What a Trip to Iceland Means to Me

Thingvellir National Park

A week ago I got back from a 5-day trip to Iceland with six of my friends from GAP (Northstar Church's Graduates and Professionals group). It was a really fun trip, but it meant more to me than just an adventure in another country.

It means I have friends.

Almost two years ago I had to go to residential treatment because I was depressed and considering suicide. Part of the reason I was so depressed was because I was lonely because I had lost most of my friends from Liberty and had almost no friends my age and stage of life who lived nearby. But now I have friends to go on adventures and just have fun with.

It means it's possible for my health to get better.

Another factor that led to my depression was being frustrated and discouraged about my health problems. I got Cdiff (a bacterial/intestinal infection) in 2015, and I'm still recovering, which means I have post-infectious IBS and Chronic Fatigue. (You can read more about my health problems in this post.) At times my lack of energy has kept me from doing normal activities with friends, and even now I have to plan ahead and "budget" my energy so I don't run out before an event or activity I want to attend. I also haven't been able to travel overseas because there are a lot of international foods I can't eat because I have stomach problems. This has been pretty frustrating for me because I feel like I was made to travel--whether that means living overseas someday or just taking occasional trips overseas.

I have had more energy since this fall, but it is still not a "normal" energy level. For example, I generally only work 18 hours a week. This fall my friend Ezra found a good deal on airfare and decided to lead a trip to Iceland. After doing a ridiculous amount of research and sending Ezra lots of e-mails, I took a big risk in November and I bought my ticket for Iceland.

When it got closer to the trip, I started worrying about how my health would be on the trip, particularly whether I'd have energy for all the hiking we planned to do. I asked my small group to pray for my health and energy on the trip and found out later that my mom's small group was also praying for me. God definitely answered those prayers! I had an unusual amount of energy and, for the most part, was able to keep up with the rest of the group. On our last full day I even did a 6 km (3.7 mile) hike to a waterfall through deep snow and ice! I was exhausted and dizzy at the end, but I did it. My friends were good about checking up on me during the hike to make sure I was okay and waiting for me to take breaks to rest. I also stayed healthy during the trip and didn't have any major stomach problems.

I am so thankful for even a short trip overseas because I felt like I was going to lose my mind if I was stuck in the States any longer! This was my first time overseas since my internship in Romania in 2014 and since I got sick. I don't know whether or not my health and energy level will continue to improve, but at least I know now that it's possible for it to get better.

For anyone who wants a more detailed account of what we did in Iceland, you can check out Ezra's blog. 

Photo credit: Adam Hines