Right now I am in Storm Lake, Iowa. Learning great truths and experiencing deep personal growth and doing some bird watching while I’m at it.
Or at least I assume I am. As I write this I am still at home. Such is the wonder of the WordPress scheduling tool.
A few months ago I hinted at this Storm Lake trip, way back when I told you about a birding class I signed up for. It’s part of “Synod School” – a week-long event offering both educational and recreational activities for Presbyterians in the Synod of Lakes and Prairies.
Just imagine: a whole week with Presbyterians! In Iowa! (I bet you’re burning with envy right now.)
I don’t always tag along with Husband on church-related trips, but there was a reason I agreed to this time. Namely, I thought we’d tango.
One of the courses was “Beginning Ballroom Dancing.” Husband said if I went, we could take the class together. Now how could I pass that up?
Alas, it was not to be.
Due to professional obligations, Husband had to attend a different class that, sadly, conflicted with the dance class. And beings how I didn’t want to tango alone – or with a stranger – and beings how I already asked for the time off, I selected some other classes. I could do up to four, and I decided to make two of them serious and the others just-for-fun.
These are the four I’m taking:
1) Robins, Raptors and Ducks: This is the one I told you about. We’re instructed to bring a pair of binoculars and a journal to write in. On two of the days we’re going to NW Iowa Watchable Wildlife areas to “test our skills.” I’ll let you know how that works out.
(No, I haven’t bought a pith helmet… yet.)
2) Mark and Radical Discipleship: One of my serious classes – it was the radical part that appealed to me. The course description read, “We will explore the timeless issues of poverty, gender, justice, liberation, equality, etc., using the Gospel of Mark as a guide.” If the class turns out radical enough, I’ll let you know.
3) The Letter from Birmingham Jail as a Confessional Statement: My other serious class, I feel it requires an explanation. You see, the Presbyterians have a constitution. It’s made up of two books: The Book of Order and the Book of Confessions. The Book of Order has all kinds of policies and procedures of how things are done or not done in the church, and this book changes a lot. The Book of Confessions is filled with statements of faith, such as the Apostle’s Creed and Nicene Creed, among others. This book never changes. Meaning once something is added, it’s never removed. Therefore, adding something to it is a Big. Hairy. Deal.
Right now there’s a movement afoot to add Dr. King’s Birmingham Jail letter. That’s what this class is covering and I thought it sounded intriguing. I’ll let you know what I find out.
4) The Enneagram for Soul Strength: Maybe it sounds odd, but I chose this as a “just-for-fun” class. If you know what the Enneagram is – no worries if you don’t – it’s kind of like a personality test that assigns you a number. The instructor emailed ahead of time with some links for taking the test and to be honest, when I saw that she emailed all 27 participants without using bcc and that her note was written in Comic Sans, I judged her. And then when three people responded saying, “looking forward to it” using reply all?!
I judged them, too.
And then I wondered if this wasn’t some kind of clever ruse on the part of the instructor to test our personalities.
Anyway, I took the test and found out I’m a 5. And then I looked up some other tests online and took them too. They all said I was a 5. And then I read something that said of all the Enneagram types, the 5 is the most likely to take the test over and over again to make sure they’re getting the right information.
So, yeah. Guess I’m a 5.
There’s supposed to be a number of evening activities during the week as well, one of which is a “Synod School Dance.” (Maybe we’ll pick up some tango tips?) All of this is taking place at Buena Vista University – a Presbyterian college right next to the lake. Husband and I will be sharing a dorm room. (No kidding.)
In short, I shouldn’t have any trouble finding things to write about. I’m taking along my laptop and tablet and I’m hoping there’ll be plenty of time for this writing and also for keeping up with my blogger buddies. Heck, maybe I’ll even draw a bird or two. Who knows?
So until next week, this is me in Iowa (not really but yeah) saying: Keep it real, keep it interesting, and keep on dancing. 🕺🏾
Feeding on Folly 
Have fun! 🙂 I love chickadees and fed many if them (when I had back yard feeders – I’m moving around now too much for that).
Birdwatching is so relaxing and calming, l find. 🙂
I didn’t have the free time to write/read as I thought I might, but it was indeed fun, and yes, the bird watching was very relaxing. That is, once I stopped staring into the trees. *myneckwillneverforgiveme*
Hahaha. 😀
It’s a wild ride from tango lessons to the Birmingham Jail but if anybody can make the journey … you can. Definitely keep us posted — MLK’s letter is one of the influential documents of American history (Federals Papers etc.) but I’ve always believed it has a wider reach so I’m totally intrigued. cheers
That class turned out to be the most interesting and had the best discussion coming out of it. Just imagine, even I spoke a few times! 😮 Will wonders never cease?
Stay tuned…
Well, if I was going to spend a week with Presbyterians, I would want to do it in Iowa. My wife did an Enneagram class at our church. She figured out what I am and informed me I was a good fit for her type.
Which I am fine with. Someday I might do that class too. Not sure if that would help me remember my type or whatever it is.
When you get your pith helmet, we want pictures.
Alas, no pith helmet and no pictures. Can you ever forgive me?
The Enneagram was a fun class and in my opinion very worthwhile. Unlike other tests I’ve taken, it’s not a “this is who I am so deal with it,” but more a method of finding your strengths and weaknesses and growing to your best self. (I discovered my husband is a good type for me, too. 🙂)
I’ve been on several church related trips like this, CJ, with the UCC when we lived in Wisconsin. We always got fed very well, made new friends, and learned a lot. Super curious to read all about your experience!
Thanks, Rhonda! It turned out a great week, can’t wait to tell you all about it — and oh my gosh, the food was great! 😀
Sounds like a diverse experience! Have a great time. I’ll look for your unique take on the offerings in the future. Well, you may not get to tango, but at least they let you sleep together. 😉
Thanks — it turned out to be a great trip and we managed to learn the box step. Next year, we’ll tango for sure! 😀
Cha-cha-cha!
It sounds like you are going to have a really swell (although tango-less) time, so I am breathlessly awaiting your future reports.
I’ve heard about this Enneagram thing, but I haven’t actually taken the test. What are the odds that I might get a “5” as well, hmm?
Ooooh, interesting thought! Okay, here’s a quick test and it’s free: https://www.9types.com/rheti/index.php
There’s a more in-depth one they offer that’s $10, but my guess is you do enough self-reflection on a regular basis that you’ll test okay with this one. 😉
Brace yourself. I did get a “6” on one of the categories, but I got a “5” in most of them…
Oh, I should probably have warned you that would happen. There is a bit of “self-discovery” required here. The highest score is likely your number, you can also score high on the numbers closest to it. And the instructor said it’s not uncommon to test high on a number that actually belongs to one of your parents, if they were a particularly dominant personality.
Feeling dizzy? I was too until I took the class and only then did it come across fun.
Oh dear – I love Comic Sans – it has a slightly soft feel to it. I am judged 🙂
Ah, but do you email 27 people and in the process share their email addresses with all of them?
No?
Then you are vindicated. 😉
Nope, I would never do that – but I do love me some Comic Sans 🙂
I am very much looking forward to your reports back to base. The whole ‘5’ thing made me honk out loud. And I’m too curious about this sort of stuff to not go looking myself. Happy twitching!
I confess, it unnerved me a little to find myself described so accurately by this test. And here I thought I was so unique! 🙄
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