Following God’s guidance sometimes requires bold, faith-filled action. Rachel Hastreiter, native Minnesotan, took that bold action when she moved to California and dove into a new career as a photographer.
“As a kid, I was in California a lot because my dad’s family was from there,” Hastreiter told “Practicing Catholic” producer Rachael McCallum on the program set to air at 9 p.m. Jan. 17 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM. “They were all military and so growing up as a kid, I was flying out there with my family and visiting great grandparents, extended relatives and I’ve always loved California. As a 4-year-old, I began thinking to myself, ‘I really want to live in California.’”
As a young girl, Hastreiter told herself that one day she would live in California. This desire grew with her interest in all art forms as a kid, including classical ballet, singing and photography.
Fifteen years ago, Hastreiter began writing letters to a pen pal in San Diego. The two have been friends since. In 2022, while alone in an Airbnb during a trip to Florida, Hastreiter said something told her to move out of state.
“It didn’t say where, though,” Hastreiter said. All she knew was that she didn’t want to live in Minnesota anymore. “I thought maybe Florida, but I’m thinking unless I’m on the coast of Florida, I don’t think Florida is my vibe either, so I’ll just pray about it.”
Later that year, at a wedding, the same voice told her to move to San Diego. In this moment, Hastreiter felt her memories of wanting to live in California come full circle.
“God brought it back into my life for a reason,” Hastreiter said. “I thought, ‘if I’m going to do this, then what’s stopping me?’”
She reached back out to her pen pal friend, who encouraged Hastreiter in her decision to leave Minnesota and move to California. Eventually Hastreiter found roommates to live with in San Diego and her friend’s parents sold her a car. She then found two different jobs. It was at this moment that Hastreiter believed God wanted this move for her life.
“Everything was happening so perfectly in a way that I could never have done,” Hastreiter said. “If I don’t take this first step, if I feel like this is what God is calling in my life, I could be missing out on something that’s incredible. Even though there have been some dead ends, the path is still the same. As you look at a tree, it’s got many different branches. It’s got different trajectories. … This whole career thing, and even just (this) life journey … I’ve been on one path, but I’ve taken different routes.”
To hear more from Hastreiter about her journey to California to become a professional photographer, tune into “Practicing Catholic,” which repeats at 1 p.m. Jan. 18 and 2 p.m. Jan. 19.
As part of the program, Bishop Michael Izen discusses how to keep the spirit of Christmas alive after the season is over. Also, Madeline Larson, a grant coordinator for Epiphany Caring for Life, talks about visio divina and how this practice has become increasingly popular.
Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, “Practicing Catholic” can be heard after it has aired at archspm.org/faith-and-discipleship/practicing-catholic or choose a streaming platform at Spotify for Podcasters.
