Well, the Pilgrimage Project 2010 has officially come to an end, but that doesn't mean the concept has.
Monday, I returned from a 12 day pilgrimage to the Isle of Iona in Scotland. I traveled with a great group of 13 other people from all backgrounds, but we were all looking to broaden our understanding of our faith among other things. The journey started back in September with monthly bible studies based around the book "The Geography of God" (Michael Lindvall) and came to a "close" through our trip to Scotland.
We left two weeks ago from RDU and flew to PHI and then GLA. After spending a few hours in Glasgow, we took the train to Oban. Oban is a small fishing town on the west coast and is absolutely gorgeous. We were hosted by the Church of Scotland Parish in town and many families from that congregation. While in Oban, we spent lots of time exploring and shopping, and some of us climbed up to the remains of Dunolie Castle. It was only one tower of the castle, but it was incredible to look at, not to mention the view of the water and town!
Saturday was another travel day. We took the ferry from Oban to Mull (and saw the castle from "Entrapment" along the way!), took a bus across Mull, and then another Ferry from Mull to Iona. It was a hectic and long day, but not nearly as bad as the 39 hours of planes, buses, and trains it took to get us to Oban and our beds there. The rest of the afternoon was fairly relaxing as we began to explore the island and meet the others that were staying at the abbey (a mix of people there on thier own, D. Min. students from McCormick Seminary, and us).
Sunday through Thursday was full of community, worshipping, and working in the Abbey. Tuesday was the Pilgrimage day when we went on a 7 mile hike to different sites all over Iona, including Columba Bay. This is where Saint Columba landed with 12 monks after being exiled from Ireland. Iona was the first place that he landed and could not see Ireland (it was a cloudy day) so they stayed there and began to build a community. The pilgrimage was a struggle but completely worth it!
We left Iona on Friday and began the journey back to Glasgow (back across Mull and to Oban to meet the train). Once in Glasgow, we met up with our new hosts and went home with them for the rest of the evening (we actually walked through Queens Park).
Saturday was Edinburgh and doing all of the touristy stuff. It was nice, but I wouldn't rush to go back. I did get to walk the Royal Mile, see the castle, Queens Palace, and the Legislature building though. That evening, our (me and Callie) host and one other host family (Kelly and Lois) took the four of us girls to hear a 60s cover band at a pub outside of town. This was my favorite night by far! In addition to bonding with some incredible people, the band gave us lots of shout outs and even played the national anthem for us at midnight to celebrate Independence Day.
Sunday we went to church and then to the art museum. This was lots of fun, but I was dead and only thinking about coming home.
Overall, the trip was incredible. I learned a lot about myself, thought a lot about things going on at home (mostly a long the lines of what I have posted about in the past), and learned a lot about many other things that I saw and experienced. It was a new thing for me to sit and eat dinner with gay ministers and their partners and transexuals, have theological discussions and discussions about my ministry hopes with D. Min. students and professors, and just laugh about nothing. I am still thinking about some of those conversations and others gave me a push that I didn't realize I needed. The genuine care and support from the community was amazing. I can still hear what Kathryn Ann said to me before separating in the Queen St. train station in Glasgow, "I know you have your life scheduled for the next few years, but don't be afraid to let it change some because you never know how some things will fit into the plan." It was so nice to hear that from someone who I opened up to about my life and who has been through the same stuff.
I am still not sure exactly what happened while I was there, and I may not know or see the effects for a while. One thing I know is that I am more sure about my call to ministry than ever, and even about where I will be going to seminary. I am more relaxed about letting my schedule change in some ways, but not looking for those ways. But even more so, I have more questions to ask and look for answers to. The questions will hopefully lead to a stronger ministry on my part. My next step? Start looking for some answers and prepare myself for the next few years. It will be hard, but I know that I have family and friends that will be with me the entire way. After that? I would love to go back to Iona on Pilgrimage after I finish seminary and see what has changed for me, and maybe take someone new with me when I go so they can experience it as well :)
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