A Life Well Lived: Chelsea Opheim
Chelsea grew up attending Family Camps with her family. Each year she looked forward to making the trek from Santa Barbara to enjoy a week of refreshment and fun. She was so encouraged by these experiences that she purposed to continue the tradition with her own family.
Chelsea and Nathan were married in 1994. They brought their three children to Family Camps, providing the same experience that Chelsea’s family had given to her. Over the years they attended camps and concerts, forming lasting friendships with other campers and staff.
In 2011, Chelsea was diagnosed with breast cancer and recently went to be with the Lord. Chelsea had the unique opportunity to reflect on her legacy and how she wanted to be remembered.
She desired a memorial that would represent her core values of choosing life, loving others like Jesus, and having faith in the promises of God.
She and Nathan came to us to talk about possibilities at Mount Hermon, and we let them know of a fire pit we were hoping to build at Ponderosa Lodge — a place where thousands of young people gather to learn and develop relationships.
Ponderosa Lodge is Mount Hermon’s most-utilized facility, hosting Jr. High and High School students all summer, Outdoor Science School during the school year, and many program and guest groups on weekends. Over 6,000 kids and teens come to Ponderosa each year, where relationships with their counselors and naturalist teachers help lead them to the love of Jesus.
Chelsea was overjoyed at this idea, and her family and friends quickly pledged to provide the funds needed for this project in Chelsea’s memory.
The new fire pit will be a powerful tool for the relational ministry that happens every day at Ponderosa Lodge and will have a plaque remembering Chelsea and her love for the ministry of Mount Hermon.
We are so grateful for her friendship, for the years the Lord gave us with her, and for her lasting legacy
at Mount Hermon.
For more information about leaving a legacy at Mount Hermon, please contact J.R. Loofbourrow at 831.430.1244 or advancement@mounthermon.org
