Hello everyone!
My name is Bitta, and I will be your new intern pastor here at House of Prayer Lutheran! I’m so excited to be here.
A few words of introduction: I’m a Minnesota native, having grown up a mere 80 miles south of here in Rochester, MN. As much as I loved the snow days we got every year in school, I opted to move south for college and did my undergraduate studies at Washington University in St. Louis, MO. I enjoyed that adventure so much that I decided to try life a little farther away and spent time studying in France and volunteering with AmeriCorps in rural Washington state. After several years away, I bounced back to be closer to my family and spent two years working at Mayo Clinic before I finally decided to go to seminary.
After what sometimes feels like a lifetime later, I graduated this June with my MDiv degree from a seminary in Seattle, WA called The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology. I started my studies there in 2009, and after three years in the Pacific Northwest amidst mountains and coffee shops, I came back to the Midwest to finish my degree at Luther Seminary.
Along the way, I picked up some company: a friend of mine from college came to visit me in Seattle and stayed to get married. Preston and I have been married a little over two years now, and are excited to add a third member to our family this fall: our baby is due in mid-September.
When I’m not moving across the country or getting ready to have a baby, I love all things outdoors. Hiking and camping and biking and running have kept me sane through the long years of graduate study, and I can’t wait to explore some of the beautiful places near here. I also really enjoy children’s novels–the Chronicles of Narnia are my favorites, followed closely by Ender’s Game. If you have book recommendations, please don’t keep them to yourself!
I’m so looking forward to getting to know this congregation and finding out about your ministry. I’ll be here part-time for the next two years, and I can’t wait to meet you!
See you soon, Bitta Fynskov Clark