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.