A Day in the Life

So despite all of the wonderful things I have been telling you about my time at Capernwray I realized I haven’t told you the basics of what a day looks like here at Bible School!

BALANCE

I would say the “feel” of being a student here is somewhere in between being in high school and being in college. The schedule structure is very ridged, but which lectures we have changes every day. We are also given some free time throughout the day during which we choose how we use our time. At first it was difficult to balance it all, but as time goes on it I continue to figure out the ebb and flow of the days and I am starting to figure out how to schedule my days to best meet my needs.

THE DAY BEGINS

I usually wake up at 7:00 AM, a little earlier than my other roommates. I quickly get ready for the day and then it is off to breakfast at 7:30AM. I really enjoy breakfast here. They always have the same set-up: dry cereals, yogurt, toast, and my personal favorite, porridge. I have porridge, toast, a glass of orange juice, and a cup of coffee almost every morning. So delicious! I look forward to it every day. After breakfast I have about 45 minutes of free time while other students work on their duties. Each student who attends Capernwray has a specific duty, or chore, they do each month. This month mine is helping with dishes after tea (supper).  During that 45 minutes I bop down to the Library and read my Old Testament reading for the day and enjoy a little quiet time.

Next it’s off to lectures. At 8:55AM we have a short worship and prayer session before the first of our four morning lectures which starts at 9:00AM . Each lecture runs for 45 minutes and is separated by a ten minute stretch/chat/bathroom break. The one exception to this is between the second and third lecture, between which we have a 20 minute coffee break where they serve coffee and tea and usually a small snack.

The Lectures we have vary from day to day and week to week. Each week we have a guest lecturer that comes in and teaches on a topic of two. For example this week we had a speaker named John Allan come and teach two lecture series, one on Ecclesiastes and the other was called “Facing the Modern World” which basically looked at the timeline of society, culture, and western spirituality and traditions. Other lecture times are taught by full time staff here at Capernwray or are filled with things such as Family Groups or Interactive Groups, which I will explain at a later time.

LUNCH AND FREE TIME

At 1:00 PM, after a short period of announcements, its lunch! Lunch is the largest meal at Capernwray. They do a really good job a making the menu very diverse, but the meal usually consists of some sort of meat, starch, veggie, and salad. And the best part is they always serve a delicious dessert to top it all off! For meals we sit at tables of eight and serve the meal family style. One student from the table will go and retrieve the food from the kitchen and then bring it back to the table for the group to share. Meals are a great time for getting to chat with people you wouldn’t normally interact with throughout the day.

After lunch till about 5:30 we have free time! During this time we can work on school work, socialize, walk the loop (a 1.5-ish mile loop around Capernwray’s property), skype family, or do various other things. This is also when we have to opportunity to take the mini bus into the nearest town, Carnforth, to pick up anything we need (Chocolate J ).  The time usually flies by and we are soon on to the next thing.

FINISHING UP THE DAY

Tea (or Supper) is at 5:30. The meal is usually smaller, but subsidized by a variety of leftovers that we are free to help ourselves to. After tea, I have my duty of helping dry dishes (which will actually be changing tomorrow to something new). I really enjoy doing my duty and it is a really fun way to get to know fellow students. Our final two lectures of the day start at 7:00PM and each run for 50 minutes and are separated by a ten minute break. Following lectures is supper (a snack and hot chocolate) in the dining room at 9:00PM. Then we have till lock-up at 10:45PM to do whatever we want! I usually head up to my room at 10:00PM, take a shower, unwind, read some Harry Potter and the lights are usually out around 11:00-11:30PM. The beds here aren’t the comfiest, but I usually sleep well and then wake up the next day and do it all over again!

BUSY BUT BLESSED

Overall I would say my time here has been busy, but it doesn’t seem that way really. There is time in each day to get filled up and to pour out. It has been a journey so far of how to figure out how to best balance things, but it only gets easier as time progresses.

In Christ,

Jackie

Evangelism is: “one beggar showing another beggar where he found bread and encouraging his friend to eat for himself” – Leighton Ford

Settling In

Today is the second day of my third week here at Capernwray and time has both flown and crawled by. It is amazing to think that I have already been here over two weeks, and I know that time will only continue to go faster. However, at the same time, I feel as though I have been here forever. It is a confusing feeling really.

The leaves are starting to change here and the air is becoming more crisp, as I am sure it is in Minnesota as well. It makes me miss apple orchards, pumpkins, and Caribou coffee. Autumn is beautiful here though; I love the cool air mixed with bright sunshine. Before coming here people said that it was going to be rainy and dreary, but so far, overall, the weather has been quite beautiful; reminds me of Minnesota!

LECTURES
As we start the third week I am excited for the new lecture series we have started. Robert Amess is taking on the task of teaching on Hebrews in just 10 short lecture periods. The lectures are dense and at times hard to follow, but it makes me want to dig deeper into the book which is packed full of interesting content.

We are also currently in a lecture series called “Transforming Friendship” taught by Rob Whittaker. The series looks at various stories in the Gospels that display how Jesus did relational ministry. We have taken an in depth look at His interactions with both Nicodemus and the Woman at the Well and what those incidences teach us about how we should reach others. It is really interesting to see how the way Jesus approached conversations was so relational and natural, and how we should follow His example and do the same; first building friendships and genuinely loving people so that we can point them toward Jesus.

ROOMMATES AND FRIENDS

So I briefly mentioned my roommates in my last blog post, and my roommate Gunnvá was disappointed that I didn’t mention her specifically, so here you go Gunnvá. My roommates are great. I really enjoy the diversity of our backgrounds, yet we are able to build relationships based on our commonality in Christ. We are all from different places (well three of us are from
the US, but different regions). Gunnvá is from the Faroe Islands, Ha Eun is from South Korea, Rebekah is from Texas, and Lydia is from Pennsylvania.  At times there is difficulty in living with four other girls, as would be expected, but I would definitely say the good far outweighs any inconvenience. I am thoroughly enjoying it!

TRIP #2

This past Saturday I got the opportunity to go to the historic town of Chester, England. Chester is unique in the fact that it was once under Roman rule so there are various historical artifacts scattered throughout the city. There is a Roman wall that we walked along and the ruins of a colosseum. The city is also a bustling shopping center. There are streets lined with shops and restaurants and on a Saturday the place is overrun with people. It was a beautiful area but the experience was a little overwhelming because of all the people. 

While there we first visited a cathedral, then walked the wall to the city center, and then ventured off to some clothing stores, a coffee shop, and I purchased some stationary at a paper store. Overall the journey was enjoyable and I was able to spend some quality time with a few of my fellow students.

LOOKING FORWARD

Over the next couple weeks school work will begin to pick up. So far we have only had one test, but over the next few weeks we have a few assignments due. One top of that we have started planning for Travel Weekend, a long weekend that Capernwray sets apart for the students to have some time to travel. Many people, including myself, are heading to Edinburgh, Scotland. I am excited for the trip and am sure I will have plenty to tell you about it after the fact.

PRAYER REQUESTS

• Planning for Travel Weekend, planning for travel always takes time and effort
• School work, that I would be able to integrate more time for school work into an already ridged schedule
• Continued prayer that I would be able to find time and/or a heart to study God’s word for spiritual growth rather than just for scholarly reasons

In Christ,

Jackie

“God is almost always more profoundly at work when we are trying not to be religious” – Rob Whittaker

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

 I have successfully completed my first week at Capernwray Hall Bible School. I arrived Monday afternoon at 4:00PM, two and a half days past the day the school started. I was late because I had the wonderful privilege of being a part of my cousin’s wedding, which was worth the few days of playing catch up here at school.

TRAVELS

My travels to the school were quite an adventure in and of themselves. My plane left Minneapolis at 10:55AM, taking off for Toronto, Canada where I touched back down at about 2:00PM. After a couple hours in Toronto I left for Halifax, Canada, and then finally at 12:00AM I boarded my final flight to London Heathrow Airport. All in all lots of time sitting in uncomfortable airport waiting areas and cramped plane seats.

After arriving at Heathrow my journey was far from over. After getting through customs, I boarded an express train the Paddington Train Station in the heart of London. Then I grabbed a taxi and drove about 15 minutes to Euston station where I ran to catch a train that was leaving in ten minutes to Lancaster, UK. The train trip took about 2 hours, and finally in Lancaster I boarded a train for a 15 minute ride to Carnforth. There I was met by a Capernwray staff member who kindly drove me the final 5 miles to the school. I was pretty relieved, and tired, when I finally reached the front doors of the Capernwray estate which would be my home for the next 6 months. But my day was far from over.

THE PLACE AND PEOPLE

Upon arrival I met a couple of my roommates who were very sweet and welcoming. I live with 4 other girls in a room in what is called the Main House, which is the main estate building. It is a decent sized room and feels very homey. I quickly dropped off my stuff and was then swept around the building, filling out forms, getting a tour, checking in my electronics, meeting people whose names I would soon forget, and going to two lectures. It was quite a whirlwind and considering I probably only got a grand total of about three hours of sleep during my travels I was basically running on adrenaline at that point.

The people at Capernwray are great! There are about 150 students from a variety of countries including The US, Canada, England, Germany, South Korea, and others.  All are very kind and they were very inviting. The estate is in Northwestern England about 25 miles from the western coast. The school takes place in three main buildings. The main hall, which is a castle like building, hosts the social and study lounges, laundry room, main office, many bedrooms, the bookstore, and much more. All the lectures and seminars take place in the Conference Hall which is a really nice facility, and we eat our delicious meals and snacks in the Dining Hall. There is also a sports facility and swimming pool, but I have yet to set foot into either of those buildings.

DAILY LIFE
They keep you very busy here at Capernwray. If you like to just sit around and hang out all day then this is not the place for you. The weekdays start out at 7:30 with a light breakfast, then lectures start at 9:00 following a short worship and prayer time at 8:55. There are four 45 minute lecture periods in the morning which are broken up by a coffee break. Then comes lunch, a two and a half hour free time,  tea (which is like our supper), two lectures, supper (aka a snack), and then a little free time before lock up and quiet hours. I like the structure of it all, but it is also definitely a time management challenge that I am slowly mastering. After a week of being here I feel as though I am finally starting to figure things out.

The lectures are great. So far we have had lectures on Prayer, an Introduction to the Bible, and Transforming Friendship all of which I have really enjoyed and I am looking forward to what the rest of the year holds.

THE LAKE DISTRICT

This past Saturday the school provided an opportunity to take a trip to the Lake District which is a scenic area about an hour south of Capernwray. It is a beautiful, touristy area with a lot of hiking trails and cute towns. It was fun to get out and about a little and just be out in God’s creation.

PRAYER REQUESTS

• Building relationships – all the people here are great, but getting to know people takes a lot of time and energy. Just prayers that I would be able to build God honoring friendships
• Scheduling – prayers as I transition to the schedule of this place and find time to do school work, socialize, and have personal time with God as well.
• Spiritual growth – my life here at Capernwray is filled with studying God and His Word, but even amidst all that it can still be difficult to build up my own personal relationship with God. I would appreciate prayers for finding the time and space to really invest in my personal relationship with God.

Thanks for your support and prayers!

In Christ,

Jackie