Wow, it’s July again. It’s sunny in Portland today. I’ve been here nearly a year and I’m still learning what it’s like to live in the Northwest. I can’t say that I’ve made Portland my home. I’ve only been in stable housing for the last 3 months and I haven’t made it as far in school as I hoped. It’s been a really slow process of getting settled in, but I think I’ve almost made it. Tearing up my roots in Minneapolis was hard, replanting them harder, but I can’t think of a place I’d rather have done it. Ok, maybe Wellington, New Zealand, but I’d be missing a huge piece of what I’m now appreciating the most.

The day I left Minneapolis, I was living with one of the most beautiful families I know – the Berry-Brohaugh familia in the the silver casa on Bloomington Ave. just a block from the May Day Café and Powderhorn Park. I got to work with my dear friend and roommate, Matt Lammers, on the US Census (of all things), and had a dear friend from Scotland venture all the way to the American Midwest to help me make the move. The day I left, I transitioned my house to a new set of tenants – girls mostly all graduates of Bethel University. I went to church at the Salvage Yard, was prayed for by my community, and left on the train for the Northwest.

From the first moment, there was opposition – the folks at the Amtrak counter didn’t want to check my belongings even though we had everything was in order. Thankfully, I was sent an angel in the form of a beautiful lady working in the dining car who helped me get all my belongings aboard. After 3 hours in Portland, Barry and I got in a car with 2 new friends and drove to southern California for Christian Summer Camp 2010. It was a huge contrast to the small gathering in the desert the previous year. The hills outside of Yosemite hid a spring-fed creek with numerous waterfalls and pools under towering Sequoia and Douglas Fir trees. I tried to rest and was blessed by the presence of 70 of my traveling family in Christ. I was even blessed to baptize my friend Danielle in the stream along with several others – the presence of the Holy Spirit was felt by everyone in that place.

Within days, I was back in Portland. Barry was on a plane to Aberdeen, and I was in a Pastoral Care class at George Fox Seminary. I sublet a room from my friends Nate and Tessa Allen and continued my search for a job. Within 2 months, I had a position at Outside In as a Housing Specialist, but I could heavily sense a war against me. Things were often tense in the house, I broke my hard drive in the middle of writing the longest paper of my term, and I was incredibly lonely and homesick. I bought a moped that worked for about a week. The holidays came and went while I worked most of them. I found a welcoming communities at The Bridge and Bread and Wine churches, but I didn’t feel like either were the place to put down roots in just yet.

After a trip to see my parents in Florida, I returned to Portland and started going to Door of Hope on the SE side. I had actually visited there with Barry and my long-time friend, Laura Kucera, the first week I was in Portland, but I was overwhelmed by the masses of people who seemed way too cool for me. When I dared to go back, it was obvious that a lot of these folks loved the Lord in spirit and in truth. I felt like this was the place to get planted. I joined a small group over the winter and began to feel like I’d found my place there leading worship and prayer from time to time. My friend Bethany visited for an artist residency at the Sitka Center for Arts and Ecology, and I twice got to spend time with Jesus, elk and bird-watching in the glorious creation of the Oregon coast.

Looking back on it, the spring seems pretty uneventful. Looking for stable housing and getting turned down for no reason. Applying for jobs and getting passed over. I was, however, greatly impacted by my classes at George Fox – Prayer, Spiritual Life, and Social Justice. I’m currently working on a zine on the topic of following Jesus in a consumer society. I’ve also been inspired to really seek the Lord’s heart on starting an outreach ministry at some point focused on serving the traveling community. Then May rolled around, and I finally moved into a place I don’t have to leave with awesome people that love Jesus. And I got chickens. And the sun came out. Briefly.

I went home for 10 days in June to celebrate my parents’ 50 anniversary and my 2nd oldest niece’s graduation from high school (Yes, I am that old. I am nearly 32, I am a bird nerd, and I listen to Oregon Public Radio). These were 10 of the best days of the year. Every day was full of the people I love and the places I miss again now that I’m away. Laur, Meghan & Jordan, Seth, the Seward Café, Kirsty, Berry, Kitty and Shaggy, The Walker Art Center, The Salvage Yard, Nikolas & Sharne, Matt, May Day, Triple Rock, Hollypoo and Anna, a Juicy Lucy at Matt’s Bar, spiritual direction with Lisa Harrell… My dear friend Joe even came to town from South Carolina! What a beloved brother in the Lord! My last day there, I went to the amusement park Valley Fair with my nephew. Who should magically pop up? None other than one of my favorites krustys of all time – Chris. Fresh off a train from Montana, it was bonding time for the three of us. That, my friends, is what I call a divine appointment.

It was hard to leave, but eventually one has to get back to real life. It’s been a rough season for a lot of beloved folks in my life these last few months, but I’m honored to have been put in a place where I can support them. I’ve seen the Lord’s goodness in solidifying new friendships and seeing amazing transformation occurring in the life of one dear friend in particular. And today – good news! A new job doing full-time what has been a volunteer position for the last 8 months. Next month, I will begin doing street outreach to homeless youth providing resource information, hygiene and harm-reduction supplies on the streets, under bridges, and among folks living in camps outside.

I can’t thank the Lord enough for the things he’s shown me over the last year or the people he’s brought into my life. The beauty of the northwest and the ways he’s been teaching me are priceless. The summer has brought visits from friends and opportunities to escape the city, and I look forward to another summer camp – this year in Colorado.
If I wrote more often, I could tell you more in depth about learning to trust in God’s unfailing love or how the dreams he’s given me concerning the depths of his love for me. If you’re interested, please ask. And pray for me, whatever you do!

With love, H.