At Midwest, they had us break up into groups and share our answers to these questions. These are my answers;

1.) Describe/discuss what your family was like at two points, when you were six and when you were sixteen. Come up with a metaphor to depict your family at each of these points. Come up with a “metaphor within the metaphor” to depict your role in the family at each of these points.
At six, the metaphor would be that of a matushka doll set. (These are stackable Russian dolls.) My family was very close and I felt surrounded by them. At sixteen, my family was like walking into Schenk Chapel in the afternoon when it was dark and the sun would be streaming in the windows. The “metaphor within a metaphor” for me at that age was the person walking through the chapel seeing the light streaming in. This was the time when I really came into my own with Christ and started going to church on my own.

2.) Describe a “dark night of the soul,” a time when you struggled with God, with faith, or with life. How did that change you?
This is definitely the fall of my second year of college when I was diagnosed with depression. It was a time where I struggled with who I was, how to deal with the pain I felt, and when I considered dropping out of school. It made me more aware of how dangerous it is to repress my feelings and it helped me to see that it was possible to be a faithful Christian and still struggle with depression. It also made me much more aware of the suffering of other people.

3.) Tell the story of a time when you felt particularly successful/effective in doing something.
This would definitely have to be my Project B, a paper that was required for me to pass US History AP with Honors credit. I wrote mine on the Scopes Trial and decided to tack a “little” section onto it about the debate in the U.S. today. I then found out that I could really have done another paper solely on the debate in its current form. My paper went over well and I had a wonderful time writing it. I even was able to use it in college for one of my classes.

4.) What are you like at your worst?
I cry. I sulk. I am moody. I am downright tempermental.

5.) Tell the story of an “out of character” experience.
In the Fall of 2000, we were on a pre-school retreat at Mt. Hermon and it was decided that we would do the high ropes course as a team building experience. I am completely terrified of heights and I was talked into doing it. I was fine on the first 5 elements and on the 6th one, I went into full panic hysteria. I made it across and determined that I would keep going. (This is of course after my friend Erik had loosened my death grip on the tree I was hugging with all my might.) On the 8th element, I fell off the rope and realized that I was sitting 55 feet above the ground completely supported. This was just unbelievably cool!!! I finished the course quickly. It was traumatic but I look back on it fondly.

6.) Share the most puzzling question you have about yourself.
Why can’t I be satisfied with what I’ve done instead of being jealous of what other people are doing or have gotten to do?

7.) Come up with metaphors for yourself from each of the following categories: an animal; a color; a country; a Biblical, historical, or literary figure.
animal: a cat 🙂
color: indigo
country: Ireland
figure: Anne Shirley (of “Anne of Green Gables” fame)

8.)Come up with a metaphor depicting your experience of vocation — call.
Mine would be walking through a ruined church in Ireland. The walls are still standing but it has long been abandoned after the roof and everything in it was destroyed by warring chieftains or Vikings. You know that something very wonderful and holy happened there, but you’re piecing together the details to explain what did. While you are figuring this out, there is a profound sense of holiness that pervades the air. The way that this is a metaphor for my call is this. My call is the picture of the church before the ruin of it. As I’m in this process, I’m picking through the memories I have of my life and seeing how the Lord has totally used them to prepare me. The sense of holiness is my sense that I have been called by God into ordained ministry.

9.) Describe an ideal ministry setting for you. Within that context, describe a particular challenge that would be most meaningful for you to address.
Mine would probably be a rural parish in the Minnesota or the Pacific Northwest. (I want mountains and possibly the ocean.) It would be in a very close-knit community and it would be a medium-sized parish. I would envision a parish where the sense of social justice is not “we need to attend to what’s going on in Latin America”; but instead “half the farmers in this community are starving because the harvest was bad. Let’s pitch in and help them and give any leftover money to Oxfam.” (I advocate doing things to help internationally; but it helps if you also are concerned about your immediate neighbor.) As far as the programs I’d like, I’d love a women’s group, a quilting group, a ministry that helps with hunger issues, some ecumenical involvement, and something for all ages. (In other words, the 18-55 year olds would not be lumped together as “adult Sunday School”. Let’s have something for the 18-30 year olds and then the 30-55 year olds.) The challenge would be getting the 18-35 year olds, especially if it’s a rural parish.

10.) What experience has nothing to do with church or ministry can you count on to bring pure joy to your life?
This would probably be spending time with Jon and our future kids. I also would be into crocheting, camping, hiking, and just GETTING OUT OF TOWN!!!

This isn’t meant to be a survey/meme but if y’all want to answer these questions in your own blogs, go for it. Just leave me a link in the comments section.