From the foxhole to the deathbed, my chaplaincy journey has been one of transformation, growth and healing–both for those I serve and myself. As an undergraduate student I joined the Army Reserves as a chaplain’s assistant not realizing that chaplaincy would become a lifelong calling. I wanted to become a minister in a setting outside of the church and I saw chaplaincy as an opportunity to explore that calling. Less than two years after I enlisted as a chaplain’s assistant I was deployed to Afghanistan. While I was in Afghanistan I had many opportunities to minister as a chaplain’s assistant to the soldiers in my battalion and realize my purpose in bringing a healing presence to those I served. While deployed to Afghanistan I enrolled in seminary and began taking courses in pastoral counseling while walking through life and death with combat engineers looking for roadside bombs.
The year that I spent in a combat zone as a chaplain’s assistant has shaped my life in many ways. I continued my seminary education focusing on chaplaincy studies while simultaneously pastoring a church. My military chaplaincy calling continued as I transitioned from chaplain’s assistant to chaplain. I now continue to serve as a battalion chaplain in the Army Reserves. During my years as a full time pastor I pursued clinical pastoral education (CPE) which became a cathartic and therapeutic experience as I wrestled through traumatic experiences in Afghanistan and having my mother die young from cancer. It was during these healing experiences in CPE that I decided to continue my own healing journey as a wounded healer; a healthcare chaplain.
My first healthcare chaplaincy position was as a hospice chaplain. Hospice chaplaincy is serving those with a diagnosis of 6 months or less to live. People have often asked me how I am able to cope with being a hospice chaplain. My response is that hospice work is life giving. One of the profound aspects of walking with the dying is that they are often the most joyful people you may meet. When people know they are going to die they often radically shift their life priorities. I have had so many opportunities to learn from those in hospice care and the lessons their lives have taught them. Hospice care is healing work–both for the ministered and the minister. My military chaplaincy has complimented my healthcare chaplaincy. I often find myself saluting a veteran in hospice care, wearing my military uniform to officiate a funeral, or having veterans confide in me their combat experiences. It is meaningful work to have patients share their experiences and find healing. I now serve as a chaplain director and supervisor for chaplains at four critical access hospitals across Northwestern Minnesota. My military and healthcare chaplaincy experiences have given me the opportunity to serve patients, families and now mentoring and investing in healthcare chaplains. My chaplaincy experience continues to be a source of life and healing, both professionally and personally.