Three years ago I started knitting a blanket, not knowing who would receive it. I was just starting Calvin Theological Seminary's M.Div. program and I needed a project to help me relax in my oh-so-sparse free time.
As I kept knitting, I realized that the project was bigger than I had expected: the blanket is made up of 48 squares that each took about 2-1/2 hours to make. While knitting the tenth square, I decided to give the blanket to someone who had given me a lot of time, encouragement, and support.
At about the same time I started making the blanket, I began a mentoring relationship with Rev. Thea Leunk, my pastor at Eastern Avenue CRC. The more I thought about it, the more it made sense to share my knitting project with her.
Over the three years that I have studied to become a pastor, Pastor Thea has guided me, answered my questions, overseen my internship, shared her experience and wisdom, and even shared some of her own faith questions.
As I handed her the blanket just before Christmas, I explained that it was a token of my appreciation for all of the time she spent shaping my life, guiding me, and enabling me to be a better pastor someday. I hope that Pastor Thea will be able to use it for many years to come, just as I will use the things she's taught me.
—Chelsey Harmon is a senior at Calvin Theological Seminary.
