Unconventional

by Susan Hetrick

edited by Bob Terwilliger, summer 2023

When I was asked to reflect on my ministry and my retirement, the only thing that came to mind for both was the word “unconventional.”

I was ordained as a specialized minister in the RCA in January 2013, as the executive director of the Oasis Renewal Center, a retreat ministry in Sonoita, Arizona. I had distinctly heard God calling me into ministry, and I did quite a bit of the usual stuff—reading Scripture, preaching, praying, officiating weddings, serving communion, and leading meetings. However, for seven years my husband David and I also welcomed people into our rural home on 16 acres of rolling wooded hills in southeastern Arizona. We offered people a quiet place to unwind, pray, commune with nature, and rest. Amenities at the Oasis included a labyrinth, interaction with animals (three dogs, eight goats, two alpacas, and twelve chickens), a hot tub, prayer gardens, and walking trails. We provided a relaxed, homey atmosphere, nourishing meals, comfortable beds, and the opportunity to connect with God and connect with others.

Our retreat ministry drew folks from all walks of life and from all over the world—consistories and church leaders from the RCA, the Christian Reformed Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), and the United Methodist Church; the board of a Basset Hound rescue group (twice); an Indie rock band who needed a break while touring the southwest; a group of ultra- marathoners, including one Barefoot Jake who had run across the U.S. without shoes; the RCA’s emerging women leaders groups, and the RCA’s Commission for Women, to name a few. We held retreats for leadership groups, for women, for men, for people entering midlife, for yoga practitioners, and for artists. We hosted ten Catholic nuns who evacuated their convent to escape a wildfire. We also hosted individuals, couples, and families who just needed to get away for a few days, including a wine connoisseur from England, two hikers from Germany, a veterinarian from France, and eleven Folklórico dancers from Mexico.

When I was asked what I did as an executive director of a retreat center, I usually said that I invite people into my home, I feed them, and I listen to them. I spent a LOT of time just allowing people to talk about whatever was on their heart. Many people had spiritual questions, but most people just needed to talk through something that was going on in their lives. The conversation always began with, “Can I ask you something?” I always answered, “Of course!” Apparently, I have a big invisible sign over my head that says, Tell this woman your life story. She will listen! That was the essence of my somewhat unconventional ministry.

In March 2020 when COVID struck, everything came screeching to a halt. We could no longer host people in our home. Retreats and bookings were cancelled. Churches across the world closed their doors. The retreat center closed its doors. For seven months in 2020, I worked with the local Methodist church, producing a weekly church service that was broadcast over a local radio station in Patagonia, Arizona. I learned all sorts of new skills: writing prayers for an audience I could not see; recording Bible verses, prayers, transitional phrases, and the occasional sermon with an app on my phone; and computer-assisted sound editing! Working remotely to produce a radio church service was certainly unconventional in our televised video and internet-centered world. And for me, it felt like the exact opposite of my Oasis ministry: I was sending a message out, not inviting people in; I was speaking, not listening.

As I finished up the broadcast for Sunday, November 15, 2020, I felt a distinct shift. I suddenly felt that my season in ministry had come to an end and God was telling me it was time to retire, despite being only 56 years old.

David and I deliberately planned for an unconventional retirement. Neither of us were excited about the idea of moving to a 55+ community with pickleball courts or a golf course. That felt way too unadventurous, and besides, neither of us played pickleball or golf. Instead, we wanted to be near a beach, someplace with a lower cost of living, where we could enjoy nature and art and a new culture. We researched several options (Puerto Rico; Belize; Roatán, Honduras; Costa Rica; Mexico), pored over International Living magazine articles, did cost comparisons, and traveled around the Caribbean. We sold the goats, the alpacas, and the chickens.

In December 2020, my husband David and I flew to Puerto Vallarta in Jalisco on Mexico’s west coast. As we flew over the jungle-covered mountains surrounding the turquoise bay, my heart sang, “I’m home!” We planned to stay six months and “test drive” retirement. We rented a furnished studio apartment three blocks from the beach (which, oddly, had no windows to the outdoors!) and set about exploring our new surroundings, meeting new people, and trying to figure out what to do all day when we didn’t have jobs!

I have always loved art and began painting when I was very young. Puerto Vallarta has a vibrant art scene with a weekly art walk, the Arte Vallarta Museo, beautiful public sculptures, and dozens of galleries and artist studios. We spent hours walking around the city looking at murals and visiting galleries. I found a small art supply store close to our apartment, bought some canvas and paints, and began creating small paintings at our kitchen table. We also explored the hundreds of restaurants that the city offered, and walked daily on the Malecón, the long boardwalk by the ocean that leads to Puerto Vallarta’s iconic Los Muertos Pier. With all that walking, both of us lost weight!

Four months into our stay, our home and retreat center in Arizona sold, and we went back to the states to tie up all the loose ends. We took a two-week trip to Belize in Central America to explore retirement options there, but discovered that while Belize is a welcoming and beautiful country, it just wasn’t the right fit for us.

At the end of September 2021, we drove back to Puerto Vallarta with our dogs, intending to stay. We applied for residency. We now live in a Mexican-style house with a backyard in a lovely, friendly neighborhood, just six blocks from the beach. I have an art studio where I spend my afternoons and have shown my paintings at two different local art galleries. Puerto Vallarta has been called the friendliest city in the world, and it truly is! We have met lots of locals and expats from all over the world and have made some very good friends. We have been able to welcome visiting friends from up north, including a retired CRC pastor and his wife, whom we hosted at the Oasis nearly ten years ago! It was wonderful to reconnect with them.

I’m learning to navigate an entirely new culture in a new language. My Spanish is improving daily, and I have been able to settle into life in Mexico with only a few hiccups. It helps that there’s a Costco nearby. I’m impressed with the efficiency and low cost of the health-care system, thrilled with the price of food in the markets (fresh shrimp for $3.00/ pound, avocados for less than $1.00/pound!), and delighted with the festivals and celebrations that are put on by the city throughout the year, all featuring extravagant decorations, parades, music, and fireworks. There is always something to celebrate!

I don’t miss much about living in the U.S., with the exceptions of family and Taco Bell. I honestly feel safer in Mexico than I felt in the U.S. with its vitriol and gun violence. I’ve learned that life here moves at a slower pace and people genuinely care for one another. There is a different focus to the day. It is more important to stop and ask how your neighbor is doing than to arrive at an event on time. I have learned not to get impatient with anything—things will happen when they happen. Mañana!

I have been asked if we have found a church to join, or if I intend to begin a new ministry or a church in Puerto Vallarta. The answer to all those questions is no. I can only explain it this way: ministry and involvement with the church focused and sustained me for most of my life. It was essential while we were raising our four children and provided me with a community, true friends, spiritual grounding, an identity, and a career. I served the RCA over the years in congregations, on commissions, in my classis, and at General Synod, and I enjoyed every minute of it. I am truly grateful for, and love, the church. However, when I retired it was as though a door slammed shut behind me. That season is over. God is up to something different now and has moved me from the high desert mountains of Arizona to the jungle-covered mountains of Jalisco. Adventure awaits!

Susan grew up in Massachusetts. She earned her BA in English literature with a minor in humanities/art history from the University of Arizona in 1986. She earned her MDiv from Phoenix Seminary in 2006, went through the MFCA program and was ordained by the Classis of the Southwest in 2013.

She served as the executive director of the Oasis Renewal Center for seven years. She also served the RCA on the Commission for Women, and was the president of the Classis of the Southwest in 2018-2019. She retired from ministry in 2020 and now happily lives in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico. She and her husband, David, have four grown children. pastorsusanhetrick@gmail.com