Seminarians in Iceland

Reflections on The Journey.

2012-01-30T06:57:00.000-08:00

It has been a few weeks since our group departed from Iceland, saying good-bye to our hosts and wonderful new friends. As I begin to settle back into my routine of life back at home, some aspects of my trip keep coming up in my mind. Iceland is a beautiful place that has so many wonderful landscapes, and natural wonders, such as the Blue Lagoon, that took my breath away. However, the things that I think about most were the people.

The hospitality was so amazing. For a country to have gone through such a tough economic time, and yet show our group such generosity was awe-inspiring. The wonderful conversations that were had with colleagues in ministry/education. I enjoyed getting the chance to talk with pastors and seminarians that are in a church body that was different than my own. These talks gave me a since that, though we were different, the Church Universal was very much a reality. The idea that God moves and acts in people throughout cultural identities and the notion of the one body of Christ came to fruition with these conversations.

With all of these things in mind, the reflection I come to most often is how a short two-week trip has really opened my mind. I am aware of the broader since of the world, but I am also now aware of my lacking worldview. I was in a place that spoke a language that I could not begin to understand on a serious level. My saving grace was their ability to speak English very well. Yet I had a tugging pain every time I had to ask someone to speak my language in their home. I have become aware of the assumptions I have as a citizen of the United States. I have always been understood, even when I went away from home. Yet when they would speak amongst each other, I felt completely isolated. This has given me a deeper since of what it is like for someone to not have a clue what is going on, as like a stranger, traveler, or immigrant. My trip has given me a glimpse into what it is like to be surrounded by a sea of unknown. If not for our hosts we would have been literally and figuratively lost. For this I cannot thank them enough, and I realize my need to think in a broader sense.

All in all this trip was a wonderful, life-altering trip that will be with me always.

Gracious God, I pray to you a prayer of thanksgiving for the unbelievable experience that was given to our group those short few weeks ago. I ask for your Spirit to renew and continue to guide our hosts in their lives, as well as the ministries that they support and uphold. Give us all the ability to recognize your light in the whole world, and let us live in the knowledge that your grace stretches out to all humanity. In the name of your gracious Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ I pray, AMEN.

What I Have Gained

2012-01-29T21:04:00.000-08:00

I learned many things during my time in Iceland. I have learned how hospitality is a wonderful gift to the church and how much of a blessing it is for the recipient. I have come to understand a different meaning of "parish" which I appreciate and has challenged how I have viewed it previously (an Icelandic parish is the community in which the church building resides, not just the people who attend worship). I have experienced new and innovative ways to approach worship and education, one of which is holding Sunday school at a retirement facility to encourage inter-generational education and fellowship. I have learned how misconduct of leaders in the church can be damaging not just for the time they are in the leadership role, but for generations to follow. I have experienced a different culture than my own from a wonderful group of people. I have learned how joining together with neighboring parishes can be both beneficial for the pastors and also for the surrounding community especially for the care of the poor and the hungry. I have eaten of the delicacies of Iceland and have come back a stronger individual. I am extremely grateful for all those involved in this trip, especially Gunnar for putting this together and for Erikur and Stefania for allowing Emily and I to stay with them. I want to thank all the pastors that we met with for allowing time in their busy schedule to speak to us about their ministry and their lives. Takk Fyrir! Bless bless!

God, thank you for this opportunity to experience your people and your church in Iceland. I ask that you guide their process for electing a new Bishop of Iceland and that this be a smooth process and will benefit your church in Iceland. Help those of us who were blessed to be a part of this trip to continue ruminating on all that we experienced and that we will never forget the kindness and hospitality given us by the Icelandic people. Amen.

Babies Sleeping Outside

2012-01-29T20:45:00.000-08:00

As we were preparing to depart on Saturday, our hostess Stefania was putting little Styrmir down for a nap - outside. I thought she was joking at first, but five layers later he was ready to be tucked into the blankets and covered in the stroller to be set out on the patio for his nap.

Turns out babies in Iceland have always slept outside. "It supports healthy babies. And, well, that's the way it has always been done."

She was as shocked to hear this would likely be considered neglect in the US (yes, even when it's your own patio) as I was upon the realization she was being serious about putting the 10-month-old outside in Iceland. Right, cultural lenses and different traditions. Got it. (I wish we got to sleep outside more...)

I enjoyed leaving Iceland on a note of recognition that, though in many ways it seemed much like home, our histories and traditions are in vastly different. (Even putting aside the fact that Iceland has centuries on us here in the US...) It is exciting to recognize the similarities and differences between cultures and places of living. Already I am forgetting the harshness of the smell of sulfur as I brushed my teeth in the morning, and being amazed how quickly it became normal to shower amidst the smell. The first few mornings back I was relishing it, and now the memory of the smell is turning from sour to sweet and I debate boiling eggs to get a tease of it. The heart-shaped pepperkaker cookies we brought home are nearly gone, sadly. And we have yet to find a cheese and ham combo that compliments each other as well as those of the breakfasts abroad. (Not to mention Winston isn't here to offer cutting it for us...) Listening to CDs of our host Erikur is not the same as being with him and Stefania and laughing hysterically, but it is nonetheless very lovely and helps us to remember the warm hospitality we were shown. The joy of hospitality has stuck with us, and we've had guests nearly daily at our home.

It is good to be home, and it is beautiful to be able to feel at home while away because of the love and kindness shown to you by yesterday's strangers/today's friends. It makes you feel like you can go anywhere and things will be okay. That's what being shown Christ's love will do to you. Looking ahead to a new adventure for a year (God only knows where...) for internship - this is a beautiful reassurance. Takk fyrir to all who helped plant this seed of remembrance.

What Happens When One Leaves Iceland?

2012-01-27T08:31:00.000-08:00

    Since returning from Iceland I have had a couple of inspirations. First, I have been exceedingly motivated to sleep. We traveled quite a bit and the result was a state of exhaustion by the end of our trip. I have slept well these last couple of weeks. Secondly, I have been inspired to knit. Icelandic women knit like crazy and, even though I am not an Icelandic woman, I was inspired to take up the Gandhi like profession of making some clothing. Thirdly, I have been inspired to read more works from Iceland. This started while I was in the country when I began reading some sagas. I have read most extensively the saga of Grettir the Strong. He is a wily character.
    I have also downloaded and begun reading another work by a more recently famous Icelander, Halldor Laxness. He was Iceland's only Nobel laureate, awarded for his corpus of fictional books that give insight into Iceland, politics, oppression, mystical elements of life, as well as insight into oneself. For the course we were required to read the book Under the Glacier which is a difficult read for its nonsensical chronology of plot, but fascinating for the depth to which it portrays the characters involved in the story. However, as I found the book a little bit difficult to read, I took up the suggestion of my host, Guðni Már Harðarson, and picked up another of Laxness's books, Iceland's Bell. Though the style is more terse than I am use to, it is nevertheless a very compelling read that is drawing me in for a couple of reasons. First off, it gives insight into historical relationships between Iceland and other countries in western Europe. Though it is a work of fiction, it gives a perspective of Iceland's place in history that speaks truth to real life experiences that were hinted at in our travels.
      Yet, Iceland's Bell also tells the tale of the main character leaving Iceland. He is accused of murdering the Danish King's hangman during a night of drunken revelry and, when given the opportunity to escape, flees to the continent. When he leaves Iceland he does not have a good go of it. He faces starvation and homelessness in Holland, is sentenced to death immediately when he crosses the border into Germany, and is immediately impressed into military service in Denmark after being derided for his Icelandic heritage. All in all, his travels from Iceland meet undesireable ends. So why do I find this character portrayal compelling? Even though the events that befall the main character are not very good, his is nevetheless a tale in the first part of the book of one leaving Iceland for other parts of the world. His fictional experiences have given opportunity for me to reflect upon what has happened and will happen now that I have left Iceland for Iowa.
      So far, aside from snowshoeing, indoor soccer, sleep and a lot of movie watching, the events surrounding my leaving Iceland have been thankfully quiet and nothing like those found in Iceland's Bell. Yet, I do hope my experience in Iceland coupled with my present experiences back at home will lead to some changes. For instance, to get by in Holland, the main character in Iceland's Bell learns the Dutch language in the year he sojourns there, learning to communicate with a people different from his own in a tongue different from his own. It is easy in America to get sucked into thinking that English is the only language one needs in life for it is all one will really have to speak. I hope to learn the language of another people so that I can think about the world in their terms. Furthermore, I hope to remember from my time in Iceland experiencing the earth as constantly changing. Though we did not feel any earthquakes or get stranded by any volcanic eruptions, it is nevertheless a present reality in Iceland that the land is constantly shifting and changing in noticeable ways. The same is true in the middle of North America, though it is far less obvious. I hope to continue to see the world as a place continual change in which the stability of our plans constantly faces the possibility of upheaval.
     Finally, having left Iceland, I hope that I will never forget the kind, quiet (except for Gunnar), generous persons that I encountered there. It is wonderful to experience goodwill anywhere and it is even better to experience it everywhere. I felt welcomed and can genuinely say that I encountered God in the least to the greatest of the Icelanders we met. It was a good trip.

Prison

2012-01-21T11:41:00.000-08:00

On our trip we had the privilege to meet with Iceland's pastor for prison ministries. Among his talents for ministering to those in prison, he is also an amazing chef which we experienced first hand when we visited his home. During our discussion of the prison system in Iceland we learned that there are only around 180 people in prison in Iceland at any given time. There is a waiting list for those who have committed recent crimes because there is not enough space for any more prisoners. The waiting list numbers in the 300s. Also, a figure that surprised some of us was that the sentence for murder is 16 years (I believe, however, it might be 18, I am not sure). Most prisoners, however, only serve around 1/2 to 2/3 of their sentence in prison and the rest on parole. The focus of the prison system here, however, is rehabilitation rather than punishment, which seems to be the focus of the system in the U.S.

In a discussion following our dinner with this pastor, we discussed how the victim would feel about the murderer only serving 16 years in prison. We discussed what punishment would be "enough" for murder, which stems from our U.S. cultural understanding of what prisons are for, namely, punishment. However, I believe there is something inherently wrong with viewing the prison system as a way in which the victims are supposed to feel the punishment of others as a balm for their own hurt. This is not a Christian understanding of reconciliation and forgiveness, this is a cultural understanding of feeling better by putting the other down. If we claim that we should receive healing from the hurt of another who caused us pain, this is, in a sense, making an idol of someone else's suffering whereby we seek comfort and healing from something other than God.

We are also called to forgive. We state in the Lord's Prayer, "forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us." This is a bold statement which we should consider closely when we pray. We are asking God to forgive us as we forgive others (which is a scary thought). I am not saying, however, that this is an easy process. Forgiveness is a struggle, especially forgiving someone who has taken the life of someone you love. This is not to say, however, that we are not called to do it. We are called to do difficult things as Christians, and forgiving is one of them.

I think there is much to learn from the Icelandic prison system. I think it would be good in the U.S. to have the prisoner pay for therapy for the victims as part of the sentence so that the focus of healing is not entirely on the punishment of the prisoner. Also, it is hard to say how much time is necessary for rehabilitation of a prisoner, which was pointed out by the pastor of prison ministry. It might only take a murder one year in prison to understand how horrible the actions were that they committed. It might take longer than 16 years as well.

God, I ask for the healing of those who have been hurt by criminal actions. Help them to seek and obtain reconciliation, forgiveness, and wholeness. I also ask that those who have committed crimes to learn from their mistakes and to also forgiveness for their actions. Help us to not seek fulfillment through the suffering of others but to realize that fulfillment and healing are gifts from you. I ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Leif Erikson (the Inland Version)

2012-01-18T06:13:00.000-08:00

     I did not notice on our flight in, but Iceland's main international terminal at Keflavik airport is named after the great viking explorer, Leif Erikson, who happened upon American shores hundreds of years before the any other European. It is an interesting name for a terminal as I know of no other terminals named after vikings (they kind of had a bad reputation in most parts of Europe). The name is also interesting because I feel like it compels the air traveler to head west, not east. Though Leif Erikson himself only made it to the eastern shores of Canada, settled there for a few turbulent years and decided to return to the peacefully harsh climates of Iceland and Greenland, his name has made it further inland. In fact, the street on which I grew up was named 'Leif Erikson Drive'. For me, at least, traveling from Iceland to Iowa is to follow in the footsteps of Leif Erikson himself as he seems to forever mark my way home.
      Unfortunately, I think the only sagas to be written about our journey will be the few short blog posts that we have published to this internet archive over the past weeks. There will be no stories of how we cracked heads with axes, stole Irish women and slaves, or traversed the icy seas in open vessels. I doubt our travels will ever inspire such glorious modern works like The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit which were inspired by the poetry passed down from the history of the Icelanders. There is unlikely to be anyone looking to the group led by Gunnar the Strong on tours through the churches in Iceland for inspiration the same way that J.R.R. Tolkien looked to Snorri Sturluson in writing his great works. We encountered no gollums, trolls, hidden people or elves in our adventures (though some in our group would argue that we met giants). Our travels were not epic in these ways.
     Yet, I must reiterate that I feel carried back to Iowa by the legacy of Leif Erikson. There were elements, many elements, of our studies and travels that will stand out in our own lives as epic. Though they may not make the history books the same as other epic sagas, they nevertheless are a noticeable part of history, even if only our own. We are changed. We have met others across the sea with whom we have laughed, prayed, lived, dined, shared and loved. Our conversations and experiences were epic and they will be recorded as sagas in our hearts and minds for years to come. Though I have no plans to settle in Nova Scotia anytime soon, the epic journeys of the vikings are what I must compare our experience to as we have returned to Iowa. We left our axes at home but our hearts went willingly into the great wide open and the stories of our lives are all the better for it.

Drottin, thank you for the brave ancestral souls who have spanned worlds and crossed oceans, setting examples that we continue to follow today. There is much that we do not know of our lives and of ourselves, but we are able to see ourselves more clearly when we share with others. Thank you for the opportunity to do so in Iceland and thank you for the opportunity to do so once again in Iowa. You are a generous God and there is no end to the love that you have shared through others in this world. I thank you for this. I also give thanks that our travels were safe and pray that our future journeys may be as blessed as our trip to Iceland.

Near and Far - We Are United in Christ

2012-01-16T10:13:00.000-08:00

In many ways our time in Iceland was much too short. As wepulled away from the bus station headed to the airport my heart was full ofmixed emotions. On one hand I was excited to see my family and share myexperiences. However, I also began to grieve the loss of my new friendships,especially Gunnar and his family. Throughout my two weeks stay I was treatedlike a member of their family. They made me feel at home, they fed me, andalways made sure I was comfortable. I pray that I can return the favor somedayand I am confident that the relationships that have been created during this wonderfultrip will be relationships that I will treasure for the rest of my life.

A few days ago I wrote about the darkness the Icelander’sendure during the winter season. I also mentioned that the darkness hadaffected me. It was hard to sleep and at times it was difficult to comprehendthe difference between morning/evening/nighttime hours. And just as my bodyseemed to be acclimating to the darkness, it was time to leave and journey westto a lower longitude with more sunshine.

The last church we visited in Iceland, Lindakirkja,was the pinnacle of the entire visit for me personally. The visit began with apresentation from Toshiki Toma, a Japanese man who married an Icelandic woman,moved to Iceland 20 years ago, and is now serving the national church byproviding support to immigrants moving/transitioning into the country. Also,the visit included a tour of the new church which was still under constructionin many areas. Immigration and mission development are two areas where I feelmy heart being pulled toward as I journey through seminary. It was wonderful tolearn/see how the church is creatively overcoming the struggles of the economicdownturn, while at the same time becoming the fastest growing church is thecountry.

As I reflect on the darkness, the Icelandic culture, myhosts, the people of Iceland whom I have met, and the wonderful things that Ihave experienced here, I am drawn into the humble picture below. The picture isfrom Lindakirkja’s new sanctuary, which is still under construction, yetis finished enough to conduct events/services from time to time. The church didnot have the resources to purchase chairs or pews as planned and asked the communityfor extras that the church could use until the resources were available topurchase new seating. The community responded. We were told that many peopleand businesses donated chairs and now the sanctuary is a collage of differentcolored, sized, and shaped seating. This image continues to move me deeply. Tome, the picture represents not only the community of Iceland supporting thechurch, but also how the body of Christ throughout creation including Icelander's, seminary students, and professors from faraway lands, are all united in Christ regardless of color, shape,or size. What a perfect end to an amazing journey!

Lord God, in you all things hold together. Thankyou for the opportunity to learn from our brothers and sisters in Iceland andthank you for returning us home safely. May this experience remind us now, aswell as far into the future, that we are called to love you and our neighborsregardless of geographic location, race, color, or nationality. Remind us alwaysthat we are united in you. In Jesus name we pray. Amen

Back Home

2012-01-16T07:13:00.000-08:00

The end of the trip came upon me as quite a surprise. It seemed as though we were getting on the fly bus and heading towards the airport before I really had a chance to say goodbye. I have a feeling that this trip will have lasting effects on my life as a pastor. We had a chance to see many different faces of the Lutheran Church in Iceland, and how they are dealing with the same adversities that we face here in the States.

Coming home is bittersweet...I missed my family very much while I was away, but the hospitality that was shown to me by my host family made it difficult to leave. I will be forever grateful for that generosity, and hope that one day I might be able to repay the favor.

This post is much shorter than the others, as I need a little time and distance to process all that took place during my time there, and I'm sure that there will be times in the future when something will remind me of my time in Iceland.

More to come soon...

Lord,

Thank you so very much for the many blessings that you have shown to my family.
Thank you for a safe return to my home.
Please continue to be with myself and the others as we process our time in Iceland.
Please help me to use these experiences to grow in faith.
Thank you for putting others in my path to challenge my thinking about your will in the world.
Please continue to bless and comfort the host families, and be with them as their lives return to normal.
Thank you for keeping my family safe and healthy during my absence from them.
Thank you for the opportunity to see your work in the world.
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen

We Are Being Spoiled Here!

2012-01-13T02:31:00.000-08:00

I tell you, this is the way to experience a country for the first time. We have been given so many wonderful opportunities and have been blessed to meet with so many inspirational individuals. I continue to be impressed with the way deep identity of the Icelandic people and how it influences everyday life and one's involvement with others.

The past few days we have met with pastors and deans, active lay ministers and workers in companies who truly care, a CEO who is also a hostess of ours, even the President of Iceland. In each place we are invited to experience the love of God in different ways.

As we drove up the president's drive - 45 minutes early - we were greeted by a friendly german shepherd as the first lady waved to us and hiked off in her fur boots for a photo shoot. She was darling and hilarious. She greeted us inside later and is definitely not one you quickly forget. We enjoyed a cup of tea with the president, and he graciously gave us nearly an hour and a half of his time. He showed us his copy of the original Icelandic Bible, printed in the 1500's. Julius the security guy had told us there were only 500 printed, and only 30 remain today. Icelandic is thought to be the 13th language the Bible was translated to.

We have also enjoyed countless visits with local pastors. We concluded a visit with Siggy with prayer around the altar and prayed the Lord's prayer together in several different languages. I love it when the people of the world gather together to praise our one God. Absolutely beautiful. Another visit and meal at Hallgrimskirkja the pastors shared passages that have had great impact on them, and lessons they've learned that they wished they'd known upon completing seminary and being ordained. One of these men is one of the most dear I've ever met, and oozed humility and kindness.

Another pastor introduced us to the marvelously tasty Icelandic crepes - which we were able to choose the fillings for, meats and veggies and cheeses and oh-my-tasty-goodness. He spoke with us about prison ministry, which spurred countless discussions that have continued since. He informed us there are only ~180 prisoners in Iceland (out of ~320,000 population). As of a few years ago, they started a waiting list. Currently there are about 360 persons awaiting the opportunity to complete their prison sentence. Bizarre.

One of the things we are hearing repeatedly is the impact of the financial crisis in 2007/2008. For instance, before the crash the unemployment rate was 0%. Now it is 7-8% nationally, and up to 12% in the area we visited yesterday. It has had a profound impact on nearly the entire population, and placed strain on the support structure that had been in place. People continue to find new ways to make things work, however. There are also some positive effects, such as the reality that kids are doing better now as parents are unable to do other things and are spending more time with their children. The church is certainly among those who feel pressure from the economic downturn. It seems the government does its bit to make it more difficult as well, such as withholding a substantial percentage of the taxes that each family contributes to the church. While this cut in funds has complicated things, it has also bred some creative and innovative ways to reach out to the community and encourage volunteer action on behalf of one's neighbor.

We are nearing the end of our stay here in Iceland. I will be sad to say goodbye, but there is certainly no way to be disappointed or let down in our time spent here. It has truly been a profound experience.

Good and gracious God, thank you for your creation. Thank you for delightful people, for gracious (and hilarious) hosts, for encouraging us to work together in love, and for uniting all people. You continue to amaze me. Great job on the Blue Lagoon, by the way. I pray for renewal, strength and peace for all the pastors and daily ministers we have met and the vocations you have called them to. Thank you for inspiring us and for being active in our daily lives. You are awesome and I love you. Amen

Journey to the Center of Iceland

2012-01-12T17:33:00.000-08:00

    Our group has been very active over the past couple of days. Yesterday we met with Thora, Gunnar's wife, who is the CEO of the company Ás Styrktarfélag. Her company is devoted to helping differently abled persons in Iceland to find meaningful employment, living situations, and communities. I was most impressed by her work there. Not only have they been ranked as on of the best entrepreneurial companies in Iceland, they have one of the largest employee bases in the country. Furthermore, their work is focused on helping those in need in ways that are responsive and beneficial to the needs that they have.   From the headquarters of the company, we went to two of the sites and were given a tour around the facilities. In addition to the workers present at the site, we were met by the Iceland's Pastor for the Disabled. She is committed to her work and obviously finds great nourishment in her ministry to those deemed to have handicaps in life. The love that God has cultivated in her heart for those to whom she ministers is truly remarkable and miraculous.
     Towards the evening we journeyed to toward the center of this country's government. In other words, we met with the President of Iceland. We were all pretty excited at the opportunity as none of us have previously met with a head of state. The President, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, cordially greeted us without any security present and took about an hour and a half of his time to meet with our humble group of seminarians. He is a kind man and went to great lengths to tell us of a woman who is mentioned in the Icelandic sagas who was the first to not only come to America with Leif Erikson but also to attempt to bring Christianity to those native to the continent. After finding what is now known as North America, she made a round trip back to Iceland and then again to the American continent with missionaries on board to witness to native American peoples roughly 500 years before Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492. This is a pretty cool history that for which I am grateful that the President shared. He also shared about the unique history of language, geology and Christianity that exist in Iceland. It was a fascinating experience for which I am grateful and will remember fondly in the future.
    From there we went north of Reykjavik and met with the Pastor of Prisoners in Iceland. He made us wonderful pankakke (crepe) dinners complete with chicken, ham, pepperoni, peppers, onions, cheese and mushrooms folded up like an omlet. They were fantastic! Then he shared about his ministry to those in prisons in Iceland which max out at 185 total in the five prisons that the country has. This averages out to around 40 prisoners per 100,000 people whereas in the U.S. we average 2,000 prisoners per 100,000 persons. I like their statistics better.

    Today we went to Keflavik and a nearby town where we met with rural pastors. There is some very neat ministries going on in those areas complete with some difficult challenges as well. It was interesting to make comparisons between the rural settings in America and those in Iceland. We left there and drove along the coast to the place where the North American and Eurasian continential shelfs meet and then on to the Blue Lagoon.  The Blue Lagoon is a geothermal paradise which is basically a giant, natural hot tub. Formed on accident by the nearby town's efforts to expand their geothermal capabilities, the water is heated by the volcanic activity beneath the surface keeping the outdoor water quite warm in even temperatures below freezing like those in today's chilly, blustery weather.
     Afterwards we were able to journey to the center of Iceland- the family. The title for this post obviously is derived from Jules Verne's classic novel A Journey to the Center of the Earth, in which those in the story descend to the center of the earth through the Icelandic volcano, Snæfellsjökull. Having known about this element of the story before I came to Iceland, I feel that I have subconsciously been searching for what I would deem to be the center of this country. Though we did not travel to volcanoes here, we have discussed them at length. Unlike Jules Verne, I do not believe that Iceland is centered in any volcano. Nor do I think the country finds its center in its glaciers or wonderful geological phenomena. Nor, with hopes of not offending the President for his graciousness in inviting us to visit, do I think Iceland is centered by its government or presidency. Rather, I have experienced on this visit that the most central element of Iceland is family.
     Upon returning to the Reykjavik area, we dined with with the hosts that Jeff Bergeron and myself have been staying with for the past two weeks, Guðni Már Harðarson, Ásdís Björnsdóttir and their two children. They prepared a wonderful meal for us during which we shared about our families, our travels and ourselves. It was an amazing time of fellowship in which we shared many stories, filling our time with one anothers' presence. Though I have genuinely enjoyed staying with this wonderful family throughout my stay, our time tonight gave me perspective as to what is really central and important for Iceland- family. This has been seen over the past few years in Iceland as the material world here has fallen apart, affording working adults more time and space to be present with their families. Children are reported to be happier now, amidst ongoing financial crisis, than they were when the country was at the top of the financial world. Family has blessed the children and, in doing so, has revealed that when all else falls away or the earth literally blows up as Eyjafjallajökull did in 2010 the family remains strong and is the best support that one may find. Those who live here have endured many hardships through the centuries but have survived and even thrived because they are rooted in their connection to one another.
     I feel that my time here, even as it winds down, has been even better than it would have been because I have experienced the center of Iceland. Though I am glad to return to my own family in America, I feel that I have been welcomed here as such in my brief stay. I am grateful for this and will return home knowing that I have not only been to Iceland, I have travelled to its center.

Dear Lord, thank you for giving us the opportunities of meeting with the president and pastors in Iceland. They have taught me a lot and prepared me more than I yet know for my ministry in your church. Bless everyone here, especially our hosts, for they have extended gracious and wonderful welcome for us in our travels to Iceland. May they continue in love for one another and love for you. Be with the poor in this country, especially the unemployed, enriching their lives through your grace. In your holy and precious name we pray, Amen.

Unbelievable!

2012-01-12T16:23:00.000-08:00

As look back on this week in Iceland, my mind is time and time again blown away by what takes place. There have been so many things this week that have happened that truly are impossible to express how meaningful they were. The blessings bestowed upon myself and my fellow travelers will not soon be forgotten.

The beginning of this week for me started Sunday when I visited Lindakirkja. This is the church that my host is pastor of. The service was unbelievable. The power of the Spirit filled the chapel, and surprised me through the amazing voices of a Gospel choir, that aside from the Icelandic words, sounded as if they were from Atlanta! It was a joyous event, and so inspiring that I began to sing and clap, despite being completely unfamiliar with the language.

This week we visited the seminary within the university campus in Reykjavik. We were given the opportunity to connect with students who are in very similar states of mind, while being very different at the same time. We compared experience, and I even got to chat with a fellow senior. We shared anxieties of the coming future, as well as thoughts of school experience, and even a little liturgical evaluation. The universal notion of the body of Christ present in the forms of coffee and pleasant conversation.

Today we were given the chance to experience the geography of Iceland. We went to the meeting point of the European and North American continental plates. I stood on two continents at the same time! The beauty of God's creation, and mighty forces that shaped the landscape around this area were all present and in mind within this moment. The wonders of Iceland's unique land was further explored in the waters of The Blue Lagoon. This is a naturally heated, large, mineral rich lagoon, that is in fact blue (I was actually surprised). The mineral rich water is said to be extremely soothing and healthy for one's skin, so we were eager to get in. It was an amazing look into a mixture of natural beauty and man made ingenuity. The complete wonder that was this place was warming.

A once in a life time opportunity happened for us this week as well. Our small band of seminarians and professor were invite to meet with the President of Iceland, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson. Not only did we meet him, but he sat with us over tea, coffee, and cake, for an hour and twenty minutes about our trip. He was very interested in our thoughts and reflections. He spoke to us of the history of Iceland and gave us some great insights into the country. The president also showed us a copy of an original transcription of the Bible into Icelandic (one of only 30 known copies). Speaking with a head-of-state like this was a first for me, and the fact that we talked about many interesting topics including our experiences was amazing.

But, through it all, the various trips and adventures, the most unbelievably amazing thing about this trip has been the people. The local pastors who have opened their homes to us, fed us, laughed with us, driven us, educated us, and been eager to be with us has been a blessing of massive importance. I have felt the true nature of Christian hospitality in the hearts and minds of these people. They have been so amazing and they truly are the aspects of this trip that will make in unbelievable, and unforgettable.

Gracious Lord, I humbly offer my thanks to you for allowing your children to experience the warmth and light of each other, as well as the light you shine upon us as individuals and as a united community of faith. Words cannot express the joys I wish sing to you for the wonders of your creation. I continue to be in awe of your might, and ask for the continued blessings upon all the peoples of your creation. These and all prayers I ask in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

We the People (and the Church)

2012-01-10T15:38:00.000-08:00

     Long have I hoped for the church in our country to actively speak to the ebbs and tides of social life and concerns in the United States in ways that are effective and public. Though we do a pretty good job of being active in the ELCA, there can be little doubt that in the U.S. the freedom of religion clause in our constitutional law has been understood as meaning 'prohibition of religion' from public spaces. I was struck by the truth of this last year when then Interim President of Wartburg Seminary, Dr. David Tiede, pointed out that people in America are more offended when you say 'God bless you' than 'God damn you'. This contrast, which I agree to be true, illuminates the reality in our country that religion has been so relegated to private space that publicly pronouncing the blessing of God on others is offensive. Such blessings confront the secularization of our public space to an extent that causes outrage. Sad, but true.
    Iceland is different. Shortly after Iceland's conversion to Christianity bishops here rose to levels of public leadership that were comparable with the kings of the day as well as later presidents to follow. For the last hundred years, in exhange for use of the land that church leaders previously relied on for sustenance, pastors' salaries have been paid for out of taxes of localized municipalities and, most recently, from the national tax system administered by the Icelandic government. Pastors are, essentially, under the employ of the government while the Bishop of Iceland continues to be a major political figure in the country. Very different from in the religious systems in America.
    The distinction has some key implications for the church in Iceland. Interestingly, since the church is supported by national taxes, there is little to no practice of taking an offering during worship. People are forced (though seemingly not unwillingly as there has been little resistance to the practice) to pay for needs of the church through taxes payed to the government which is then returned to the churches. I think that if I were a pastor here I would miss the generosity that the offering plate allows for and fosters. Yet, a practice which I think is more beneficial for the church that is made possible by Iceland's nationalized system is the determination of parish membership based on where a person lives rather than by where one chooses to attend. This makes for a very different understanding of the community of the church. Here, the community of the church coincides with the communities in which one lives more intentionally and conspicuously than our system in the states.  Their neighbors on their streets are their neighbors in church. Their system resembles voting districts in the U.S. more than membership lists determined by who has attended church and communed this year.
       I think there is valuable theological reflection that can come from thinking about the church as community in which one lives rather than having church defined by one's participation. Indeed, I have a suspicion that we have not adequately moved our Lutheran confessional theology into a church world constituted by participation over and against locality. When one's membership is constituted, at least in part, by one's participation in the church, it is difficult to get away from the temptation to think of oneself or others as prototypical members for participating more than others. Though I doubt this temptation is absent from churches in Iceland, there seems to be a clear understanding by those with whom we have met that those who live in one's parish are members regardless of whether they have ever attended there or not. Pastors here respect the difference of those who choose to not participate in the religious life of the church while simultaneously welcoming all who come to them for help, even if only once, whether they have ever been to church or not. The overlap of community and church here is a beautiful thing that I hope does not go away any time soon.

Drottin, help us to see the church where we live. Bless those around us that they may be the community to whom we unshamefully proclaim the good news and with whom we confidently live in the gospel. Be with the church in Iceland that they may continue to thrive in public life in the land where they abide. Be with the church in the U.S. that we may continually live out our calls to faith in all aspects of our lives and not simply on Sunday mornings, however we may be tempted to do so. Amen.

University of Iceland

2012-01-10T00:26:00.000-08:00

We visited the University of Iceland yesterday and had the opportunity to visit with some professors and students in the Theology division of the school. In order to attend university, you must have first finished college (somewhat like our high school but ranging from 16 years of age until 20). The cost for university is taken out of your pay as a tax, so there is no additional cost to attend except purchasing books and materials. One can attend University whenever they like which, in my perspective, has wonderful potential for encouraging continuing education throughout the life-cycle (because you are already paying for it, why not attend?) Also, there is not such a commitment, as there is in the United States, where most students must take out loans to go to school which will be paid for the next 20 years after graduation. This really is not an encouragement to attend classes at an older age for the enjoyment of learning.

The program to achieve the equivalent of an M. Div. is, at the shortest, a five year process. This includes a bachelor's degree in Theology. In Iceland, it is required to write a thesis for both the Master's degree and the Bachelor's degree in order to receive the designated degree. Therefore, there are some people who have taken all the classes but have chosen not to write the paper. There are many who start the program to become a pastor here in Iceland and there are many who dropout of the program as well. I believe we do not have this phenomenon in the United States to such an extent because the schooling is so expensive that we must be dedicated to attend seminary at the outset and to persevere throughout because of the expense. The price of attending is an initial weeding out whereas in Iceland, the preliminary classes do the same.

What I gather from those trying the program and deciding not to continue is the ability in Iceland to explore possibilities and fulfill curiosities. In the United States, one can count how much each class is costing and it matters how long it takes to complete a degree because you will be paying much more for the extra time you take. In Iceland, you are paying whether you attend or not, which (from my perspective) opens the door for a higher focus upon learning what interests you rather than graduating with a degree. Also, this system seems to open up and encourage learning rather than trying to graduate to get a degree to get a job to earn money, etc.

We met a man at Dr. Persaud's lecture who was a retired pastor who had decided to go back to University to learn. This showed to me that learning is something that can be fulfilled here without so much hanging in the balance.

God, thank you for allowing your creation to be curious and enjoy learning. Please allow us to use this ability to learn to love you and to fear you more and more. Thank you for this learning experience in Iceland. Shape us into that which we are meant to be. Amen.

Reflections from Skálholt...and a little bit after

2012-01-08T18:12:00.000-08:00

These past three days have had a deep impact on my impressions of Iceland and its people. As I am learning, tradition plays a large role in the lives of the people that we have met here, and I hope to illustrate this in the following examples.

Skálholt
Our time here was spent in lecture, enjoying fellowship, attending church, as well as some time for reflection. This retreat was attended by pastors from Iceland, and, after dinner, these pastors gathered together for some fellowship time. After some time discussing the day, some members of our group of students began singing. This was followed by the Icelandic pastors joining together in songs of their own...many songs, to be exact. They began singing folk songs, some church songs, and they did it spontaneously...one person would start singing the first line of the song, and then everyone would join in, and I mean everyone. They even sang in harmony, and they did this without the aid of a director. This was amazing! And the thing that impressed me the most is that everyone knew the songs, and they sang them for an hour. When I asked some of the pastors how they learned the songs, they told me that they learned them early on, and it was a part of who they were.

Bonfire
After we returned from Skálholt, we attended a bonfire to celebrate the last day of Christmas. There was a firework display, as well as some singing and dancing. But, I began to realize how those pastors knew the songs so well as we were watching the scene at the bonfire open up before us. Picture this scene: There is an audience standing out in the cold and rain...there are two fires burning brightly...children are running around with sparklers, and there are fireworks going off all over the place. Then, as you look to the stage, you see and hear the master of ceremonies (a title given very loosely here) signing songs, and right in front of the stage is a very large group of parents with their young children. It was at this moment when I realized how early they teach their children these songs, and I started to wonder if this is something that we do in the states...and I couldn't come up with anything like it. All of the people knew these songs, both the children and their parents...I can't think of too many songs that, in a room in the states, you could start singing the first phrase of the song, and everyone would be able to join in and get all of the words correct...even my choir students struggled with this, and they had the words in frong of them! This is mind-boggling to me.

Storytelling
One thing I appreciate the most on this journey is our host family. They relish telling us stories, both about current events, as well as traditions about Iceland, and they listen intently as we tell them our stories. So much of our time spent with them is spent in conversation and fellowship, and this is something that will have a lasting impression on me after I leave.

Death
On Friday this week, we attended a funeral, and then spent time at a funeral home. This experience was eye-opening, as we learned about Icelandic traditions surrounding death and dying, as well as expectations and traditions surrounding the visitation (called laying in the coffin), and the funeral itself. There is much that can be learned about people when you see how they deal with issues surrounding death.

Each of these instances has been instrumental in formulating my ideas about the people that we have been meeting here, and I am looking forward to the rest of the trip.

Lord,
Thank you so much for opening my eyes to see your creation in new ways. Thank you for giving me the gift of fellowship on this trip, both with the others in my group and with my host family.
Please continue to comfort everyone who is back in the United States who are anxiously awaiting my return.
Please continue to open my eyes to new experiences here.
I pray all of these things in Jesus' name. Amen.

Perhaps I fit in too well

2012-01-08T16:20:00.000-08:00

     So far, when I have traveled alone in Reykjavik, I am presumed to be an Icelander. I am addressed in Icelandic to which I awkwardly respond in English that I do not understand and to which, in turn, those speaking to me remark that they are shocked at how much I look like an Icelander. I guess my Teutonic blood runs deep.
     I am no stranger to this in my travels. The same presumptions of my beloning to foreign lands followed me to Sweden, Germany and even South Africa. In all of these countries I have been presumed to be a local and encountered suprise on the discovery of my American birth. My Swedish host father remarked that I looked more Swedish than his son, Deutschlanders were prone to speak to me in German, and I was often called 'Baas' (the term that native people were required to call their white Afrikaaner oppressors under the Apartheid regime) in Namibia. In all these countries I have had to look for ways to kindly tell those addressing me in foreign tongues that I only know English and shamefully let on that if we are to communicate it must be on my terms, not in the language of the people that are hosting me. It would be better in these cases to stand out a little more than I do.
    I have experienced the same in Iceland. I could not respond to store clerks trying to assist me in the local mall, nor the waiters at the restaurants in which I have dined, nor even those trying to strike up conversation with me while out on the town at night. I have to rely on my presumption that those addressing me know my language far better than I know theirs.
    Yet, unlike those other countries in which I have previously experienced this problem, Icelanders seem to expect to speak English or other foreign languages more than in most countries. They are able to quickly switch over to engage my Anglo idioms with an effortlessness that I have not seen in other lands. This probably has something to do with the fact that Iceland is dependent on foreigners in many more ways than most nations. They are a small country with vast supplies of some resources such as fish or volcanic ash, but must rely heavily on imports for many elements of their daily lives. Though in a globalized world we all do this, Iceland does not have the same choice to import or produce as, for instance, we in America do. Thus, Icelanders must be able to communicate with others from outside the country if they wish to thrive as their own language and place is limited in what it can offer in material goods.
    It is a welcome change to be in a land that knows it must work with others to survive. We are often blinded in the United States to seeing ourselves as independent and able to thrive without learning other languages or working well with others. It is impressive to be in a country that lives out its connection to other people in a very intentional way on a daily basis. I hope to learn even more about what it is to live life with a similar intentionality towards others.

Blessed Triune God, look kindly upon the people of Iceland as they seek to continually look kindly upon others in the world. Help us all to see the shining examples of co-operation, peace, and goodwill that Iceland exhibits. May we learn from their strengths as we pray that they may be comforted in these times of economic woe.

A Selfish Desire for the Sun

2012-01-08T13:48:00.000-08:00

The sky is dark and the clouds cannot decide to drop rain orsnow from the heavens above. We are now eight days into 2012 however thesurrounding houses and buildings remain decorated with Christmas lights of multiplecolors and shapes. Occasionally I see the headlights of a car winding its wayalong the otherwise abandoned two lane paved road below. As I sit back andenjoy the best coffee that I have ever tasted I wonder for a moment what time itis? Really… you may ask. I know this may sound strange but I am curious… is itmorning, mid-morning, late afternoon, evening, or the middle of the night?

Through the mixed precipitation that randomly falls from thesky I see a bright flash of green and red. I hear the loud bang echo throughthe neighborhood and the confused and possibly over caffeinated synapses withinmy brain begin to fire rapidly trying to generate a solution to the data that myeyes and ears are capturing. All within a fraction of a second, my brainconcludes that the flash is one of the numerous fireworks that Icelanders havebeen launching from their homes and driveways since we arrived 7 days ago.Similar to how the sun hanging high in the sky back atWartburg tells me that it is the middle of the day, the flash of fireworks and the smell of gunpowder relaxes me in apeculiar way and confirms the darkness I am viewing is eveningdarkness. There are no fireworks in the morning.

This time of year Icelander’s endure long hours of darkness.The sun tries its best to break through the clouds from late morning to late afternoon.However, in our time here so far the clouds and darkness have prevailed and thesun silently retreats behind the southern horizon much too early in the day, almostas if it is stuck or doesn’t have the energy to assume a higher trajectory.

I have always loved the sunshine. The 300+ days of sunshine peryear in Colorado continues to be one of the things that I miss the most whileat seminary, in addition to the mountains of which I mentioned in a previouspost. Sunlight helps me get out of bed in the morning. Sunshine energizes me.Sunshine motivates me. Sunshine pulls me outside into nature and keeps me warm.Today I selfishly miss the sunshine.

Recently during one early morning the same over caffeinated andsunlight starved synapses within my head were pondering the thought of darkness.Why has the darkness in this place affected me so? Why can’t I sleep for morethan a couple hours at a time? Will I get used to it? What is darkness? As mythoughts rambled, my fingers clicked on my netbook where I found the followingpoem about darkness written by Lord Byron in the 18^th century:

The bright sun was extinguish'd, and the stars
Did wander darklingin the eternal space,
Rayless, andpathless, and the icy earth
Swung blind andblackening in the moonless air;
Morn came andwent--and came, and brought no day

This is interesting indeed. And even more interesting are thepeople of Iceland and how they endure the darkness. How do they persevere? Whatcan I learn from them and this experience to help me endure the darkness bothhere and during future challenges in life?

I will continue to deeply think about this mystery and planto follow up with another post about darkness in a few days. Meanwhile, I thinkI will begin my reflection by immersing myself in the first chapter of John’sgospel. Until next time…enjoy the sunlight wherever you are:)

Light of the world, you are the light that shines in thedarkness. Help us find you in every corner of creation, especially in the darkplaces where we yearn for light and direction. Thank you for our gracioushosts, may you continue to bless them and shine your light on them so that they mayreflect your love around the world. Remain close with our loved ones and bring thempeace. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen

Faith Fostered in Fellowship

2012-01-07T04:16:00.000-08:00

What an amazing blessing to have been given this opportunity to engage in fellowship and experience the culture and faith of Iceland. I continue to marvel at how warmly we are welcomed, and the rich hospitality that is a part of the culture here. It did not take more than a few hours to feel at home in this country, and the genuine hospitality we are shown each day makes my heart warm even when the cold wet outside begins to sink a chill in my bones.

Gunnar speaks of his parish, as I believe some have noted below, as the entire community in which the church resides - and not just the small 50 or so who gather on Sunday mornings for worship. Attending worship together is not a strong part of the culture. However, it is not difficult to see the love of God lived out in the daily lives of those whom we meet. Ministry is so strong and vibrant in a variety of ways, whether it is at the Salvation Army day shelter or Gunnar visiting a local bikers club and being asked about doing a blessing for the members.

The sense of care for one another and recognition of the bond among all humanity is stronger here than anywhere else I have traveled. The deep, rich history and connection with the sagas provides a framework for experience that pervades everyday life and greatly impacts the experience of the people. And how cool to live among that? Pastor Gunnar (a different one) was telling us about the stories surrounding what was thought to be a made-up tomb, until they unearthed it when they dug out the foundation for a new church at Skalholdt. How fascinating and wonderful to have a legend you've been hearing about be proven true randomly one day.

Icelandic identity is rich and strong. It comes forth as we sit and listen to the vibrant singing of melody after melody, an endless repertoire of songs that each Icelander knows - ours having been exhausted after a few short minutes. A part of me mourned this lack of shared experience in our own culture back home, while another part of me recalled signing old camp songs on a mission trip while painting houses, and the camaraderie and joy and that it produced. It is a beautiful thing when people can join together in spontaneous song. There are benefits to being a small, united group of people.

Iceland has only ~320,000 people. Reykjavik, the capital city, holds nearly 40% of the population. Thus, when we mentioned seeing a massive strongman wearing a t-shirt walk up beside us to grab a hotdog at the vendor/'best restaurant in all of Iceland' - Gunnar and Thorgrimer knew exactly who we were talking about. And the boys who were throwing stones in church windows until Gunnar's motorcyle buds scared 'em off - his daughter Ana knew them, too. Not only this, but everyone knows their lineage back a thousand years - despite taking the father's last name rather than a family name. Maybe we have a lot of Smiths and Johnsons back home, but Iceland has us beat on Thorssons and Gunnarsons and Jónsdóttirs.

Gracious God, thank you for this opportunity to engage in fellowship here in Iceland. Thank you for the rich heritage and sense of identity in this place, and for encouraging me to reflect upon my own history and connectedness with others, and marvel at the beauty you have bestowed upon your beloved humanity. Thank you for the unity of humankind that is a reality in You. Absolutely beautiful, Lord.

The Comic/Tragic Distinction

2012-01-06T18:37:00.000-08:00

     Ever since I first encountered Soren Kierkegaard in my undergraduate studies I have grown to recognize and appreciate the comic/tragic distinction in the world. In Iceland I feel that I am not alone in this appreciation. For instance, in the middle of singing songs at Skalholt, the pastors made sure to let us know that they are a melancholy people here. Yet, in the midst of this dark and cold winter, the Icelanders we have encountered have no problem cracking jokes and telling stories. Their spirits are bright when nothing else seems to be. Perhaps it is merely the sky which is melancholy.
     We experienced much joy ourselves as we partied down with the children of Reykjavik at the Thrattandin which is a celebration for the last day of the thirteen days of Christmas. Instead of one happy Santa, Iceland thinks it better to have thirteen bad Santas (not including Billy Bob Thorton). Today is the last day of the Christmas celebration with the last Santa who has to walk the farthest so he arrives last. It was a fun time complete with fireworks, fire and plenty of children in snowsuits.   Though the presentation was geared a bit below our age level, I had a wonderful time and am glad that we were present.
     The last day of Christmas in the past has marked the beginning of the Thorablud in Iceland's past. Thorablud is a time in the winter months when Icelanders were unable to hunt, fish or gather fresh food so they had to rely on rotted meats, less than favorable delicacies and basically whatever else they could find to survive. Tonight we had a meal complete with several of the dishes that would be enjoyed (or endured depending on one's perspective) during this historical time period. Genereously featured were blood and liver sausage, head cheese, ram's head, dried halibut, smoked salmon, and, most revered, shark meat. The shark meat stands out probably because it both smells the worst and is the most unique. The shark meat at the time of capture is unedible and must be placed in the ground for several months before it is able to be enjoyed (or, once again, endured). It is a meat unlike any other and, though I am glad that I tried the shark meat tonight, I think I will be slow to partake again in the future.
     Nevertheless, I feel that I must applaud the Icelandic spirit that shows itself continually able to perservere. Thorablud was an annual time for which Icelanders prepared every year, the sun annually makes itself scarce, and, still today, natural disasters rock this little island in a way that is hard to comprehend. On our way back from Skalholt yesterday we had dinner with a group of pastors from the southern part of the island. They ministered to the area in the country most affected by the volcanic eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in 2010. They shared about how the area around the village Vik was covered in ash that rained on farms, cattle, cars and people for weeks. They impressively were able to minister to and for one another as everyone pitched in to help out with the needs of God's people in the wake of the disaster. Yet, they are preparing for an even bigger eruption that could happen any time now at the volcano Katla. They say that when it erupts it will be even bigger, accompanied not only by lava and ash, but also flood waters from melting glacier, tsunami from the flood meeting the sea, as well as ever present earthquake activity. These disasters all are centered in the same area and provide the constant threat under which the inhabitants of Vik lived. And yet, they perservere. I am not sure if I would be able to endure these pressures or not, but I must say that I am impressed by their ability to do so. Perhaps the Icelanders are more than just a melancholy people...

Drottin we pray for those who mourn, those who rejoice, and those unable to tell the difference. May your guiding hand lead them to experience what you have called them to, and strengthen them where necessary. There are many volcanoes under which we live in this life, both literal and figuritive, and from which we pray that you will spare us. Be with all those that we love, eveywhere, that love may endure. Amen.

The Arts

2012-01-06T14:39:00.000-08:00

Iceland has a rich community which engages in the arts. They have an appreciation for artwork, architecture, and music. There is a community aspect which flows between these as well. Within the churches we have visited, there have been some common themes, but on the whole they are very unique. There have been beautiful stained glass pictures in the churches we have visited. There have also been very different styles of altars and crosses. One of these churches had a very unique piece of artwork behind the altar which was a triangle of stone with glass inside which light would flow through. I will try and get a picture of this up. I also have come to appreciate the architecture used to construct these churches we have been to. I love how they have constructed the churches in a manner where sound is exemplified. We attended a funeral today which had around 500 attendees and the pastor did not have to use a microphone to be heard throughout the church (we were sitting in the back and I had no trouble hearing him). This is a great example of stewardship because sound systems are not necessary if the sanctuary is constructed with proper materials.

There have also been artwork in the houses we have visited. I have not really seen the classic United States wall which family photos are placed upon. I have seen more artwork on the walls, some of which are recognized throughout Iceland by most people, than I have seen pictures. Also, the houses I have visited have had quite a few bookshelves filled with books, which supports the love of learning I have picked up on from Icelanders.

We have been blessed to experience how music is an integral part of the Icelandic culture. While staying at Skálholt we had a wonderful dinner which was followed by fellowship. We, the students, introduced ourselves to the pastors attending the lectures and following this, we were asked to play some music for them. Jeff played a song and then we sang another with him. After this, we were all surprised when one pastor began singing and the rest followed. They sang probably fifteen or twenty songs that evening, with varying harmonies, and it was such a wonderful experience for all of us. We were gathered into a rich heritage which allows for songs to be passed down from generation to generation that most people know by heart. I will never forget that wonderful evening.

Along this same vein, we attended a bonfire this evening celebrating the last day of Christmas. At this bonfire, there was a singer and a piano player on a truck bed with a sound system singing songs. The songs were Christmas songs and some that were geared towards the children (children's songs). Many people were singing along with and were encouraged to do so. I love how the music in this place ties the community together in heritage and celebration.

God, thank you for creation and blessing your people with creativity. I thank you for the rich heritage of the Icelandic people which we have been blessed to experience. Please allow us to use the arts to glorify you. Please allow the people to be safe here on the roads as it is raining and icy out. Thank you for this wonderful opportunity to learn about community. Amen.

One Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.

2012-01-05T16:32:00.000-08:00

The other evening, our group met in Skálholt, as some of my peers have already commented about. I feel that in that ancient and holy place I experienced a deeply moving life moment. Every now and then we as human beings are blessed to take part in something that gives us the smallest glimmer of what it is to be the Church, and not simply the Lutheran Church, but the Church Universal. The world-wide community of believers.It is here where I feel we were given a small look into what we define so often in worship as the feast to come, the glories of heaven that awaits.

Our small group met for worship with a collection of pastors from Iceland who were in attendance at a gathering in Skálholt. I sat towards the front of this magnificent chapel and I could feel the history of so many generations all around me. The service was then conducted, all in Icelandic, and in a liturgy that was as beautiful as it was powerful. I sat in complete and total helplessness, as I could not understand one word that was being spoken around me. But, there was a poetry I could feel, though I could not understand. The tones were familiar and beautiful. The phrasing was familiar to me, and I felt my heart respond in a worshipful manner. Though the details of what was said escaped me, the power of God's word, and the importance and reverence they carry held firm in my soul. Though I could not mentally grasp the words, the words emotionally grasped me.

As I sit here and reflect I am in awe of the wonderful people around me, and the unending surprises God has for me. I have said the words of the Creed "one holy, catholic, and apostolic church" numerous times. I know intellectually what it means, and what it represents in my theology as a concept. I know that each word helps to clearly identify what the church is, or is to be, but in a small chapel in Skálholt was the first time I felt it. We Christians, of all races, countries, languages, and identities find our center in Christ. This was what I felt in a worship that I could not understand, but yet derived a great deal of meaning.

Even after worship this thought continued. We gathered for a bit of fellowship. I was asked to share some music with the group, a task that I felt honored to do. After I offered my music our gracious hosts returned the musical gift with a brighter music of their own. Traditional songs that they all knew by heart were sung with joy (and at times sorrow) that were amazing. The evening was full of joyous singing, and two different cultures coming together in a beautiful harmony of music and laughter. Seeing the presence of God here among us was unbelievable. From feeling the deeper notion of what it is to be church, to the small peace shared between peoples, I felt something wonderful that I will treasure for my lifetime.

Blessed Lord, I give you thanks for allowing this group of your faithful to gather in you and rejoice of all that has been done in you. Blessed be all peoples around the world who are all part of the body, and who find peace and justice in you. Give we who continue our visit the compassion and will to love and learn all we can in these next days, and keep us safe. As with all things, I ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Gathering at the Rail - Skálholt

2012-01-05T16:14:00.000-08:00

Shortly afterarriving in Skálholt we joined together with several Icelandic church leadersand pastors for worship. We gathered inside a church which has a history datingback over 1000 years. The sanctuary is breathtaking and the acoustics are sogood that every voice multiplies in rich magnificent layers of sound, even anaverage voice like my own. The entire service was spoken in Icelandic. Howeverthe liturgy itself seem to transcend the barriers of culture and language andmade all us feel at home and comfortable.

My favorite part ofworship has always been Holy Communion, especially when kneeling at the railwhich we were able to do during this service. My family’s church in Colorado alsouses a kneeling rail around the altar during communion. The rail creates apowerful image for me. Not only is the congregation fully participating togetherin communion, but the chance to witness both young and old come forward andkneel to pray/worship/praise God touches my heart every time. I also treasurewatching each person leave the rail after communion. There always seems to be aheightened sense of community and love between every person present. And themore I think about it the more I believe that this sense of community - regardlessof which country or continent we are gathered to worship – becomes a real andtangible presence of Christ among us.

Thank you God forthe opportunity to worship you in such an awe inspiring beautiful place. Thankyou for the opportunity to gather around the rail with our brothers and sistersof Iceland. I pray that you continue to bless the leaders and pastors of yourchurch, that we may continue to do the work you have called us to do. Thank youfor my Wartburg brothers and sisters who I am privileged to share this experiencewith. May all of us together reflect your light throughout creation wherever weare called to serve. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen

Skalholt in the Darkness

2012-01-05T04:02:00.000-08:00

We have landed in Iceland and had ablessed couple of days trying to get caught up on our wakefulness. So far we have seen the downtown area ofReykjavik, the new Harpin music house, the Icelandic parliament, Reykjavik cityhall, one of the local geo-thermal heated swimming areas, and made our way toSkalholt in the center of the country. Skalholt is the area where the country converted to Christianity fromthe old forms of Nordic religion in the 11^th century. The Bishop of Iceland was also centered hereup until the 19^th century as well as the country’s seminary for upand coming pastors like myself. It issituated in a beautiful valley between mountains and plateaus on all sides,behind which the sun seems to playfully rise and fall in a low-lying manner,barely illuminating this sacred place of Icelandic Christianity andhistory.

Yesterday morning I arrived herewith the early group of students who traveled with some of the pastorsattending the conference and our professor, Dr. Sam Giere. Fortunately, (or unfortunately as the casemay be) we cannot speak Icelandic and were not expected to attend the sessionsthat the other pastors are present and gathered here for. As a result, we had time to play cards,explore the beautiful church and take a wonderful walk through the freezingsnow and frigid windchill. I was toldthat the winters here were warmer than those in America but am so far findingthat to be baloney. The closest frame of reference I have for yesterday’s hikethrough the snow is the January whether of North Dakota, which, by allavailable accounts, is colder and windier than any place I have ever lived. I hope that it warms up so I can experiencesome of the milder weather that I was promised.

The church and worship in Skalholtare truly magnificent. The chapel is thefourth in a thousand years of Christianity in the country, and is a meretwo-thirds the size of the original chapel that was built here in the 11^thcentury- an impressive feat for some recently Christianized Vikings withoutmany trees present locally to build such a place of worship. The trees for the first chapel wereapparently brought over on medieval ships from Norway and then drawn by horse acouple hundred kilometers inland where they were then incorporated into thelargest Scandinavian structure of its day. Simply impressive. Unfortunately,that building eventually burned down and, a few centuries later, they now havea newer building that is smaller but nevertheless wonderful. Even better, the space inside proves itselfto be more than worthy of the magnificent chants and prayers that Icelandicworship is laden with. Their worshipconsists of a far more intentional and complete form of prayerful singing thatmany Lutheran churches in the U.S. seem to have left behind. I am seeing here now that our changes inworship may have been a bit hasty as there is a beauty which has been leftbehind.

There is darkness all around ushere. It pervades our time, our sleep,our waking, our moving and our vision (if that is possible). There is more light than I thought therewould be actually, but it is by far more dark than light this time of year inthis land of ice. I have found it particularlydifficult to wake up in the lingering darkness. This comes as somewhat of a surprise to me because I am not very good atwaking up when the sun is around and did not think that a lack of sunlight wouldmake any difference. It turns out that Ican be even worse at stirring when the sun is not present to help me along. My host shares my distaste for darkness inthe morning, revealing the other day that he would prefer to follow thedaylight savings time practice of most of the United States. I guess you can live in a place all your lifeand still not prefer everything about it, even in a country as beautiful asIceland.

Yet, I asked another one of our hosts,Gunnar, if he liked the darkness in Iceland and he responded differently. We were walking at the front of the groupthrough Reykjavik when I posed the question, “Do you like the darkness?” Gunnarpaused for a moment, considering my question, and said simply, “Yes, I do”. Judging that I was looking for a little bitmore in his answer, he thankfully continued. He explained that the external darkness of this northern land forcespeople to shine an inner light more strongly. If they are to continue in happiness and well-being through the darkmonths, they must be bright themselves and not rely on bright light shining inthe sky to light their spirits and bring them joy. He also explained the real joy of thefireworks that are shot off in bulk around this new year time. He said, “You know, in America you celebratethe fourth of July in the summer time with fireworks to celebrate your country’sfounding. Here, the fireworks meansomething different and shine all the more brightly because they are in themiddle of our time of complete darkness and they light up the sky like you can’tbelieve”. He meant no disrespect, I amfairly sure, to our celebration of the fourth of July. Rather, he used is as a point of comparisonto when we shoot of the most fireworks. I have to say that I can really see his point. I imagine that if I lived this far north thefireworks around the time of winter solstice would not only represent acelebration of the nation, they would also embody the persevering light of thesoul. I am grateful that they have waysof coping.

Dear God, light our way in this foreign land that we may brightly see the work you do among your church and your people. Be with our family far away as our family is extending here across the sea. Bless the mission of the church in Iceland that Skalholt will not fade into history for the people of Iceland but will continue to shine for generations to come .

Zach's First Post =)

2012-01-04T23:28:00.000-08:00

Today is the fourth day of our trip. It has been amazing so far. On the flight to Iceland from Boston, Emily and I sat by a diplomat from China who was working in the Chinese embassy in Iceland. He provided a unique perspective on Iceland, including how he enjoys driving here because there is no traffic and how in the summer, many parties start at 2am.

Our host family (Emily and I are together) is wonderful. They have been most gracious and have shown extraordinary hospitality to us. The second night here, our host cooked us the best fish I have ever eaten in my life. We have been able to experience a wide variety of cuisine here, most of which has been absolutely delicious.

Now, in Skalholt, our dear professor Winston Persaud is leading some lectures for a gathering of pastors from Iceland which meet every year for lectures on varying topics. This year, there is a focus upon the mental health of the pastors in Iceland and what affects that has upon the pastor and the parish.

The National Church of Iceland has suffered an interesting ordeal for the past 17 years or so. The Bishop of Iceland was accused of abusing some parishioners which became a scandal in Iceland which included people accusing him, him denying that this happened, and each having to go to court with lawyers and the whole nine yards. This had a very damaging effect upon the perspective of the National Church of Iceland in the eyes of Iceland, which is understandable because the Bishop of Iceland is the head of the National Church here. A few years ago, I am not sure about this date, the daughter of this now deceased bishop said that he sexually abused her. Her family, from what I have heard, denies that this actually occurred, but she wrote a book about this experience which has become a best-seller here in Iceland. Her book has brought this whole ordeal back into the focus of the Icelandic people, which is again causing strife within the church.

The current Bishop is resigning this year so there has been talk about electing the new Bishop and how this could be the change needed to bring the church back into the good graces of the populace.

The process by which this occurs has been changed since the last time a Bishop of Iceland was elected. The last time, it was only the pastors who voted in the bishop. Now, however, the pastors, the presidents of the churches in Iceland, the vice presidents of the churches around Reykjavik, and the deacons (I believe), all come together to vote for the new Bishop (around 500 people). This adds quite a few new aspects to the election. The pastors here in Iceland are a tight knit group who know each other fairly well (I believe there are around 120 of them). Therefore, most are aware of each others strengths and weaknesses and have an understanding of who each pastor "is" (which is debatable considering the scandal of 1996). However, those laity who are now involved in this process do not have this type of understanding of each of the pastors running for Bishop. Therefore, there must be a type of campaign for people to become acquainted with the candidates running for Bishop before votes can be cast for the election.

There is also talk about changing the structure of the church because some think that the position of the "Bishop of Iceland" has too much power. There is talk about trying to become more democratic in how decisions are made, specifically when it comes to funds allocated to churches in different areas of the country. This is a truly interesting time for the National Church of Iceland with a large potential for change which will, God willing, be for the betterment of the Church in Iceland and for the church worldwide.

Dear God, I ask that you guide the process of electing a new Bishop of Iceland. I ask that you guide all those involved to allow this process to be beneficial for the proclamation of the Gospel and for the people of Iceland. Please guide those making decisions concerning the structure of the National Church of Iceland. Thank you for this opportunity to meet with the pastors of Iceland and to hear about their struggles. Guide them in their future pursuits and allow them to continue having Christ at the center of their lives and ministry. I ask all this in Jesus name. Amen.

New Beginnings

2012-01-04T04:57:00.000-08:00

Well, this has certainly been a wonderful beginning to our trip. The first 24 hours were spent traveling from Iowa to Iceland. Our first full day here in Iceland is a bit of a blur. Because I didn't sleep much on the plane rides, I was exhausted when we landed, but instead of sleeping, we were treated to a wonderful breakfast at our host's parish here near Reykjavik. After some much needed sleep, we spent the reaminder of the day visiting with our hosts and enjoying a wonderful dinner.

Our second full day here was spent in Reykjavik, where we began our day visiting a Salvation Army homeless shelter, and learning about their outreach ministry here in Iceland. We also visited spent time walking through downtown, where we visited the parliament building, as well as one of the cathedrals. We finished our sight-seeing at the new concert hall, enjoying fellowship and a nice warm cup of coffee. The evening began with a swim in the local pool, though this description does not do this activity justice. It was around 20 degrees here, and these pools are hot tubs outside in the cold...very weird, but very relaxing. After an hour or so soaking in these hot tubs, I was very mellow. My favorite part of this day was the time spent listening to Gunnar, our host, as well as other pastors, talk about their life here in Iceland. I find their advice and points of view very valuable.

Today, we set off for Skálholt, which is about two hours from here. While there, we will be able to hear Winston Persaud make a presentation, as well as get a chance to see some of the Icelandic countryside.

I am fascinated as I was the last time that I traveled internationally that our way of life in America is, well...big. At home, dinners are served in large portions, the cars are big, the houses are huge...Here, sitting down and actually enjoying a dinner for an hour or two, not stuffing myself (though last night's dinner was tough not to do that) has been very relaxing and enjoyable. As far as I can tell so far, meal times are geared more around the fellowship than anything else, though the food has been tremendously good.

More to come when we return from Skálholt...

From Psalm 24
The earth is the Lord's and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it; for he has founded it on the seas, and established it on the rivers.

Lord,

Thank you for allowing me to travel to this beautiful place, and thank you for the gift of fellowship, both with my traveling companions and our hosts. Please continue to bless our time here in Iceland as we become more familiar with the people and places here. Continue to watch over those that we have left back at home, and comfort them as we are away. Thank you for providing us with food and shelter while we are here.
I pray that you will help keep my eyes and heart open to new experiences in the time that I have left here in Iceland.
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen

2012-01-03T14:32:00.000-08:00

It is the eve of our second day in Iceland. I wish to begin this reflection by sharing with all that it has been an exhilarating experience so far, and I am excited for what will be next. The people are very friendly and warm, and to call them hospitable is an under-statement. The landscape is gorgeous, and as I grow more accustomed to the time difference, the more I appreciate watching the sunrise creeping over the mountains.

This is my first trip overseas, so my goal has been to try new experiences. This has been a blessing and a curse, but has been a great source of enjoyment for all. I am happy to declare that I have yet to slip and fall on the ice here, which to all who know me well is a huge accomplishment. Along with the varied experiences we as a group have seen many great things already in this early stage, including a day shelter for the homeless and hungry. Reykjavik has a few night shelters, but we visited a day shelter run by The Salvation Army that aids people when these other places are closed. The people who work this shelter are very bright individuals who give off an energy they attribute to the driving love of God. It was a powerful experience. Seeing people help others in a much different context was amazing, and learning more about the systems in place here in Iceland is intriguing and has sparked my curiosity to learn more.

Gracious God, watch over us all this evening. Grant us a peaceful sleep so that we will be ready for more wonderful experiences. Ready our hearts and minds for your gracious Spirit, so that we may be faithful stewards of the new day. Amen.

Mountains on the Horizon

2012-01-02T23:57:00.000-08:00

Our group arrived safely in Iceland early Monday morning. After a gracious reception from our hosts, including breakfast at Gunnar's church, it was time to rest and succumb to the effects of jetlag and the six hour time change. I slept like a baby for three hours and awoke in the afternoon to my first glimpse of the Iceland daylight which was peeking around the edges of the window blinds in my room. I made my way upstairs and was immediately captivated by the view through the living room window. Past the city lights and laying under the purple and orange sky were mountains on the horizon, beautiful jagged magnificent mountains.

I have always loved exploring nature however there is something especially intriguing about mountains to me. I made my way outside to snap a few pictures. And as always, pictures never do justice to the beauty experienced in person. As the snow crunched under my feet I thought about how the mountains on the horizon parallel the possibilities of the two weeks of this Jterm that lie ahead. What will I experience over the horizon? If I feel this excited about a city scape imagine how I will feel when I visit one of the oldest churches in the country, or when I see the ocean waves crashing on the rocky coast. I cannot wait to find out and feel truly blessed to be here.

Creator God, thank you for the beauty of your creation and for the adventure that lie ahead. May my journeys and experiences always glorify your holy name. Keep watch over our loved ones and bring them peace. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen

In Flight Reflections on the Sprawl

2012-01-02T20:25:00.000-08:00

I amcurrently in the middle of our flight to Iceland, soaring above the island ofGreenland. So far on the flight I havefinished reading the required book TheWindows of Brimness by Bill Holm, tried to sleep a little bit, failedmultiple times to get the in flight movie screen to actually play movies (I wasattempting to watch Crazy Heart),succeeding in using the said device to listen to a little Bjork as I do not ownany myself but found it fitting in light of our present destination, failed atsleeping in the seat that seems adamant on resisting my desires to get it torecline, and (in light of the latter failure) decided to use my waking momentsto start blogging for the trip. It isapparent that my attempts at writing at this present time are laden with intentto capture something of the existential. When one travels, worlds inevitably collide, converse and, hopefully,befriend. The process is so simple,standard and ageless that it hardly seems worth pointing out. Yet, there are elements of entering a newworld that are continually new and vibrant, regardless of how many Vikings haveventured into them before me.

There aremany a Teutonic individual who have been to this land on which I soon hope toland and many of whom have ventured there in far more rugged circumstancesthan I. In the book I just finished,Holm makes mention of Iceland being originally discovered by a Norwegian going for ajoyride in his longboat three fourths of the way into the ninthcentury. As I doubt his longboat hadaccess to movies with Jeff Bridges like the IcelandAir flight on which I amtraveling, I feel my transcendental wanderings hardly compare to arriving inIceland over icy, torrent seas on a few planks of wood carried primarily byindividual grit. Still, though I feelvery over matched by the venturings of the Vikings, there is something epicabout our travels to the land known for its glaciers, even it is only by way ofa five hour flight in a temperature controlled cabin.

As peopleare moving all over the world, out and about and to and fro, there are elementsof our sprawl that will always be unique, particular and, I must say it again,epic. Though on the macro level peoplehave been traveling since we lost our seats in paradise and have met all sortsof Cain’s people along the way, there are elements of every meeting that markour place in history- even if they do not stand distinct relative to oneanother. Though my travels to Icelandwill likely not be remembered or have the impact on the country in a way evenremotely close to that of the Norwegian 1300 years ago, they will be epic. In my sprawl I will meet other sprawlers, andI will encounter where others have chosen long ago to make their stand in theuniverse. These encounters will probablynot lead to founding colonies but they will lead me to see the world and othersin new ways.

I amcurrently listening to Arcade Fire’s song SprawlII (Mountains Beyond Mountains) which not only rocks one’s socks off, butalso tells of the movement of persons encircling our modern cities in a siegeof mundane living. Indeed, though I havenot really lived much of my life in suburban areas there is much to theemotions that the song conveys which gets at a real irony of what I haveexperienced in the past while traveling and hope to experience on thisvoyage. The sprawl has overtaken me manytimes before as I have remained located in one spot without hope ofmovement. The feeling is one of beingstuck; bogged down in the proverbial mud. The irony is that I have gotten out of it in the past by voyaging and,ultimately, sprawling away to other parts of the country and world. It is the sprawling of persons that makes mefeel stuck and to feel unstuck I sprawl myself. So much for consistency. Fortunately, I am no stranger to contradicting myself and I rather enjoyit at times. As a result, I am able tosee that in the midst of my own sprawling conceived in the sprawling of theworld around me I am able to find my place. Sprawling around the world leads me to come back home and see what placeis all about, what home is all about, and what life is all about. I do not recommend that one take to sprawlinglightly (it can be dangerous to really lose yourself), but I can say that it isgood to be on this flight on this voyage to Iceland. In fact, it is so good that perhaps next timeI will take a long boat.

Bless us in our travels, oh Lord, that they may be epic. May our voyage carry us safely to our destination and our hearts be open to those whom we will meet. Bless our way that in our travels we may encounter you all along the way.

Dave Efflandt's Bio

2011-12-31T08:32:00.001-08:00

My name is Dave Efflandt, and I am originally from Moline, Illinois. I have been married to my high school sweetheart, Sarah, for 15 years, and we have two children: Austin, who is nine, and Isabella, who is eight. I am currently in my first year as an M.Div student at Wartburg Theological Seminary.

And now it’s time for a bit of information from my pre-seminary life. I have a B.A. in Music Education from the University of Minnesota, as well as a M.Ed. in Education from California State University, San Marcos. I taught middle school band and choir for the past 12 years, both in the Bay Area, as well as in Southern California. I was also on staff at my church as a minister of music for seven years, and as the interim youth minister for about six months.

My wife, Sarah, has a doctorate in materials science engineering, with an emphasis on biomedical application, and she worked for a company called Guidant, where she was a senior research engineer in the production of stints…in short, I have married WAY up. Sarah and I have traveled internationally in the past, visiting Italy and Greece, though I am very excited to visit Iceland!

Thank you God for a chance to visit new places, and meet new people. Please bless all of us as we travel, and comfort those who we leave behind. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Who is Matt Barnhouse?

2011-12-29T04:48:00.000-08:00

Hi, my name is Matt Barnhouse and I am a 2^nd yearM-Div. student at Wartburg Theological Seminary. My wife Heather and I recentlycelebrated our 20^th wedding anniversary. We have been blessed withfour beautiful and healthy children. Matt, an eighteen year old intellectualthat has always been responsible and loves to play baseball. Derek, a fifteenyear old that loves football and has a heart that is as soft as his mothers.Ryan, our comedian who has always done his own thing, will be thirteen in May.And Megan, our feisty, but loving angel, who has more spirituality and love forGod than many adults I know. She is ten going on thirty.

I have a BS in Business Management/Marketing and have over 15years of business related work experience. My most recent position was for a Fortune 500 printing/publishing companywhere I was a Sr. Sales Executive. I grew up in a small Midwest farm communityof which much of my family still resides. I feel blessed to be able to relate andbe comfortable around many types of people, from farmers and manufacturers toexecutives and professionals.

Much of my travels have been in the United States. However, I havehad the opportunity to visit Canada, the Caribbean, and South America. Prior toseminary my family and I lived in the beautiful state of Colorado and dream ofreturning to the area after graduation. Ilove exploring nature and enjoy fishing, camping, and hiking. My wife and Ialso dream of exploring/traveling/visiting family via motorcycle someday (A.K.A.an HD FLHTC).

I look forward to meeting the people of Iceland with great anticipationand excitement. I have heard wonderful things about our gracious hosts, as wellas the culture and scenery of the country. What a blessing to be part of such a wonderfulopportunity!

Thank you God, for the opportunity to meet newpeople and explore your creation in far away places. Keep us and our families safeand close to you during every step of this new journey. Enlighten us, challengeus, and refresh us as you continue to shape us into the leaders you have calledeach of us to be. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

About the Girl

2011-12-22T10:09:00.000-08:00

Greetings all! My name is Emily Shipman (as of almost four months ago, when I married the Zachariah featured below). I grew up in north-central Minnesota with my parents and two older brothers. My family owns a fourth-generation family vacation resort that sits on a lake and keeps everyone very busy. I am 24 years old and in my second year at Wartburg Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa. I started my undergraduate degree at Bemidji State University in northern Minnesota, before transferring to Bethel University in St. Paul (Socio-Cultural Studies with an emphasis in Cross-Cultural Mission). I have been blessed to experience two extended stays abroad, the first to Africa for nine months on a discipleship training program. We were based in Zambia, and also spent time serving in Malawi, South Africa, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe. It was an incredibly challenging and faith enriching experience. I later traveled to New Zealand to volunteer at a Christian camp for five months, and enjoyed the lovely scenery and met some wonderful people. I love traveling and experiencing new cultures and getting to know people. I am extremely grateful at this opportunity to experience Iceland and spend time with some locals there, as well as the great crew we have going on the trip. My interests beyond traveling include adventure sports – rock climbing and white water rafting and the like, board games, waterfalls, campfires, scrapbooking, eating smoothies, and experiencing the outdoors.

Good and gracious God, I thank you for this opportunity to experience more of your incredible creation. I lift up to you this trip, all those who are so graciously hosting us and making this possible, and all connected to this experience. Open our hearts and eyes to be receptive to all that you would have us learn, and to all we are able to meet. And may the peace, hope, and love of Christ be a noticed reality in all our lives today and each day. Amen.

A Little Bit about Seth

2011-12-18T08:36:00.000-08:00

My name is Seth Nelson and I was born 26 years ago in a suburb of Minneapolis. When I was five years old my family moved to Decorah, Iowa, where my parents started working for Luther College, their alma mater. My mom, Ramona, is a professor of accounting there and my dad, Cy, has worked as an account around Decorah ever since. I also have two brothers; Evan is four years older than me and lives in Madison, WI, with his wonderful wife Kari and two daughters Claire and Paige. My younger brother, Taylor, lives in Boulder, Colorado, and will be getting married this upcoming summer to his college sweetheart, Kristen.
    As for me, I am currently in my second year of studies at Wartburg Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa. Previously, I attended Valparaiso University, located just east of Chicago in Indiana, where I studied philosophy and ancient Greek. It was there that I met the love of my life, Jennifer, who I have been married to for three and a half years. She works as a Nurse in a hospital 45 minutes from Dubuque. We also have a dog named Pericles who continually proves to be a little furball of energy.
    Though I grew up in Iowa, I have traveled some throughout the country as well as internationally. I have been to most states and regions in the United States and have travelled to Mexico and Canada. Outside of North America, I have been to Sweden, Denmark, Germany, South Africa, and Namibia. When I was in high school, I had a Swedish student stay with me for a year and was able to go visit him after completing my first year at Valpo. That was my first and only trip to Europe thus far, but I enjoyed it very much and am anxious to go back. I also spent a semester studying in southern Africa, primarily in Namibia but also a bit in South Africa. I stayed with a couple of families in Namibia and South Africa, experiences for which I am grateful and look forward to repeating in Iceland.
     All in all, I have heard wonderful things about the country of Iceland and look forward to traveling to see its splendor for myself. I enjoy forming international friendships and cannot wait to find out what our travels in January have in store.
     Dear God, I pray that you may hasten our travels abroad so that we may encounter you in Iceland. Guide our way to you that we may journey safely across the pond. Prepare our hearts to meet the distant lands to which you call us.

Jeff Bergeron's Bio.

2011-12-15T13:50:00.000-08:00

My life in a short few sentences. I was born in Clear Lake, TX. I grew up north of Austin, TX in a place called Georgetown. My parents, Greg and Suzanne, are hard-working, caring people who have supported me my whole life. They are a huge blessing in my life. I grew up the youngest of two siblings, and a pretty large extended family. Ten years ago my sister passed away at the young age of twenty. Though this is a place of grief, it has become a defining loss that drives me to do my best. I became a Lutheran in 2001, and have loved the church ever since. Having been given the opportunity to help out and participate in church actively through my music has brought me into the path I now view as my life's calling. So in a nut shell, I love God, I love music, I love my family, I love Texas, oh and I love food. I look forward for this upcoming trip. Not only will I get to see the love of God in a whole new group of people, it will be my first time to ever visit a country overseas. That is very exciting

God, I ask you to bless all of the people, who with the love of Christ, are willing to open their hearts, their homes, and their culture with us. Keep all of us who make the journey safe, and be with our families who anticipate our safe return. In the loving name of Jesus Christ I pray.

Zachariah Shipman Introduction

2011-12-15T09:12:00.000-08:00

I was born in Wurtsmith Air Force Base (which no longer exists) in 1988. My father is in the Air Force serving as a Chaplain (pastor in the military). Due to this job, I have never lived anywhere longer than three and a half years. I have lived mainly in the United States, specifically in California, South Carolina, 2 places in Ohio, 3 places in Michigan, North Dakota, Minnesota, and Iowa. I have been to Germany, Turkey, and I lived in the Azores for a year and a half. My Bachelor's Degree is in Economics which I received from Northern Michigan University in Marquette, Michigan. I am in my second year of seminary currently. I met my wife during summer Greek of my first year of seminary. We were married this past August. I enjoy playing futbol (soccer), table tennis (ping pong), ultimate frisbee, and racquetball. My hobbies include guitar, reading, board games, video games, and crocheting. I am very excited about going to Iceland and I am especially excited about meeting our hosts and the people of Iceland!

God, I ask that you would prepare the hearts of those of us going on this trip and those receiving us. God, please allow for safe travel to and from Iceland. Please allow for this trip to be a wonderful learning experience for those traveling to Iceland and also for those receiving us. I ask that lasting relationships be formed in love during this entire experience. Thank you for all that you have blessed us with, God. Amen.

Gearing-Up for Iceland J-Term 2012

2011-12-15T04:28:00.000-08:00

We at Wartburg Theological Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa, are blessed to be welcomed back to Iceland in January 2012 for another cross-cultural immersion. This will be our third trip, the first happening in 2008.
I am extremely grateful for the partnership with our Icelandic friends and colleagues in the formation of valued leaders for Christ's church. While there are many involved, Pastor Gunnar Sigurjónsson of Digraneskirkja in Kópavogur is our primary host. I am grateful for Gunnar's effort, wisdom, and hospitality, as well as his commitment to the cross-cultural experience as a formative element of the preparation for ministry.

This year there are six students from Wartburg who will be traveling, all of whom are studying for the Masters of Divinity (MDiv):

WTS Iceland J-term 2012

Pictured (from left to right): Dave Efflandt, Matt Barnhouse, Jeff Bergeron, Seth Nelson, Zachariah Shipman, and Emily Shipman.

In addition to myself, it is pleasure to have traveling with us this year the Rev. Dr. Winston D. Persaud, Professor of Systematic Theology, and Mrs. May Burt Persaud, Instructor in Biblical Languages, my colleagues on the faculty at Wartburg. Winston will be lecturing at the pastors' academy at Skálholt and at the University of Iceland during out visit.

Continuing the practice of public reflection by way of blogging that began in January 2010, this blog will serve as the forum for student reflections on their cross-cultural experiences throughout the trip. We invite you, our readers, along on this journey of friendship and discovery, and we encourage you to sign-on as "followers" (see the button "Join this site" to the right).

Peace in Christ,
Dr. S. D. Giere
Wartburg Theological Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa, USA

Wartburg, a seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, is convinced that theological education and formation for ministry necessarily include cross-cultural experience and reflection. The trip to Iceland is one such offering. During January 2012, the Wartburg community will be dispersed internationally to Iceland, Guyana, Israel/Palestine, France/Switzerland, domestically to Pine Ridge, South Dakota, and urban Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and regionally around Dubuque in the course "Issues of Violence against Women and Children."

Comin' at ya, from the States!

2010-01-22T16:50:00.000-08:00

What a trip! I’m now back “home”, and have had a few days to process our journey, but am still flooded with a mix of thoughts, feelings and emotions. I can’t stop thinking about the new friends from Wartburg that I made during this trip. The generous hospitality of everyone we met in Iceland is something that is unforgettable. But the devastation in Haiti still weighs heavily on my heart. My prayers continue to be with all the citizens and rescue workers in Haiti, but especially (and maybe selfishly) with those classmates from Trinity and Wartburg and other seminaries who were there, and the family and friends of those who didn’t make it back.

Yet, being in this situation while in Iceland only added to the experience. What better community to be in when something like this occurs than with your seminary classmates? There was no better example of pastoral care, both given and received, than what happened with our group. Between the tears, the hugs, the quiet encouragement, and the prayers, I couldn’t imagine a better group to be with at that time.

My first question for this trip centered on how the church in Iceland differs from the church that I am familiar with in the USA. The established church in Iceland is Lutheran, so there were many similarities. The sacrament of baptism is a very important rite that most people take part in, many more than who worship on a regular basis, just like here. Confirmation for youth, the act of affirming their baptism, is an extremely important milestone, with a greater percentage of youth taking part than here. This emphasis of this milestone is probably comparable to graduation from high school for us. And just like in the USA, once confirmed many of the youth are never seen again inside the church. But from here the differences were what struck me. Weekly worship services and receiving the sacrament of communion on a regular basis are not necessarily typical. Some parishes, especially the in the more rural areas, may only worship every other week, or even just monthly. Many also don’t believe that communion needs to be a regular occurrence. Most of the priests we talked with don’t necessarily believe these things, but what can they do when most of their congregants do? Stewardship of money is unheard of because the money that goes to the church is taken out of the government taxes. Quite a foreign concept to us, but it seems to work (for the most part) for them.

I also learned a great deal about the role of a priest in the established church. They are a public figurehead of their community, which can be good and bad. Good in the sense that they could knock on someone’s door in their community, tell them they are the parish priest, and they would be let in. Bad because they are very much in the public spotlight and can end up on the front page of the paper if someone in their family does something wrong. But, because of this, their emphasis is more on pastoral care and not so much on programming and administration (at least from what I observed.) They tend to be more of a pastor to the people rather than a pastor to a congregation, which is something that I would certainly like to model in my ministry.

My other objective in taking part in this J-Term class was to learn what it’s like to be an outsider. I thought that going to a country where my language is not their native language and where I would have to be dependent on others for my daily needs would be a challenge. But the friendship and hospitality that we received made me feel right at home. It was certainly a wonderful model of how to treat the stranger that I hope I can bring back as well.

I can’t end without thanking our hosts, Gunnar and þora, for Guðni and Asdis for opening their home to me, and my new friends at Wartburg for opening their trip and their hearts to us non-Wartburgers. It was a beautiful trip that I am not soon to forget.

Bless!

Oh God, we are your hands and feet in this world. Thank you for those who are witnesses of your love and compassion and welcome strangers into their lives. Thank you for unique and diverse models of ministry that we are called to learn from. Bless us and send us into this world to continue the work that was started by your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Reflections

2010-01-21T22:28:00.000-08:00

When I left for Iceland one of my questions was what it would be like to have a “profound experience of darkness,” as our syllabus puts it, and how Icelandic homes and public spaces compensate for the winter lack of sunlight. Well, we all noticed that it wasn’t nearly as dark as we thought it would be. We also noticed that there’s something luxurious about rising “before dawn” at 10 a.m. (Easy for us to say – we didn’t have to go to work!) As for the evenings, the sun set around 5 – not much different from home. And maybe it was the fantastic food and the fabulous company, but the darkness seemed full of light and life until the very wee hours of the morning.

I was also delighted to find an abundance of windows. The Icelanders know what windows should be like. The Scandinavian aesthetic of steel, concrete, and glass is lovely to behold and to dwell in, and from its low angle the sunlight is gathered and directed into homes and other buildings through huge, glassy expanses of picture windows. And all those windows seemed to boast fantastic views, whether it was the 11 a.m. sunrise, the long afternoon of pastel twilight, or the bright lights of the city gleaming at night.

Best of all, there are whole towns devoted to greenhouses, such as Hveragerði, which we passed on our way to Skálholt. Between the sun and the geothermal radiators (hot water, 100°C, piped straight out of the ground), they are able to grow not only tomatoes but also tropical things like bananas.

(Speaking of green energy, we saw one of Iceland’s hydrogen filling stations, which was right alongside the regular gas station. There was even a “line” of two cars. We also learned a bit about the possibilities of canola oil for fuel from our hostess, þóra, who is researching how the long summer days can produce bumper crops in the north of Iceland.)

Another of my questions had to do with mythology and how it influences the culture and Christianity. I didn’t see a tremendous amount of this on the surface, but I did get a few people to tell me stories about Odin and Loki and the Jotuns. I also enjoyed an evening with Anna Rún looking at the sculpture of Einar Jónsson (www.skulptur.is) in a beautiful book of photos. Many of the sculptures are highly mythological, and we had a lot of fun figuring out what they all meant. I also passed Ari’s pop quiz on Tolkien. (I was impressed at how many aspects of Icelandic landscape and culture are subtly referenced in LOTR. For example, the horses—gorgeous!!—in the myths have names that end with “fax,” which means “mane.” Just like Shadowfax. Also, if you like horses at all, you must see the Icelandic horse’s special gait, called the tölt: click.)

My third question had to do with contemplation. I said that I hoped to meditate and maybe learn a new spiritual practice. What I was really seeking was a break from the anxiety of a very stressful semester. I read this in the Poetic Edda:

The foolish man lies awake all night
and worries about things;
he’s tired out when the morning comes
and everything’s just as bad as it was.

Very true. This reminded me of Job 3:26:

"The thing that I fear comes upon me,
and what I dread befalls me.
I am not at ease, nor am I quiet;
I have no rest; yet trouble comes."

It’s clear that worrying doesn’t help one bit. None of us by being anxious can add at all to our span of life (Mt. 6:27). Yet, I still find myself worrying. A lot.

Two things happened on this trip that may help to change that for me. One was participating in the communion service at Skálholt by reading, in English of course, the New Testament reading for epiphany: Ephesians 3:1-12. I have never participated in any service, least of all in a foreign country in a place like Skálholt – a church that is, in a very real way, the spiritual center of Iceland. When you look at the photo at the top of this blog, you can see that this is not an old church – it was finished in the 1960s. What you can’t realize without going there is that the site is absolutely ancient, the center of Christianity since 1000 B.C.E. But when you go, and see the stone coffin in the basement, walk through the ancient tunnel to where the village used to be, when you read the names of all the bishops going back 1,000 years – you start to get a sense of the place. Participating in the morning and evening prayers there was a beautiful, meditative experience, charged with familiar phrases in a new language (Faðir vor, miskunna þú oss, Drottinn). Participating in the communion service was something I would certainly never have dared to do. Luckily, Sam didn’t give me an option. So, I had the tremendous honor and blessing of declaring the mystery of Christ before a congregation of pastors at Skálholt. I did it in a shaky, too-quiet voice, and the timing was awkward and unrehearsed, but that didn’t take away from how I felt.

The other thing that happened was the earthquake in Haiti and the death of our friend Ben. If Matthew 6:27 didn’t hit home before, it does now. I don’t want to say too much about this right now, but here are a few thoughts. He died with a song of praise to God on his lips; in our grief, we who remain are bound more closely in love with one another and in our God, whom we trust will wipe all tears from our eyes; and none of us, by being anxious, can add at all to our span of life.

Iceland was everything I hoped it would be, and so much more. Twilight, water, ice, volcanoes, horses, friends, family, songs, prayers, tears, laughter, lectures, rocks, trees, geysirs, hot springs, surf, stars, poetry, mythology, feasts, joy, and sorrow. I can’t wait to go back – probably some June.

Lord God,
You comfort us in sorrow and laugh with us in joy. Thank you for all the wonderful experiences, hospitality, beauty, and love that were showered on us in Iceland. Be with us as we mourn the loss of our friend, and bring comfort and aid to those who are grieving and suffering in Haiti. Let those of us who remain love and serve you in all we do and experience. In Christ’s name we pray. Lord, have mercy. Amen.

What am I doing here?

2010-01-21T10:55:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned in my first post, the question I got the most frequently as I prepared to go to Iceland was “what are you going to be doing there?” It was a question I was never able to answer, even when I had the syllabus and trip itinerary in my hand. “I have no idea,” I would always admit. ‘What am I doing here?’ was a question I pondered my entire time in Iceland. ‘What am I doing here?’ I thought, as I sat in Boston-Logan airport on January 1st and made small talk with nine total strangers. ‘What am I doing here?’ I thought in awe, as I stared out over the majesty of Gulfoss and pondered the shifting of the earth’s plates at Thingvellir. ‘What am I doing here?’ I thought as I settled blissfully into the warm water at Kopavogur’s public pool. ‘What am I doing here?’ as I stayed up late learning about Icelandic politics and culture from my host family. ‘What am I doing here?’ as I was blessed with the opportunity to sit in on a Confirmation class and discuss who God is with twenty Icelandic teenagers, who graciously agreed to do their class in English so we could participate. And more painfully, ‘what am I doing here?’ as I watched the nine strangers who had become my friends grieve the loss of their friend and colleague in the earthquake in Haiti. ‘What am I doing here?’ or maybe, more specifically, ‘how am I lucky enough to be here?’ is a question I pondered my whole time on a small, beautiful, island nation in the middle of the north Atlantic.

I went to Iceland with one question. Well I went with many questions, but with only one “official,” course-related question. What role does religion and the church play in the culture of Iceland? I think I went with the assumption that because Iceland has a national church, the role would be sort of de facto, expected. I also think I maybe expected the experience of church to be similar to my experience of church here in America, where you are a pastor to your parishioners. From the moment we landed in Iceland, I discovered I was completely wrong. Driving in to Reykjavik from the airport in the inky darkness that first morning with a young pastor, I asked him the size of his congregation. “Oh, about 11,000,” he said off-handedly, “we’re the fastest growing parish in Iceland.” Luckily it was dark, so I don’t think he noticed my jaw drop. 11,000! Was I riding in the car of a mega-church pastor? What was he doing? That was amazing! “How many people come to worship on a Sunday?” I continued, amazed. “Oh, a hundred or so.” I couldn’t make the numbers compute in my head, but I soon learned the problem was in definitions. For the Icelandic church, this pastor’s parish was his neighborhood. Whether they ever worshipped in his church or not, he and his senior pastor were responsible for being the pastoral presence for everyone in his district. This meant providing a worship experience, but it also meant providing pastoral care, support for life transitions, baptisms, confirmations, funerals, etc. Being a pastor in Iceland is not about leading worship, thought that is also an important part of what they do, it is about being the pastor for your community. Gunnar, our host, stressed over and over again that he never asks anyone what church they go to. As long as they are in his district, they are a part of his congregation. I was incredibly struck by this. So often I am hesitant to talk about church, to reach out to others, because I assume that if they want a church, they have their own, and I don’t want to appear to churchy. Watching the Icelandic model reminded me that serving people does not have to mean dragging them kicking and screaming through the doors of a sanctuary. Jesus did not only serve the people who came to his church or heard him preach or believed in him. Jesus served everyone he came across. I pray that as I settle back into life here in the states that I remember the Iceland pastor’s service to his or her neighborhood, and that I might not be afraid to share a God who is bigger than the walls of the church building.

God of the margins. Thank you for your Son, who consistently reached out to all people, not just those who spoke or thought or worshipped like him. Thank you for the hospitality of the people we met in Iceland, who opened their homes, their lives, and their hearts to a group of eleven Americans who did not speak or think or worship like them, and taught us new ways to think, to speak, and to worship. Thank you for the hospitality of the Wartburg community, for welcoming me in as a stranger and making me feel like a part of their community. Be with all those who are marginalized and in need of feeling a part of the whole. Amen.

2010-01-21T07:52:00.000-08:00

What an experience in Iceland! As I have mentioned before, the generosity and kindness we received was overwhelming. Hopefully there will be a time in the future when we can reciprocate the experience for our friends as they venture over the “pond” to America.
Before we began our journey, we were asked to come up with a question or two that would help us focus our learning while in Iceland. My question centered on the current economic conditions facing Iceland is facing and how this crisis is affecting the Icelandic Church in regards to funding of programs and outreach. What I learned was far more involved than just the current economic situation. Iceland’s church structure is far different then what we are accustomed to in the United States.

In Iceland, the Evangelical Lutheran Church is the “established” church of Iceland. The current funding arrangements between the State and the Church were originally established in 1907 and reviewed in 1998. What was set forth from this agreement was the State gets the churches property in exchange for the State paying for 139 pastors’ salaries. Because of this arrangement, pastors are ex facto State employees. In addition to this, each church receives 600 kroner per member per month from a tariff collected by the state. This monthly amount pays for church operations and other similar expenses.

Because of this tariff, offering is not collected during church services. This lack of offering raised some concerns for me as an individual. It is my opinion that offering is an integral part of one’s faith practice. Offering is a disciplined, intentional act of giving back a percentage of what God has blessed and bestowed upon us as individuals. Even though there is a collection of offering via the tariff it runs counterintuitive to what I believe to be an integral part of one’s faith practice. But regardless of my opinion, the system works for the Icelandic Church.

On a completely different note, I want to take this time to share a difficulty of mine during this journey. So often we are accustomed to giving that the thought of receiving goes by the wayside. But sometimes one needs to learn how to accept overwhelming and unearned generosity and kindness. This is exactly what occurred to me on this trip to Iceland. The kindness we received cannot be explained in words. There were those who opened their homes to us for two weeks, fed us more then we could eat, explained the customs of their homeland, and taught us the fellowship of brothers and sister in Christ. This is one of the unexpected outcomes of this trip for me.

Gracious Father,
I thank you for the experiences and friendships that have come from this two week journey. It is an experience that will last far longer than two weeks. I pray that the ideas we shared between us will help to strengthen Christ’s church in Iceland and America. May our brother and sisters in Christ continue to learn from each other and the ideas and experiences we gather and share be used to bridge gaps between nations.
In your blessed name we pray, Amen.

Emerging from a crisis

2010-01-20T18:32:00.000-08:00

Early on in this amazing trip to Iceland, Dr. Dan Olson defined a crisis as "something from which you cannot emerge unchanged." In so many ways that defines my experience traveling throughout Iceland. What an wonderful country with equally wonderful people and culture.

I entered this adventure with two questions to guide my thoughts and quickly generated many more. I found myself fascinated both by the differences and similarities between Icelandic and American cultures. I found that seeing reminders of what I already knew regarding how the church should be, as seen through the lens of someone else, equally as powerful as those which were entirely new.

My questions were as follows. One, how does the darkness affect how people see and experience God and two, how does the apparent isolation from both Europe and North America affect church attendance? What I found in both was mostly a non-answer, but still interesting topics to explore. On the issue of darkness, it turns out that Icelanders pay little attention to it. They have quite literally adapted genetically and therefore don't seem to care that it is dark longer and likewise in summer that its light longer. Of course having geothermally heated swimming halls and fabulous food may help soften the blow. But what was more interesting was how they viewed God. Now I won't presume to understand all Icelanders but unlike in the US, Icelanders view certain sites as holy ground, like at Skalholt and Thingvellir. Also the church, an established one at that, is a part of the culture and even the politics; such as the opening session of the Althing, or parliament. So, what I observed were a people who placed God in the national conscience, but that didn't necessarily translate into weekly service attendance.

I think that in every case we saw in the Reykjavik area, parishes had large numbers of members, but actual people in seats on Sunday was 1% or less of those members. This truth was also reflected in their church buildings, which were built to hold a large funeral, but could not possibly hold even half of their respective members. Now what I learned as the cause of this was the following. Culture, family pressure, and tradition dictate that Icelanders are baptized and in most cases confirmed in the church. But what seems to really influence this loss of attendance in early adulthood is the fact that confirmation is made to be like a graduation in the US. Most Icelandic teens receive a huge party and $1000-$5000 dollars plus gifts for being confirmed. This creates a feeling that church is something you've completed and don't need to bother with again until you have your own children to put through.

However, regardless of ones attendance record, everyone knows to which parish they belong and which priest to call should they need help. So in answer to my question of how does the geographic separation affect church attendance, I can say confidently that it does not influence it at all; instead the structure and culture of the national church shapes this issue.

So what else did I learn in Iceland. A lot. I cannot possibly post all of the incites and observations I made during this trip. However, it is absolutely true that the models of behavior, generosity, and spirituality seen in Iceland have caused a crisis in me. Some serve as reminders of how we in this global church of Christ are to act toward all and still others, through the silence of not understanding the language, serve to deepen and strengthen my own spiritual growth. Iceland may be my first culture to deeply reflect on theologically, but it will not be my last because out of this crisis I cannot go backward.

Good and Gracious God. I first thank You for the tremendous expressions of Christian love that Your servants in Iceland showed us. I pray that Your many blessings will continue to fall upon their waiting hearts. I also pray, as this trip while safe for us, did bring with it the sting of profound loss and grief. Thank you for Your servant Ben and all those in Haiti who were Christ among us. Be with us now and aways as we live in and profess Your love as so many of the saints before us. Remind us of the lessons learned in Your global church and guide us to do Your will. In Christ's name I pray, amen.

wrapping it up

2010-01-20T14:27:00.000-08:00

Dang: How to wrap up two weeks of awesomeness in a single blog post? Maybe I’ll start with the assignment.

So, the first question I wanted to explore had to do with how “Lutheran” the Icelandic Church is and to what extent the people express that identity. I learned through my reading (here I’m referring to Haldor Laxness) that the church became Lutheran sort of overnight with a change of government. Given that, I wondered how seriously people took the adjective “Lutheran.” Turns out, things weren’t quite as simple as Laxness’s characters and narrator seemed to imply. We learned that many people in Iceland were excited about the news of the Reformation and were keen to implement some of the changes. I won’t delve too deeply into issues I don’t understand, but there were some beheadings of Catholic officials at Skálholt related to this. The curious reader can look this up. Interesting history. In any case, the mass conversion seems to be a bit of a mixed bag, but over time, people seem to have more or less “gone with it.”

I don’t know that anyone would necessarily call himself Lutheran, per se, nor did I find many people referring to the Confessions (bless you for that, by the way, Icelanders!). Furthermore, church structure seems more “Catholic” than what I am used to seeing in the States (i.e. the dominant model is concerned more with parishes than with congregations, bishops seem to have more “authority” there than here, the liturgy would be considered very “high church” to the American Lutheran observer).

In the end, I’m not sure how important it is to the everyday person to think of himself as a “Lutheran,” as such. I observed genuinely Christian diakonia, hospitality, and (in terms of the Haitian crisis) readiness to respond simply because it was the right thing to do. I think that’s more important than being a Confessions-quoting Lutheran. Not mutually exclusive, for sure, but priorities must be observed.

My second question had to do with the role of traditions (such as food) in terms of shaping national identity. Would Icelanders lose something if they didn’t “get” to eat rotten shark, rams’ testicles, whale blubber soaked in sour whey, smoked tongue and sheep-head cheese? As an outsider, my inclination is to say that the only thing they would stand to lose would be the common experience of being culturally “hazed,” like some kind of a frat-prank. But as I think more about it, and after talking to Gunnar, it seems deeper than this. When Gunnar told us that the taste of the whale fat took him back to childhood, I made the connection. This is a deeply ingrained tradition – a continuity over time that reminds people of where they came from. These are survival foods, and I think that there’s something primally important about remembering how close we all are, in spite of modern technology and sensibilities, to survival mode. It’s a close tie with the land and the sea as resources for life. And the way the Icelanders shared these traditions with us was beautiful, even if as insensitive Yanks, we couldn’t always fully appreciate it.

My last question had to do with maintaining a sense of identity in the face of modernization and the tension between staying traditional for the sake of drawing tourists and the desire to have the “finer” things. To a large degree, this question was ill-conceived. Icelanders, for the most part, are city-folk. Tradition remains in the language, the foods and customs mentioned above, and things of that nature. It’s not the same as in Ireland where one thinks of stone fences and thatched rooves (OK, spellcheck: “roofs.” Whatever.) as cultural holdovers from 2 centuries ago. Certainly both countries draw tourists based on the natural beauty of the landscapes. I also saw some parallels between how Ireland’s west coast has been commercialized (see my post on the Cliffs of Moher and the ridiculous “virtual cliff experience” in the unnecessary visitors’ centre) and how some of Iceland’s naturally stunning areas like Gullfoss and Geysir (and the whole concept of the Blue Lagoon) are somewhat defaced by tourist shops where one can buy a crappy hamburger from a guy whose only two languages are Russian and English. But I think, for the most part, this question was a wash. I owe it to my ignorance of Iceland prior to my trip. Now that I think of it, I’m still quite ignorant. More trips in the future will be necessary to right this atrocious wrong. Anyone want to help me fund some travel?

So, for good or ill, those were my 3 questions. But even more than those things, what will remain foremost in my mind is the generosity of the people we met (in the face of economic uncertainty), the welcoming hospitality of those same folks, the companionship of my fellow travelers, C3PO getting his picture taken at some of Iceland’s holiest sites, our hosts’ sense of humor (Q: “Where are we?” A: “Well, first you’re on Earth, then you’re in Iceland.”) and a bajillion good memories of the faithful people of God’s church in Iceland. I hope it doesn’t conjure too many negative connotations when I say, "Guð blessi Ísland.”

J-term Wrap-up

2010-01-18T21:51:00.000-08:00

Well, here I am back in the great state of South Dakota where I began my posting journey. Being home is bitter sweet. I am glad to be with my friends and family in a place I love, but I miss the people of the great land of Iceland. The loss of Ben and disaster in Haiti also weigh heavy on my heart.

I started this journey with three questions; with twenty hours of darkness in the winter, how is Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) combated within Iceland and what is the Church's role in fulfilling this wholeness? How has the recent economic turmoil affected the nation of Iceland and further, the Icelandic Church and how it ministers within the country? And finally, what role do Icelandic sagas, poetry, and literature have in the Modern Icelandic Church?

The first question I think went unanswered because though SAD may be a problem in other places the reasons given by wikipedia.org (a fish diet and genetics) is largely a legitimate answer. Our host Gunnar even brought up the genetic phenomenon off the cuff early in our stay. Frankly, the Icelanders have been doing this so long they've had to adapt or suffer the consequences.

The second question has a little more substance to it. I hope that I've adequately described the financial situation in the Icesave post. Things went from really good to really bad in a few days, so quite obviously there is a lot going on and in reality the pastors as public figures and leaders have a lot on their shoulders. At the lectures at Skalholt, Dan touched on the subject in an honest way that surprised all of us, including Dan. In reality, this crisis provides the church an opportunity to help Iceland reshape its identity.

Financially, the Church's connection to the state has been helped and hampered by the crisis. They haven't had to worry about decreased tithing or offerings because with the exception for a collection for specific ministries and missions, offering isn't taken. At the same time, the state has decided to tax the tariff that they collect to help fund the established church, other religious organizations, and University. So, though people have to give the same percentage of income towards the church, the church is seeing a little less of that now. What Iceland is seeing now within the church is more special ministries to help those who are having trouble making rent and putting food on the table. The only problem is that charity is sometimes hard for Icelanders to accept.

Dan identified a crisis as an event that a person cannot come out of the same, i.e., they will have to redefine themselves. What the pastors of the established church in Iceland have in front of them is a great opportunity and responsibility to help their nation reform its identity.

Finally, I must say that I really enjoyed exploring the tip of an iceberg of Icelandic literature. Some of our assigned reading included Hranfkel's Saga (Don't worry, it's unpronounceable to me too,) and Iceland's Bell by Nobel Prize winner Halldor Laxness. There is much more and if Bill Holm (an American author writing about his experiences in Iceland) is correct an Icelander is either a poet or an athlete. The main church in Reykjavik is named after one of the most famous poets/pastor in Iceland, Hallgrimur Petersson. But with all of this literary history, my question remains unanswered.

I think that in the modern church you would find that stories of trolls and elves, of the hidden people, and of the former Norse gods have slowly worked their way out of the life of the church. In the earlier days when many of the sagas were written, within the period of Christianity but remembering the Settlement Period before then, a person reading these sagas could find the melding of these two worldviews. Now though, a more poetic nature has usurped these sagas and eddas. Storytelling still may play an important part in relating life as displayed at Skalholt one evening, whether that is of the Hidden People, or of John's recounting of the feeding of the 5,000.

One part of the literary history that we were able to experience was the liturgy. Morning and evening prayer at Skalholt was a wonderful experience where we got to try our tongue at singing beautiful Icelandic chants. Much of the Liturgy is sung; so much so that if you're a pastor and you can't sing, you'll be provided with lessons from a professional opera singer named Jon, (nicknamed Nonny). Iceland is a nation that values its poets and this can be most seen within the song books and liturgies that are still used today.

Readers, it has been a joy doing this blog, and even more of a joy going to Iceland. It was truly a cross cultural experience and it was wonderful to see the Church Universal alive and welcoming in Iceland.

God of the Nations, I thank You for the wonderful opportunity to spend time in Iceland. I thank You for the wonderful people who overflowed with hospitality. I thank You for the Universal Church ministering all over this earth. I ask for your blessings upon the people of Iceland and Your continued presence with the people of Haiti and with our community at Wartburg Theological Seminary. Amen

Grieving

2010-01-15T00:37:00.000-08:00

I haven't had time to fully collect my thoughts here on this final day in Iceland. Our plane leaves today for Boston, where our group will split up, 2 travelling on to D.C. while the rest of us head back to the frozen midwest. As a preliminary thought, I just want to say that my experience of this group in Iceland has been a huge blessing. We saw magnificent sites together; we ate like royalty together; we laughed like a bunch of fools together; and we cried together at the loss of Wartburg classmate Ben Larson. I am so grateful to have been part of this small band of people for the past two weeks. I cherish each of you.

There's much more to say, of course, and so much to reflect on about the trip specifically, so many more thanks to pour out to our hosts in Iceland. But as I said, it's our last day here - there is much packing to do. More to come when we reach the other side of the pond.

Bless!

Rob

Last Day...Heavy Hearts

2010-01-14T17:29:00.001-08:00

Thursday was our last full day in Iceland. We left for home Friday. We had planned to do a little sight-seeing/shopping Thursday morning. Sam called our homes and emailed us asking us to gather at Gunnar's place, where us girls are staying, at 10:00 Thursday morning. We read the email from President Larson saying that our dear colleague, friend, classmate, and fellow student had died in the earthquake in Haiti. It was incredibly shocking and sad. Sam prayed as we all held hands in a circle. It was a beautiful and painful moment. I can't speak for others, but I ached to be back in Dubuque with the Wartburg community, however many or few are actually on campus right now. It's so hard to be away at a time like this. We've heard the news reports, seen the Facebook statuses, watched the press conference online, and read the CNN article, but it still doesn't feel real.

After spending a little time at Gunnar's to refocus, we left to go downtown for our visits with pastors of specialty ministries. We met with the pastor for the disabled, the pastor for prisoners, the pastor for immigrants, and the pastor for women's ministries. It was wonderful to talk to them all and to listen to what they had to say. They are all doing amazing things with specialty minstries in Iceland! I was especially interested in the ministry for people with disabilities. I have some experience in working with people with disabilities and a huge passion for that kind of work. The pastor talked about her congregation, which consists mostly of people with disabilties, their families, social workers and doctors. She showed us pictures of people that she confirmed, and they pictures were beautiful. It showed her confirming people with their families standing proudly behind. She said that their confirmations are a big day for them, and I loved hearing her talk about the work she does there. She meets them where they are so they can understand and know that they are apart of God's family. What a beautiful ministry!!

The pastor for prisoners also gave us some unbelievable information. He said that in all of Iceland, there are only 5 prisons, and in those 5 prisons, there are a total of 144 prisoners. The country has a population of about 300,000 people, and in the whole country, there are only 144 prisoners. Those numbers are incredible....especially compared to statistics in the United States. I asked if there was capital punishment in Iceland, and he said that the maximum sentence is 16 years, and that would be for murder. In many cases, people only end up serving about 2/3 of their term. I didn't a chance to ask him the percentage of people who stay within the prison system after being released, but given the low numbers, the country must be doing something right to discourage crime from happening! Again, here, I heard the theme of meeting the prisoners where they are and letting God's presence and forgiveness be known.

The pastor for immigrants had some amazing things to say as well. I loved his attitude about immigration; if only the United States could be so open-minded. He talked about how his first mission in his work was to help people try to overcome the difficulties that come with immigration, such as language barriers and culture shock. He also helps to create opportunities for them. He also said that when people are in difficulty, he tries to help them with their identity so they can be able to stand on their own. This really struck me. I liked the idea of helping people with their identity. It seems like here in the US identity only matters if the immigrant assimilates to the "American" identity, and even then, they're STILL not good enough because they're not genuinely "American." Diversity is claimed to be valued, but people only value diversity if they can be diverse but in an American way. It really irritates me!!! Anyway, I'll jump off my soap-box. I was very impressed with the work this pastor was doing with immigration.

Overall, I saw an emerging theme with all of these ministries. They really aim to meet people where they are and walk with them on their journey in faith...just as God meets us where we are in our human condition through Christ. Meeting with these pastors on our final day was a great way to end our trip in Iceland.

Overall, I had a wonderful time in Iceland. It is an amazingly beautiful country. I was absoultely overwhelmed by the generous hospitality that we encountered there. I was asked in my endorsement interview to think of a time where I experienced grace. I gave an example, and was told the reason I was asked that was because if I can't think of time where I experienced grace, then it will be impossible for me to preach grace to others. This trip was definitely an experience of grace and I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to travel there and meet the people that I met and see the things that I was able to see.

One thing that really stuck out to me was that it wasn't as dark as I thought it would be. The sun didn't really come up until 10:00 a.m. or so, but it went down about the same time it does back here in the states, so it wasn't that much of a drastic change. However, I was there to get a glimpse of the metaphorical darkness the country is experiencing right now in light of their economic crisis. Being there in that time and hearing the different opinions on the situation was really eye-opening. A country that once had a 1% unemployment rate is now experiencing a 10% unemployment rate. Still low by American standards, but for them, it's a REALLY big rise and a really big problem. Being with them in that darkness and then experiencing darkness of our own in learning the death of our friend and classmate Ben Larson was a humbling and somber experience, one that I will never forget. However, even in that darkness, I still experienced Christ's light through the people that we talked to, through the beautiful scenery that we saw, and in my Icelandic experience altogether. Just as the light of the rainbow promises hope and the promise of light that the lighthouse represents, Christ's light does indeed shine through the darkness, and the darkness will not overcome it.

Holy and Gracious Lord,

I thank you for the wonderful opportunity to travel to Iceland and meet our brothers and sisters in Christ in a global context. Thank you for showing us your work through others. Please be with the country of Icleand as they continue to struggle with the economic crisis. Also, please be with the people of Haiti, for all those who have lost everything, and for those who have lost loved ones. Remind them of your love and presence and grant them strength, courage, and hope for the days ahead. Please be with the Wartburg Community in our time of loss. Remind us of your light that shines so brightly through others and gather us together as one in you. I ask all these things in your name. Amen.

2010-01-13T10:19:00.000-08:00

Our time is winding down...we leave on Friday!Today we went to Keflavik and to the Blue Lagoon. We visited the church in Keflavik and learned what they're doing in this time of financial crisis. After that, we drove along the coast, stopping along the way to see a fault and a lighthouse. The view around the sea and lighthouse was GORGEOUS!!! The sun was in the perfect position, and because it was raining, we caught glimpse of a beautiful rainbow. I got video of it below!! It was so beautiful, once again, I came to appreciate how amazing God's creation is. I loved how the rainbow came down to the bottom of the lighthouse...two forms of light side by side. It was really cool! The waves crashing up against the rocks was amazing as well. This was only the 2nd time I've ever been by the shore....so it was beautiful!

As many of you know, there was a huge earthquake in Haiti yesterday. That has been on our minds since Wartburg has students there for Jterm. We were watching CNN this morning and I was very saddened at the devastation that happened there. My thoughts and prayers are with the people of Haiti and with those studying down there. What a time to be down there... Iceland sometimes epxeriences earthquakes, and there are volcanoes that could erupt at any minute as well. Life is so delicate, and so unexpected, and things can change so quickly. It's a very scary thought. On that note, I will end this post in prayer.

Gracious God,
Please be with the people of Haiti. Comfort those who have suffered loss, be with those who need healing, and be with the volunteers from all over the world who are responding to this disaster. Please also be with the families of the students who are studying in Haiti. Let your Spirit work in them to provide healing and comfort in body, mind, and spirit. Please also be with us as we spend our last days in Iceland. Grant us safe travels and grateful heart. I ask all these things in your Holy and Merciful name, Amen.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

2010-01-13T00:48:00.000-08:00

This blog is dedicated to the cross-cultural reflections of a group of ELCA seminarians from Wartburg, LSTC, and Trinity in Iceland during their January term. I'm breaking in to our normal blogging activity to ask that those reading this blog hold in prayer all those affected by the earthquake in Haiti, including seminarians from Wartburg and Trinity. Early word is that the group from Abiding Hope Lutheran Church in Colorado, including seminarians from Trinity and Wartburg intern Sarah Thomson, are safe. We have yet to hear word from Wartburg senior seminarians Renee and Ben Splichal-Larson and Jon Larson, who have been working with Pastor Livenson, who studied at Wartburg Fall 2006, and the pastors of Eglise Lutherienne d'Haiti.

On behalf of our group in Iceland, I ask that those reading this pray...
...for Haiti, a country and people already devistated by poverty,
...for the Church in Haiti, including the pastors and people of Eglise Lutherienne d'Haiti,
...for the group from Abiding Hope, including Wartburg intern Sarah Thomson and seminarians from Trinity,
...for Renee and Ben Splichal-Larson and Jon Larson, senior seminarians from Wartburg,

that the strength and comfort of God's presence be felt,
that those involved in rescue efforts might be God's hands and feet,
that the injured might receive care and healing,
that those who grieve might be comforted,
that those who we love are safe,
for serenity and persistence in our prayers.

Lord, in your mercy,

Rev. Dr. Samuel Giere
Assistant Professor of Homiletics
Wartburg Theological Seminary

Icesave, yousave, we all save for... Icesave!!!

2010-01-12T16:06:00.000-08:00

So, for our friends who are not here in Iceland with us, you may be wondering what is this crisis all about? Well, It's complicated, it's much the same as our financial crisis, only intensified, and more recently it involves the failure of Icesave. Read all about the current events surrounding Icesave in the sidebar link to the Icelandic News in English. I will also give a brief synopsis and discuss the effects of the wider crisis on Iceland and the church as a whole.

In 2007, Iceland was one of the most prosperous nations in the world, I believe top six if I remember right. However, in 2008 the three major banks failed and the government took over them and restructured them, essentially placing them in bankrupt status. The combined debt of these three banks was close to six times the gross domestic product of the country, so you can see how heavy of a hit this was to the nation.

One of the banks, Landsbanki, had a foreign operation in the UK and Netherlands called Icesave, and when Iceland was doing well, several hundreds of thousands of people from both of those countries deposited money within that bank. The question is, whether these foreign deposits were insured the same way as domestic deposits. After the collapse of the bank, assets were frozen, and as you can understand, it would be difficult to pay back the depositors with money that has seemingly disappeared overnight due to the devaluation of the Kronur that happened over the course of 2008.

Of course, the UK and The Netherlands want their citizens to have their money, and Icelanders for the most part, want to respect this. The question is how this is to be paid back? Though Iceland past legislation in August saying that it will be paid back, that legislation protects the interests of the Icelandic people by not committing them to having to pay too much in one year and extends the period of repayment until 2023. During this time, they would have loans from the UK and Denmark, and other countries, that would help this process along. However this was not quite agreeable to the UK and so under pressure other legislation has recently been passed in the Althingi by a margin of 33-30 that is more favorable to the UK's desires.

The problem seen by many Icelanders is that this measure would place the load of the mistake of one bank upon the already burdened back of the people of Iceland. Early this year a petition of sixty to eighty thousand people, nearly a quarter of Iceland's population was sent to the President, who largely plays a figurehead role, to veto the bill, which he did. By vetoing the bill, the Althingi could either withdraw the bill or put it to a referendum, a public vote. The Althingi decided to put it to a public vote which is scheduled to happen before March 6th. Iceland is unique in that they are able to have a referendum to let their people decide. On the one hand there is the argument that voting for this bill would impose heavy taxation upon the people, up to 55% from the 40% that they already pay. On the other hand, their is concern that by not passing the bill Iceland's admittance into the EU could be delayed indefinitely.

When we were at Skalholt, Professor Dan Olsen gave a three part series of lectures that it at the heart of what a crisis was and what it might mean for the Icelandic people, and more particularly, how the Icelandic pastors might help their parishes cope with this identity. One passage that I think is particularly applicable to this situation is that of Luke 16:1-13, which is the parable of the Shrewd Manager, a most difficult parable, but one that speaks of forgiveness and grace none-the-less. In a lot of ways, it seems that Iceland may be seeking that shrewed manager who calls the debtors and lessons their debts.

Iceland has a long road ahead of them, and part of that road walked will be recreating their identity. Dan also had some poignant comments on this which really seemed to hit the hearts of the Icelandic pastors in Skalholt. It is something that I as an outsider can not fully comprehend, and yet, I think that it is a message that speaks to me as an American just as well. Things have been particularly hard economically for our country as well this past year and I hope that we do not come out of the recession unchanged as a people. I believe that Dan is right in that it is our responsibility and joy as pastors and ministers to lead the people in a rediscovery of an identity.

God of Grace and Mercy, We humbly come before You and ask for forgiveness of our mismanagement of our resources and Your blessings. We pray that in the midst of this crisis You do not leave us unchanged but help us to find an identity that is centered on the cross and Christ. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

Sipping from a fire hydrant

2010-01-11T13:54:00.000-08:00

Woah, we're over halfway there! I can't believe the trip has gone so quickly, but I guess it's not that surprising. My classmates have done a great job recapping our adventures so I will try not to repeat what they said. We just had a great dinner tonight with the deans of Reykjavík, Gísli Jónasson and Jón Dalbú Hróbjartsson. It was a great meal, as usual, and the conversation was also great, as usual!

I posed a question to the deans that make them take a brief pause before giving their thoughts; I asked "what the most important thing they'd like us to take home from our trip to their country." I've been trying to compile everything we've observed, discussed, and learned to be able to bring it home in a compact, understandable package in my head. I'll happily steal the expression that we've been "trying to take a drink out of a fire hydrant." We've been immersed into this culture trying to grasp at nuggets to take home with us. And I have certainly learned a great deal, now it's just a matter of knowing how to share this great experience with everyone back home. Maybe I'll even post it on here!

Oh God, source of all knowledge and truth, we thank you for an opportunity to build relationships with our brothers and sisters across the seas and learn new ways to live your church on earth. Help us to take away those things we can use to share the Gospel around the world. In your awesome name we pray, Amen.

Exhausted

2010-01-11T13:38:00.000-08:00

What an intese couple of days. Yesterday, our group went to þingvellir, as Kjerstin eloquently described. It was my task (thanks to Prof. Giere's appointment with friends in the Faroe Islands and thus his absence at þingvellir and thanks, as well, to a coin toss) to preach a brief sermon in þingvallakirkja, a 150-year-old church in one of Iceland's most sacred sites. It was, I have to admit, a huge honor to have this opportunity, but at the same time, it was a monumental responsibility. Not that preaching God's Word isn't always a monumental responsibility, but I definitely felt the pressure this time more than usual.

To add to the stress, I found out 17 hours before the sermon was meant to begin that Iceland and the US attend to different lectionaries. The sermon I had been cooking up in my head corresponded to an entirely different set of texts. Oy gevalt! I spent about 12 of those 17 hours stewing over what to write, beginning sermons only to scrap in frustration, praying the whole time, "Veni, Sancte Spiritus!" After literally 2 dozen or more attempts running late into the night, I finally gave up, went to bed and began afresh the next morning. At 6 a.m. I finally found a bit of inspiration and just went for it. I don't think it was "good," in the classic sense, but at least it was heart-felt and quite literally the best I could do under the circumstances.

Once the sermon was over, I felt as though a thousand-pound weight had been lifted off, so I was able to enjoy all of the awesome things Kjerstin described in her blog entry. The only thing I would add to her version of the story is that we were guided by Hregviđur (Hreggi) Norđdahl, my "Host Father," who is a research geologist at the Univerity. There's nothing quite like being guided by an expert in the field! What a blessed day!

Our dinner at Fjöruborđiđ ("Crazy Lobster" or something like that, I guess) was beyond exquisite. By the time I walked home from Gunnar & Thora's I was utterly spent.

Today we visited the University of Iceland's Theology Department, where we met a bunch of the Theology faculty and met (and re-met) a few of the students. We also attended a lecture by Dr. Olson about pre-marital counseling. It was thought-provoking for me on a number of levels. Maybe I'll blog about that later.

After lunch we went to the Pearl. Most of the gang went out on the roof for a view of the city. I'm extremely afraid of heights and had to skedaddle back indoors after only a few seconds. We went to the Saga Museum on the ground floor (much to my satisfaction), which was a lot of fun.

Some of us then went downtown, and some of us went to the mall in search of yarn. Long story. After that, we had dinner with the local deans in this area of Iceland. After all the visiting today, I am once again completely knackered and ready to turn in. Tomorrow we meet with someone in the Bishop (of Iceland)'s office, and I'm sure Gunnar has a great deal of stuff in store for us. In the meantime, off to Sleepyland.

God of the universe and God among us, we give you thanks again for your gifts of natural beauty, for your grace and for cultivating graciousness in your people. Continue to bless this place and those who make it their home, just as you bless those of us who come to enjoy it as guests. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.

Week 2...

2010-01-11T12:33:00.000-08:00

Hello! Jenna here! It's been a busy couple of days! Saturday we had a free day, so a lot of us got together at our host parents' and cooked supper for them. We made homemade pizzas! We have been so greatly humbled by the hospitality here we wanted to do something nice for them! It was a pretty nice day!

Sunday we traveled to Thingvelli, and Rob preached at the church there, named Thingvallakirkja. It was a cute little church, and seemed full with only those of us on this trip and a few other Icelanders. Rob gave an excellent sermon. I could relate to what he said about the humbling hospitality we have experienced here, and how this trip has shown us first hand the generosity and compassion that the church ought to show all people. If only the world could learn to treat each other with such respect, then this world would be a much better place.

After church, we went on a walking tour around the area and saw the continental drift, where the plates are separating. It was really cool! It was a rainy dreary day but it was very fun to see the beautiful landscape. We saw more waterfalls, which created beautiful scenery, yet again! :) I definitely can't complain about the landscape here, it's gorgeous, and bug free, which I'm loving! The weather has also been really mild. The other day it was almost 50 degrees F, when it was -14 back in Iowa. Pretty crazy!

We went to a restaurant along the sea last night and had a lobster dinner. It was my first time trying lobster. It wasn't too bad! I didn't eat very much, but I did eat one piece, as I'm really not a fan of seafood, which is a shame, because it looked and smelled delicious! I liked the little I had, but not enough to devour it as everyone else did! At least I can say that I had lobster in Iceland! :)

Today we went to the University of Iceland and met with some students there and got a tour of their campus. It was really interesting to see and there is a bit of a difference between how we do our studies and how they do theirs. For those studying to be pastors, they have a 5 year program, where as ours is a 4 year program with the 3rd year being an internship year. It was also stated that their program is very aimed at academics. Academics is also a crucial aspect at Wartburg too, obviously, but there is a slight difference that I can't really put my finger on. I think it's the atmosphere. It was definitely a different atmosphere. I dont' quite know how to describe it, but it's different. Not better, not worse, just different.

Dr. Olson gave an excellent lecture at the University on pre-marital language. He said something that really caught my attention. He said that "everyone has a cradle to grave need for someone who has an enduring, irrational enthusiasm for them." I really liked the phrase "enduring irrational enthusiasm." At first the word irrational threw me off; but he explained it more. He said if we were rational and could choose those whom we loved, then we would never find anyone because we would always be waiting for a more rational choice to come along. Had never really thought about it that way. Gave me a new perspective on the meaning of marriage. I'm taking Dr. Olson's course on marriage next semester, so I'm looking forward to what else he has to say ont he matter!!!

It's hard to believe we only have a few days left here. It has gone so fast! Tomorrow we meet the bishop's staff!!! Until then;

Grace and Peace,

Jenna

Walking Through the Past and the Future

2010-01-10T16:29:00.000-08:00

I should preface this post by admitting that my two nerdiest interests are history and geology.

Today we visited Thingvellir. Thingvellir is a fascinating place for two very different reasons. First, it is a very important place in Icelandic history. The Althingi, the ancient Icelandic parliament, used to meet in Thingvellir, so it is the site of important decisions since I think around 930 A.D. Seriously amazing history has taken place in the very location that I strolled around today. Among these historic decisions was the vote that Iceland should be a Christian nation in 1000 A.D. The Althingi has since moved to Reykjavik, but Icelanders still gather at Thingvellir to celebrate major events, such as the 1000th anniversary of Iceland being Christian in 2000. The second amazing thing about Thingvellir is it is the place where the North American and Eurasian plates are diverging. The North American and Eurasian plates move apart a few centimeters per year, exposing new ground. The further away from the valley you get, the older the rocks. This means that the Thingvellir valley is literally the place where God is still creating the world. Amazing!

Walking through Thingvellir was a sacred experience. Sometimes when I am in a place where great history has taken place, like walking across the battlefield at Gettysburg or through the halls of Congress, I can almost feel the presence of those who walked there before me. The feeling at Thingvellir was similar, but there was an overwhelming sense of foreignness as well. Iceland’s history is so much older than America’s, and thanks to the sagas, in some ways so much more preserved, despite its age. It was amazing to feel that richness of history, to know that I was walking in the same places that ancient people had walked. And yet there was also this very real sense of walking through someone else’s history. It was an honor to be invited to walk through a place that holds so much sacredness for the Icelandic people. And then there was the absolutely stunning geology. The continental divide only comes above sea level at two places, Iceland and the Great Rift Valley in Africa, so the geology at Thingvellir is truly one of a kind. To be in a place where the earth is so alive has its own sense of sacredness. The active presence of God still working on the creation of the world was almost palpable. Words cannot capture the sense of today, so I will quit this post. All I can really say is Amen.

Alpha and Omega, Beginning and End, the One Who Is, and Who Was, and Who Is to Come, thank you for your active presence in this world. Thank you for the rich history that reminds us of who we are and the new gifts that point us forward into the future. Grant us the hindsight to look behind us and the foresight to look ahead. Amen.

Confirmation and Questioning God

2010-01-10T02:24:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Alan, Kjersten, and I had the opportunity to help lead confirmation classes for 13 year olds at Kopaskirkja. We had two main questions guiding our time and they were, "Did Jesus really live and how do we know?" and "Why do/did you want to be confirmed?" Now those are difficult questions to answer at any age, but I think especially challenging if you're a newly ordained teenager at 13. And yes, even in Iceland, teenagers are the same as in the US; girls giggle and draw on their notebooks and boys hit each other and just 'grunt' to answer.

So with that context in mind and with Sigi's (the pastor) help, we set off trying answer the questions ourselves and to guide the discussion with these kids. What I learned from them is just how much kids can and do think about God in this culture. Some clearly didn't want to be there on a Saturday morning and some had a deep faith, but still others questioned their faith. It could appear on the surface as a blatant dismissal, but from my perspective I found it more in depth and critical than most of the answers given. It shows me how God, even through doubt, is working. For even those few who questioned if anything with God was real, it was the questioning that proved God was indeed real.

Good and Gracious God, I thank you for the many blessed opportunities that You have given us all on the adventure through another land of Your kingdom. I pray that all of the children we met yesterday will follow the path that You have for them and that whether confirmation is included or not, they know the love of God in their lives. In Christ's name I pray, Amen.

2010-01-09T08:17:00.001-08:00

It is hard to believe we have been in Iceland for over a week. It is hard not to reiterate what others have already said. The scenery is beautiful, the hospitality overwhelming, and the food endless. On the return flight I am afraid I am going to get a surcharge for being over weight.

Yesterday`s conversation was about Christ`s universal church. The discussion was very interesting and something we may not think about on a regular basis. But regardless of the national boundries or cultural differences we have seen first hand how Christ transcends these differences. This will be one of the biggest lessons to take from this experience.

Gracious God,

Help us to remember that we are all of your children regardless of nationalities, national boundries, and other limits we place on ourselves or between us as your chirldren.

In your gracious name,

Amen

Hospitality

2010-01-08T15:41:00.001-08:00

What to say? I think that Rob captured the essence of yesterday in great terms. In reality, digital pictures will never be the same as living in the moment. I am glad that we have you readers to follow along, yet at the same time these are the places that a person truly wants to take those who are close to him or her.

Today we were in Kopavogur again. It was nice to return to our home base for a time. Now that we are adjusted to the time and the light here it is time to have our days filled, well except for tomorrow when we will for the most part fill our own day.

We started the day with a trip to Kopaskirkja to meet with a pastor, Sigi, who has been reading our blog (Hi Sigi, see you tomorrow). Sigi has done Clinical Pastoral Education in Madison and has served as a chaplain in London and so after a wonderful breakfast spread, he treated us to his experience of the Church Universal. It is great that on a cross cultural trip we should get to hear from an Icelander about his perspective on cross cultural Christianity. A few of us will meet with him again to meet with his church's confirmand students to share with them our thoughts on the question, "Why do you believe what you believe?"

After our very hospitable stay at Kopaskirkja we made our way to the Kopavogur city hall to eat lunch and meet with Pall (pronounced Palt) a theologian turned government official who helped us increase our knowledge of how the government and the church work together specifically in this community, but more widely throughout Iceland as well.

This evening we traveled a little north of Reykjavik to spend a relaxing evening eating more than our fill and being treated with a gracious amount of hospitality by Hreinn and his wonderful wife at their home. Hreinn is a pastor to prisoners in Iceland and will speak to us more on Thursday.

Hospitality here has been beyond imagination. If anyone of us goes hungry it is our own fault. That goes the same with conversation as well. It is important for us to be ready to be able to eat as much as is offered, because much will be offered. It is also important for us, as Rob described below, to be able to take in what is offered, as it is not always going to be palatable to the American tongue. None-the-less, it is wonderful that there is no holding back by our hosts of offering us what they consider the finest. But most important of all, there always awaits a glass of wine or bottle of beer, a cup of coffee, (or tea for me the lone non coffee drinker), and pleasant conversation where any lack of trust is a barrier quickly broken down and new friends are held in the esteem of old and familiar friends.

Gracious God, We thank You for Iceland, the scenery and the food. We thank You most of all for the people. As they have been gracious to us and have blessed us with their resources and their presence, we pray that You bountifully pour out Your grace and blessings upon these people, our friends. In Christ we pray, Amen.

Golden Falls et al

2010-01-08T00:41:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was the first time I really noticed the lack of daylight. Maybe it was because the sky was overcast, maybe it's because we moved in a more leisurely fashion than I realized at the time, but it seems to me we had more stuff to do and see than the hours of daylight allowed.

Our first stop after a nice lunch in Skalholt was Gullfoss (Gold Falls). I hate to add an image of this place, and in a sense, I even didn't want to take pictures of it. The expansive beauty of the whole region simply doesn't fit into the capturable area of any lense, regardless of the angle. It's one of those places where it's best simply to be, just to take it in and let that suffice. Quite stunning. When Gunnar was telling us about Gullfoss before we got there, I kept wondering how it compared to Niagara. Apples and oranges. Here at Gullfoss there was none of the crass commercialism one will find at Niagara: no Ripley's Believe it or Not exhibition, no Starbucks, no cheesy falls-themed hotels or hokey shops where you can get your picture taken in a fake barrel pretending to go over some phony falls. Instead, there was an elegant simplicity. Oh, sure, there's a souvenir shop nearby, but it is distant enough from the actual falls that you don't even see it or remember it's there. Wonderful place. I hope it manages to remain clear of commercial interests that ruin the beauty of Niagara, or even of the Cliffs of Moher in western Ireland. We don't need a "virtual falls experience" when the real thing is right at hand, thankyouverymuch.

Our next stop was Geysir - the great granddaddy of all geysers to the extent that all geysers by virtue of their very nature evoke the name of this one. This was another place that digital images simply cannot capture sufficiently. A bit more commercialized: there's an extensive gift shop and "museum" across the street and a place where you can get a cheeseburger and a soda or a hot cup of coffee (however minimalist it may be). Back at seminary, we often talk about the sacraments and the preaching of the Word as an event, focusing on what happens in the very moment - the thing that is not precisely repeatable. Watching the geysers go off reminded me of that. Again, you can take a picture, you can videotape it, you can talk about the event, but the "magic" belonged to the moment in which it happened, even though it continues to unfold as you think about it, remember it, let it sink in. Very cool place.

By the time we left Geysir, it was getting dark. We stopped briefly at Selfoss (Seal Falls, which contains neither seals nor falls) to pick up some traditional Icelandic foods, including the infamous and much-dreaded putrified shark, not to mention a package (ahem) of ram's testicles. All of this was for the dinner table at Gunnar and Thora's. Wonderful meal as usual. I was not crazy about the shark, but it wasn't nearly as horrible as I had been led to believe. The ram's testicles were...Nah, I won't say it. Not bad, not great. I also wasn't fond of the whale blubber soaked in whey, but everything else was excellent. We were too tired to go on much longer after dinner, so I went back to Hreggi and Svava's where I found myself moved into the basement flat. Very comfortable, and the best night's sleep I've had since being in Iceland, I think.

Looking forward now to what today has in store.

God of Creation, you reveal yourself in the beauty of the natural world. Thank you for the opportunities to wonder at the things you have made, both the everyday things and the unusual bits that grab our attention and really make us stand in awe. Give us the wisdom to steward these things wisely and to appreciate them for what they are, as they are. In your holy name we pray. Amen.

Waterfalls, Geiysers, Whale, Shark, and Sheep Testicles....

2010-01-07T14:45:00.000-08:00

So as you can tell, my title for this blog is pretty loaded. I'll start out with the waterfall. It's called Gullfoss, which means Golden Falls. It's beautiful and very majestic. I was speechless during most of it. I couldn't believe the sheer beauty of what I was looking at. It gave me a profound appreciation for God's creation; God is a wonderful artist. Posted below are links to the videos of the waterfalls that I took. The videos don't do them justice, but I hope you enjoy it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkQdQJWJWJo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLffHZPUWGg

The geiysers were really amazing too. We were not allowed to go off the path there, there were several pits in which the water was boiling, so it was too dangerous to walk off of the path. I got video of that also, which I will post in here as well. It was so cool...the water turned a really vivid color of blue before the water shot into the air....very impressive! After seeing that we went to a souvenier shop where I was able to find a gorgeous Icelandic wool sweater...it's got purple in it! It was expensive but totally worth it. I also posted a link of the video of that below as well. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FENob4-8Syc

When we got back to Gunnar's place, dinner was waiting for us. We tried a wide variety of Icelandic foods....including fermented shark and ram testicles. The shark is poisonous when uncooked due to a high content of uric acid and trimethylamine oxide, but there is a special way to prepare it to make it edible. Copied from Wikipedia, here is how it is prepared; "It is placed in a shallow hole dug in gravelly-sand, with the now-cleaned cavity resting on a slight hill. The shark is then covered with sand and gravel, and stones are then placed on top of the sand in order to press the shark. The fluids from the shark are in this way pressed out of the body. The shark ferments for 6-12 weeks depending on the season in this fashion. Following this curing period, the shark is then cut into strips and hung to dry for several months. During this drying period a brown crust will develop, which is removed prior to cutting the shark into small pieces and serving. The modern method is just to press the shark's meat in a large drained plastic container." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C3%A1karl ) I posted the link where I got that section from if you would like to read further. It sounds gross, and while it's not the best tasting thing I've ever put in my mouth, it wasn't as bad as many TV documentaries made it out to be. I'm a very picky eater, and I had two pieces. We got it on video and I arrogantly put the piece of fish into my mouth, chewed swallowed, and after the camera stopped rolling, about 5 seconds after I involuntarily gagged. The ram testicles, however....those went down rough. Not good. But I tried it. I also tried whale meat, which tastes surprisingly like beef. I tried it thinking it was deer or some other sort of meat...but when I learned it was whale, I was floored! Very tastey!

That is all for now. It is far too late....until later...Grace and Peace!
Jenna

Creator God,
Thank you for the wonderful beauty you have created here on earth. Thank you for our eyes to see and our ears to hear the wonderful things you have crafted. You are truly amazing. Amen.

Last Day in Skalholt

2010-01-07T02:29:00.001-08:00

I love this picture of a sunset. The colors here are so vivid during sunset and sunrise, and it makes a gorgeous backdrop for the beautiful landscape that is here in Iceland. I just wanted to post this picture since I forgot to post it the other day. I can't get over how beautiful it is, and it has given me so much more appreiciation for God's creation.

Jenna here! Today is our last day in Skalholt. I have really enjoyed my time here! I have been extremely humbled by the outpouring of generosity and hospitality that I have experienced here thus far. Everybody is so kind and they seem genuinely excited to have us as guests. To the right is a picture of the mosaic of Jesus in the front of the church above the altar. It is so beautiful and impressive when you walk into the church. Christ is opening his arms and saying welcome, which is exactly how I have felt so far during my stay in Iceland.

This is been kind of a hodge-podge of a post. As I have been here, there have been so many things rattling around in my brain to reflect on and I can't keep them all straight. One of the things I have noticed is the beauty (and difficulty) of the names here. Many of them I have absolutely no idea how to pronounce, but I love hearing people say their name. The interesting thing is that last names are not like last names in the United States. It is still very patriarchal, as in the United States, as many people (though not all) have the last name of their father or husband. In Iceland, both men and women's last names are based on their father's first name and his or her relationship to the father. For example, in the home I am staying at, Gunnar has two children, a daughter named Anna and a son named Ari. Anna's last name is Gunnarsdottir (Gunnar's daughter) and Ari's last name would be Gunnarsson. So, my name would be Jenna Geraldsdottir. I find it very interesting! Their identity is based on their relationship to their father. Dr. Olson talked yesterday here at Skalholt and gave 3 one-hour lectures about depression, identity, and the church's role in Iceland's current financial crisis. It was a very good lecture, and I was very intrigued by what he said. He said that we need a sense of identity or we really can't make long term commitments; he then tied this with the function of negative emotions, which focus attention at a very small point and to provide us with an irresistible urge to act immediately; they serve us well because they give us the urge to act and because they focus our attention and pinpoint; Fear trumps pretty much all other emotions.
Positive emotions have a function as well. They broaden and build; produce the creativity that the world needs from us; a creativity that responds to new challenges and new times; to respond with creativity and the broadening of our horizons to be able to do that; if we get away from the heavy duty demands of ordinary life and enjoy the joyous and funny parts of our lives, as well as the sad and difficult times. I loved this when he said all this; it was a reminder that our emotions serve functions; and how God uses all sorts of temperments in God's mission. Many people were amazed at what he said (as was I ) and it really made so much sense! I got the sense that they were craving the reminder that God is with them during this difficult time.

That is about all I have for today. Later tonight I will post pictures from our trip to the Golden Circle where we will see a geiser. :) Stay tuned for more!

Grace and Peace,

Jenna

Gracious God,

Thank you for the wonderful opportunities that you have given us. Thank you for the gift of education and for speaking to us through the ability to see, taste, touch, speak, feel, and hear. Please be with us all during the remainder of this trip, and with the people of Iceland as they continue to work through the crisis they are experiencing. We ask all these things in your Holy name, Amen.

2010-01-07T00:09:00.000-08:00

It's a little past 8 in the morning on our final day at Skalholt. As with all things "final," I find myself teetering between fond memories and regrets. Our hosts and pastoral colleagues have been super kind, very accommodating to our linguistic handicap, and I can't say that they could have been any more welcoming to us. On the other hand, I'm feeling a certain amount of regret that, apart from a very late night filled with visiting with the Icelandic theology students, I didn't interact much with the pastors who were here on retreat. I'm sure this is more my issue than anyone else's, but I have felt a bit "in the way" here. (Even though Gunnar told me otherwise.)

I've never been very good at being a guest, in part because I like being able to control my own use of space (invoking for a moment some of the most personally poignant bits of Dr. Olson's lecture series yesterday), but partly because I don't like to inconvenience people. Weird ego thing, I think. Anyway, I guess that's something to work on for the remainder of the trip.

Speaking of Dr. Olson's lecture - wow. He gave a series of 3 hour-long talks about identity and crisis, which he (quite masterfully) tied in to the current economic situation in Iceland and the church's role therein, but it was so much more than that, really. Maybe that's part of what has me feeling more quiet today: it's just so much to think about. I'll be working that out for a while, I think.

Today we head out for the Golden Cirlce and a bit of sight-seeing. The weather isn't as classically beautiful today, so far, but I'm not overly concerned about that. A little bit of a shy sun seems fitting for my moderately melancholy mood today.

Ugh. Too much alliteration. Time for breakfast.

God, I'm at a loss for words this morning. I feel grateful for this opportunity that we've had in this holy place among leaders of your people. I feel awed and humbled by the natural beauty here, as well. Maybe you won't mind if I take it in and reflect on it more quietly today, and simply say, "thank you." Amen.

Pastors are Pastors in Every Language

2010-01-06T05:13:00.000-08:00

Sitting here at the pastors’ academy in Skalholt, Iceland, I am reminded that despite our differences, pastors and seminarians are pastors and seminarians the world over. There are between 140 and 200 pastors in Iceland, and the Skalholt pastors’ academy is a chance for them to get away from their parishes, visit old friends from seminary, and get the change to refresh and reenergize for the year ahead. And as part of that refreshment and reenergizing, they do as pastors do in America; they drink festive beverages and stay up late into the night talking. Then they wake up late in the morning, sleep through breakfast and show up late to morning vespers. Especially for the pastors in the further out parishes, this is their main opportunity to see old friends from seminary and learn from what their colleagues are doing.

Last night we had the opportunity to stay up late, share festive beverages, and talk with the Icelandic pastors, theologians, and seminarians. It was amazing to see all the ways that we are so similar to our Icelandic colleagues. We traded course schedules, tales of professors and projects, and our respective struggles with Greek and Hebrew. One of the female seminarians and I got into a long discussion about people’s common assumption that going to seminary meant we were planning to be nuns. I was surprised in a country with a Lutheran state church that the assumption would exist that women in ministry must be headed for the convent. Most of all it was fun, as it always is, to spend time with our colleagues, even colleagues we had never met before. We joked, we talked, we pondered politics and theology, and we shared the classically bad humor that seminarians are known for. It is good to be here with my brothers and sisters in Iceland.

Gracious God. Thank you for our brothers and sisters in our classes, in Iceland, and across the world. Thank you for colleagues with which to share our joys and our struggles. Thank you for the workshops and trainings and meetings that bring us together and help us to remember your love and your grace in the midst of this crazy walk that is serving you. Amen.

Differences in Christian Practices......

2010-01-06T03:45:00.000-08:00

Since this is a trip about studying the practices of a different culture I want to share some of the
dfferences I have noted up to this point. There are four that immediately come to mind:

1. Baptism - Many, if not most, baptisms are done in the house. This raised questions for me about how the congregation is able to show their support for the spiritual growth of the baptized as we express at the baptism. Even though there are 20-80 people in attendance at the baptism it is a unique difference I found to be interesting.
When asked why baptisms are done in the home it was explained this has been the way for over a couple hundred years. Since churches were not heated it was easier and less of a health risk to keep the baby in the home.

2. Confirmation - In Iceland, confirmation seems to be practiced almost as an"exit" from the churchrather then an entry as an adult member. Attendance among younger people is very low. Confirmation for us in the States is acceptance as a full member of the church with all the privileges and responsibilities; there does not seem to be anything like this over here. Because of this church attendance is low until these new confirmands start their own families and bring their children to church.

3. Voluntary versus compulsory church - Church is state sponsored in Iceland and that has brought up many different questions and discussions. This will have to wait for another blog post. But needless to say there are some very interesting differences brought about by having the government involved.

4. Offering- Tithing is not discussed in the church because the funding for churches comes from a government tariff. This tariff is a per person tariff and then is given to the church to cover costs. Because of this, offering is only taken for special projects such as hunger relief, building fund, or others.
Up until recently this was overseen by the government with few problems. But with tough economic times the government is digging into this tariff and keeping some for itself. It looks like a government is a government regardless of what country you are in at the time.

All in all there have been many differences but one idea has remained constant. Christ is the center of all we do regardless of being in the United States or in Iceland. This message is universal.

A Holy Place Indeed

2010-01-06T01:42:00.000-08:00

We are now entering our second full day and third overall at Skalholt. So far we have eaten well, attended both services and Mass, and participated in a few academic activities graciously conducted in English. What has struck me most about this place the Icelandic people consider holy ground is how truly spiritually it has touched me. I cannot and would not presume the same understanding of someone whose culture this place is a part of.

However, I do find myself unexpectedly connected to God in a way that is reflective of the location, not just my belief that God is all and everywhere. I have found in worship here that in the silence of not understanding the language, although that is improving with every service, I am more meditative than when I hear it my own native language. The scripture texts are particularly stirring and serve as a reminder that this is one church of God, serving all people, in the context of where they live.

Coming here and knowing that worship would be a part of our daily schedule, I wondered if the struggle of following along would dominate my thinking or if prayful worship was possible for me here. Clearly I have found the latter and I am certainly grateful for that blessing.

Good and gracious God, I thank You for Your everlasting presence in all where we dwell and worship in Your name. Please continue to bless Skalholt and all who visit it, reminding all of Your wonderful and awesome power through the Word in whom You came to live among us. In Christs name I pray, Amen.

Coming Down the Home Stretch.

2010-01-06T00:27:00.000-08:00

I went for a run yesterday, about 7 to 8 km out to the main highway and back. It was cold on the way out and chilly on the way back and I developed a nice frost beard and mustache. As I was coming down the home stretch back to Skalholt I really took some time to look around at my surroundings. I thought to myself, "Really, this landscape isn't too much different from running through the high deserts of Wyoming, minus the sage and replacing the granite with volcanic rock." I felt like I was at least close to home.

I do this a lot I think, comparing my current environment to something I'm somewhat familiar with. I don't know whether it is a good thing or a bad thing, it just is. I find some comfort with the environment that is familiar and so then find it easier to cope. As we were coming into Skalholt I thought of Outlaw Ranch, a camp and retreat center in Custer, SD that I've had a part in the past year and a half. I have thought that what is happening here with the retreats and academies, and especially the pastor's gathering, is not at all different from the things that may go on at Outlaw.

And though this is a good thing, it provides me comfort I know that what is going on here is very much different. Skalholt is an ancient place. It is holy, (though I consider Outlaw holy as well), and has been conducting the activities of the Icelandic Church, including a school, since the church has been in Iceland, since 1,000 A.D. and up until recently (relatively speaking, 150 years ago) has held one of the two bishoprics of Iceland.

So even with these familiar environments and situations, I am reminded that this is a Cross Cultural Experience. It is important for me to expect and look for these differences while still being able to hold them in conversation with each other. Though I feel very much at home here, I am reminded constantly that I am in a foreign place and vice versa.

God, we thank You for our hospitable hosts here at Skalholt and throughout Iceland who have helped to make the transition here comfortable. We thank You for all that we have learned here about the Church in Iceland as we learn more about Your Church Universal. We ask for Your continued presence with us on this excursion. Amen.

Skálholt

2010-01-05T07:35:00.000-08:00

Laid back couple of days. We arrived late(ish) yesterday afternoon at Skálholt - we're visiting during a pastors' retreat. I've felt a bit in the way, though I'm pretty sure that's my issue, not the pastors': they've all been quite nice, even if they do cast the occasional bemused glance at our motley group of Americans-in-intentional-exile.

Since most of the seminars are conducted in Icelandic, we're at a bit of a loss, so we're using this time for group bonding (Bananagrams, anyone?) and picture taking. We've also been scarfing down the copious and delicious food. We've also found ourselves growing more and more used to the sound of Icelandic, and are even able to get through some of the services (Compline and Matins were especially awesome) without getting utterly lost.

The rector and dean of Skálholt school came and spoke with us this morning about the structure of the Icelandic church and about some of the current issues facing the people and their pastors. It was very nice of them to "wing" this session in English for us - well done and much appreciated. Takk, gents!

I need to wrap up this entry: we're getting ready to attend Dr. G's lecture, so I need to run back to the room to grab my bottle of Brenavin (kidding).

Gracious God, thank you for the opportunity to rest, and thank you for our group's fellowship, both within our own group and within a broadening context. Thank you for providing us with hosts who operate in the trust of your abundance even in the face of scarcity. Continue to bless them, we pray in your holy name. Amen.

Oh, are you the Americans??

2010-01-04T13:22:00.000-08:00

"Yes, yes we are..." is our usual response. I have never been one to explore new and great places, and have usually been the one who pokes fun at those "tourists" walking around with their lost looks and cameras. Well now the tables have turned and I am the one asking sometimes obvious questions, looking lost, and taking pictures of everything I see. But the thing I've been realizing is that we are welcome here.

Our hosts have been unbelievably welcoming and friendly, answering all the silly questions we ask, asking their own questions, and only speaking to each other in their own language when they don't want us to understand on rare occasions. The participants of the conference here in Skalholt have also been very welcoming to "the Americans", and have even said a few things in English so we can participate! But the pastors here have shown interest in where we are from and why we're here. We've worshipped together, and though we couldn't speak much of the liturgy we could catch on with the repeated verses, or at least hum along. We can say the Lord's Prayer in English in the same meter that it is said in Icelandic. We may not understand all that is going on, but we are worshipping together.

Yes, we are the Americans, and they are the Icelanders. But there is one thing that can cross cultural divides, and that is being children of God. Jesus crossed cultural divides every day, and we are called to do the same. What would it be like for us to welcome the stranger? I think it would look a lot like finding beds and food for some visiting Americans, or sharing a worship opportunity with someone who doesn't speak the language, or answering some silly questions for someone who is genuinely interested, or sharing a table of bread and wine, or...

Compassionate God, you sent your son to welcome the stranger and we are called to do the same. Thank you for welcoming hosts, compassionate friends, and loving strangers. Help us to take those opportunities to welcome the strangers in our lives. Amen.

Yule Lads

2010-01-04T13:16:00.000-08:00

Hello again, Jenna here! So, I finally got around to taking pictures of the little figurines known as Yule Lads. My host family has a set of them and I wanted to take a picture. (shown left) There is a really cute story behind these. These little guys are the Santa Claus's of Iceland, but they are known to cause mischief. I will post the link to where I got the explanations; I hope they are accurate. http://www.randburg.com/is/icelandic-yule-lads/index.asp

This is the link I got them from, but I'll copy the explanations into this blog so I get it right.

The story is that these 13 Santas had horrible parents who captured and ate naughty children. At first, their 13 children were thought to be scary just like their parents but later they became less frightening. The santas arrive 13 days before Christmas and each of them come one day at a time, and cause some trouble right before Christmas.

"The first one to arrive is the yule lad Stiff Legs, (Sheep-Cop-Clod): He loves to suck milk from the sheep, but his stiff legs make that very difficult. In Icelandic he's called "Staurfotur". The Second to arrive is the infamous Gully Gawk, (Gully Guy): Has a taste for the froth on the milk and keeps close to the cows.

The third is the yule lad Shorty, small and nimble and smacks his lips over the leftovers in the cooking pans, especially if they are burnt or gone bad. Then there is Ladle Licker, (Fence-Post-Pal), so thin he resembles the ladles which he licks the food from.

The fifth to arrive is Pot Scraper, he snatches the unwashed pots from the kitchen and scrapes the insides with his fingers and tongue and leaves them quite clean. Number six is Bowl Licker, very cunningly finds bowls that have been left unattended and finishes all food from them.

The seventh to arrive is door Slammer, he gets his kicks from slamming doors and making noise, using every chance he gets to disturb peoples sleep Then the nimber eight is curd Glutton (Skyr Gobbler), dairy products are his favorite and if stored in closed containers he simply breaks through the lid with his fist.

Ninth to arrive is the great Sausage Snatcher, (Sausage Swiper), very skilful when it comes to climbing up into the rafters to steal sausages where tha hang after being smoked. Then there is the not so popular Window Peeper, (Peeping Tom), he flattens his nose against every window to glimpse something to steal or at peoples actions inside. The eleventh to drop by is Sniffer, he has a huge nose and sniffes out his favorite food, fried bread, wherever it is being made. Twelfth of the Christmas boys to drop by is Meat Hook, he has a long pole with a hook on the end to put down the chimneys and into the meat hung on the rafters. And the last to come is Candle Beggar, he loves candles of all sorts and can't make up his mind whether to eat them or watch their lovely light.
Today, they leave little presents for the children who have behaved all year. The children leave their shoes on their window sills and the Jolasveinar but in it little gifts. Any children who have been naughty get a potato or some other reminder that good behavior is essential around Christmas."

So, that's the story of the Yule Lads in Iceland! Pretty fun story, huh? Personally, I think it's FAR more creative than the tradtional American version of the Santa story. Our host mom was also telling us that one of the yule lads has a cat who is mean and eats kids that don't get clothes for Christmas. She said this was more meant for parents to do something for their children for Christmas, especially if they don't have much money. The idea is that if the kids get a little clothing, even if it is just a pair of socks or shoes, then they will be safe from the cat eating their child, but it is mostly so that parents make sure to get their child something for Christmas. I thought it was a cute story. Puts a new twist to getting clothes for Christmas! I can remember always hating getting clothes when all I wanted was the hottest new toy, but now it's so much different. I was relieved to know that thanks to my parents getting me the Hawkeyes' Orange Bowl sweatshirt, I am unedible to the cat.

Right now, I am in Skalhalt. Many of the pastors here at the acadamey are in a lecture right now. Since the lecture is in Icelandic, and none of us speak or understand the language, we are sititng in the cafeteria area playing games and utilizing the wireless internet. The church here is beautiful (shown below), and there is a mosaic of Jesus in the front of the church. I will definitely be getting a picture of it tomorrow. It's gorgeous! The stained glass windows are also beautiful too. By the time we arrive today the sun was already setting so we didn't get to see the light through the stained glass, but we got an awesome view of the sunset!! Tomorrow, there will be more lectures (most of them in Icelandic) and then Dr. Giere will give a lecture called "The Sermon in Difficult Times." I'm excited to hear it! Should be a good day tomorrow. Anyway, I'm signing off so I can socialize.

Grace and Peace,

Jenna

Gracious Lord,

Thank you for the gift of community. We have been so blessed here by the amazing hospitiality and friendliness of the Icelandic people. Thank you for the pastors in Iceland, those here and those not here. Thank you for an opportunity for them to gather together in community, worship, prayer, and fellowship, and for giving us the opportunity to be a part of it. Please be with us and let the Spirit work in them and in us to hear your Holy Word. In Your name we pray, Amen.

At Skálholt

2010-01-04T12:36:00.000-08:00

“[The] house was perfect, whether you liked food, or sleep, or work, or story-telling, or singing, or just sitting and thinking best, or a pleasant mixture of them all.”

Something about Skálholt makes this quote from The Hobbit come to mind. Here there are lectures, bedrooms, a living room with a fireplace for talk late into the night, plentiful and delicious food, and regular singing in the church (Aftönsongur, Náttsönger, and more). Whenever the bell rings we all run to get our shoes and coats and hie us to church (it’s not far, but it’s cold!).

Speaking of shoes, here’s a cross-cultural tidbit: it’s important to take off your shoes (or muddy, snowy boots) when you enter an Icelander’s home, and the halls of Skálholt are no exception. I’ve noticed that while we normally keep a bench in our entryways for sitting and donning shoes, that’s not the case here. Instead people use shoehorns with long handles that make it easy to put your boots on while standing—at least, I assume it becomes easy with practice. I’m not quite there yet.

Kids

2010-01-04T02:13:00.000-08:00

As one of a handful of parents on the trip I have a different lens through which to explore Iceland than some others. Yesterday, Sunday, I had three experiences with kids that were examples of God's amazing and humbling power. The first was when we attended Sunday school in the church of one of our hosts. It was truly wonderful to see that despite the language difference, the conversations were clear to me. See the children were mostly young, 1-5. Three of my four fall under that range, so seeing Icelandic parents worry and fret and be embarrassed about what was playful kid behavior and to them was "why are they running around in church??", was reassuring to me. It was reassuring because on some levels our culture and our language really do not matter. Children are a gift from God and parents want to raise children that are wonderful servants of God and being that parent is sometimes difficult.

Later in the day we attended our first swimming hall and I must say that it is no wonder why Icelanders are rated among the happiest people on earth. What a wonderful way to relax and have fun. And here again there were kids and it could have been a summer swimming pool or YMCA in the US. Parents were worried about kids slipping, kids weren't getting dressed fast enough, and the kids pool was full of life and energy like no other. It was my second example with children in how through play, God teaches us. Most people of course care about the welfare of children but parents have the added benefit experiencing the unique creativeness in finding mischief that is a 4 year old. Seeing one little boy exploring the boundaries with his dad was fun as I'm sure it was for both of them. I could tell without knowing the words that both dad and son grew in trust and love because of the relationship that was being stretched and grown through play at the pool. That is not that different from how God "plays" with us. It again reminded that through relationship with our Father, constantly pushing, we grow as people.

My final adventure with kids yesterday was at a different host family's home for dinner. We arrived shortly before the tremendous meal was ready. During that time I and my other travel mates got to play with their two kids. I was amused by the little boy that played peek-a-boo with me. How easily kids can play without barriers or reservation. God created us to be creatures that interact and are in relationships and yesterday I saw how universal it truly is in children. How great would it be if we maintained that joy of childhood?

Good and gracious God, I thank You for all the joy and blessings in this world that only come from Your hand. I especially thank You for our children and the pure joy that they exhibit. I pray that we can always hold on to that feeling of relational trust, rooted in You God, in all that we do in service for You. In Your Son's name I pray, Amen.

Avatar

2010-01-03T16:54:00.000-08:00

Put your 3D glasses on and get ready for a barn-burner. Tonight six of us made a trip to the cinema to catch a flick, one that was fortunately in English, though some essential subtitles were in Icelandic. For those of you who have not seen Avatar I suggest you fork out the ten or more dollars (though it was cheaper than ten dollars here, goggles included). An Avatar is a Hindu understanding of a physical being inhabited by a deity. Appropriate to the movie. In all honesty, the movie is a heavy commentary on not just American History, (though mainly it is), but the history any civilization that has destroyed another for what treasures they sit on.

I grew up about 20 miles south of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, quite probably the most impoverished place in the United States. I have learned some of Sioux spirituality from school, some from churches in the area, but most from kind friends and acquaintances willing to open their culture up to me and others. I think that for the most part, Americans should be able to see the quite obvious connections in the movie Avatar, though my proximity to the reservation and education of the Plains Indian Wars may give me a deeper insight than most. In Iceland... I'm not so sure.

I talked to one of our hosts, Guðni, (who took us out to the movie), and asked him about his thoughts, then explained my own. Guðni was kind enough to let me talk about myself, my experiences, and my thoughts quite a bit. I will leave my opinions to myself for the blog, but will make the reflection that even in a foreign country a person can be brought close to home.

I forgot that we were to post prayers at the end of our posts, thankfully the women were faithful and so I will pick up on their example.

God of All People, I thank You that You are with us in all places and connected to our every being. Thank You for the opportunity to reflect on home in a far away place. Help us to look with love on all people and all of Your creation to see that You are their God and Creator and to treat all of Your creation in that regard. With love for You I pray, Amen.

Reflections on a cell phone

2010-01-03T15:19:00.000-08:00

I realize I am supposed to be reflecting on my experiences in Iceland, which are many and amazing. As has been said, the hospitality of our hosts is incredible. We have been welcomed, fed, kept awake, put to sleep, taken swimming, served coffee, served tea, taught to eat ginger cookies with cheese (delicious, by the way), and generally been treated like treasured guests. But many people have already reflected on that, so the funny thing I find myself reflecting on is my cell phone. It’s turned off. Seriously turned off. Not like on vibrate or silent in my bag or off for a flight to be turned on as soon as the flight attendants give the comforting “it is now safe to use portable communication devices” announcement, but completely and totally off. For the next two weeks. I am supposed to be reflecting on Iceland’s culture and stark beauty and experiencing a “profound experience of darkness,” or so said the course description. Above all, I am supposed to be saving myself the outlandish out-of-country charges I would face for using my cell phone in Iceland. All these things I’m sure are happening. But still I notice that my cell phone is turned off.

It is not like I am without communication. The house I am staying at in fact is some sort of a model technology house and literally has wireless internet streaming from the outlets in the wall, so my connection to the internet is actually better and faster than my $10 ATT wireless in Chicago. But still, I find myself feeling a little bit lost without my cell phone. Being cut off from it, I’m realizing my phone has become a bit of a security blanket. I can think of rough times in my life where I have sat on the couch with my cell phone in my hand looking at all the people I could call if whatever it was got bad enough. Oftentimes knowing that in my hand was a list of people I could call at any time was enough to not need to call anyone. Just that realization that people who loved me were out there was enough.

So this trip becomes, for me, about more than just experiencing a new culture in this land of beauty and harsh extremes. Being on this beautiful island in the middle of the north Atlantic, with great internet and no cell phone is also about discovering new ways of connectedness, new ways of remembering my community and my support system. There will be times in ministry where, for one reason or another, there will be no one I can call. There will be things I will have to deal with in life that will be difficult and painful and I will feel alone and that phone will have to sit unopened in my lap. And in those times, maybe I will remember Iceland. I will remember the experience of finding new community in the place where I am. Of learning to eat cheese on cookies, playing Bananagrams with someone who beat me despite playing in his second language and ending up with all the Q’s and X’s, and waking up to a five-alarm sunrise at 10 am. But I will also remember the people across the ocean who remind me that my home and my welcome are still in that place. And I will be glad to remember that the world is small.

Gracious God, whose arms can reach across as vast a space as the ocean and across as small a space as a cell phone. Thank you for the communities we find ourselves in, those we can touch and those we cannot. Amen.

A place quite northwards

2010-01-03T14:53:00.000-08:00

Good morning from Iceland! It’s 10 a.m. and the sun is just starting to make a pink glow on the horizon. The almost-full moon is still very much in evidence.

We girls are all settled at Gunnar and Þóra’s house, where we are enjoying some tremendous hospitality. Their daughter, Anna, gave up her space so we could share the bedrooms and bathroom downstairs. Thanks, Anna!! In addition to two great breakfasts yesterday (I am tempted to call them “continental,” but that’s clearly impossible) and the totally unique hot dog, yesterday we were treated to a wonderful feast of Þóra’s making. I told Anna that the ham brought tears to my eyes (which it did), then had to explain that this was a good thing. The sheep headcheese wasn’t bad either.

***

Well, that was this morning. You’d think I could produce a blog post before breakfast, but I didn’t make it. We rushed upstairs, ate, and dashed off to Sunday School, where we were treated to an excellent puppet show, some children’s songs that we recognized (Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes can not only be sung in Icelandic, but it can also end with “Jesus loves all of me!”) and most of all, some really cute kids having a great time. The pastor showed us the sanctuary, which is still in mid-construction. It was begun a few years ago before the economic trouble, and they were unfortunately unable to complete it per the original timing. However, this difficulty has brought the community together in a unique way, solidifying their connection to the congregation and creating a shared sense of purpose. They were able to celebrate their Christmas service in the sanctuary, which is full of chairs in neat rows (all loaned from the giving community) and have even painted the walls, a significant step for a sense of progress.

After Sunday School we were off to the “pool”, where instead of the dreaded high-speed waterslides mentioned in Rob’s post, we spent three blissful hours floating in hot tubs of varying temperatures (you have to walk quickly across the frosted tiles to change pools!) and enjoying the afternoon twilight of blue and pink. The sunlight’s angle is always very low, but it’s not really dark. In fact, later on we were even able to enjoy a long, brisk walk with Þóra and the dog Skunti down the hill, along a stream, all the way to the harbor, and then back up through Kopavogur. The narrow end of the harbor’s shores were covered in stacks of ice plates maybe a foot thick, formed as the fresh water comes into the harbor, freezes, and then the tide lifts it all and piles it on shore. Along the stream I noticed all the steam rising from where the ducks and swans were at play. There were also some convenient stairs down to the water, so I decided to stick my hand in. The water was more cool than cold. The amount of geothermal activity here is just incredible.

Fun fact: there is likely to be a volcanic eruption visible from Skálholt, our destination tomorrow. More on that if it happens.

Lord, thank you for this beautiful day, our wonderful hosts, and the sense we already have of home and friends. Bless them and us as our journey continues. Amen.

Iceland!

2010-01-03T14:42:00.000-08:00

Hello all, Jenna here! We made it to Iceland! Hallelujah! The first day of 2010 was spent traveling for me. It was a long flight for me, as I couldnt' sleep a wink. I had a pounding headache by the time we finally got to Iceland but I was so glad to have made it! We were greeted at the airport by our hosts and then they drove us to a church (the picture of the church in the dark)where we were served a nice breakfast with breads, a variety of jams, some cheese and pastries. It was delicious! It was about 9:00 at that time and it was still dark as if it was night. It was really bizarre! After that we went to our host parents' home and took a 3 hour nap, which was much needed. They said that it was too tempting to sleep all day, but if we had done that, they said it would be too hard to adjust from jet lag so we slept only for 3 hours, and then got up and met around 1:30 to go around downtown. We got to see a beautiful church called Hallgrimskirkja, (the tall church pictured above) It was beautiful inside! The organ was especially impressive (picture included above). city hall and a 3-D map of Iceland, and also this amazing hot dog stand that is very popular here. Bill Clinton had a hot dog from this stand when he was here, that was mentioned several times! We all got a hot dog from there, and it was delicious! It had ketchup, mustard, fried and raw onions and then some sort of special sauce that I can't really describe...but it was really good! As we were driving around in the car, I was able to catch a picture of what we could see driving down the street; the view is amazing!! I love it! (this picture is also above!) The land is beautiful here! Anyway, after the hot dog stand we all went back to our host family's home (Gunnar and Thora are who I am staying with and they provided dinner for us that evening) and hung out until dinner was served. Dinner was delicious! We had a smoked ham that had an amazing glaze on it, and halves of peaches were also in this dish. We also had cooked carrots, potatoes, and many other wonderful things. They also had us all try headcheese, which is the head of a sheep that they burn, boil, and do something else to it..I don't remember quite exactly the preparation that goes into it. What was prepared was a chunk of meat that kind of looked like a slice of pork roast, and they said it consisted of everything but the brains and the eyes. I tried it, and it wasn't terrible, but I wasn't diving in for another bite. For dessert we had this wonderful caramel cake, with caramel dripping down the sides...SOO good! After dinner we all gladly went to bed! It was a lovely (and long) first day!

Today (Sunday) we got up and went to a church in the city for their Sunday School. Because it was after a holiday, there were not many people there. It was fun to watch the Sunday School kids participate. They sang songs, and then the pastor told them a story (in Icelandic, but he showed them a picture of what looked like Jesus holding a child). Then, there was a puppet show, which was really entertaining! After that we met one of the pastors and then went back to our host home for a little bit. After that, we got ready to go to the swimming hall. Swimming is a huge cultural past-time in Iceland, and the pools are outdoors. Yes, outdoors. It was cold out today, about 20 degrees or so, but we all went swimming. The pool had about 6 hot tubs, and they varied in temperatures. There was one that was really hot, one that was slightly less hot, and then one that juusssttt right (sounds like a Goldilocks and the 3 Bears). The pool's water itself was heated to about 80 degrees, though I didn't try the pool out, I just jumped from hot-tub to hot-tub. It was a nice afternoon! I enjoyed it! When we finished at the pool, we went back home and hung out and chatted with each other. Our host mom, Thora, wanted to take her dog on a walk so four of us went with her. We walked for quite a bit and got some good exercise. It was very pleasant and we got to take in more of the fantastic scenery! I stupidly left my camera in my room so I didn't get to take pictures...but I will try to keep them coming, I promise! We came back and had leftovers from last night, which tasted just as delicious tonight as it did last night, and then we watched a movie in the living room. It was called Adam's Aebler, which is translated as Adam's Apple. It was a really really good movie, I enjoyed it. Very thought-provoking. It was in English subtitles, but I really liked it. It's about a pastor at a church who houses people with issues, but he has a mental illness himself. This particular prisoner's name was Adam, and he was a neo-Nazi. It was interesting....I won't tell you the rest of the plot but encourage you to watch the movie sometime if you can!

Tomorrow we will travel to Skalholt, to an Icelandic pastor's acadamey/conference. We will get to meet pastors from all over Iceland and have the opportunity to hear our own professors, Sam Giere and Dan Olson lecture! :) We will be there for 3 days! I'm looking forward to this trip to Skalholt! I'm not sure if we will have internet access there or not but if I don't, I'll tell ya all about it when we get back!

I will end this post with a prayer, Grace and Peace all!

Gracious God;

We thank you for this wonderful opportunity to travel to Iceland and see your work in this amazing place. We thank you for the wonderful hospitality we have been blessed with, and for the ministry of the pastors in this country. Please be with us as we travel to Skalholt, and be with the pastors as they gather together for learning, worship, and fellowship. We ask all these things in your holy name, Amen.

Sleepful in Kópavogur

2010-01-03T05:48:00.000-08:00

Without trying to repeat what Kirk and Alan already reported, our first day in Iceland was, in a word, overwhelming: overwhelming silliness at the Madison airport, overwhelming gratitude for a safe and relatively non-torturous flight, overwhelmingly long day, overwhelming hospitality from Gunnar & þora, Ási, Gunnar (a different Gunnar), Hreggi & Svava (& Bina & Atli), and everyone else who has so graciously put us up and put up with us, and who gave us food. (N.B. When Gunnar tells you to try the food before he will tell you what it is, be afraid. Be veeeery afraid.) (No, actually the sheep scrapple was quite tasty and, as with most food, it's best NOT to know what it is until you've already eaten it.)

The weather was great on day 1, and the sun was up (albeit sitting pretty low) much longer than I had expected. I think the winter sun in Iceland is from the American South: it can't be rushed to get anywhere in a hurry. As a result, we were treated to a very long sunset, accompanied by all the orange & pink that goes with it. I was dozing at sunrise on day 1, so I missed out on that light show, but I was awakened by a raven (was it Huginn or Muninn? I couldn't tell.), which had a magically weird voice. Even the birds have a cool way of speaking in Iceland.

It's now 2 O'Clock on day 2. The rest of the group has gone swimming. Not my cup of tea - I prefer a mellow float in a hot tub with a cold beer to a speedo thong and a slippery slide. If there is a trip to a spa planned for later, I'm there. Until then, I have a sermon to write (not at all sure what to say, but I'm hoping my version of the lectionary jives with the one we're using in þingvellir!).

Fađir vor, we thank you for travelling mercies: for safe transport, for welcoming arrivals, and for gracious hosts who greet us in your name and make sacrifices of time and resources for us for your sake. Please guard over them and enfold them in your tender care. This we ask in Jesus' name. Amen.

Travel recap

2010-01-03T01:40:00.001-08:00

We made it to Iceland!!!!! There were some minor glitches but all and all it was an event free trip. In Madison, it felt as though we were on the Price is Right. Those of us who could get to 51 lbs without going over could move on to the Showcase Showdown and win a flight to Iceland without a 75 dollar surcharge. In order to avoid any of us getting this fee we were exchanging clothes and other belongings in order to meet this weight requirement. It must have been a sight for those passing by!

Upon our arrival, we were warmly welcomed by Gunnar and our hosts. They drove us to Gunnar`s church for breakfast. This consisted of rolls, pastries, cheese, and STRONG coffee. Everyone has been so kind and generous! At church, I met my host Gudni. He is a pastor in one of the towns next to the Icelandic capital. (This is far easier to spell)

After a brief nap it was off to see the sights. We stopped at the country's largest church and visited main street. Both are very beautiful. After this we stopped downtown Reky and visited the Parliament building, Hotel Borg, and City Hall. Then, we stopped at Iceland´s only hot dog shop. It´s not Johnsonville but it tasted great none the less!

As if this was not enough, we then went back to Gunnar and Thora´s for a feast. There was smoked ham, a variety of vege´s, cake, and mystery meat. After a short time the mystery meat was finally revealed to be Sheep´s head! I will not get into the specifics until I get home but needless to say it was best this was kept quiet until after some brave souls had tasted this delicatessen.

Finally, we were allowed to go home and sleep! The generosity of our hosts has been amazing!

God Bless.......

First Impressions

2010-01-02T05:02:00.000-08:00

We arrived in beautiful Iceland early this morning at about 6:30. If I could paint the landscape for you I would use multiple shades of gray, dark gray, black, incandescent orange, black, incandescent yellow, black, and black. It's dark, and it stays that way until around ten in the morning when dawn breaks for about an hour or so. In all actuality, the daytime here would use the opposite hues, as Iceland is well... snowy.

We walked out of the airport and I said, I can smell the sea. Rob said, "No you can smell the sulfur." Oh yeah, we're on the fault line between two continents. It is a smell that is unfamiliar, yet brings back memories of moments of my youth in Yellowstone with my family endlessly complaining about the rotten egg smell of the Mud Pots. I think that my appreciation for the cheap warmth provided to Iceland for there geothermal heating, recreational center pools, and even shower water, will allow me to cope and not complain this time around.

When we arrived we were greeted with the greatest first impression of all, hospitality. We were whisked away from the airport to Gunnar's church where we were treated with a variety of breads, jam, cheese, and pastries, along with coffee for some, tea for me. After a time of fellowship we headed our separate ways for a short morning nap. David and I went with another pastor, Iris, to her condominium. I awoke recently to a mid-day morning sun shining low over the horizon from the south. Many more activities are planned for the rest of the day all in the effort to keep us awake until ten or so in the effort to help us acclimate to the time-change sooner rather than later.

I realize that in my first post I left out some general information about myself. I hail from Western Nebraska/South Dakota. I am a Junior at Wartburg Seminary in the M.Div. program. I have two wonderful parents in S.D. and a sister in Iowa who are my closest of kin.

Ready to go, I think

2009-12-31T15:43:00.000-08:00

My name is David Murphy and I am a MDiv Junior (1st year) at Wartburg. As I prepared for this trip many thoughts have gone racing through my head. Many in recent days have been about my family which includes Karen, my wife of 9 years, and our kids Emma (7), Braeden (5), Colin (3), and Kayla (19mo). In my previous life before seminary I would travel with some regularity for my job and it was rarely ever a big deal. But this trip somehow seems different. Part of it is of course the nature of the trip. Experiencing a different culture from a theological perspective is new for me. Also, I can't help feel a bit of guilt going to a place in Iceland that is such an unknown and very intriguing. Thankfully, my family is very excited for me being able to go on such an amazing trip for school.

I personally cannot wait to see what a country that lives in such extremes such as longterm light and darkness and also being a part of something larger (Europe) and yet being way up near the top of globe. I am fascinated by the sophisticated simplicity with which I have read Icelanders live. I can't wait to experience it for myself.

As for more about me, Well I am a proud graduate of The Ohio State University and I am not happy about missing the Rose Bowl, oh well. I also left behind a life as an engineer and my family very willingly packed up and moved with me for this new seminary adventure. So far, so good. Hopefully, this Iceland adventure will be another wonderful chapter in my journey.

Til next time, Peace.
David

Introduction

2009-12-31T12:58:00.000-08:00

Hi. This is Kjersten, one of the two non-Wartburg students on this Icelandic expedition. I’m currently a second year MDiv student at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. The common response I got from most of my classmates when they found out I was going to Iceland for J-Term was, “how are you doing that?” The ELCA seminaries let you cross-enroll at any of the seven schools for J-Term. I am excited to be taking advantage of this opportunity to travel and spend some time with students from another seminary as well as learn more about another culture. The second most common response was, “isn’t January the wrong time to visit Iceland?” My response to that was, well, it will be quite dark. But I’ve done a winter in Chicago already, and compared to the sub-zero temperatures I faced last J-Term, the projected temperature in the 20s in Iceland for next week sound positively balmy. And I don’t think I saw the sun in Chicago last winter, so now it won’t even be tempting me.

A little bit about myself. I am originally from California, but since graduating high school have kind of lived all over. I come to Chicago most recently from Washington, DC, where I worked at a shelter for homeless and low-income women. I loved the work I did, and that work really shaped how I see my future in ministry. I am really interested in how the church and society meet, especially in an urban context. My focus question for this trip is to learn what role religion in general and the Lutheran church in particular play in the life of the people of Iceland. I am a very active person. I like to run, ride my bicycle, take long walks, and swim in Lake Michigan (during the one month after school starts when it’s still warm enough to do that). I also love to cook and am interested in seasonal and local foods. And in the winter my favorite activity is to curl up in a comfy chair with a cup of coffee and a good book.

Peace,
Kjersten

So this is a Blog.......

2009-12-31T06:30:00.000-08:00

When people ask "Why Iceland?" my response is simple, "I heard island in the Atlantic and was thinking tropical!" As it turns out I am going to be a stones throw away from the Arctic Circle in a very beautiful country with a rich tradition and culture.

For those who can not tell by the sarcasm, this is Kirk, a first year M-Div student at Wartburg. Prior to attending seminary, I worked in the insurance industry for 15 years in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. I have two beautiful children, Celia and Regan, who wish they could come with. In a way they will get to experience a little of Iceland themselves. If things work out, I am going to be able to Skype with both of them and their classes at Prairie Ridge. This will be really neat!!!!!

During our two weeks, I am interested to find out what, if any, challenges have come about in the Icelandic church due to the economic downturn over the past couple years. And on the flip side, if new opportunities for the ministry of Christ have presented themselves. The second question of interest is how the church deals with the cultural tie to mythology that seems to be so prevalent in the Icelandic culture.

This is going to be a fantastic learning experience!

Greetings!

2009-12-31T05:38:00.000-08:00

Hello there, this is Stephen, and I'm a first year, MDiv student, from Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, OH. I've lived in Maryland my entire life before transplanting myself in Ohio for seminary. We couldn't just let the Wartburg students have all the fun by going to Iceland so we jumped on board! But seriously, with so many amazing offerings for J-Term classes from the different seminaries I thought this would be a great opportunity to meet some new people and experience something a little different.

I'm also a bit embarassed to admit that this is my first time traveling a distance out of the country, so I'm very excited about this trip. Before I got involved in my vocation in the church and seminary I spent some time (as well as my degree) in the landscaping field, so I'm always interested in checking out the physical landscape of a new place.

Outside of the little reading I've done, my classmate from Iceland, and all the "oh, did you know"'s that I've gotten when I tell someone I'm going there, I can't say that I know much more than that about our destination. So my first question for guiding my experience there is how the Lutheran Church differs in Iceland than from America. Are there things they do that are different from what we do, are there things we can learn, and how can that "we" be a more universal and collective Lutheran-Christian we?

I've spent about nine years living in the greater Washington D.C. area which is full of new immigrants and different cultures. Although our trip will only be a limited time of being tourists, I want to experience what it's like being immersed into a different culture. What does it feel like to be an outsider? How am I treated? I'm hoping that even a brief glimpse of this total immersion will help me to understand what immigrants into our country feel like and how we can minister with them. (Ok, so maybe a bit of a stretch, but a glimpse is all I can hope for!)

This is looking like it will be quite an experience, and I'm looking forward to it and meeting a whole bunch of new people. See you tomorrow!

First blog

2009-12-30T19:52:00.000-08:00

Hello! I'm Jenna, a 24 year old 2nd year (aka Middler) M.Div (Masters of Divinity) student at Wartburg Theological Seminary. I'm originally from Sumner, Iowa and am a 2008 graduate of Wartburg College with a Bachelor's degree in Religion.

I have been asked many times by many people, why on EARTH I would want to go to Iceland in January. Lately I have been asking myself the very same thing! First of all, it sounded like an awesome opportunity! I was intrigued by the idea of being in darkness for a majority of the day in winter. Because I am a night owl, I am very interested to see what it is like to live in near-constant darkness. How, if at all, does the darkness affect people's attitude? I'm also really excited to learn about how the Icelandic Lutheran church operates and how, in the midst of the wintery darkness, the church works to shine Christ's light in the world.

My main guiding questions for this trip are looking at how Lutheranism in Iceland is similar/different to Lutheranism in America. How does culture affect theology, and vice versa? I'm interested in religion's role in different cultures and will be trying to look at that while in Iceland.

I'm also interested in Iceland's social ministries. One of the last days we're in Iceland we'll be visiting with pastors who are involved in special ministries, such as ministries for immigrants and people with disabilities. I'm especially interested in this because I have worked with people with both physical and mental disabilities and have a great passion for this! I'm really intrigued and excited to see what this kind of ministry looks like!

I wish you all a safe and Happy New Year! Hopefully you'll all learn something and look forward to reading our blog! :)
Grace and Peace,
Jenna

Darkness and Light

2009-12-30T19:24:00.000-08:00

Jennifer here, a first-year M.A. student at Wartburg. My husband and I moved from Seattle, Washington to Dubuque, Iowa in the summer of 2008. As recent Seattleites, we have some experience with SAD, although you don’t realize how much it gets to you until you move away. I love, love, love the sun. My ideal Saturday is spent simply sitting in front of a sunny window (with a cup of coffee and a book of theology or popular physics). I once built a greenhouse out of salvaged windows just so I could sit and enjoy the light (remember, this was Seattle). So I’m very interested to find out what it’s like to spend two weeks (never mind several months) in semi-darkness. I’m also curious how people’s homes and other spaces are designed to compensate or perhaps celebrate the long periods of winter darkness and summer light.

I also understand that Icelanders have a very real mythological relationship with their beautiful environment. I am interested to see hints of what that might mean, especially as relates to Christianity. I enjoy reading mythology, especially Greek and Norse mythology (including of course modern mythology like the Lord of the Rings). I’ve actually owned copies of the poetic and prose Eddas for years, along with a book of Icelandic fairy tales, but never read them. This is clearly my big chance.

I hope that this trip will be a time of relative quiet and contemplation to go along with the darkness. I am ready for some rest from my hectic student-and-part-time-work life. I hope to learn a new appreciation and approach to darkness, meditation, and enjoyment of the natural beauty of the world from my visit to Iceland.

Rods and Cones

2009-12-30T14:14:00.000-08:00

I was riding with my dad in his truck last night after a trip to Sturgis in the Northern Black Hills and I was amazed at how well I could see in the dark, especially as the light from a nearly full (and Blue) moon illuminated the snowy hills. Thinking about this, I realize that a good deal of my waking hours in Iceland are going to be spent in darkness like this. So long cones, I'm putting you on hold while me and my rods become good friends.

I'm kinda a science nerd. I graduated from Doane College in Nebraska a year and a half ago with a B.S. in Physics, so light and optics interest me. The cones in the eye are photoreceptors that help a person to see color, the rods help a person to see light. I am a night person, so I'm hoping that not having much light won't affect me much. One of my favorite activities to pursue in the evening is running. Because my depth perception decreases it seems to me that everything is rushing by me much faster, giving me the sense that I'm cruising.

Darkness isn't always good. In fact, I think I'm different from most people in my appreciation of it. With twenty hours of darkness in the winter, how is Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)combated within Iceland and what is the Church's role in fulfilling this wholeness? SAD is a medical condition that is linked to low vitamin D intake or production, and depression. I am curious as to how the long winter nights affect Icelanders. Wikipedia (reliable source that it is) informs me that Icelanders suffer much less from SAD than their Nordic counterparts. The hypothesis is that their greater consumption of fish and maybe a genetic factor, helps Icelanders to stay perky through the winter months.

Continuing on with another depressing theme, my second question concerns Iceland's resiliency in coming back from the hard hits that the recent recession took on the country. How has the recent economic turmoil affected the nation of Iceland and further, the Icelandic Church and how it ministers within the country? I expect that if the Icelandic people are anything like us Americans, finances will play a big part in daily conversation, but I'm not so sure that they are as hung up on consumption as we are.

Finally, in the reading leading up to our trip I feel I have come to know more about Iceland than any other nation except my own. Maybe an overstatement, but Iceland harbors a unique ethnicity that treasures highly its literary past. I wonder what roles do Icelandic sagas, poetry, and literature have in the Modern Icelandic Church?

We leave in two days and I am very excited for this trip. I hope that my rods and cones are up for the challenge because I know that there are many observations to be made as we take a walk in the dark.

Komið þið sæl og blessuð

2009-12-30T08:05:00.000-08:00

My name is Rob, and I confess that I never know what to write by way of introduction, so here's some generic stuff. Forgive me if it rambles. A year-and-a-half ago, my wife and I packed up our critters and our life in Indianapolis, Indiana to move to scenic Dubuque, Iowa for this whole seminary experience. So far it's been a very complicated case. "You know, a lotta ins, lotta outs, lotta what-have-yous" (El Duderino, 1998). In all, we're happy to be here and feel very blessed for the whole journey thus far.

I'm on the M.Div. track, second year. I don't know if that's important for you to know that, but there it is. I'm a Virgo, and I'm sure that's NOT important for you to know. Maybe more important is that I'm an INFP on the Myers-Briggs thingy. That means, among other things, that I don't like to fence in my options. In other words, I'm a little "disorganized." And for that reason, I don't have a firm set of questions in mind to guide my experience in Iceland.

I do know that I'm interested in how religion plays out in the daily lives of the people. Specifically, I'm interested to learn to what degree, if any, the adjective "Lutheran" bears meaning for people who come to Lutheranism "by default," as it were. I was raised Roman Catholic and wound up a Lutheran by coincidence (another post for another time, perhaps), so the whole concept of "cradle Lutheranism" is interesting for me, not only in my own context, but also as something to observe as we journey along through Iceland.

I guess that question has to do with identity, and the next one does, too. This question came to me as I was thinking about eating Hakarl (putrified shark) and other traditional (i.e. to an American palate, "gross") foods. The consumption of these things, like haggis in Scotland, seems to revolve around specific festival times, and calls to mind aspects of identity formation. What is it, then, about these foods, that calls for celebration? What is the meaning & importance of this kind of edible commemoration, and what does it say about the past, present and potential future identity of Icelanders? (Secondarily, does anyone actually enjoy it? Maybe an insensitive question, but it's on my mind.)

Maybe this final question is identity-related, too, and it comes from my experiences on Inis Mor (Inishmore) off the west coast of Ireland. As I was visiting there a few years back, two things occurred to me: 1) the people who live on the island seem to live in tension between a keen desire to maintain tradition and a desire to live like "everyone else" in Ireland (i.e. in modern homes with internet access and cable television, etc.). At the same time, 2) the island's economy is largely tourism-driven. While the people, through good stewardship of resources, might be able to sustain themselves on traditional agriculture and industry, it would be very difficult to prosper materially in that fashion - and yet, the tourism industry kind of relies on the fact that the island remain culturally traditional. That's it's very allure. How do people maintain their identity in the face of this tension? This is my question for the people of Iceland, as well. Maybe it's not an issue for them, at all, but it's something I'd like to observe while I'm there.

For someone with little to say, I've said too much. Catch you later.

Rob