Last Day...Heavy Hearts

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.