Alright here it is. I thought if I put off writing this last blog that I could convince myself that this wasn't over.
It is. And I don't like it. So I've decided that we will go back someday. Hope Gunnar won't mind. ;)
Iceland: the Land of Fire and Ice.
I've got to say, I didn't expect to experience such a measurable change in myself. I've been baptized by fire and emerged unburned...which is saying a lot considering how clumsy I am, and my history with burns...dangit! I chased that bunny right down it's hole. On Task!!! This was my first international trip traveling with my husband, and let me tell you, it brought a whole new dynamic to traveling. I quite enjoyed it and look forward to doing it again.
I cannot contain my excitement, my joy, and my thankfulness and gratitude I have for all of our Icelandic hosts, whether it was for a meal, or for a couple hours showing us your work. You have truly inspired me to be a better person in dealing with others in all walks of life and to work to spread the message of the Gospel for the good of the people and not for the numbers coming into the church. I've been inspired to break down walls, not to continue to lay bricks on the tops.
When we were picking a trip, I immediately wanted to go to Iceland. I don't know why. Maybe because it seemed so exotic...I mean, how many of you readers, excluding WTS folks, know someone (besides us) who has gone to Iceland? I would have been able to say none, except that I met Jeff Bergeron on our visit to WTS two years ago. Now, I know almost for certain that the Holy Spirit was driving me to this place, to be baptized in fire and to slip (literally...I fell on my knee on our way out of the airport...I've got a scar to prove it!) out of my comfort zone, to be pushed to recognize my faults and learn to amend them, to grow. There is nothing I can say about this trip that hasn't changed me in some way, but I believe my talk with Gunnar definitely ranks the highest on the Change-Kelsie-O-Meter. For that I am eternally grateful, and I hope to continue to grow and change in this. I hope to bring the Icelander's lust for life, grace with death, and peace with adversity into my life. Only time will tell, but thankfully time isn't only measured by volcanic eruptions, but also by the tides.
Oh yeah...I also now will never leave for an airport without a change of clothes in my carry-on... I will also stop packing for all of the outfits I think I will want to wear and then don't. Boom.
Gracious and merciful God,
Thank you for the blessings you have placed in my life: the people, the places, the moments, the conversations, the inspirations. Grant all of your creation the peace, mercy, and love that you have shown us. Help us to see all people as our neighbors and to treat them as such, no matter their circumstance, color, creed, sexuality, mental capabilities, sex, and all of the other categories we place ourselves in. Help us to recognize them, and bring them into the community instead of building fences that divide us. Help us to grow, Lord, in the ways that you will. In your holy name I pray, Amen.
