Dave Efflandt's Bio

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?

Hi, my name is Matt Barnhouse and I am a 2^nd year M-Div. student at Wartburg Theological Seminary. My wife Heather and I recently celebrated our 20^th wedding anniversary. We have been blessed with four beautiful and healthy children. Matt, an eighteen year old intellectual that has always been responsible and loves to play baseball. Derek, a fifteen year 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 for God than many adults I know. She is ten going on thirty.

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

Much of my travels have been in the United States. However, I have had the opportunity to visit Canada, the Caribbean, and South America. Prior to seminary my family and I lived in the beautiful state of Colorado and dream of returning to the area after graduation.  I love exploring nature and enjoy fishing, camping, and hiking. My wife and I also 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 anticipation and excitement. I have heard wonderful things about our gracious hosts, as well as the culture and scenery of the country.  What a blessing to be part of such a wonderful opportunity!

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

About the Girl

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

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.

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

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

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."