CPE and life on the Atlantic

Well, the semester's done (and been so for a while now...) and I've been transplanted to the coast of Nova Scotia.

I'm here for an 11-week course as part of my training. It's called CPE: Clinical Pastoral Education. The simplest explanation is that I am learning what it means to be a hospital chaplain. For those of you who've been in hospital or been a hospital visitor probably have a good idea of what a hospital chaplain is. This course is about learning the skills to do the work of a hospital chaplain and to spend time with course-mates learning and talking about how the experience is teaching us new things about ourselves as much as simply learning skills to work in a hospital.

I am very much enjoying my experience, even if I seem to be the only Lutheran in the hospital. I am working at the IWK Children and Women's Health Hospital in Halifax: a very interesting place to be. There is so much to learn! I work exclusively on one floor in Pediatrics. I have 24 beds to visit that are usually completely occupied, but not consistently the same patients. There are both long term stayers and short term visits. The patients range in age from a day old to 18 years old. I visit with patients as much as I visit with patient's families who are often staying in the rooms with them. I really like the people I'm working with, and have had good opportunities to get to know the whole staff.

I'm 5 weeks done, which is incredible. The days are passing rather quickly. Soon I will be back in Saskatchewan, only to turn back around and move to Winnipeg for my internship placement. I am only now starting to think about internship (and even then it's usually just after I've gotten settled in bed before I fall asleep) because I had so many other things that I needed to do before I got out here.

I came out to Nova Scotia a week early in order to visit with some friends and attempt to relax a little after the most tiring semester I've had. I got to see some sights and have been to Zion Lutheran in Lunenburg - the oldest Lutheran congregation in Canada! It is very pretty here. I am becoming fast friends with the local Lutheran clergy (they are warming me to the idea of seeking a call in the Atlantic Conference when I have completed my schooling).

The last part of this week I've been attending 'Luther Hostel,' an Eastern Synod Workshop conference in Lunenburg County. I've been appreciative of the chance to gather and learn a little about the folks who make up the Eastern side of the ELCIC. I am a bit of a curiosity in my coming to Halifax for CPE - but people seem to completely understand my explanation of wanting to go somewhere I've never been before.

All in all, things are going well.