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PAULA MEHMEL: Shoot the Rapids — Blame Humans, Not God

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I​ ​hate​ ​the​ ​phrase​ ​“act​ ​of​ ​God.” ​In​ ​legal​ ​usage​ ​throughout​ ​the​ ​English–speaking​ ​world,​ ​an​ ​act​ ​of​ ​God​ ​is​ ​a​ ​natural​ ​disaster outside​ ​human​ ​control,​ ​such​ ​as​ ​an​ ​earthquake,​ ​hurricane,​ ​flood​ ​or​ ​tsunami,​ ​for​ ​which​ ​no​ ​person can​ ​be​ ​held​ ​responsible. As​ ​a​ ​pastor,​ ​I​ ​have​ ​always​ ​found​ ​it​ ​interesting​ ​that​ ​the​ ​only​ ​time​ ​God​ ​ever​ ​makes​ ​it​ ​into​ ​the …

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PAULA MEHMEL: Shoot the Rapids — There Is More To Activism Than Sheet Cakes

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I love Tina Fey, and I laughed out loud when she poured her sorrows over the events at the alma mater, the University of Virginia, into stress eating a sheet cake on “Weekend Update” this past week. It was a brilliant segment. However, my fear is that her satire of feigned helpless is all too easily embraced. We laugh with …

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PAULA MEHMEL: Shoot the Rapids — When Hate Goes Unchecked

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In January, I spent two weeks in Uganda, working in refugee camps, doing trauma healing. There I came face to face with the victims of a brutal civil war in South Sudan. I heard stories of rape, murder and torture committed in the name of genocidal, tribal hatred. In April, I visited the Killing Fields of Cambodia. I saw the …

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PAULA MEHMEL: Shoot the Rapids — Without Reservations

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Something happened to me today that has I’ve never done before while traveling. I made my reservation for the wrong day. In a European calendar, the days begins with Monday not Sunday. When making reservations I have always caught this fact but must have been tired when booking the Pension Gina in Gorlitz, Germany, because I made it one day later …

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PAULA MEHMEL: Shoot the Rapids — Iceland And Norway: Rental Cars, Planes And Ferries

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One of the things about travel is that you really have to learn to “go with the flow,” and for me, some of those parts are easier than others. For example, a snafu with weather, a travel delay or an unexpected glitch in my plans usually doesn’t get under my skin. Being late for flights, however, not so much. Unfortunately, …

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PAULA MEHMEL: Shoot the Rapids — What Would Have Been My Silver Anniversary

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I was married 25 years ago today. And I’m not sure how to think about it. My marriage ended 11 years ago, and Steve died seven years later. I was holding his hand as he took his last breath, providing a lasting legacy of grace for our children, a reminder of the power of love and the transformative nature of forgiveness. …

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PAULA MEHMEL: Shoot the Rapids — The Chance Of Life

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It’s been an interesting week. It started last Thursday, when Ian and I were driving to work. I had just passed the Veteran’s Boulevard underpass when I saw what looked to me like a mushroom cloud of dust in my rear-view mirror. I immediately told Ian, and he turned around and saw it as well, and we both commented that …

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PAULA MEHMEL: Shoot the Rapids — The Lure Of Angor Wat

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When discussing with Jen what I wanted to do in Cambodia, I made it clear that my first priority was to be of service to the Young Adult in Global Mission program and to her in any way possible and that I had no reconceived expectations. That said, I added, if it worked out, I would really love to see …

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PAULA MEHMEL: Shoot the Rapids — A Trip Into The Heart Of Cambodia

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We took a tuk tuk to Takeo. Takeo, a province south of Phnom Penh, is not only the location of a spot Jen was scouting as a possible end of the year retreat for the YAGM volunteers, it was also the home province of our friend and tuk tuk driver, Me-an’s wife’s family. So when Jen arranged with him to …

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PAULA MEHMEL: Shoot the Rapids — Communion And More

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Today was all about Communion. Our morning began very early, before the sun had even considered rising, as we needed to take a journey back to Phnom Penh following the wedding the previous night. The journey had been about four hours in our minibus, but the return trip in our taxi was slightly under three, getting us to Phnom Penh about 8 …

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PAULA MEHMEL: Shoot the Rapids — ‘One Night In Cambodia’

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I never went to prom. However, at the age of 53, I did attend a Cambodian wedding celebration, which I believe goes one step better. In order to attend the wedding, and be properly respectful, the first order of business was getting a Cambodian dress. That was easier said than done, however, because the Cambodian people are small and I …

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PAULA MEHMEL: Shoot the Rapids — Easy And Right Aren’t the Same Thing

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It’s easy, in the face of atrocities, to want to look the other way. That’s what went through my mind today as I stared at skull upon skull stacked 18 levels high at the Killing Fields Memorial Site, or as I listened to the audio descriptions of torture as I walked through Tuol Sleng Prison, the Genocide Museum. It would …

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PAULA MEHMEL: Shoot the Rapids — Navigating The College Admissions Process

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It’s the last week of March. This year, for me, that means that I begin the process of relieving my yard of the detritus that gathered over the winter and recycling all of the items that have been stored in my garage, waiting for a day that was nice enough to haul them to the city recycling bins. But I …

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PAULA MEHMEL: Shoot the Rapids — I Want To Be The Face Of Medicaid Expansion!

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I was on Medicaid. There, I admitted it.  It’s not an easy thing to do for me. Even when I was on it, and I would go to the doctor, I handed the card to the person at the admittance desk with a furtive glance around to see if anyone saw me. And every time, I wanted to blurt out my …

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PAULA MEHMEL: Shoot the Rapids — Shedding Fear, Despair And Outrage

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My senior year of seminary I gave up cynicism for Lent. My life, at that point, was literally out of my control. Approved for ordination, my placement was in the hands of the Conference of Bishops, which held a draft of all the eligible candidates to decide where we would end up going, geographically. It would have been easy to …

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PAULA MEHMEL: Shoot the Rapids — Uganda Journal, Day 11

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Travel in Uganda is all part of the experience. And our journey from Adjumani back to Entebbe was indeed quite the experience. Our original plan was to take the bus — it would have been far cheaper, albeit less comfortable, and we wanted to be good stewards of our funds. Unfortunately, we went to book it too late in the …

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PAULA MEHMEL: Shoot the Rapids — Uganda Journal, Day 10

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I awoke in the morning feeling as though a 50,000-pound weight was suspended over my body, held up by a thread and giving me scant room with which to maneuver. I literally crawled out of bed feeling as though I had to avoid this weight that was hanging over me. The reality is, the weight of the emotion with which …

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PAULA MEHMEL: Shoot the Rapids — Uganda Journal, Day 9

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I will be honest. When Denise and John suggested that I join them on this trip — OK, it also may have been me inviting myself — I was a bit concerned that the focus would be pastoral. Yes, I am a pastor, but to be honest, I am aware of the heavy burden Africa bears because of colonial missionary work …

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PAULA MEHMEL: Shoot the Rapids — Uganda Journal, Day 8

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Connections and relationships are vital when engaged in meaningful community development. Sudanese  Lutheran Community Development, the organization with which I am volunteering, began when my friend Denise’s bishop approached her about building a relationship with some Sudanese Lost Boys about 15 years ago. When Denise and her husband John go into something, they go big or go home.  Or in this …

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PAULA MEHMEL: Shoot the Rapids — Uganda Journal, Day 7

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Perspective is an interesting thing. On my first day at Olwa 1 Refugee Camp, I went to what I thought was the designated latrine. I had to hold my breath when I went in and found it to be, well, primitive. After using it for a couple of days, one of the women saw me coming out of it and pointed …

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PAULA MEHMEL: Shoot the Rapids — Uganda Journal, Day 6

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I’ve preached on the woman at the well dozens and dozens of times. It is one of my all-time favorite Bible stories, where Jesus encounters a woman getting water at the well in the heat of the day and extends to her love and acceptance when so many had rejected her. But it never held the same power as today. …

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PAULA MEHMEL: Shoot the Rapids — Uganda Journal, Day 5

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I returned to my room tonight, exhausted from an emotionally draining day, greeting the news that there is electricity but that there will be no Wi-Fi for the immediate future with mixed feelings. On the one hand, I like to be connected. I’m a wired sort of person, and I will claim that. I enjoy being able to text my …

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PAULA MEHMEL: Shoot the Rapids — Uganda Journal, Lamentations

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I am a Lutheran pastor who is currently in Adjumani Uganda, working with Sudanese Lutheran Community Development in refugee camps. Our organization supports community-based organizers in the camps that help us address specific needs and issues. I am here with two other people for two weeks doing Trauma Healing Training with pastors and lay leaders (pictured above) in the camp and also …

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PAULA MEHMEL: Shoot the Rapids — Uganda Journal, Day 4

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I woke up today after an unsettled sleep. The events of the past week, and especially the past day, played heavily on my heart and soul and the power failure in the middle of the night played on my CPAP machine. The combination left me far from rested. The good news, though, was that it is Sunday, and we had …

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PAULA MEHMEL: Shoot the Rapids — Uganda Journal, Day 3

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Our plans for the day shifted. Denise and I had prepared to focus on the women today and Monday, but the arrival of the food truck changed all that. The truck arrives once a month, providing the food that will sustain the village until the truck returns. When the truck arrives, the refugees unload the 50 kilogram bags and stack them. They …

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PAULA MEHMEL: Shoot the Rapids — Uganda Journal, Day 2

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Today began with a trip to the Office of the Prime Minister, where we planned to get permission to enter the camps. Well, it was supposed to begin that way, but our van ran out of gas before getting three blocks from our hotel. I said a prayer of thanks that our driver’s failure to check for gas was noticed …

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PAULA MEHMEL: Shoot the Rapids — Uganda Journal, Day 1

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I knew in August 1988, when I left Africa after six months of traveling and being an occasional student (a phrase I took VERY literally) at the University of Zimbabwe, that I would be back. I am a bit surprised that it took almost 30 years but unsurprised that I return with Denise Scheer and John Musick. Denise was my roommate …

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PAULA MEHMEL: Shoot the Rapids — Dogs, Politics And Refugees

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My dog disappeared for a few days this week. Marti is beagle terrier cross, with the energy of a terrier and the intelligence and roaming instincts of a beagle.  She’s a sweet little dog who is terribly anxious, because she was abused before I got her from the Humane Society in Willmar, Minn. (my hometown — where my first dog, …

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PAULA MEHMEL: Shoot the Rapids — Fargo Women’s March Call To Unity

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May our eyes see the humanity of all people, worthy of dignity and respect, especially those who are clouded in the shadows of an unfair world. May our ears hear the cries of the oppressed, marginalized and forgotten and those being left behind, drowned out by the din of intolerance May our lips speak truth to power with boldness, grace …

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PAULA MEHMEL: Shoot the Rapids — Bridging The Gap

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I have a conundrum. Everyone who knows me is aware that I am a dyed-in-the-wool progressive. I wrote my first political letter in 1969. I was 5. It was to Richard Nixon, suggesting that the Vietnam War was not a good idea and perhaps we should get out of it. A self-starting child, I addressed it on my own, to …

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PAULA MEHMEL: Shoot the Rapids — Paul’s Resolution Still Rings True

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2016 is a year a lot of people will be happy to have in the rear-view mirror. With so many glad to see this year end, it seems a fitting time to quit looking back and start looking forward, and one of the ways I do that every year is through New Year’s resolutions. I am a big believer in …

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PAULA MEHMEL: Shoot the Rapids — Mutual Family Love Matters Most

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Dec. 7, 2016, was my 25th anniversary. Not of my marriage — that ended after 14 years. It’s the anniversary of when my family began. When I met Steve, we had a whirlwind romance. After just over two months of dating, we decided to get married. I was 28 and had kissed enough frogs to know that this strong, sensitive …

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PAULA MEHMEL: Shoot the Rapids — ‘Shoebox Christmas’

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The whole story started 10 years ago, at about this very time. I was at a meeting for Churches United for the Homeless, where I was serving my first year on the board. The executive director was bemoaning the fact that First Link, the organization in charge of distributing gifts to people at Christmas, had made some changes in their program. …

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PAULA MEHMEL: Shoot the Rapids — Living With A Trump Presidency

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I knew he would win. I’ve known it since last fall when I heard two stories on NPR in the same week. One was on the use of language in the power of persuasion — a rhetorical feat Trump has mastered. The other story focused on how people turn to authoritative power when they are uncertain or scared. After hearing those …

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PAULA MEHMEL — Shoot The Rapids: A Visit To Witness The Mission Of Justice And Peace At Standing Rock

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“When you move, you get the endorphins going, and you have more energy, more life.  And that is where the healing begins.” Those words, spoken by Johnny Eagle, the Wellness director for the Standing Rock Indian Reservation, not only echoed the important healing taking place in the camp at Standing Rock for the mental well-being of its participants, who deal …

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PAULA MEHMEL — Shoot The Rapids: A Son’s Lost Wallet And A Stranger’s Kindness In A Land Far, Far Away

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It’s the second worst text a parent can get from a child who is traveling alone abroad. “Mom, my wallet was stolen. I don’t have anything. No documents, no credit cards, no money.” When I backpacked through Europe in college and then around the world when I was 24, I didn’t have the option of letting my parents know what was happening. …

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PAULA MEHMEL — Shoot The Rapids: There Is No ‘Type’ Of Rape Victim

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I was 23 when I was raped in 1987. I was also serving as a hospital chaplain as part of my clinical pastoral education for seminary. I remember — as the police responded and as the hospital staff tended to my bruised and battered body — how everyone kept saying, “And she’s a chaplain,” as if there was a “type” to be raped …

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