I wasn't at home when it arrived, so when I talked to Mom and she said that an envelope from Capernwray had come, I felt a powerful mixture of emotions. Is this a good thing? Will it be the letter I've been awaiting for over a year, or will it be a kind but firm rejection? I begged Mom to rip open the envelope and tell me what was inside, and it seemed to take her forever. Still, I tried to quiet myself.
I've put this into the Lord's hands, after all. Whatever is in that envelope is His will. I honestly think that I was prepared for a yes or a no. Certainly I would have been crushed at a negative reply, but I would have been sure that it came through no fault of mine; it was just a door that God chose to close.
But the answer is yes!
I have officially been accepted into Capernwray Bible School's spring semester. God willing, I will be at Capernwray Hall in Lancashire on April 20, 2013, ready to begin three months of intense Bible study and immersion into the English experience. Can you possibly imagine how happy this makes me? When Mom told me the news I cried, right in front of a bunch of strangers.
So much hoping, so much waiting, so much uncertainty...and now I know. God has opened a door far wider than I could have imagined; through "coincidence" and circumstance He has paved the way for something that will change my life forever. I am thrilled at the prospect of sharing my future adventures with you, my fellow Britophiles. Who knows, without your interest and support I might never have made it this far!
Hooray!!! I´m so pleased for you Abigail :-)
ReplyDeleteI can´t wait for reading everything about your trip to GB here.
Susanne
Thank you so much, Susanne! I can't wait to tell you all about it :)
DeleteI am very happy for you Abby :D Congrats, you'll have a wonderful time in England :D
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind wishes and stopping by my little blog!
DeleteCongratulations Abby!!!! I'm so happy and excited for you! It is an amazing "door" God has opened and I know that He will be working.
ReplyDeleteI'm sending you a hug right now :} Know that I'll be praying for you!
In Him,
Devin
I'm hugging you too, Devin! Hopefully someday you'll get an opportunity just as exciting as this :)
DeleteCongratulations, Abby. This will be a tremendous learning experience for you. Not everything in England will live up to your expectations. It will be important for you to keep an open mind.
ReplyDeleteAre you familiar with the great classic British film called 'Brief Encounter' ? It was filmed at the Carnforth station refreshment room. :-)
Thank you! Ah yes, my expectations are pretty high. I've got to remember that even England has its flaws :)
DeleteNo, I've never heard of that movie! Thanks for letting me know.
Cheers!
Abby
Hi. I've just found this blog and it is refreshing to see such passion and thirst for new experience. I'm just commenting, though, to warn you that you, being from small-town religious America, may be quite shocked at Britain. You are clearly quite religious and what may shock you is the fact that Britain is actually a very secular country. More than 50% of the people here are not at all religious. If you were to stay in the confines of the religious school you'd never notice but if you're going to travel a bit you will probably see what I mean. Church attendance has been falling year on year for decades and the vast majority of young people (i.e. students) are atheists. I'm an atheist myself and I'm not trying to put you off, or anything, just a friendly warning that the secularism here may come as something of a shock to you. We may have a national religion (C of E) but most people see that as quite 'old hat'. There simply isn't a western country in the world as religious as America. If you come here to proselytize you will most likely be treated as if you were crazy.
ReplyDeleteI hope you have a fantastic time of course and that you enjoy our green and pleasant lands. There's plenty to do in Lancashire. I live here myself, in Preston, though I'm from Liverpool originally. Go camping in Wales, there are some beautiful spots in the north. Check out the Lake District, it's amazing in summer (I went Kayaking not so long ago, it was very fun). If I were you I'd steer clear of Blackpool, especially at night. It's a horrible place, tbh. VERY tacky, and the nightlife is pretty rancid. Stay safe. :)
Hello, Unknown! Yes, I can imagine that the UK is going to be pretty shocking, given my background. I have heard a drastic statistic (not sure how accurate it is) that less than 3% of Britons are Christians, or at least church-attending Christians. It just goes to show that having a state religion doesn't have that much of an impact on the public :)
DeleteThanks for giving me a heads-up and suggesting some places to visit. I hope to squeeze in as many wonderful experiences as possible. I've heard about Blackpool, and mean to avoid it. You can imagine that I'm not really the arcade-games-and-hot-pink-mohawk kind of person ;)
Best Wishes,
Abby