Sunny Side Up!

I just finished my article for Luther Sem's The Concord, and I thought I had better share it with you...plus throw in a few pictures!

Hope you are all well--

HGJ

Sunny Side Up

It was a year ago that I began dreaming of internship: of being out of the classroom full-time, of being in an unfamiliar place and spending time with new people, and of truly beginning to own my pastoral call as Vicar or Intern Hannah…whatever those titles meant.

I write to you now from sunny Arizona—temperatures in the mid-100s when I first arrived and now “cooling off” in the 90s—with six weeks of internship under my belt. Officially, I am the “Pastoral Intern” at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Mesa—one of the four churches part of the missional cohort in the Phoenix area. Our Savior’s is a unique church in that it is one congregation with three campuses, focused on mission re-development in the East Valley.

I have to admit I could not be more excited about this year. Each day brings about new adventures, whether it’s in planning worship services and coming up with new sermon ideas (workingpreacher.org is a lifesaver), visiting with the sick, spending time on Thursdays with the quilters as they tie blankets and discuss politics, leading the Men’s Bible Study (not many women get to do that!), or getting lost in the identical 55+ communities en route for communion visits, even with a GPS.

Of course, this internship also has its challenges. The transition to my new home 1,600+ miles from St. Paul and those I love the most was not the easiest thing. I miss seeing the changing of leaves and “Minnesota nice.” Often times, I am the youngest person by more than a few decades, and I fail miserably at remembering people’s names. Finally, the ever persistent pastoral work can be daunting day after day.

Still, I am reminded every day what a blessing it is to be here. I recently asked one of the members, “How are you?” His response was, “Things are sunny side up.” This rings true for me in both the literal and figurative sense. The sun shines brighter here than anywhere else I have ever been, and I feel such warmth and care from these people that I experience the living God on a daily basis. These people embody the notion that “faith” is not only a noun, but a verb. It is my prayer that I may return that blessing to them, knowing that the light of Christ is shining forever.