By Hannah Delane

In preparation for each Off the Map event, we ask some of our local OTM colleagues to find three lost people for us to interview. The always proves to be an interesting experience for both parties. Israel Askew was our designated lost-person locater guy in Portland. Since we don’t have a manual on “how to find a lost person,” each searcher makes up his own strategy. Israel chose to simply walk around the campus of Portland State University and approach anyone who appeared to look lost. One of the people he managed to talk into getting on stage with us was Hannah Delane a student at PSU. We asked her to tell us what it was like to be one of our “3 lost college students” in Portland at Off The Map.

I must have been daydreaming instead of studying right before midterms last spring, because I got caught. The next thing I knew, I was talking to a newfound friend about my beliefs in God. I remember that the sun was shining and I had lots on my mind, but I was feeling generous with my time that day and didn’t jump when Israel Askew asked me if I considered myself to be a Christian.

Before long, I was posing questions to Israel. He seemed decent and I felt challenged. Together we agreed that I would become one of the lost people of Portland.

I met with Israel and Jim a little while later, and it turned out that Jim was ok too. I got to talk about myself and my views with two men I hardly knew who respected, listened and commented on what I had to share–even though I am sure they didn’t agree with me on almost everything I had to say.

It was an easy, natural and perhaps inevitable next step for me to agree to be interviewed, on a stage, at a church, in front of a whole lot of people I didn’t know.

I didn’t talk with my friends about this decision much but my mom and my boyfriend cautioned me to think about whom I might be dealing with. Trying to explain a positive gut feeling to someone who wasn’t there is always hard so I remained pretty private.

Eventually after meeting with Jim and Israel a second time, I discussed my decision to be on Off The Map’s “lost persons panel” with my mother in greater detail which opened up a wonderful dialogue between us that had not previously existed before.

I had been raised in a Vineyard Church, and was what I would now call a jubilant Christian. I went through a spiritual self-evaluation early in my adolescence which my family and I didn’t talk much about it.

My developing philosophies were my own, and they were accepted. But what was exciting about the new dialogue with my mother was that I found out that she agreed with me more than less. She remains a devout Christian, but maybe what you would call a private follower.

My boyfriend was excited about the opportunity, and was also excited to attend a Christian church for the first time, as he has been a Muslim for his whole life. His impressions were generally positive, though he felt that a lot of people could not shift their myopic focus to a more holistic (or philosophical one). This conclusion was drawn from listening to the questions they posed to those if us on the panel. However, he was impressed by the event itself, and the general kindness of the people he met.

So, that’s my story of how I became a lost person in Portland, and a very happy one, I might add, who is glad to have had the chance to interact in such a way with the Israel, Jim, the Off The Map attendees, and with my mother.