Journey to the Center of Iceland

    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.