The building was dedicated in May 1975, when Milton G. Henschel visited Iceland and delivered the dedication talk.

Brother Henschel’s first visit to Iceland was in May 1970. Some sleepy missionaries welcomed him. The reason for that was not only that Brother Henschel arrived very early in the morning but that Hekla, a famous volcano, had started to erupt the day before, and the missionaries had spent the night watching it!

Brother Henschel gave special attention to the missionaries and the special pioneers. He invited all of them to a special meeting and shared with them experiences from his own pioneering days during the Great Depression. He told of how the pioneers had exchanged literature for chickens, eggs, butter, vegetables, a pair of glasses, and even a puppy! In that way, the work had continued during difficult times, and the pioneers had not lacked the necessities of life.

Visitors to Iceland will quickly notice that the food is not what they are used to. Among the special Icelandic dishes is svid, a sheep’s head cut in half and boiled. Imagine looking down at your plate to see half a sheep’s head with teeth and one eye! Many foreigners find it hard to look svid “in the eye.” Of course, fresh fish is always available. One Icelandic specialty is hardfiskur: fish that is filleted and dried. It is eaten uncooked, preferably with some butter. Typically, this fish is hard and has to be beaten to become soft. Thus, it was with special anticipation that the missionaries waited to see Brother Henschel’s reaction when served this fish. After he tasted it, the missionaries asked him how he liked it. He thought for a moment and then came up with a diplomatic reply: “Well, I think this is the best kind of wood I have ever eaten.”