ENGLAND—Up at 5 a.m. Down two flights of stairs to the fitness center for a 20-minute workout. Up two flights to the men’s dorm to shower. Down a flight to the kitchen for freshly ground and brewed Ethiopian roast. TheTrumpet.com for morning headlines over sips of coffee. Malachi’s Message for Bible study, followed by prayer. Fifteen minutes to get ready: just enough time to meet the other students in the cafeteria for a quick breakfast. Then it’s 8 a.m., and the day really begins.

Welcome to a day in the life of a student at Herbert W. Armstrong College–Edstone. Today we follow senior Daryle Hochstetler.

This particular day is Wednesday. Armed with Tuesday night’s preparations, Hochstetler is ready for the first class of the day, Bible Prophecy. Fellow senior Samuel Livingston plays the lecture, which was recorded by instructor Wik Heerma two days prior at the college’s home campus in Edmond, Oklahoma. Mr. Heerma opened the second semester of the course with a comparison between the commission and work of the Prophet Jeremiah and that of the Philadelphia Church of God in the 21st century.

The next class is Doctrines of the Philadelphia Church of God, taught by Armstrong College President Stephen Flurry. Today, he covers the doctrines listed in Hebrews 6. The class is delivered in person to 12 attendees at Edstone, including volunteers Calvert and Kathy Howard.

Teacher assistant Jessie Hester records and sends the Doctrines class back to headquarters for the Edmond students to watch later that day. Later, the recording will be posted to hwacollege.org for 236 online students enrolled in the course. That number includes 27 Spanish-speaking students who listen to a translation by Carlos Heyer, regional director for Latin and South America.

Following Doctrines, five of Hochstetler’s classmates attend History of Ancient Israel, taught live by instructor Brent Nagtegaal from Jerusalem. Today they learn about the historic context surrounding the biblical account of Esther. Hochstetler, who took History of Ancient Israel last year in Edmond, changes into work clothes and prepares for his shift in the student-work program.

On the other side of the property, from the mail department window, volunteer mail packers see UK-Europe Regional Director Brad Macdonald walking out to check on the landscapers’ work. Wearing his “wellies” he walks off the pavement of the circular drive and between the newly planted rows of yew hedging. He looks over his shoulder, past the circular flowerbed and the Union Jack flagpole, to wave as Mrs. Amy Flurry beeps her car horn and drives out the gate to do errands in Stratford, about seven miles down Birmingham Road. Mr. Macdonald continues on to check how Hochstetler and the other workers are progressing on their current project: moving a shed.

After cleaning out the entire shed of metal bathtubs, racks, wrought iron and tin that littered the ground, the crew “removed the roofing material, disassembled the shed walls and pulled out each wall individually,” Hochstetler said. They moved the entire shed from beside the tennis court to the new garden, reassembling it over a new foundation. Then they worked to add sliding doors and stalls to provide shelter for a small flock of sheep.

Around noon, Hochstetler rides a quad bike through the muddy trails back to Edstone Hall, giving a lift to Justin Wainwright and Kiall Lorenz. Clothes covered in mud due to the recent heavy winter rains, the workers arrive in time to clean up by noon and join 20 to 30 other Edstone residents and staff members for lunch prepared by kitchen supervisor Ariel Buckler and her college assistants.

After about another hour of work, Hochstetler returns to the classroom at 2 p.m., connecting live to headquarters classes in Edmond, where the school day and workday are just beginning at 8 o’clock, Oklahoma time.

On Wednesday afternoons, Hochstetler and his fellow male students video-conference with headquarters for Homiletics class, where the men deliver and evaluate speeches one to another live across the Atlantic.

Hochstetler said that using webcams makes the experience unique. When the headquarters camera is pointed at the screen displaying footage from Edstone, it creates a loop. Hochstetler said, “I was delivering a speech to two guys at Edstone and seeing myself on tv.”

While the male students are developing public-speaking skills, the female students attend Meal Management class. Wednesdays are lab days, so Hochstetler and the guys stop by after Homiletics to taste-test the ladies’ recipes, which vary from naturally sweetened chocolate cake to curry-spiced amaranth and millet dishes. Hochstetler, who admits he has a sweet tooth, says his favorite dish has been the brandy snap baskets filled with whipped cream.

On Wednesdays, the Edstone and Edmond campuses connect live for an assembly, presented by various lecturers, often by Edmond dean of students Wayne Turgeon, assistant dean Eric Burns, or Mr. Flurry. In the recent assembly, staff artist Gary Dorning presented the basics of composition to help students understand art appreciation ahead of their field trip to Oklahoma City’s National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum.

After assembly ends at 5:10 p.m. in England, most students with inside jobs return to their meal preparation, video editing, custodial, maintenance or other work until dinner at 6 p.m. Some, including Hochstetler, study during the interim before dinner.

After dinner is cleaned up, students break off into their individual evening routines. For Hochstetler, 6:30 to 8:30 is reserved for checking e-mails, completing daily personal chores, and homework. From 8:30 to 9:00, it’s once again time to hit the gym. “Working on landscaping and maintenance often involves lifting, carrying, moving, pushing objects of varying size and weight,” Hochstetler said. “Many of those movements are completed in CrossFit.”

On occasional clear evenings when the way is lit by the moon, Hochstetler, Lorenz and Wainwright finish up the day’s activity with a night run.

After Hochstetler cleans up and settles down for the night, he spends 10 to 15 minutes journaling, reflecting on what he has learned.

“The single biggest lesson I have learned at Edstone,” he said, is to “throw yourself into the Work! It’s incredible how fast the Work grows.”

After recording his firsthand account of this pioneering front, Hochstetler heads to bed by 10 p.m.

And at 5 o’clock Thursday morning, fortified with Wednesday night’s preparations, Hochstetler is up and ready for another full day at Edstone.