Put your 3D glasses on and get ready for a barn-burner. Tonight six of us made a trip to the cinema to catch a flick, one that was fortunately in English, though some essential subtitles were in Icelandic. For those of you who have not seen Avatar I suggest you fork out the ten or more dollars (though it was cheaper than ten dollars here, goggles included). An Avatar is a Hindu understanding of a physical being inhabited by a deity. Appropriate to the movie. In all honesty, the movie is a heavy commentary on not just American History, (though mainly it is), but the history any civilization that has destroyed another for what treasures they sit on.
I grew up about 20 miles south of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, quite probably the most impoverished place in the United States. I have learned some of Sioux spirituality from school, some from churches in the area, but most from kind friends and acquaintances willing to open their culture up to me and others. I think that for the most part, Americans should be able to see the quite obvious connections in the movie Avatar, though my proximity to the reservation and education of the Plains Indian Wars may give me a deeper insight than most. In Iceland... I'm not so sure.
I talked to one of our hosts, Guðni, (who took us out to the movie), and asked him about his thoughts, then explained my own. Guðni was kind enough to let me talk about myself, my experiences, and my thoughts quite a bit. I will leave my opinions to myself for the blog, but will make the reflection that even in a foreign country a person can be brought close to home.
I forgot that we were to post prayers at the end of our posts, thankfully the women were faithful and so I will pick up on their example.
God of All People, I thank You that You are with us in all places and connected to our every being. Thank You for the opportunity to reflect on home in a far away place. Help us to look with love on all people and all of Your creation to see that You are their God and Creator and to treat all of Your creation in that regard. With love for You I pray, Amen.
03 January 2010
Reflections on a cell phone
I realize I am supposed to be reflecting on my experiences in Iceland, which are many and amazing. As has been said, the hospitality of our hosts is incredible. We have been welcomed, fed, kept awake, put to sleep, taken swimming, served coffee, served tea, taught to eat ginger cookies with cheese (delicious, by the way), and generally been treated like treasured guests. But many people have already reflected on that, so the funny thing I find myself reflecting on is my cell phone. It’s turned off. Seriously turned off. Not like on vibrate or silent in my bag or off for a flight to be turned on as soon as the flight attendants give the comforting “it is now safe to use portable communication devices” announcement, but completely and totally off. For the next two weeks. I am supposed to be reflecting on Iceland’s culture and stark beauty and experiencing a “profound experience of darkness,” or so said the course description. Above all, I am supposed to be saving myself the outlandish out-of-country charges I would face for using my cell phone in Iceland. All these things I’m sure are happening. But still I notice that my cell phone is turned off.
It is not like I am without communication. The house I am staying at in fact is some sort of a model technology house and literally has wireless internet streaming from the outlets in the wall, so my connection to the internet is actually better and faster than my $10 ATT wireless in Chicago. But still, I find myself feeling a little bit lost without my cell phone. Being cut off from it, I’m realizing my phone has become a bit of a security blanket. I can think of rough times in my life where I have sat on the couch with my cell phone in my hand looking at all the people I could call if whatever it was got bad enough. Oftentimes knowing that in my hand was a list of people I could call at any time was enough to not need to call anyone. Just that realization that people who loved me were out there was enough.
So this trip becomes, for me, about more than just experiencing a new culture in this land of beauty and harsh extremes. Being on this beautiful island in the middle of the north Atlantic, with great internet and no cell phone is also about discovering new ways of connectedness, new ways of remembering my community and my support system. There will be times in ministry where, for one reason or another, there will be no one I can call. There will be things I will have to deal with in life that will be difficult and painful and I will feel alone and that phone will have to sit unopened in my lap. And in those times, maybe I will remember Iceland. I will remember the experience of finding new community in the place where I am. Of learning to eat cheese on cookies, playing Bananagrams with someone who beat me despite playing in his second language and ending up with all the Q’s and X’s, and waking up to a five-alarm sunrise at 10 am. But I will also remember the people across the ocean who remind me that my home and my welcome are still in that place. And I will be glad to remember that the world is small.
Gracious God, whose arms can reach across as vast a space as the ocean and across as small a space as a cell phone. Thank you for the communities we find ourselves in, those we can touch and those we cannot. Amen.
It is not like I am without communication. The house I am staying at in fact is some sort of a model technology house and literally has wireless internet streaming from the outlets in the wall, so my connection to the internet is actually better and faster than my $10 ATT wireless in Chicago. But still, I find myself feeling a little bit lost without my cell phone. Being cut off from it, I’m realizing my phone has become a bit of a security blanket. I can think of rough times in my life where I have sat on the couch with my cell phone in my hand looking at all the people I could call if whatever it was got bad enough. Oftentimes knowing that in my hand was a list of people I could call at any time was enough to not need to call anyone. Just that realization that people who loved me were out there was enough.
So this trip becomes, for me, about more than just experiencing a new culture in this land of beauty and harsh extremes. Being on this beautiful island in the middle of the north Atlantic, with great internet and no cell phone is also about discovering new ways of connectedness, new ways of remembering my community and my support system. There will be times in ministry where, for one reason or another, there will be no one I can call. There will be things I will have to deal with in life that will be difficult and painful and I will feel alone and that phone will have to sit unopened in my lap. And in those times, maybe I will remember Iceland. I will remember the experience of finding new community in the place where I am. Of learning to eat cheese on cookies, playing Bananagrams with someone who beat me despite playing in his second language and ending up with all the Q’s and X’s, and waking up to a five-alarm sunrise at 10 am. But I will also remember the people across the ocean who remind me that my home and my welcome are still in that place. And I will be glad to remember that the world is small.
Gracious God, whose arms can reach across as vast a space as the ocean and across as small a space as a cell phone. Thank you for the communities we find ourselves in, those we can touch and those we cannot. Amen.
A place quite northwards
Good morning from Iceland! It’s 10 a.m. and the sun is just starting to make a pink glow on the horizon. The almost-full moon is still very much in evidence.
We girls are all settled at Gunnar and Þóra’s house, where we are enjoying some tremendous hospitality. Their daughter, Anna, gave up her space so we could share the bedrooms and bathroom downstairs. Thanks, Anna!! In addition to two great breakfasts yesterday (I am tempted to call them “continental,” but that’s clearly impossible) and the totally unique hot dog, yesterday we were treated to a wonderful feast of Þóra’s making. I told Anna that the ham brought tears to my eyes (which it did), then had to explain that this was a good thing. The sheep headcheese wasn’t bad either.
***
Well, that was this morning. You’d think I could produce a blog post before breakfast, but I didn’t make it. We rushed upstairs, ate, and dashed off to Sunday School, where we were treated to an excellent puppet show, some children’s songs that we recognized (Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes can not only be sung in Icelandic, but it can also end with “Jesus loves all of me!”) and most of all, some really cute kids having a great time. The pastor showed us the sanctuary, which is still in mid-construction. It was begun a few years ago before the economic trouble, and they were unfortunately unable to complete it per the original timing. However, this difficulty has brought the community together in a unique way, solidifying their connection to the congregation and creating a shared sense of purpose. They were able to celebrate their Christmas service in the sanctuary, which is full of chairs in neat rows (all loaned from the giving community) and have even painted the walls, a significant step for a sense of progress.
After Sunday School we were off to the “pool”, where instead of the dreaded high-speed waterslides mentioned in Rob’s post, we spent three blissful hours floating in hot tubs of varying temperatures (you have to walk quickly across the frosted tiles to change pools!) and enjoying the afternoon twilight of blue and pink. The sunlight’s angle is always very low, but it’s not really dark. In fact, later on we were even able to enjoy a long, brisk walk with Þóra and the dog Skunti down the hill, along a stream, all the way to the harbor, and then back up through Kopavogur. The narrow end of the harbor’s shores were covered in stacks of ice plates maybe a foot thick, formed as the fresh water comes into the harbor, freezes, and then the tide lifts it all and piles it on shore. Along the stream I noticed all the steam rising from where the ducks and swans were at play. There were also some convenient stairs down to the water, so I decided to stick my hand in. The water was more cool than cold. The amount of geothermal activity here is just incredible.
Fun fact: there is likely to be a volcanic eruption visible from Skálholt, our destination tomorrow. More on that if it happens.
Lord, thank you for this beautiful day, our wonderful hosts, and the sense we already have of home and friends. Bless them and us as our journey continues. Amen.
We girls are all settled at Gunnar and Þóra’s house, where we are enjoying some tremendous hospitality. Their daughter, Anna, gave up her space so we could share the bedrooms and bathroom downstairs. Thanks, Anna!! In addition to two great breakfasts yesterday (I am tempted to call them “continental,” but that’s clearly impossible) and the totally unique hot dog, yesterday we were treated to a wonderful feast of Þóra’s making. I told Anna that the ham brought tears to my eyes (which it did), then had to explain that this was a good thing. The sheep headcheese wasn’t bad either.
***
Well, that was this morning. You’d think I could produce a blog post before breakfast, but I didn’t make it. We rushed upstairs, ate, and dashed off to Sunday School, where we were treated to an excellent puppet show, some children’s songs that we recognized (Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes can not only be sung in Icelandic, but it can also end with “Jesus loves all of me!”) and most of all, some really cute kids having a great time. The pastor showed us the sanctuary, which is still in mid-construction. It was begun a few years ago before the economic trouble, and they were unfortunately unable to complete it per the original timing. However, this difficulty has brought the community together in a unique way, solidifying their connection to the congregation and creating a shared sense of purpose. They were able to celebrate their Christmas service in the sanctuary, which is full of chairs in neat rows (all loaned from the giving community) and have even painted the walls, a significant step for a sense of progress.
After Sunday School we were off to the “pool”, where instead of the dreaded high-speed waterslides mentioned in Rob’s post, we spent three blissful hours floating in hot tubs of varying temperatures (you have to walk quickly across the frosted tiles to change pools!) and enjoying the afternoon twilight of blue and pink. The sunlight’s angle is always very low, but it’s not really dark. In fact, later on we were even able to enjoy a long, brisk walk with Þóra and the dog Skunti down the hill, along a stream, all the way to the harbor, and then back up through Kopavogur. The narrow end of the harbor’s shores were covered in stacks of ice plates maybe a foot thick, formed as the fresh water comes into the harbor, freezes, and then the tide lifts it all and piles it on shore. Along the stream I noticed all the steam rising from where the ducks and swans were at play. There were also some convenient stairs down to the water, so I decided to stick my hand in. The water was more cool than cold. The amount of geothermal activity here is just incredible.
Fun fact: there is likely to be a volcanic eruption visible from Skálholt, our destination tomorrow. More on that if it happens.
Lord, thank you for this beautiful day, our wonderful hosts, and the sense we already have of home and friends. Bless them and us as our journey continues. Amen.
Iceland!
Hello all, Jenna here! We made it to Iceland! Hallelujah! The first day of 2010 was spent traveling for me. It was a long flight for me, as I couldnt' sleep a wink. I had a pounding headache by the time we finally got to Iceland but I was so glad to have made it! We were greeted at the airport by our hosts and then they drove us to a church (the picture of the church in the dark)where we were served a nice breakfast with breads, a variety of jams, some cheese and pastries. It was delicious! It was about 9:00 at that time and it was still dark as if it was night. It was really bizarre! After that we went to our host parents' home and took a 3 hour nap, which was much needed. They said that it was too tempting to sleep all day, but if we had done that, they said it would be too hard to adjust from jet lag so we slept only for 3 hours, and then got up and met around 1:30 to go around downtown. We got to see a beautiful church called Hallgrimskirkja, (the tall church pictured above) It was beautiful inside! The organ was especially impressive (picture included above). city hall and a 3-D map of Iceland, and also this amazing hot dog stand that is very popular here. Bill Clinton had a hot dog from this stand when he was here, that was mentioned several times! We all got a hot dog from there, and it was delicious! It had ketchup, mustard, fried and raw onions and then some sort of special sauce that I can't really describe...but it was really good! As we were driving around in the car, I was able to catch a picture of what we could see driving down the street; the view is amazing!! I love it! (this picture is also above!) The land is beautiful here! Anyway, after the hot dog stand we all went back to our host family's home (Gunnar and Thora are who I am staying with and they provided dinner for us that evening) and hung out until dinner was served. Dinner was delicious! We had a smoked ham that had an amazing glaze on it, and halves of peaches were also in this dish. We also had cooked carrots, potatoes, and many other wonderful things. They also had us all try headcheese, which is the head of a sheep that they burn, boil, and do something else to it..I don't remember quite exactly the preparation that goes into it. What was prepared was a chunk of meat that kind of looked like a slice of pork roast, and they said it consisted of everything but the brains and the eyes. I tried it, and it wasn't terrible, but I wasn't diving in for another bite. For dessert we had this wonderful caramel cake, with caramel dripping down the sides...SOO good! After dinner we all gladly went to bed! It was a lovely (and long) first day!
Today (Sunday) we got up and went to a church in the city for their Sunday School. Because it was after a holiday, there were not many people there. It was fun to watch the Sunday School kids participate. They sang songs, and then the pastor told them a story (in Icelandic, but he showed them a picture of what looked like Jesus holding a child). Then, there was a puppet show, which was really entertaining! After that we met one of the pastors and then went back to our host home for a little bit. After that, we got ready to go to the swimming hall. Swimming is a huge cultural past-time in Iceland, and the pools are outdoors. Yes, outdoors. It was cold out today, about 20 degrees or so, but we all went swimming. The pool had about 6 hot tubs, and they varied in temperatures. There was one that was really hot, one that was slightly less hot, and then one that juusssttt right (sounds like a Goldilocks and the 3 Bears). The pool's water itself was heated to about 80 degrees, though I didn't try the pool out, I just jumped from hot-tub to hot-tub. It was a nice afternoon! I enjoyed it! When we finished at the pool, we went back home and hung out and chatted with each other. Our host mom, Thora, wanted to take her dog on a walk so four of us went with her. We walked for quite a bit and got some good exercise. It was very pleasant and we got to take in more of the fantastic scenery! I stupidly left my camera in my room so I didn't get to take pictures...but I will try to keep them coming, I promise! We came back and had leftovers from last night, which tasted just as delicious tonight as it did last night, and then we watched a movie in the living room. It was called Adam's Aebler, which is translated as Adam's Apple. It was a really really good movie, I enjoyed it. Very thought-provoking. It was in English subtitles, but I really liked it. It's about a pastor at a church who houses people with issues, but he has a mental illness himself. This particular prisoner's name was Adam, and he was a neo-Nazi. It was interesting....I won't tell you the rest of the plot but encourage you to watch the movie sometime if you can!
Tomorrow we will travel to Skalholt, to an Icelandic pastor's acadamey/conference. We will get to meet pastors from all over Iceland and have the opportunity to hear our own professors, Sam Giere and Dan Olson lecture! :) We will be there for 3 days! I'm looking forward to this trip to Skalholt! I'm not sure if we will have internet access there or not but if I don't, I'll tell ya all about it when we get back!
I will end this post with a prayer, Grace and Peace all!
Gracious God;
We thank you for this wonderful opportunity to travel to Iceland and see your work in this amazing place. We thank you for the wonderful hospitality we have been blessed with, and for the ministry of the pastors in this country. Please be with us as we travel to Skalholt, and be with the pastors as they gather together for learning, worship, and fellowship. We ask all these things in your holy name, Amen.
Sleepful in Kópavogur
Without trying to repeat what Kirk and Alan already reported, our first day in Iceland was, in a word, overwhelming: overwhelming silliness at the Madison airport, overwhelming gratitude for a safe and relatively non-torturous flight, overwhelmingly long day, overwhelming hospitality from Gunnar & þora, Ási, Gunnar (a different Gunnar), Hreggi & Svava (& Bina & Atli), and everyone else who has so graciously put us up and put up with us, and who gave us food. (N.B. When Gunnar tells you to try the food before he will tell you what it is, be afraid. Be veeeery afraid.) (No, actually the sheep scrapple was quite tasty and, as with most food, it's best NOT to know what it is until you've already eaten it.)
The weather was great on day 1, and the sun was up (albeit sitting pretty low) much longer than I had expected. I think the winter sun in Iceland is from the American South: it can't be rushed to get anywhere in a hurry. As a result, we were treated to a very long sunset, accompanied by all the orange & pink that goes with it. I was dozing at sunrise on day 1, so I missed out on that light show, but I was awakened by a raven (was it Huginn or Muninn? I couldn't tell.), which had a magically weird voice. Even the birds have a cool way of speaking in Iceland.
The weather was great on day 1, and the sun was up (albeit sitting pretty low) much longer than I had expected. I think the winter sun in Iceland is from the American South: it can't be rushed to get anywhere in a hurry. As a result, we were treated to a very long sunset, accompanied by all the orange & pink that goes with it. I was dozing at sunrise on day 1, so I missed out on that light show, but I was awakened by a raven (was it Huginn or Muninn? I couldn't tell.), which had a magically weird voice. Even the birds have a cool way of speaking in Iceland.
It's now 2 O'Clock on day 2. The rest of the group has gone swimming. Not my cup of tea - I prefer a mellow float in a hot tub with a cold beer to a speedo thong and a slippery slide. If there is a trip to a spa planned for later, I'm there. Until then, I have a sermon to write (not at all sure what to say, but I'm hoping my version of the lectionary jives with the one we're using in þingvellir!).
Fađir vor, we thank you for travelling mercies: for safe transport, for welcoming arrivals, and for gracious hosts who greet us in your name and make sacrifices of time and resources for us for your sake. Please guard over them and enfold them in your tender care. This we ask in Jesus' name. Amen.
Travel recap
We made it to Iceland!!!!! There were some minor glitches but all and all it was an event free trip. In Madison, it felt as though we were on the Price is Right. Those of us who could get to 51 lbs without going over could move on to the Showcase Showdown and win a flight to Iceland without a 75 dollar surcharge. In order to avoid any of us getting this fee we were exchanging clothes and other belongings in order to meet this weight requirement. It must have been a sight for those passing by!
Upon our arrival, we were warmly welcomed by Gunnar and our hosts. They drove us to Gunnar`s church for breakfast. This consisted of rolls, pastries, cheese, and STRONG coffee. Everyone has been so kind and generous! At church, I met my host Gudni. He is a pastor in one of the towns next to the Icelandic capital. (This is far easier to spell)
After a brief nap it was off to see the sights. We stopped at the country's largest church and visited main street. Both are very beautiful. After this we stopped downtown Reky and visited the Parliament building, Hotel Borg, and City Hall. Then, we stopped at Iceland´s only hot dog shop. It´s not Johnsonville but it tasted great none the less!
As if this was not enough, we then went back to Gunnar and Thora´s for a feast. There was smoked ham, a variety of vege´s, cake, and mystery meat. After a short time the mystery meat was finally revealed to be Sheep´s head! I will not get into the specifics until I get home but needless to say it was best this was kept quiet until after some brave souls had tasted this delicatessen.
Finally, we were allowed to go home and sleep! The generosity of our hosts has been amazing!
God Bless.......
Upon our arrival, we were warmly welcomed by Gunnar and our hosts. They drove us to Gunnar`s church for breakfast. This consisted of rolls, pastries, cheese, and STRONG coffee. Everyone has been so kind and generous! At church, I met my host Gudni. He is a pastor in one of the towns next to the Icelandic capital. (This is far easier to spell)
After a brief nap it was off to see the sights. We stopped at the country's largest church and visited main street. Both are very beautiful. After this we stopped downtown Reky and visited the Parliament building, Hotel Borg, and City Hall. Then, we stopped at Iceland´s only hot dog shop. It´s not Johnsonville but it tasted great none the less!
As if this was not enough, we then went back to Gunnar and Thora´s for a feast. There was smoked ham, a variety of vege´s, cake, and mystery meat. After a short time the mystery meat was finally revealed to be Sheep´s head! I will not get into the specifics until I get home but needless to say it was best this was kept quiet until after some brave souls had tasted this delicatessen.
Finally, we were allowed to go home and sleep! The generosity of our hosts has been amazing!
God Bless.......
02 January 2010
First Impressions
We arrived in beautiful Iceland early this morning at about 6:30. If I could paint the landscape for you I would use multiple shades of gray, dark gray, black, incandescent orange, black, incandescent yellow, black, and black. It's dark, and it stays that way until around ten in the morning when dawn breaks for about an hour or so. In all actuality, the daytime here would use the opposite hues, as Iceland is well... snowy.
We walked out of the airport and I said, I can smell the sea. Rob said, "No you can smell the sulfur." Oh yeah, we're on the fault line between two continents. It is a smell that is unfamiliar, yet brings back memories of moments of my youth in Yellowstone with my family endlessly complaining about the rotten egg smell of the Mud Pots. I think that my appreciation for the cheap warmth provided to Iceland for there geothermal heating, recreational center pools, and even shower water, will allow me to cope and not complain this time around.
When we arrived we were greeted with the greatest first impression of all, hospitality. We were whisked away from the airport to Gunnar's church where we were treated with a variety of breads, jam, cheese, and pastries, along with coffee for some, tea for me. After a time of fellowship we headed our separate ways for a short morning nap. David and I went with another pastor, Iris, to her condominium. I awoke recently to a mid-day morning sun shining low over the horizon from the south. Many more activities are planned for the rest of the day all in the effort to keep us awake until ten or so in the effort to help us acclimate to the time-change sooner rather than later.
I realize that in my first post I left out some general information about myself. I hail from Western Nebraska/South Dakota. I am a Junior at Wartburg Seminary in the M.Div. program. I have two wonderful parents in S.D. and a sister in Iowa who are my closest of kin.
We walked out of the airport and I said, I can smell the sea. Rob said, "No you can smell the sulfur." Oh yeah, we're on the fault line between two continents. It is a smell that is unfamiliar, yet brings back memories of moments of my youth in Yellowstone with my family endlessly complaining about the rotten egg smell of the Mud Pots. I think that my appreciation for the cheap warmth provided to Iceland for there geothermal heating, recreational center pools, and even shower water, will allow me to cope and not complain this time around.
When we arrived we were greeted with the greatest first impression of all, hospitality. We were whisked away from the airport to Gunnar's church where we were treated with a variety of breads, jam, cheese, and pastries, along with coffee for some, tea for me. After a time of fellowship we headed our separate ways for a short morning nap. David and I went with another pastor, Iris, to her condominium. I awoke recently to a mid-day morning sun shining low over the horizon from the south. Many more activities are planned for the rest of the day all in the effort to keep us awake until ten or so in the effort to help us acclimate to the time-change sooner rather than later.
I realize that in my first post I left out some general information about myself. I hail from Western Nebraska/South Dakota. I am a Junior at Wartburg Seminary in the M.Div. program. I have two wonderful parents in S.D. and a sister in Iowa who are my closest of kin.
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