Identity

While here in Iceland I've been thinking  about the idea of national identity. As we've been visiting with different people and in seeing different  places, we've experienced a few things that really seem to contribute to a sense of national identity for Icelanders.

As a couple of my fellow travellers have mentioned while at Skaholt, we experienced an evening of fellowship with several pastors of the national church. This evening was
entitled Holy Chaos or Divine Disorder. It was a good time all around, but what really intrigued me was the group singing. Once one pastor started singing a song, others would immediately join in. There were folk songs and hymns, etc. It was wonderful to listen to and see the way it connected them.When we asked them about this, they said it is not uncommon for groups of Icelanders to gather and spend time doing similar. When they asked us what songs we all had in common as a group and just as people from the USA, we just stared at one another trying to think of just one. It was actually the Icelanders who ended up suggesting songs we all knew such as Amazing Grace. While all of us in our group know that song, I would not be surprised if there where several US citizens who don't know the words and wouldn't be able to just join in.

Also as we've been visiting different churches and just talking with different people about the national church and Icelandic identity, we have heard over and over how it is very difficult if not impossible to seperate one from the other. Though the church and the state are independent, they are still tied together. The state collects member fees for the church and the church is a vital part of disaster response along with the authorities and others right from the beginning.

These aspects of national identity are rather surprising to me having grown up in the United States. While I definitely  consider myself as a person from the United States of America, someone from Florida can possibly share no sense of identity with me apart from paying taxes to the same government. I coming from Montana have a different idea of the things that connect me than someone from a different state. We've even seen this within our group as we've discussed different things about growing up, living in, and being from our respective states.

I believe some of this has to do with the wide variety of different ethinic backgrounds that make up most citizens of the US. I identify with my Scandinavian ancestors where a friend of mine identifies with her Irish background. Of course we wouldn't be familiar with similar folk songs and we grew up with different religious backgrounds. Of course we do share identity markers since both of us grew up in Montana, but it makes sense that on a national scale it is hard to find common aspects of cultural identity.

In the end, regardless of specific national identity or reigional identity, we all share one common identity that matters more. This being all being children of God. Still, it is interesting to see how this differs here in Iceland as opposed to the US.

God of all, Thank you for the people we have had the opportunity to meet and learn from. Continue to open our eyes so that we may learn from our brothers and sisters here in Iceland. Amen

Story swap= larger horizons.

Why in the world am I in Iceland? Well a few reasons. To share and swap stories with others. To see other worlds where the gospel is active and alive, a world different from my own. To be apart of new things and expand our knowledge, or as Sam puts it, our horizon. Wartburg has in place the resources and programming to make all these points become a part of our lives, and for this I am extremely grateful. While visiting Iceland we have been hearing and sharing stories with the people here. Learning about how the Gospel has been active in Iceland since the year 1000. We have heard of the challenges and changes that have been made during history, and that no matter what comes Icelands way, it has continued to serve and survive, even in difficult times. We are experiencing a church that is active with the other programs in Iceland, like the Salvation Army. But also other programs like the police, and rescue teams. The pastors here, especially those who serve in the country, are much more than a person who leads church services, but serve to fill the needs of any position that needs to be filled in the towns. Not only do they serve the parishioners on normal days, but also originize programs during disasters like volcanic eruptions.
By understanding these stories and situations, it allows us to grow in our view of the world, and of the Gospel. It helps us to understand what we know, and what we hold near to us better. Through this trip, and all the other trips currently being experienced during this J-term, it allows us to be "in communion with other readers of the gospel" (Sam), it puts us in a position where we are playing an active role in the universal church.
Through this experience so far I have been taught some life lessons, been given extremely useful advice, and have broaden my ever expanding horizon. For every moment I am extremely grateful and feel blessed.
So what does it all mean? In my opinion, we need to get out. Out of the house, out of the everyday ruts of life, away from the norms. I am not saying there is anything wrong with these places, but the benefits seem to me to greatly outway the fears and worries  that can arise when we do leave the safety of these places. Don't think you necessarily have to travel across the world to Iceland, though I do recommend it, but something as simple as speaking to the cashier at the grocery store, listening to the old man on the bench, or a child after a day at school or church. So many little things are around that can broaden our horizon, strenghthen what we know, or make us appreciate something, or someone a little more. We see Jesus breaking out of the norms in the Gospels, and we are called to follow in His steps. You never know what lesson or new view on life may be sitting patiently around the corner.

Thank you God for the opportunity to live and be with our brothers and sisters to the north. For this wonderful group of people I am traveling with and learning from. As we continue on our journey keep our eyes and ears open to the lessons that can be found. Amen

In Hot Water

When I started writing this last night, we had just gotten out of the hot tub here at Gunnar’s house. In the United States, a pastor having a hot tub at home might be seen as extravagant. Here in Iceland, hot tubs are an essential part of everyday life.  While we’ve been in Iceland, I think I’ve spent more time in hot tubs than I had in my entire life in the States. We’ve already mentioned the hot tub at Skalholt—that was at a relatively modest (though very comfortable) guest house owned by the church. Kelsie told you about our trip to the heated pool and the hot tubs after we visited the President of Iceland, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson. And the other night I had the chance to have dinner with Gunnar and Thora’s neighbors, Eirikur and Stefania. Apparently there was only enough extra food for one, and I was the only one brave enough to try saltfiskur, dried, salted, and boiled cod (which was absolutely delicious).  We had a lovely conversation over dinner, largely about Eirikur's music projects (click here for authentic viking music), but one interesting cultural note was that Eirikur left shortly after dinner for the municipal pool. His day, like that of many Icelanders, wouldn’t be complete without a dip in the hot tub before bed.

             The hot tub is a place for relaxation, sure, but it also functions something like a coffee shop, bar, or barbershop in the U.S. It is a community space, where folks gather for conversation, and the latest news and town gossip is exchanged.  This is all made possible by Iceland’s abundance of volcanic hot springs, which have given Icelanders all the hot water they could ever want for the last thousand years or so. Apparently, Iceland’s conversion to Christianity (1000 A.D.) was marked by the entire parliament being baptized in a naturally warm pool.  On our first morning here, Gunnar told us not to worry about how long we were in the shower, because in Iceland, the hot water never, ever, runs out.

            So, on Tuesday evening, after spending the day in the

area around Keflavik visiting pastors and churches in a slightly more rural area, we visited the Iceland’s hot water attraction par excellence, the Blue Lagoon. The Blue Lagoon is actually formed from the wastewater of a geothermal power plant, but locals discovered that the mix of warm water and naturally occurring minerals was both relaxing and good for your skin. Thus, a major tourist attraction was born—a luxury spa in the form of a big blue lake. Visitors are able to bathe in the magic blue water, and spread the magic white mud on their face and body, all in the name of health and beauty.  It sounds silly, but let’s face it: if the Icelanders say it will make you better looking, it must at least be worth a shot. I, for one, am not opposed to looking more like an Icelander. (On that note, I got a great deal on an authentic, hand-knitted, traditional Icelandic sweater at a Salvation Army store in Reykjavik. Gunnar’s exact words were, “Now, I’m pretty sure people will address you in Icelandic.”)

Steven and I are now Icelanders.
(Photo By Paul, stolen from Steven's Facebook)

            In addition to the spas and hot tubs, another Icelandic conversational pastime, also involving hot liquids, is coffee.  I was already familiar with the European tradition of afternoon coffee and cakes from my time in Germany, but the Icelanders take it to a whole other level. Almost every place we’ve visited, whether it be the president’s house, the cemetery, the Salvation Army, or the Bishop’s office, we’ve been met with good strong coffee and the most delicious cakes you could imagine (or, at very least, some good chocolates). It makes sense; why have a plain old meeting, when you can simply add coffee and cake and turn that boring meeting into an equally productive social event? I propose introducing this custom to the States, as soon as possible. In fact, I resolve, from this point forward, to no longer discuss any business without coffee and cake in front of me.

            I’ve been grateful to be able to learn a bit about Icelandic life over many cups of excellent coffee, and that process continued tonight. We had dinner with Arnfríður Guðmundsdóttir and Gunnar Matthíasson, and a long discussion about the politics surrounding the financial crash, the drafting of a proposed new constitution (and Arnfríður's role as part of the drafting committee), and the economy and environment of Iceland today. Arnfríður and Gunnar M. fall in a slightly different place on the political spectrum than our host, Gunnar Sigurjónsson, and I think it’s valuable to hear that variety of viewpoints. I think I’ll stop there, though. I would offer my own views on Icelandic politics, but I’d rather not land myself in, well, hot water.

O God of all wisdom and truth: We give you thanks for community and conversation, for difference of opinion and harmony of purpose. Give us open hearts and minds, and willing ears to hear the voices of those around us. In the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.

What do you mean there is no fish!?

It has been busy, with lots of travel and lots more information from many a fine persons. Today we visited with students from the local university who are studying theology. From there we met with an officer of the Salvation Army, who operates a day facility for the homeless. There they are accepting and empowering some of the marginalized people that are struggling in Iceland. After that visit we strolled around downtown, taking in the sites and sounds. Then we met with some pastors called the deans, who are similar to bishop assistants, for dinner. Once again there was more fine food and wonderful conversation.
Yesterday we met with and visited some of the country churches around the "toe" of Iceland. This area is one of the few places with flat land, unfortunately it's all covered in ancient volcanic stones which makes the land difficult to farm. The churches were beautiful country churches, many right by the sea. We also met with other Salvation Army workers who work in an area located on the old army base. They have programs for children in the afternoons, and if they were not there, the children would unlikely have easy acces to any sort of program like this. After the country visit we made our way to the Blue Lagoon where we swam in the healing waters under the stars. The only thing that would have made the day better is if the northern lights would have been visible.
Monday we visits the local funeral home. We toured the building, the chapels, and learned of the customs that go on after someone has passed away. There are some differences from our culture, as well as no use of chemicals.
     During all this time we have had more cake and coffee than you could shake a stick at, it's been wonderful. The knowledge we are gaining is priceless, and it is nice to see various groups working together to serve the church as a whole. The one thing I have learned that I dislike about Iceland, and something that is extremely difficult to wrap my mind around is that there are no fish to catch from the shore line in the area, and its not untill you get to the north east part of the country that you will catch anything from the shore... It's only if you have a boat and get away from the shoreline where you will catch fish. As a someone who has grown up fishing from the shore along the Texas coast, this just will not work. In my mind there are to many children unable to make fond memories with their grandfathers because of this situation. Aside from that, Iceland is fantastic.

Thank you God for this place. For these lessons we have learned from others, for good food, and great people. Amen

Environmental Science

Please feel free to skip ahead to the asterisks (*****) since by now you’ve probably heard of the travel difficulties. Also, I’m sure my travel narrative is a bit boring. I don’t really blog or journal so it might get a bit dry. Here goes…

Monday at 8am we left Dubuque for our adventure to Iceland. We arrived 3 hours or so later at Chicago O’Hare airport. Our initial flight to Toronto was delayed causing a cascade of connection reschedules and etc. When we arrived on the ground in Toronto, we sat on the plane for about an hour and a half or so as the runways and tarmacs were gridlocked. We had a gate to go to, just no way to get to it.

Like an interstate pileup in the sky...

When we finally got to the gate in Toronto, we learned that it was late enough that we had missed our previously rescheduled flight to Iceland. At first that seemed like a nonissue and one we were already aware of that might happen. But Toronto only flies to Iceland every couple of days, so what now? We were put on a place to Copenhagen! We made the Copenhagen flight and just a couple short hours after landing in Toronto we were on the road (or, in the air, actually) flying towards Denmark for a good 7:15. Lovely jet, but I had the middle seat, so my elbows made good friends with our professor Sam on my right side and a random but pretty chill European gentleman on my left.  The Beef Stroganoff they served was pretty 5-star, so my introduction to airline food wasn’t bad. Maybe because  I felt famished and had already been travelling for 18 hours. But this isn’t about a lesson in the patience or humility of international travel. More on that later.

We landed in Copenhagen. Beautiful airport. Nice people. Decent food.

You ever seen an egg, shrimp, lettuce and mayonnaise sandwich? Me neither.
But daaaaaaaaaaaaang is it good!

 It took the airline folks quite a bit of work to get everything figured out, as apparently Air Canada had dropped the ball on something and we were, in my understanding, at the exact moment we arrived, stuck. Just… stuck. No continuing on. But, the traveler assistance folks seemed like they took on the burden and before we knew it we were on a place to Iceland! So we flew for 3 hours or so, landed, departed the plane, learned all of our luggage was lost, had a bit of a laugh about it, and shrugged our shoulders. Why? Because Hey! We made it to Iceland! WOOHOO! Gunnar and Jon came and picked us up, gave us a lovely welcoming, drove us to Gunnar’s home in Kopavogur, and we slept! We had beds to go to! For the first time in… 33’ish hours. I think.

*****Our group, throughout the travel ordeal, was smiling. We were cracking jokes at our misfortune, sarcastically (and hopefully) optimistic. We knew that by the grace of God, hardworking Canadians, helpful Danes and patient Icelanders that we would make it to our Icelandic adventure. We talked as a group about how this was, for some, a lesson in patience. For me, it wasn’t a lesson in patience because we had fun! We have a great group, a fearless leader, and high spirits.

The sun is not an early riser, a bit like
most seminarians...

So, we left on Monday. By this time in our trip it was Wednesday morning, Icelandic time. I don’t remember when exactly as I was still in a bit of a daze, but we loaded into vehicles and took off for our first destination – Skalholt. I rode with a nice Icelander named Benedict. Benedict took the hour long or so drive to point out some things about Iceland. Q. What is that all smoke coming out of the ground? A. It’s steam from geothermal energy works. Q. What kind of fish is caught in that river? A. Salmon. Q. Can we fish in that river? A. Sure, for $1-10,000… a day.

This was a very nice introduction to Iceland, because it showed us some of the basic framework for how Iceland is, well, Iceland. Firstly, a major part (the major part?) is water. The country utilizes water for energy production in a great amount. Enough, actually, to potentially export it, and certainly enough that fresh water is a major piece of their national discussion. Water is used for energy, for heating, for fishing, for drinking, for an infinite amount of things and is in a system that is all connected. That is important.

Secondly, fish! Salmon, Cod, crab (not a fish) is a big industry here! Gunnar, our host, was a fisherman by trade for a long while (I need to remember to ask him for some stories!). If you want to read the numbers, they’re widely available on the internet. But remember that fish as an industry is important to the history of Iceland.

Thirdly, tourism! We saw a river and wanted to fish in it. Apparently, a lot of people do! And for quite a sum of money! I don’t know when the tourism industry got off the ground here, but it seems like the industry is well established and not on thin ice. Tourism spreads Icelandic culture and brings valuable revenue to the shops and Icelandic business.

Look at me, I am water! Representing
energy, fish, tourism, life, etc.,
important elements to the life of
Iceland. I can't think of any other group
 whose life is so well represented through
the properties and metaphor of water.

Oh wait - Christians!

So what does the flow of water in Iceland have to do with the price of rice in China? Economics, like an environment, is a system that lives alongside and within other systems. Deciding to make even minor adjustments in a complicated system can have large good or negative impacts on things you wouldn’t even have dreamed! This means there are different landmines in the discussion about things such as clean energy. For example, I would love to see more hydroelectric in the United States. About a decade ago, coal accounted for 51% of American energy production. I don’t know the number now. But you know how dirty coal is? It’s nasty. Straight up bad. Can’t deal with it without getting your hands dirty (pun very intentional). I would love to have a larger national discussion in the United States on clean energy production, and in my mind, hydroelectric could be a part of that. I asked about it here in Iceland. To get hydroelectric energy, you dam up a river, drop a turbine in it, water turns the turbine, and energy is converted out into a useable source. Sounds great, right? Could be. Can be. I don’t know enough. But what if you drop the dam in a river, the flow of the river is redirected enough that some smaller tributaries dry up or made much smaller and the fish can’t survive there? Now there might be some damaged industries, including fishing and tourism. Or what if, as we were enlightened about one particularly contentious debate, the dam is thought to inhibit certain silt and sediment flows that then are reduced at the ocean where the rivers outlets, affecting the breeding ground of the large fishing crop of codthat would normally be found there? There could be profound consequences on industry, economics, etc.

What the particular discussion about what clean energy production in Iceland means for Iceland, I don’t know nor do I claim have 10% of the knowledge I’d need to make an informed and valuable opinion. But what I do come away with is a broadened horizon for understanding the inter-connectedness of all systems and ecosystems. In Iceland, the country is a much smaller land mass than the United States, so it’s different for me to imagine the consequences and changes that some environmental changes made in say, Cheyenne, or Oregon, or Vermont, might have on other parts of the United States, like Iowa, Kansas or Utah. By simply talking with one man about geothermal energy and fishing for probably a total of 20 minutes of a 60 minute car ride on our first day in the country, and then talking with another man, Axl, a couple days later for a bit longer about water and hydroelectric energy, so on and so forth, my perspective has been stretched, teaching me to consider more of the effects that even small changes can have on an entire ecosystem. So, before I go on, as I’m already at the end of single-spaced page 2 as I type this in Microsoft Word and up to this point in the story of our 6 days of travelling I’ve only reached the end of the first hour of the first morning of our trip, I should say that this trip has already done two major things for me – 1) I’ve learned a lot about Iceland already. Axl asked me what I expected Iceland to be like before I came and I sat there (and Will can attest to this) for a good 5-10 minutes before I told Axl that I had absolutely no idea.  And 2) this trip is challenging my base foundations for understanding and interpreting the world around me. The specific example I gave you is specifically talking about ecosystems and general systems-theory, but my entire lens is being adjusted and refined, like if I suddenly noticed a big speck that was on my glasses and I began to clean it off.

This is getting long and the day (night) and hour (morning) is getting late, so instead of narrating more tonight, I will save that for a later time.  I leave you with two things a quote that I have absolutely cherished ever since the 12^th grade and that I hope informs you, the reader, partly as to why I needed to come to Iceland. I remember it kind of roughly, so, apologies, but here it is: “A person’s mind, once stretched by a new idea, never returns to its original dimension.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes

Dear God, thank you for the diversity of your creation, that you teach us and expand our horizons. Grant us humility, that we might learn from our sisters and our brothers across the sea, both about their communities and ways of life and about how we can grow in faithful practice of discipleship back home. 

Góði Guð takk fyrir fjölbreytnina sem þú hefur gert í þessum heimi, að þú kennir okkur og víkkar sjóndeildarhringinn okkar. Veitt okkur hógværð, sem við getum lært af systrum okkar og bræðrum í heiminum, bæði samfélag þeirra og lifnarðarhætti og hvernig trú okkar vex í starfi lærisveinsins heima.

Hooray! I'm blind again

     This morning when I awoke there was something waiting for me at the door, MY BAG! It is amazing what simple things can cause you to feel great. For instance, a clean shirt, pair of pants, or the ability to remove your contacts and allow them to soak overnight. So being blind again, is a good feeling.
After another two days, so much has been learned, seen, and experienced, none of which has been bad. The view, people, and food continue to be outstanding.
     I went before the President in borrowed pants, I don't think he noticed. But he was very well spoken, informative, educated, and honest. Perhaps our politicians should take a lesson. As Meagan mentioned we learned religion is something that is not of concern in Icelandic politics. I find it interesting that though we claim our nation separates religion and politics, its one of the main issues in debates. However in Iceland, the church is a state church, and is never an issue. The warning from the president is a good one, and thanks Meagan for reminding me of it, God is not a football. Perhaps the politics need to keep the religion to those studying, practicing, and doing their best as humans to live it. Anyways, our visit was enjoyable, and informative, there were no metal detectors, secret service, or pat downs. We were treated more as equals in conversation rather than someone in an act or show.
     Last but not least, here is a little lesson from food. The new things I have tried, horse, spiced/ cured lamb, shark, cured salmon, Reindeer paté, Icelandic licorice, have all really been good. Coming into Iceland I had heard of the foods, and the mixed emotions that come with them, some positive, many more negative. However I pushed those things aside, and tried it for myself, and what do you know, it's good stuff. It is nowhere close to tacos and beans, but hey it is good, and I would, and hopefully will, eat these things again. The lesson? perhaps we all can learn from this experience, in personal life, and as a church. Everyone is a critic, and everyone has an opinion, but unless you try something for yourself, your never going to know, and in a way you remain ignorant to a subject. As a church, maybe its good to break away from the tacos and beans, and try horse, shark and reindeer, who knows we may find some new life and nourishment in the stuff. The same goes for our day to day life, try it, you may like it, if not, hey you still have your beans and tacos.
    P.S. hot tubs, steam rooms, and heated pools are great. Especially when its below freezing outside.

Creator of this amazing land. Thank you for new opportunities, new people, foods, and experiences. Grant us the courage to brave new things and experience your creation with open, willing hearts and minds. Amen
   

A Day at The Pool in January in Iceland...Wait...What?!

A precursor story to satisfy some friends...

Sooo....As some of you heard through Facebook, most of us spent time in a hot tub during our stay at Skálholt. We decided earlier in the day that we wanted to get in, but as you have heard, none of us had our luggage. The guys would be fine, they could just go in and sit in a towel or in their underwear. I, on the other hand, could not just wear my underwear and/or a towel, as the towels are smaller and wouldn't fit around me, nor cover all of me enough that I would be comfortable going into public. I ended up turning in from the Divine Disorder earlier than the others...jet lag and all...and I wanted to get in...it would have been a shame for all that hot water to be wasted. So...I began my search for a suitable solution. I would be by myself, so I wasn't as concerned with modesty as I would have been if the others had gone in with me. I tried wrapping the towel around me, and found I wasn't comfortable with that...even just with myself going out. So...I started digging through the bag that Paul and I packed for this short trip. Inside of this bag, I found a roll of duct tape...camo duct tape. This gave me a flashback moment...recently, I had found a Pin on Pinterest that explained to women how to us tape to kind of make a "bra" that is both backless and strapless for dresses of the same kind. The pin suggested using athletic or medical tape...but...yeah. I didn't have any. I was well prepared, however, to create amazingness from the duct tape because of a program I was a part of in school called Destination ImagiNation (creative problem solving competition...google it, its amazing!) in which my team frequently chose the problem where you had to create everything out of duct tape and newspaper. I didn't use newspaper for the bikini, but I definitely used duct tape. Using what I had learned from Pinterest, I quickly and efficiently made a bikini top out of the camo duct tape. It was both functional, adorable, and comfortable!

Speeding up in the story: I spent an hour and a half in the hot tub alone. During this time, I FaceTimed my mom and sang aloud. I didn't stay that long by choice...I found out the hard way that the keys to the house did not unlock the side door...so I kept messaging Steven on Facebook to send someone to get the keys from me and let me back into the house. Half the time I spent in the hot tub, I was waiting for Steven to see the messages. Not his fault, though, I wouldn't have been checking my phone while in conversation with these amazing people, either! Anywho...I made it back into the house and ended up going to bed. Plus, the tape didn't hurt to take off! Apparently, the heat from the hot tub softened the adhesive enough that it stayed put, but wasn't painful to remove. Hip, hip, hooray!

Fast forward to today!

Today was the first day that everyone had their luggage!!! So, we planned to go to the pool. We went to a flea market where everyone (but me, because I wasn't hungry...legitimate excuse...I'm trying to learn to eat only when I'm hungry and not when I'm bored) tried hákarl (follow the link to find out what they ate!), and walked around and observed the people! Paul, Megan, and I also found and spoke to a man from Kenya. He was selling jewelry made from recycled or repurposed goods made by women in his village who were poor, and the money he made helped to build and support a school in Kenya. They actually bought the land and built a school in Kenya with the money they made in Iceland in 6 months by going door to door and collecting cans and bottles and turning them in for a refund. We spoke to him for half of our time in the flea market, and then headed to the store to get groceries. While Gunnar was shopping, the rest of us walked around and explored the grocery store named Bonus. While in there, I got Licorice for my dad. Apparently, Iceland is one of the few (2 or 3, I think) places where you can get real licorice...apparently everything in the US is flavored with Anise and not real licorice. Hope you like it, Dad! 

Once done at the store, we headed to the pool. Pools in Iceland can be used year round, because the water comes out of the hot springs at about 170F, and is cooled by the air while traveling into town. The cultural differences are very apparent, and extremely interesting at the pool. At the pool, like at all pools I know of, the men and women go into separate locker rooms and change. This is where the similarities end. At Icelandic pools, and other pools in European countries, you strip down in the locker room, go to a shower area, with no curtains, and wash yourself with provided soap, before getting into the pools. I learned a lesson in this room that I believe needs to be brought over to the US. In that room...no one was ashamed to be naked. No one stared. No one pointed and laughed and someone who was too skinny or overweight. I couldn't understand anyone talking, but the atmosphere was different. No one was embarrassed. Everyone just took off their clothes and put them in the locker, walked to the shower, washed themselves thoroughly, put on their bathing suit, and left. No one was uncomfortable but Megan and I, because we were not accustomed to it. There are two things to learn here. One, showering and washing before the pool keeps the water cleaner, so less chemicals are needed and the water is clean. The second is a matter of body image. To paraphrase Gunnar: They don't even think about it when the undress at the pool. Everyone is walking around naked and it doesn't matter. This is something amazing to me. In our culture sex, sexuality, and all that goes with it are only discussed behind closed doors and are taboo, but most advertisements are soaked in sexuality! You see car advertisements with half-naked women laying across them; this Christmas there was an underwear advertisement with men in boxers, socks, and santa hats, thrusting their pelvis' as if they were the bars of a xylophone being played by a percussionist. We aren't allowed to talk about it, but we are surrounded by it. 

Sorry, I'll get off my soap box, but the lesson is this: we should be comfortable in the bodies that God gave us. We shouldn't be ashamed to be naked in front of those of the same sex. To paraphrase Gunnar again, we have been covering and clothing our bodies and our hearts/minds since the Garden of Eden. We have lost respect for these wonderfully complicated organic "machines" that God created. We need to remember that we are all Children of God and that we are fearfully and wonderfully made (Ps 139:14). 

To end the day, we had a delicious meal cooked by Gunnar's amazing wife, Þóra (sounds like Thora). After dinner, we watched a portion of the movie, The Steam of Life, where we were exposed to the Finnish culture. After we experienced what Gunnar wanted us to, we popped in another movie called Intouchables, a French movie that is fantastic...its on Netflix, go watch it! Now Gunnar, Will, Paul and I are sitting here talking about fishing, gardening, cars, church, guns, body image, cultural differences, and basically just learning more about each other and our cultures. Now, I'm off to bed...ok thats not true...I'm going to read, then eventually go to bed. Good night!

P.S. Sorry for being so long...I like to do this blogging thing while I travel. And, there was supposed to be a video of a geyser erupting, but it wouldn't upload, but fear not, my friends, I shall try again!

Gracious Creator, 
Thank you for the amazing things that you have created: the landscape, the food, and the people. Help us to treat each and every human being as your child. Help us to see all as equals and as your amazing creation. Teach us to respect and love all, no matter the shape they are in both mentally and physically. Allow us, Lord, to channel your love and kindness and appreciate all that you have made. In your Holy Name I pray, Amen.