People of Hope:
When I was 19 years old and attending Luther College, I worked in the “caf,” the college cafeteria. My student manager in the caf was a guy named Peter, who was also majoring in religion and music, who was also very active in campus ministry, who also brought a level of enthusiasm to his life and work, like me. I respected and admired Peter, and one day he asked me if I had ever thought about working at a Bible camp. “No,” I said immediately. “I hate camping, and I hate kids.” He seemed to accept my answer, but over the next couple of months, he prodded me. “I think you should consider working at camp this summer,” he would say, and I would stubbornly shake my head.
In January, ELCA camp directors from around the country gathered in the student union to interview for summer staff. Peter invited me to come by and meet his camp director. By this time, after months of nagging, I was just a smidge curious. So I went. When I approached Peter and his camp director, Peter turned to me and said to the director, “Loren, this is Sarah. She’d like to work at Wapo.” I gasped. No, I did not want to work at camp, thank you very much! But I didn’t want to be rude, so when Loren invited me to interview right then and there, I sat down. After 20 minutes, Loren offered me a job as a counselor at Wapogasset Lutheran Bible Camp in northwest Wisconsin. Strangely, I accepted.
A few days later, my mother called, and I told her I had arranged for a summer job working as a Bible camp counselor. “But you hate camping, and you hate kids,” she said. “I know,” I said. “But it just feels like this is something I need to do.”
I had been a Christian my whole life, baptized at three weeks, raised in the home of a pastor, active in all things church. But this was the first time — that I remember — of ever walking by faith. Working at camp just felt like something I needed to do even though, at the time, I really did hate camping and hate kids. Working at camp changed my life so dramatically that it shaped the trajectory of my life. Camp was where I learned to be a leader and, specifically, a spiritual leader. Camp is what led me, truly, to seminary and then to serving as a pastor.
Walking by faith can be scary and wild. When we walk by faith, we don’t know what’s going to happen. We aren’t able to control every aspect of our experience. We are opened up to the possibility of massive change in our lives … because walking by faith is not walking by certainty. Faith implies mystery that we’re not ever going to completely figure out.
As we make decisions about ministry at Esperanza, as we make decisions about our lives, we are invited to walk by faith. Partly, that means letting go of knowing all the answers before we do the thing we hear Jesus calling us to do. Does that mean we will sometimes be subject to circumstances we don’t particularly like? Sure. And sometimes, the very things we avoid end up shaping our lives in blessed ways we never expected.
Today, I am so grateful that Peter kept nagging me about working at Bible camp. I am so grateful that God called me to go camping, with kids. I am so grateful that the Spirit inspires faith and hope in me and in us — that we can let go and walk by faith.
With joy,
Pastor Sarah