Our Iceland Story...Part 2

 I know you've all just been DYING to read about the rest of our Mission trip.  :)  And I am to please.  Here's the 2nd installment for your enjoyment.  And on Sheila Fitzgerald's birthday, no less!  Sheila, if you're reading, Happy Birthday!  We love you and miss you. 

The next day, Friday the 11th, we rose early, and had breakfast and devotion.  I have to add now that every single day we were on the island, I had a ham and cucumber sandwich for breakfast.  I never knew those two things combined could be so delicious, but they were!  We prepared the dvd’s for distribution that morning.  We attached pieces of paper to them, explaining what they were and that they were in Icelandic (which is very rare), and we left to start our distribution.  We walked and met some really neat people.  One man that stood out to me was Skoley (and yes, I know that I am totally butchering the spelling of these amazing Icelandic people's names.  And I am sorry!).  I was walking with Sheila and Carol.  Jeannie and Cassie were with a church lady named Lillja, and the men were in teams.  Skoley would not accept our dvd, but he was very open to us talking to him.  He explained that Jesus was everywhere to him.  In the trees, his heart, our hearts, the doorpost.  Sad.  He said that Jesus was different for everyone and would not accept the movie.  He said prayers every night, the Lord’s prayer, and Sheila asked him to pray it for us.  So he did.  He invited us in for coffee, but we declined, saying we had to go.  I hope that long after this, that he will remember our kindness, and that the Lord will draw him to Him. 

Meanwhile, while Eddie and Todd were teamed up walking, one man they approached, a surgeon we later found out, was very open to the dvd and offered Eddie a quick tour of the island.  He explained to Eddie that he thought he would go to Heaven because of his good deeds.  Eddie was glad for the chance to talk to him, because he was able to share his faith.  And hoped at the same time that, like Skoley, he would remember the kindness and one day come to know our Lord and Savior. 

Poor Todd was all by himself since his partner had up and left him. :)  And Mama Carol, Eddie's REAL Mama, threatened Eddie within an inch of his life if he ever got into a stranger's car again.  Lol!!

We walked some more and stopped for a break for lunch.  Lillja had arranged for us to eat a delicious meal at a restaurant.  It was chicken or lamb, or something, but it was so good.  We had veggies and dessert as well.  With green peas.  If you know me, you know that I detest green peas.  But I ate them, to be polite.  They were actually pretty good.  We also had coffee.  We walked and distributed more after lunch.  For dinner, Sheila fixed tomato soup and salad, then we walked some more.  This time I walked with Karl.  The pastor’s son.  And gave him part of my heart.

I learned that he kind of liked school (kind of not) and that he loved gymnastics.  He told me he’d been taking for some time and he asked me if I would like to see a little demonstration.  To which I said, “Absolutely!”  He did ask his mom first.  We talked some more and walked and distributed.  I met one really cool man named Oscar who was from Canada.  We talked about the States, and Memphis, and he told me of his love for music.  He had been to Memphis in the past year or so and I think he got a real kick out of my southern accent.  I invited him to church, but he didn’t come. 

After Oscar’s house, Karl did his gymnastics move for me.  I was impressed.  He was on a fence post and flipped off backwards.  Pretty cool.  And scary.  We distributed the rest of the dvd’s and walked back to Bethel.  I think we beat most of the groups back, so we just kind of hung around until everyone got back.  Eddie had found an internet connection in the kitchen, and I spent some of that time checking email and facebook.  Graham and Drew were regularly sending me emails, and I loved hearing from them.  Drew’s always consisted of: “Dear Mom, I miss you so much.  I love you.  I can’t wait for you to get home.  Love, Drew”.  They were funny.  We also were able to call them.  Mike and Sheila let us use their American cell phones.  Sometimes we were able to get them, sometimes we were not able to get them.  But, we talked with them all pretty regularly. 

Mike and all the guys finally got back and had some very exciting news.  One of the islanders that goes to Bethel owns his own touring business.  There are bus tours, boat tours, and he owns a restaurant, as well.  I wish I could remember his name, but it has fled my mind.  Anyway, this precious man offered to take us out on the midnight boat tour around the islands!  We were so excited!  Even with it being at midnight, we were still excited.  Because who in the world goes to bed early on a mission trip?!?!  Not us, that’s for sure!! 

We hung around and talked until it was time to start walking to the dock.  What was supposed to have started at midnight ended up not starting until closer to 1a.m.  We were freezing while we waited, too, so Gudny let us ladies get into his car to keep warm.  Someone (me) thought all I would need was my fleece Iceland pullover that Eddie had had made for all of the team.  I was f.r.o.z.e.n. to the bone!!  Sheila, Carol, Cassie and I all piled into Gudny’s car, and then Jeannie joined us.  Then Danny.  We ended up taking a hilarious picture of all of us crammed in there like sardines.  But we were warm!

It was finally time for us to board the boat.  I was a little worried that I would get seasick again, but thank the Lord, this time I was fine.  I think I did take a Dramamine just to be safe, but I don’t think I would have needed it.  We boarded the boat, and were given h’or doerves.  There had been a party on the boat before us, and there were leftovers of smoked lamb sandwiches, and some other little sandwiches with some sort of salad type spread.  They were good.  And at almost 1 in the morning, we were all getting hungry again.

The boat left the dock, and I was just amazed.  I think I had a God moment right then and there.  I couldn’t believe I was halfway around the world from home, and here it was, 1 in the morning, and I’m on a boat cruising around the Westmann islands in Iceland.  It was unbelievable.  Very surreal.  I couldn’t snap pictures fast enough.  I think Todd felt the same way.  We were both so humbled to have been able to be a part of this trip, and it all caught up with me right then at this very moment. 

I was stunned at the beauty all around me.  The sun was still out at this early hour of morning, and the water beneath us was turquoise blue.  It was astonishing.  The magnificence of the islands was something that I will forever hold in my memory.  Oddly enough, as cold as I had been at the boat dock, once we were out on open water, I was not cold at all.  The chill had given way to goose bumps.  I literally felt God all around me.  I didn’t talk much during this excursion.  I was almost at the point of being speechless. 

I need to stop here and tell a little story.  While we had dinner our first night at Linden, Mike had shown us a video of a man playing a trumpet in a cave.  The cave was not really a “cave”, but a room carved out of the side of a part of some rock.  In this cave, the acoustics were crystal clear.  At certain times in the day, you would be able to hear an instrument playing from the cave all across the island.  In the video, the man playing the trumpet was Gudny’s father, who had passed away a few years before.  He was playing Amazing Grace on the trumpet. 

We continued on with the tour and came to find that we were with some serious bird watchers.  There was some little rare bird that they were watching for that could only be seen at 2 places in the world.  I think they were called Ghost Birds, maybe??  Anyway, Vestmannaeyjar was one place they were able to be seen.  But only in the wee hours of the morning.  We stayed in one spot FOREVER watching these birds.  Gently rocking all the while, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth.  Which is probably the reason I rocked for DAYS after this trip.  I think the rocking motion finally went away for me a couple weeks after we got home. 

Anyway.  We started the trip back.  The captain pulled the boat into the cave I just told you about.  And my sweet friend, Karl, I also found out, plays the trumpet.  Just like his granddad.  And proceeded to play in the cave, on his trumpet, Amazing Grace.  If I have ever tangibly felt the presence of God, it was right then at that moment.  I stood and listened with my eyes closed, tears silently pouring out of my eyes the entire time.  I was a complete and total mess.  All for my Jesus.  I met with Him right then at that very moment.  I don’t think I said one word the rest of the night.  We ended our tour and headed back to Bethel.  Eddie let us skip devotions because it was almost 3 a.m. at this point.  We all said our good nights and headed to bed. 



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This is all I've written so far.  Before I post the next installment, I will need to finish writing it!  So, I hope you don't get too impatient.  I promise to try and finish writing about it in the next couple weeks.  Love to all.