31 December 2009

Ready to go, I think

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

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.......

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!

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!

30 December 2009

First blog

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

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

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

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