• Iceland
    2005 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses

    • Preaching on a Fishing Trawler

      Some years ago, Kjell Geelnard met a young man in the field ministry. His name was Fridrik. The eldest son in the family, he was spiritually-minded and enjoyed discussing the Bible. He had many questions and showed deep interest in gaining Bible knowledge. However, it was not an easy task to find him again, since he was an engineer on a fishing trawler. Most of the time, he was at sea, with just a few days at home between trips. Yet, by checking the trawler schedule and by asking Fridrik’s mother when he was expected home, Kjell was able to meet him, sometimes at the harbor and sometimes at home. Thus, the brothers helped him to progress spiritually.

      Toward the end of 1982, Fridrik was invited to an assembly in Reykjavík. By then his faith in Jehovah had started to grow, and he prayed that the way might be opened for him to attend. It then happened that a man in his crew who had been given time off from the fishing tour suddenly decided not to take it. That opened the way for Fridrik to be excused from work and to attend the assembly. The program deeply impressed Fridrik, who was now convinced that he wanted to serve Jehovah.

      When Fridrik came back to his hometown, he told his fiancée about his decision and the effect it would have on his life. He told her that he wanted her as his wife but if she could not see herself being married to a Witness of Jehovah, she should break off their engagement. The next morning, there was a knock on the door of the missionary home. Outside stood Fridrik and his fiancée. Fridrik’s message was short but firm: “Helga wants a Bible study!” So the missionaries arranged to study with Helga. Later that day, one of Fridrik’s younger brothers also asked for a Bible study. During the same week, Fridrik brought his youngest sister to the meeting and said: “Unnur wants a Bible study!”

      Fridrik wanted to symbolize his dedication to Jehovah by water baptism. First, though, he had to build on his knowledge and then go over the questions for baptism. The problem was that he had to spend most of his time at sea. If Kjell could not visit Fridrik at his home, it might be possible at his workplace. The solution? Fridrik hired Kjell to work with him in the engine room on board the trawler. In early 1983, equipped with Bible and study material, Kjell stepped aboard the trawler Svalbakur.

      “The work and service on board Svalbakur was a memorable experience,” recalls Kjell. “The workday started at 6:30 a.m. and ended at 6:30 p.m. At noon, we had lunch, and there was a coffee break both in the morning and in the afternoon. Time outside working hours was used to study with Fridrik, and there were many opportunities to witness to other members of the crew. The evenings were used to study and discuss spiritual topics. Sometimes it was past midnight when we went to bed. During lunchtime, we tried to spend only a short time in the dining room so that we might discuss the daily text in Fridrik’s cabin.”

      Of course, it attracted attention among the men on board that a missionary was now a member of the crew. For the first few days, the men were wary of Kjell, since they did not know what to expect. However, some of the crew listened eagerly to what Kjell had to say. One of them showed considerable interest, and when he learned of the lunchtime discussion of the daily text, he wanted to join in. One day when the conversation in the dining room got lengthy, he became impatient and said to Kjell and Fridrik in front of all the others: “Shouldn’t we go up and read the daily text now?”

      One evening, Kjell and Fridrik invited the crew to Fridrik’s cabin to consider material from an Awake! magazine on alcoholism. Seven of the crew came to this long-remembered meeting, and news about this meeting reached the crews of other trawlers as well.

      “After I had spent almost two weeks of service and work on board the Svalbakur, we reached the harbor again,” says Kjell. “By then I had gone through the baptism questions with Fridrik, besides examining with him many other Bible topics, witnessing to other members of the crew, and placing magazines and literature with them.” Fridrik was baptized in the spring of 1983. Fridrik’s fiancée, Helga; his mother; and his sister all took their stand for the truth.