Imagine the lounge at Capernwray, packed with 172 students, along with some of our staff and their families. Often, with not an inch of empty floor space, it reminds me of how the feeding of the 5000 must have looked!

Our first Sunday evening of Winter Bible School is always poignant as each of our new students tells us “who I am”, “where I am from”, “what I did before I arrived” and “what I aim to do when I leave”.

Over the years some of the answers they have given have stuck in my mind. One gentleman, over 70 years old, stood and announced “Hi, my name is Jim. I’m from Colorado, and before this I was a hired killer” . Then he sat down.

In case some of our other students thought they may be sharing a room with a member of the Mafia, I asked Jim to be a bit more specific about his profession. “Well, I used to pilot B52 bombers, for the American Air Force”, he said. That was a bit of a relief as the vision of being murdered in our beds dissipated somewhat.

Another young man, who resembled Mr Bean, informed us all, with a straight face, that when he returned home he would recommence his highly successful career as a body builder.

Over the years, I have noticed an increasing number of students who have very little idea what they will do when they leave. In one sense, I think that is fabulous. A good friend of mine from California calls folk like that “in-betweeners”. Often, for a Christian “in-betweener” the number one question is “So what does the Lord want to do with my life?”

Many, many of us would actually find it quite difficult to take a total change of direction if God directed us that way. We would have cars to sell, mortgages to rearrange and tons of “stuff” to ship around the cosmos. But for “in-betweeners” it is very different. When God speaks to them, a change of focus, priority or direction is very, very possible.

I hardly ever stand to lecture and remain unmoved by the massive potential sitting right in front of me. This year we have 172 students from 20 different nations and following the next six or nine months they will be seeded around this planet by the Lord Jesus Himself.

Someone recently asked me “What is your greatest prayer for your students?” My immediate reply was “That the Lord would make His truth travel the longest journey in the universe, namely from their heads to their hearts”. The preacher who then stood up said wisely “and I would add to that, the request that His truth would then journey from their hearts to their feet.”

So as I wrote earlier, whenever we meet in the lounge at the beginning of Bible School, the feeding of the five thousand comes to mind. Here is massive need, minute human resources; but a magnificent Friend. In the hands of the Lord Jesus, not only were deep needs met, but He provided more than enough to go around—and taught some amazing principles about His sufficiency along the way.

Please join with me in praying for our Winter School students, that the transforming presence of Jesus would be unleashed in them and through them. Pray that the hurts and baggage which many bring with them will be tenderly touched by Jesus. Pray that they will discover the “open secret” of Christ living His life through them. And pray that all of us, staff and students alike, may hear “The Voice from another world” saying “This is the way—walk in it”.