairs keep moving!!) but also a tremendous satisfaction because the room’s so big and whilst it can be a mess, it also looks good when it’s tidy. (At this point, my Mum collapses in shock!)

We also have assignments – reading books and doing reports, producing a tract, some that look like they’re probably essays – memory verses for 16 weeks and two tests on them, a couple of other random tests and we also have to read the entire Old Testament while we’re here.

And I have to learn Italian in the next couple of weeks as well!!!

All in all, looks like we’ve got some very full days, but enough free time to have some chance of surviving!!

I’m in a room just off the courtyard (check out the photos on my facebook page to see what it all looks like, BTW). It’s a new room, so it’s very nice – doesn’t have quite as much storage as the room I was in on the holidays, but I lived in a shoebox at uni, so I’m managing. Said nice room is also en-suite! We have our own shower, toilet and sink. The shower is fantastic!! There’s six of us in the room and the ethnic minority continues: there’s two Dutch, one Canadian, one Australian and one Swiss girl. And me. Graih thought that the older girls would prefer being out in the courtyard away from the teenagers – now you know: I’m old!! – because most of the students seem to have just graduated from high school either this year or last year. Some of them seem to have way too much energy, but we’ve got a good mix.