It took less than 3 months after graduating from UP before I realized what a safe haven I’d left behind. Finding a church was one thing (I church hopped for almost 2 years before finding a young adult community at St. Patrick’s downtown), but learning Portland’s popular opinion on religion and faith-related topics was a much greater shock. I’d been in public school in Beaverton prior to attending UP, and assumed that starting medical school in Portland would have similar religious demographics with mostly Christians, plenty of Catholics, and the occasional Atheist/Agnostic. I was mistaken.
I sought to find faithful colleagues by bringing up topics such as my recent favorite book (Heaven Is for Real) or sharing with others which Mass I’d be trying out that weekend. I came to find out that this topic was not as welcome as I’d hoped and resulted in a few conversations about “that religious girl” among people whom I’d hoped would become my friends. What was worse, our professors propagated atheistic favoritism by making sarcastic remarks about pro-life groups and those believing in divine creation. I felt like the lonely lamb in a class of 120 wolves.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t tempted to hide my faith after some of these experiences—we all hate to stand out in ways that are unpopular. It took another lamb to finally encourage me after she heard that we were both believers. I wasn’t alone! Slowly but surely, other Christians (and even one Catholic) came out of the woodwork. We were even able to start a Christian Women in Medicine interest group. These women became the major laborers in our group of volunteer medical students at a free faith-based clinic in Vancouver and we normalized a faith-friendly culture for future students in the school of medicine.
Lambs among wolves. The harvest is PLENTY in Portland. Few cities have a greater opportunity for evangelization. So where can we begin? I really believe that building a great labor force starts with encouraging our co-laborers. Jesus didn’t send his disciples out individually; he sent them out in pairs and groups to spread the Word. If you’re in a place where it feels intimidating to share your faith alone, start by encouraging other believers. It sure made a difference for me.
Reflection by Beth Krautscheid '12 (pictured above, center)
