• Iceland
    2005 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses

    • International Conventions Bring Joy

      Over the years, the brothers in Iceland have also enjoyed attending conventions in other countries. Five delegates from Iceland had the privilege of attending the Divine Will International Assembly in New York in 1958. Many attended the United Worshipers Assemblies in Europe in 1961 and the “Everlasting Good News” Assemblies in 1963. Others enjoyed the fellowship of brothers from many countries at the “Divine Victory” International Assemblies in 1973. More than one hundred publishers from Iceland attended the “Peace on Earth” International Assembly in Copenhagen, Denmark, August 5-10, 1969. This was the biggest group from Iceland to attend an international convention in a foreign land. That summer, 80 percent of the publishers in Iceland went abroad to attend a convention.

      Because so many from Iceland planned to attend the 1969 convention, the Denmark branch arranged for the Icelandic brothers to sit together there. During the mornings, before the sessions began, the brothers from Iceland met in their section where they enjoyed résumés of the program in their own language.

      Among those who attended this convention was a young man named Bjarni Jónsson. He was the son of a lawyer who owned the building in Reykjavík that the brothers rented as a missionary home and branch office. Bjarni knew little about the truth, and his purpose in traveling with the brothers to Copenhagen was not to attend the convention. How did this come about?

      Kjell Geelnard, who was then branch servant, had some matters to discuss with Bjarni’s father. Kjell told him about the international assembly in Copenhagen and the group of brothers who were planning to attend. When the lawyer heard about this, he asked if it would be possible for his eldest son to join the group. He told Brother Geelnard that his son had just finished secondary school, and he would like to give him a trip abroad, so it might as well be to Copenhagen. Kjell thought that this was a good idea and told the lawyer that if Bjarni would like to attend the assembly to see what was going on there, accommodations could be arranged for him in Copenhagen. Pleased to hear this, the lawyer asked his son if he wanted to join the group of Jehovah’s Witnesses going to the assembly. The son readily agreed.

      The Rooming Department was contacted to find accommodations for Bjarni in Copenhagen. The brothers found a place for him with a family of Witnesses. An American delegate who was going to share a room with an Icelandic brother named Jakob had canceled his reservation, so Bjarni got his place. For some reason, however, Jakob did not turn up. The only one who went to the accommodations was Bjarni. Since the Rooming Department had not told the host family that Bjarni was coming in place of the American brother, they assumed that their guest was Jakob.

      As always when brothers from different places meet, they shared experiences. The Danish brothers were surprised to find that “Jakob” had little to say. Bjarni, on the other hand, was a little confused when his host and hostess kept calling him Jakob. He thought that since Jakob was a Bible name, it might be a custom among Jehovah’s Witnesses to use Bible names in conversation with one another. The misunderstanding was cleared up when one of the brothers in the home where Bjarni was staying met a Danish brother who was pioneering in Iceland. He asked the brother whether “Jakob” was new in the truth because he had so little to say about the work in Iceland. The Danish brother explained that “Jakob” was actually Bjarni, a student from Iceland traveling with the brothers to Copenhagen. Bjarni’s hosts treated him with warm hospitality and invited him to stay another week while he did some sightseeing in Denmark. This kindness touched Bjarni’s heart.

      In fact, Bjarni attended the assembly. And even though he did not have a background knowledge of the truth to help him enjoy the program to the full, what he saw and heard impressed him greatly. As soon as he returned to Iceland, he and his family began to study the Bible. Bjarni made good progress in the truth and was baptized in 1971. He has served as a member of the Branch Committee in Iceland since 1979.

      Svanberg Jakobsson has been a translator at the branch in Iceland for many years and is now the overseer of the Translation Department. As a young publisher, he attended the “Divine Victory” International Assembly in London, England, in 1973. He relates: “I remember how thrilling it was for me to watch the brothers and sisters stream into the convention stadium by the thousands. It fascinated me to see the many brothers and sisters from Africa, all in their colorful traditional dress. It was an unforgettable experience to be with tens of thousands of brothers, to listen to the program with them, to sing with them, to join with them in prayer, to eat with them, and simply to be among them.”

      Sólborg Sveinsdóttir, who was baptized in 1958, made the six-day trip to Denmark by ship with four of her children to attend the convention in Copenhagen in 1961. Sólborg belonged to a small isolated group in Keflavík. How did it affect her to attend a big international convention? She says: “It was breathtaking to hear over 30,000 brothers united in singing the Kingdom songs in five languages​—that had an emotional impact on me. Everything was so well organized.”

      Traveling to international conventions was expensive, but the brothers felt that doing so was more than worth it. To attend such wonderful spiritual feasts prepared by Jehovah and to be among thousands of others of like faith was a blessing.