Monavale Homestead 2013: Week One

It’s been 10 days since I arrived at Capernwray and this past week has been incredible. Last week as I drove to Capernwray for the first time I was filled with all sorts of emotions.  Nervousness to meet all my classmates and new friends, a bit of sadness missing home, but most of all excitement built up from all the years of anticipating this adventure. And finally the day had come.  We drove into the driveway just as another car drove in, and we exchanged a highfive as we drove past-I already knew I was in for a good time.  The first day included a tour of the (beautiful) campus, getting settled into my room, swimming, tea (dinner) and some fun ice breaker games.  I have 2 roommates; Anny from England, and Lydia from Wisconsin.  There are 38 people in our class, and the majority are from Canada.  And there are exactly the same number of guys and girls. This week has consisted of lots of orientation and getting to know each other.  On Thursday we found out our family groups.  A family group is essentially a few staff and a handful of students and we meet on Thursday mornings for morning tea and bible study, and we spend every Thursday evening doing fun things.  My ‘parents’ are the principle and his wife and their family, and the gardener and her husband.

On Saturday about 20 of us students with some staff went on a really cool hike in an old gold mine.  We had to ‘follow the leader’ through a cave with no light apart from the person way at the front with one torch (flashlight) (I’m learning the kiwi talk J ).  It was a test of our ability to communicate and warn each other of rocks and holes to watch out for.   After that we ate lunch by a beautiful river and saw a bunch of eels.  Super neat.  We spent the remainder of the day at Waihi beach, and I burnt so bad.  Thankfully it’s turning into a nice dark tan; it’s just a painful process.  The sun here is so intense; the burn time is so short. 

Sunday was a relaxing day, and in the afternoon a friend and I biked 9 km to the Blueberry Café nearby.  It’s a beautiful trip but also quite nerve wracking.  The roads are quite narrow and the cars go quite quick around the corners.  It’s particularly scary when the big semis come and you have to drive your bike into the bush as quick as you can.  We’ve been playing a lot of basketball, volleyball, frisbee and football which has been lots of fun.  I’ve also started to run in the morning which is relaxing, but also a little intense because of the narrow roads and crazy drivers.  It’s pretty easy to stay active here, especially since it is so beautiful outside. 

We start the day with cleaning after breakfast.  After worship we have lectures all morning and once in the evening. Our afternoons are reserved for studying and chill time, and Wednesday afternoons are work day.  Our weekends are typically free for us to do whatever, apart from our ministry(Friday night) and church on Sunday.  Speaking of which, I found out what church and ministry I am assigned to.  I will be attending St. Tamaheres Anglican church every Sunday.  I’ve only been to an Anglican church once before and it was a different experience for me.  The church I will be going to is very traditional and I’m sure it will be a new experience for me.  As much as it’s not exactly what I would have preferred, I am thankful that I am getting the opportunity to learn more about different denominations and be stretched out of my comfort zone.  The ministry I am assigned to (along with 2 guys) is a Jr. Youth group in Hamilton at a Presbyterian church.    The youth that attend are typically lower status in NZ and poorer.  I think it will be quite similar to The Bridge (an inner city drop in center our church youth group regularly volunteered at when I was in youth).  I am really excited about this ministry and getting the chance to get involved in the lives of NZ youth.

This week in lectures we had a series on intimacy with God (prayer) led by Elizabeth Thomas (the principles wife).  I learnt a lot about prayer and how to become more intimate with God.  We also had a series on how to write a bible study led by Hayden Jones (one of the staff here).  I really enjoyed this because it wasn’t just feeding us knowledge.  I love that we are being taught how to feed ourselves and dig deeper on our own.  I am getting really excited about studying the bible even deeper and learning the context.  Hayden knows Greek and Hebrew and brings it into lecture a lot which is really cool. I have to write 3 bible studies in the next 3 weeks, which will be challenging but also really interesting. We have also had lectures on ministry and the culture and history of New Zealand so that we are prepared for our ministries.  It’s really helpful to know about the culture and do’s and dont’s of NZ so that our ministry can be more effective.

Today we got to choose the book study and the seminar we will be a part of all semester (we meet once a week with a staff for each).  I chose a book called Inside Out  by Dr. Larry Crabb.  The seminar is about doubts and modern day social issues and how our faith can be applied.  I’m really excited about both of these things because they both relate to my goals for my time at Capernwray.

All in all it has been a fantastic week, and im really excited about the already great friendships i've made.  It’s a little stretching to be constantly social and I’m a little overwhelmed by all the people, but there are a lot of beautiful places to escape to on campus. 

Missing all my friends and family back home, but I am so happy to be where I am.  Thanks for all the prayers and the mail J (I LOVE mail J )

If you want to pray for me, here are a few prayer requests:

-for the staff here 

-for the students; now is when people start to get homesick

That's all for now.  If any of you have prayer requests, drop me a line.  :)

God bless

Katelyn