How Did I Get Here?
Seminarian Troy Peperkorn
When I visited St. Paul’s Lutheran Chapel in Iowa City five years ago I knew that it could be my home away from home. It affected my decision to go to the University of Iowa more than the school itself. There was stability and a proclamation of Christ Crucified that I would come to learn was more foundational for my life as a Christian adult than any field of study I could choose. It was my life at the Chapel that guided me to study at Concordia Theological Seminary in order to become a pastor.
For four years I reveled in the discussions of various aspects of Christ and living as confessors of His sacrifice. I wrestled with free will in the Confessions with one of my friends from the Chapel and with Pastor Mons. I learned how demons and angels are perceived in society and then how the Bible actually portrays them. I learned the proper distinction between Law and Gospel while reading C.F.W. Walther with the Peer Ministers. In the Peer Ministry I learned how to plan events, coordinate people, and delegate tasks. I also met my fiancée at the Chapel. However, it was hearing the Word and receiving the Lord’s Body and Blood every Sunday without fail that strengthened my faith in Christ and gave me peace from the doubts of study in a secular society.
As a result of my involvement in Chapel activities I went on two mission trips with other students from the Chapel. The first was to Lithuania where we were given a story of how the Church survived religious persecution under Communist control for fifty years. The second was to Kenya were we distributed donations of school supplies and clothes, taught Bible stories and songs, and visited families. We proclaimed the Gospel to Christians who relied on God’s mercy and love in order to live in poverty and an unstable cultural environment. When national elections forced the entire country to stay inside for two weeks, their livelihood was threatened. It was this chance to speak words of comfort and mercy every day to those who clearly hungered for it which led me to see that this was what God had given me to do. Because of what St. Paul’s has given me in experience, Word, and Sacrament, I am now blessed in my studies to continue the proclamation of God’s eternal mercy.
