Alright, so the first stop will obviously be at the Provo MTC, where I will report on August 22. There I will meet the two other missionaries going to Iceland. I already know one of them, his name is Rex. He was in my Icelandic class first semester, and he is really cool. I'm really excited he's coming. Since we are in the Denmark Mission, we will spend a lot of time with the Danish-speaking missionaries too, which I think will be awesome. I'm actually really looking forward to the MTC, even though I will be spending 8 weeks there. Eight weeks of intense scripture study and language study just seems appealing to me right now.
On my way to Iceland I will stop in Copenhagen to meet the Mission President. It is likely that I'll spend one or two days there, which I am seriously excited about, because I love to see new places. Then comes the flight into the airport in Keflavík, Iceland. Finally I will meet my first companion and trainer, and the work will begin. There are three areas in Iceland, and they are all pretty close to each other. There are two missionaries in Reykjavík (ray-kyah-veek), two in Garðabær (Gar-the-bire), and two in Selfoss. Selfoss has its own branch, but I think the members in Reykjavík and Garðabær meet at the same chapel. There are about 150 members in the Reykjavík area. 
As for the land itself...Iceland (Ísland) is known as the land of fire and ice. Fire because of the large amounts of geothermic and volcanic activity. Ice because...well, because it's north-ish. The days in summer are long, with light lingering even until midnight. The average summer temperature is 50 degrees F, which is my favorite temperature. In winter the sunlight is limited to a few hours every day, and the average temperature is 30 degrees. But I think I'll handle that fine. Iceland is a land of glaciers, volcanoes, canyons, and waterfalls. This is a picture of Skogafoss, a waterfall on the southern coast of the island.
Iceland is rich in Scandinavian history, and there are many statues of famous vikings to be found throughout the country. Iceland is also well known for its sagas, which relate the tales of various vikings from 900 to 1200 AD. I feel very privileged to be called to teach the gospel in such a special, unique place. I can't wait to start the adventure that will change my life, and I can't wait to share my testimony of the Book of Mormon and the Restoration of the Gospel with the people of Iceland.
