1 – 5 – 10 – 23 – 1 – 8 – 3 – 4 – 44 – 17 – 7 – 8 – 18
Have you figured out the numbers yet? I wouldn’t try too hard because there’s no pattern or puzzle with these numbers. Instead, prepare yourself a little fika and I’ll share with you the story that these numbers tell.
It was a pleasant Sunday afternoon, and though a little breezy the sun was shining at Holsby to help us give a warm welcome to the students who would take part in our first summer Bible school. We were ready to make a start with 5 students, we were hoping for 10, but pleasantly surprised to have 23 and 1 most favored infant. In all, 8 different countries were represented.
For these students it was 3 weeks of getting away and by the end many wanted to stay away…or rather stay here. However, the first Sunday night we saw in the story of Jesus getting away with His disciples, which resulted in the feeding of the five thousand, that getting away in God’s economy involves community, navigating the unexpected with trust and gratefulness, learning to be dependent on Him, and returning home to live that out in everyday life. “Away” for our students was exactly that and with the combination of 4 lecture series, a hiking/canoeing trip, restful afternoons with optional activities, and being together over meals and games of Kubb, “away” at Holsby proved to be a refreshing time.
It was also a festive time. In the mornings and evenings students feasted on God’s word, which included teaching from the book of James, the seven letters to the Seven Churches, and a combined series on being alive in the Old and New Testaments. In just these few weeks, students found out that dining over the word of God is truly satisfying, but it also grows one’s hunger for more. And so after 44 lectures, there was a desire for more, but with that the growing readiness to go home and continue living by “every word that comes from the mouth of God (Matt 4:4).”
When it wasn’t feasting in the classroom, it was feasting in the dining room, in Jönköping, in family homes, and even in the forest where many of the students spent an afternoon picking 17 liters of blueberries. As jars of jam were taken home, so were the many memories of this first summer Bible school. However, it is more than good memories that we want to leave people with. I think this student’s comment says it well: “Summer Bible school made us realize how accurate the Bible is to nowadays and how the Bible is Alive! It brought us much closer to God, and gave us the desire to have a personal living relationship with Him.”
Holsby isn’t the answer to having a deeper relationship with Jesus, but it’s definitely a place where many people fall in love with Him again, a place where they can get away to be spiritually and physically nourished, and a place to slow down and realign one’s priorities with His. If summer Bible school is something you or someone you know would benefit from, then come join us on 7-8-2018 for what will begin the telling of our second summer Bible school. Find out more details and apply at Holsby Bible School.
