The plane leaves in 11 days, 2 hours, 40 minutes and 10 seconds. I will arrive in Copenhagen 26 hours and 59 minutes after I leave from Cedar Rapids, Iowa with a total travel time of 19 hours!
Hello, my name is Erika Uthe. I am a senior at Wartburg Seminary in Dubuque Iowa, where I reside during the week. My home is in Cedar Rapids, with my husband Russ and I am looking forward to graduation and a call to a church as their pastor in May. Before living in Cedar Rapids, I attended Iowa State University and obtained a BS in Biology with a minor in Spanish.
In October I was offered a seat on a delegation with United Nations Iowa to attend the COP15 Climate Change Conference we have been hearing about in the news. Thanks to Iowa Interfaith Power and Light and several generous donors, my trip will be fully funded. (Check out the conference website at: http://en.cop15.dk/frontpage for more information about the conference, quiz yourself on the issues, and read the latest news from around the world.)
As part of the delegation we will attend plenary sessions, small group presentations and discussions, and visit the many non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that are registered. Our plan is to meet over breakfast each morning and go over the agenda for the day - it promises to keep us busy! Each of the delegates has chosen at least two NGOs to follow throughout the conference. There are several registered that focus on human rights, social justice, and care for creation, but I chose ACT International - Action by Churches Together and Evangelical Environmental Network because they explicitly connect faith with climate change.
Genesis 1.31a ~ And God saw everything that God had made, and indeed, it was very good.
We read in this first chapter of Genesis that God created human beings and commanded them to "fill the earth and subdue it." We now interpret this 'subdue' to mean 'steward' - to responsibly care for all that God has given us. Due to centuries of use and abuse, creation is now crying out as we await the promise of a new creation; as children of God we are responsible for caring and loving creation as God has first loved us.
I am excited for my journey which begins in Copenhagen and continues upon my return. In traveling to Copenhagen I hope to learn and witness firsthand how international relations can work for the betterment of all creation, to learn about new technologies and developments in science that will enhance our ability to care and live in our creation, and to integrate more fully how faith connects with the world in caring for creation.
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