Cedarkirk brings us closer together no matter our beliefs or
where we come from. This is why I returned to camp
to work on discerning my vocation.

I always thought my dream was to work in Professional Sports. But because of my childhood experiences at Cedarkirk and a Medieval Religion course I encountered early in college, I changed my major from Sport Management to Religion and Philosophy. I definitely felt a lingering tug throughout college, but began my professional career in sports anyway, working for both the NFL and the NBA. I found myself caught between what I felt I was called to do and what I thought society told me I should do. I continued in a position that would elicit praise, status, and wealth – things I used to believe equated to “success”, even though they were not attributes I valued. I began to trust the nagging feeling that something was missing in my life and made the decision to leave my job for a program that would offer time for discernment in an environment that was less stressful and allow for more time outdoors.

And so I began the Discernment Through Service (DTS) fellowship program at Cedarkirk. My time at Cedarkirk during my childhood developed my faith and helped me establish a community of like-minded individuals. Cedarkirk remains a place where I can be myself, strengthen my patience, and see the Kingdom of God at work.

Cedarkirk provides a space for individuals and groups to escape their everyday lives and find peace in God’s creation, away from societal standards and influences. Camp is a place without phones and internet and somewhere that everyone is welcome. At camp, hard conversations are encouraged while we work and play outdoors to build community and explore what God has created. To me, Cedarkirk brings us closer together no matter our beliefs or where we come from. This is why I returned to camp to work on discerning my vocation.

My role as a DTS participant included living at camp and filling in wherever needed. There were times each week where we met to have devotion, to explore my own faith, and to dig into practices surrounding my call and professional interest. It influenced me to practice solitude, minimalism, and ministry. These practices improved my courage in my own faith and drove me to questions my theological beliefs; they allowed me to draw closer to God.

I am happy I returned to camp to take part in the DTS program. The relationships I developed with the staff and many guests and guest groups gave me the mental framework to believe in and trust in the call to ministry I knew had been present in my heart for a long time. My time at camp gave me the freedom and permission to listen to that call – and to consider what it might mean for my life going forward.

I am now a student at Princeton Theological Seminary with a summer semester of intensive Hebrew under my belt. I’m looking forward to the courses to come and excited to see where my ministry will lead me.

I’m so thankful for Cedarkirk and the ways it has shaped my faith and my sense of purpose. For most of my life it has been the place that opened me up to myself, regardless of what was going in my life, and reaffirmed my place as a beloved daughter of the King. It has been a necessary and steady fixture, gently calling me back to a place of peace, and nurturing my spirit so I can truly see and reflect on God’s presence and goodness in my life. Cedarkirk has been life-giving for me and I know it will continue to be such a place far into the future.