and now, from the Chemainus Public Library, a tiny insitution where the librarian remembered my name the day after I got my library card and to which I shall try to make a weekly pilgrimage, I bring you…

A Day in the Life of a Capernwray Student
more specifically, me

7:15 My alarm goes off and I shoot off the top bunk to land with a thump on the floor. on go my favorite blue t-shirt and jeans – I frayed the bottoms of them last night to make them longer. CChelsea, Kim, and Michelle, my roomies, are already up, and I fly into the bathroom, brush my teeth, & apply a dab of eye makeup. I have a bit of a sore throat s oI throw on my hoodie to keep me warm as I trot on down to the dining hall.

7:32 The breakfast bell rings! At the table, I put stamps on thank you notes, manage to spill coffee cake crumbs all over my lap, and we discuss the merits of coffee and Toblerone chocolate.

8:02 We bus our dishes and I slip into the kitchen to grab a few trash bags, and walk back to the lodge to do my “daily duty”. Capernwray is an almost self-sufficient farm, and we lal help either cook, clean, garden, or raise the cows & chickens. My job for the next three weeks as residence coordinator is to clean a bathroom in the lodge and keep 3 rooms tidy.

8:41 When I’m done with the bathroom, I pop a cough drop cuz my throat is getting worse. Crystal shows me her rain hat – a yellow round one, just like Paddington’s.

8:50 Up the hill in the Lecture Hall, it’s time for worship. Lawrence Jensen, one of the lecturers, leads us on guitar.

9:15 We have a short break, so I go into the foyer to find severla people gathered around a guy in an armchair reading a newspaper article about Bill C-250, which would allow homosexuals legal marriage rights all over Canada. The first reading resulted in a very close vote, but allowed it to pass to the next level.

9:20 Sobered, we’re back in the lecture hall for Bruce Campbell’s lecture on the Holy SPirit and how He empowers us, always and only to glorify Christ.

10:03 My throat is killing me, so I buy a French vanilla coffee from the latte machine during our next break. Chelsea offers me vitamin C and Nathan extols the virtues of garlic.

10:21 Lawrence starts his lecture about Acts.

11:00 The last break before lunch and I’m miserable. So I lay my head down on my desk and nap!

11:20 Lawrence starts in again on Acts. When he dismisses us, I’m feeling better.

12:15 The rain is spitting down as we stand outside the dining hall. Seth pulls out cocktail umbrellas from his pocket and holds them over small sections of his hair. We laugh at him. When the doors open, we rush in to find delicious linguine for lunch. Around the table we talk about which outreaches we want to do throughout the year.

1:01 I get to the front of the crowd milling around the bulletin board by the dining room door and put my name on hte sheet to sign up to visit seniors in Chemainus once a week. I’ve decided that I’ll commit to this for the year, whliue occasionally joining the street evangelism team in Victoria, and maybe plugging in to ministry at a church in Chemainus. I’m visiting the Baptist church on Sunday! As I walk out of the dining room, Crystal throws her wet rain hat in my face and I shriek. Good times, good times.

1:10 Back at the lodge, I vacuum our room and the hall, and then decide to boycott the word “room” cuz they all make ufn of how I say it. So now I live in a “domicile”.

1:24 Sitting on my bed, I reorganize my purse. On the bunk below me, Michelle sings “The Wonderful Cross” in her tent which she’s made by hanging blankets from the slats. I eat a bag of all-dressed chips and feel Canadian. They have every seasoning on them. Chelsea, my fellow American, agrees that they’re good.

1:39 I crawl under the covers with another couhg drop, and, listening to the worship CD our church recorded last year, I take a nap.

3:34 That felt REALLY good. In the hall, Beth is cutting Twyla’s hair.

3:50 Listening to the Wow Worship 2003 CD, I write letters as the rain patters on the leaves outside.

5:09 Crystal comes bounding into our room asking who put her slippers in the hall on the other side of the lodge. We try to deduce who took them … wasn’t me …

5:30 Supper time! I talk with Lindsey, Sam, Martha, and Stephanie about our evangelism experiences.

6:17 I finish my letter in the sunroom, talking with the other Katie about boys in general.

6:42 While Martin, a student from Germany, vacuums the dining room (HIS daily duty!), I play worship songs on the piano. It’s old and sort of out of tune, but music is music nonetheless!

6:59 To start our evening lectures, Lawrence reads Psalm 27. Our quiet meditation turns into an impromptu prayer time, praising God for who He is.

7:08 Lawrence teaches on Acts again.

7:50 Break time! Amie and I discuss weekend plans and I Buy another French vanilla. Smooth and creamy on my unhappy throat!

8:05 Before we start lectures again, Lawrence quickly informs us that Hurricane Isobelle hit NC and VA. He announces prayer for that situation on the dock at 7 tomorrow morning. (Side note – I entirely planned to come, but I forgot to set my alarm!) All I can think/pray about is Eddie, being right on the coast, but on another side note, I found out on Friday via Rachel that he’s barbequeing squirrels, not in the least disturbed by the whims of the weather.

8:09 Christine starts orientation about our journals, which we’ll fill with summaries of our  lcass notes and hand in to a staff member to check over every 3 weeks.

8:43 I meet with April, my official Journal Checker, just to say hi.

8:57 All done for the night! Kim, mIchelle, Rachelle, and I head up to the Deputter Room – a student hangout with a pingpong table, piano, foosball, and couches. Sam and Seth lead us in flexibility contests and I discover to my shame that I can’t manage the lotus position. Then Michelle teaches us a LOUD clapping gmae, Janelle & Rachelle (crazy, hey?) sing with me around hte pinao, and i sit on the back of the couch to watch Seth draw a pastoral landscape with evil eyes filling the sky looking down on it. Kim and I look on and the conversation turns to poetry and short stories.

10:29 Kim and I walk back to the lodge under a half-cloudy, starry, moonlit sky. We meet ab unch of guys coming the other way who ask if we are “those girls”. “Three girls in black hoodies were throwing stuff at us,” they explain. “I don’t throw stuff,” I politely reply.”

10:33 We’re back at the lodge, just after curfew. Being the residence coordinator, I leave a note on the soap dispenser in the back bathroom to let the girls know we need to pitch in together to buy communal handsoap sincei t won’t be refilled for us.

10:51 After pj’s are on, I reveal to my roomies the secrets of salsa. George and Eddie and Simon and any other guys on the planet – don’t even try to guess.

10:59 We make plans to campaign for government positions in the lodge. Michelle for Resident President, Kim for Funny Money Meaasurer Treasurer, me for Room Broom (janitor), and Chelsea for Nook Weeper Book Keeper.

11:16 Random talking and singing ensues.

11:25 Kim and I discuss the name of God used in Isaiah 40:10. Chelsea’s writing in her journal.

11:30 I read a few chapters in Isaiah and Ephesians.

11:46 Time for a chapter in my anatomy book, which I actually got from Mr. Roddy. It’ll keep me refreshed with anatomical, if not up-to-date, information (since it was published 26 years ago…)

11:59 Lights out. Another day has sped by and life is beautiful.

Email me!! kgeiger@capernwray.ca, but not til Monday cuz it won’t be set up til then. Or write, c/o Capernwray Harbour Bible Centre, P.O. Box 1-10, Thetis Island, BC, V0R 2Y0. And now I’ve got to go! Love you all!