ZionMagazine-Final

The Call to Zion
Sally Peterson
I think my calling has been on my life for as long as
I can remember. I can look back on my childhood
and see the clear hand of God’s guidance. I
grew up in a household that fell well below the
poverty level. When I was in first grade my family
experienced a lot of trauma. My dad crushed his
hip in a motorcycle accident, the flat roof on our
home caved in (leaking, even after it had been
fixed, which led to chronic illness due to black
mold and mildew), my cousins (whom I was very
close to) moved to another state, and my favorite
uncle was murdered. I was also in a first grade
classroom with a teacher who was both physically
and emotionally abusive. My mother was pregnant
with my youngest sister at the time. This sister was
different than the rest of us and we spent much of
our lives trying to correct her behavior.
When I was in sixth grade, I had four biological
siblings, and my parents began to do foster care. I
believe the decision was partly because it brought
in a little extra income and partly because my
mom was trying to do a favor for a friend, whose
grandchildren had been placed in state custody.
Those children never did live with us, but my
parents took in many foster children over the
next six years. During that time I saw a lot of the
behaviors that were typical of children who had
experienced significant trauma.
God has been preparing me
for such a time as this...
After my husband and I married, we had two
beautiful little boys. I had spent a good portion
of my pregnancies on bed rest but I wanted a
little girl. My heart was open to adoption, so
my husband and I decided to adopt a little girl.
Instead, God gave us an older boy. Despite my
experience with foster children growing up, I really
wasn’t prepared to take on the role of parent to
a child suffering from trauma. Our path was very
hard, even though my son was easy compared to
many, and the toll on our family was huge.
It wasn’t until my son was about 19 that I met a
family who had an adopted child about the same
age as our son. Their challenges had been a lot
worse than ours had been and they not only found
help, but were now helping other families. I began
to learn much about trauma and how to best work
with children who have been through traumatic
experiences.
I can see now how the many situations in my life,
that didn’t seem to make sense, have led me to this
point. I taught at a Christian school for four years.
I thought perhaps my time there had been a waste,
but now I see God using those experiences to
prepare me for this path.
The years spent at our next church, while
seemingly unfruitful, were also used to prepare
us for this path by placing us there to learn about
trauma, its effects, and how to best care for those
healing from those experiences.
God allowed me to go back to school for four
years to complete an actual degree in elementary
education. I was frustrated when I first began
to teach because people who had just gotten
alternative certification were having an easier
time getting positions. But, I never doubted I was
supposed to get that degree.
God allowed me to be a music teacher for two
years, which provided the opportunity to interact
with MANY students dealing with significant
trauma, to talk to their teachers, and get to know
their stories.
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