Throstur Thordarson, an Indiana pastor, traveled to Iceland, his native homeland. It was only a five-hour flight, but due to time zone changes, he lost the benefit of a night's rest. He was scheduled to begin a series of meetings the evening of his arrival.

Throstur, who normally preaches in English, preached in Icelandic, focusing on the importance of having a relationship with Jesus in this gray and dark world. The theme challenged listeners to "face the future without fear." He preached about the great controversy, the gift of the cross, discipleship, and the importance of following Jesus with complete trust, even in the face of stark grief and pain.

Local Icelandic pastor, Steinthor Thordarson, Throstur's father, was greatly interested in the people's response as he observed joy and hope radiating from their faces. They sat captivated by the messages.

Between 40 and 80 people attended each evening. One young couple had just come out of a bitter struggle with alcoholism. They were so thrilled with the messages of truth they were hearing that they were soon baptized. Others are regularly attending church as a result of the meetings and will likely join them in baptism before long.

A very special atmosphere was present at the meetings. Following the preaching, those present gave spiritual and practical care to the weakest among them—those dealing with what seemed to be insurmountable problems. It was a very sweet and loving experience as they prayed together.

At the end of the scheduled meetings, attendees requested more from the Indiana pastor. Before leaving, he gave an additional message of hope and courage in our loving and powerful Savior. The message that described Jesus as a Friend of sinners made a great impact on listeners. It was exciting for Throstur to see lives changed as God worked in a powerful way in his homeland of ice and snow!

Steinthor expressed gratitude to the officers of the Indiana Conference for allowing Throstur to share with them and to minister to the people of Iceland during his brief visit. "He still continues to do so through the radio," Steinthor reports. "His lectures were recorded and are frequently on the air. The response has been very good from listeners, many of whom we do not even know."

This father-son team hopes to see the work in Iceland united and energized by the power of the Spirit, so secular Iceland may experience a true national revival. Iceland has never experienced a national revival, and while over 90 percent of its citizens belong to the Lutheran state church, the state religion has twice been changed by a national decree of parliament. Most people do not attend church, except for special occasions.

Judith Yeoman is the Indiana Conference correspondent; Steinthor Thordarson is the Iceland Church pastor; and, Throstur Thordarson is the Frankfort and Lafayette (Indiana) Churches pastor.