I have been called to serve the Lord for two years in the Denmark Copenhagen mission! And what’s more, I am one of the six Danish missionaries assigned to learn Icelandic, so I will actually be spending those two years entirely in Iceland.
Now that I have received my call I reflect often on the Lord’s decision to send me there and how he has prepared me in advance. Many probably feel I was called to Iceland because of my background in the Icelandic language. I do not believe this is the case. I firmly believe that I was inspired to learn Icelandic so that I could serve more effectively in the call the Lord would extend to me. With this in mind it is interesting to reflect on how the Lord led me to the strange path of learning the Icelandic language, a path followed by only seven other BYU students. I am not tuned enough to the Spirit to have followed this path on my own, so it was necessary for the Lord to lead me to it over time. The following short account of events that led me to that Icelandic class on October seventh is somewhat embarrassing, but thus it is.
It started in seventh grade, on the last day of school. My math teacher showed us a documentary. Not a documentary about Iceland, mind you, but a documentary about a man named Aron Ralston. You are all familiar with the story of Aron, the man who became trapped and cut off his own arm to free himself. The documentary made me interested in his story, and in 2010 I read his book. If it were not for these two events I would never have gone and seen the movie 127 Hours in November, 2010. The final scene of this movie features a song by a certain Scandinavian band, and I’ll bet you can guess which one. Yup, that was the first time I heard Sigur Rós.
From here I slowly became more and more obsessed with this Icelandic band. In addition to the music I found myself particularly attracted to the language spoken, and this is what led me to that class in October, 2011. No, it was not because I wanted to know what they were saying (the internet can do that), it was because I liked the way Icelandic sounded and I became particularly interested in the history of the language and its ties to Old English.
After starting to attend the class, I began a rigorous study of the language outside of class, one which involved elaborate flashcards and extensive study of grammar and pronunciation. I knew I had other stuff I should be doing, but it should come as no surprise to any of you that I chose the language over American Heritage, even though it was one of the most useless, not to mention difficult, languages in the world. I know I had no excuse, even now that I am assigned to learn it, but I can’t help but feel like my zeal was inspired, so as to prepare me for the call I would receive months later.
Now I find myself starting to grasp the complexities of the language, and it is already seeming more finite and within reach. By the time I enter the MTC in August I think I will have a solid grip on the language and be that much more prepared to use it to teach the gospel.
I think it's important to remember that the Lord knows what will come, and will prepare us for it through His own ways. We need to trust his methods and follow our spiritual promptings, because this is how He brings about His great purposes. Thanks for reading! My next post will be about the mission itself, so come back later!
