Prayer on Icelandic Party IslandThe Phantom Intercessor - 28 Sep 2012
Free coffee? Wow, are you Jesus?!
These were the words from a hung-over, bleary-eyed partyer as he stumbled out of his tent - a highlight from an amazing mission trip to the annual Þjóðhátíð festival on the Westmann Island, 12km off the coast of Iceland.
The festival was originally established as a celebration of Icelandic independence, however over the hundred years since, it has developed into a 3-day non-stop party, attracting 15,000 young people from all over Iceland. If you imagine the west end of San Antonia in Ibiza transported to a remote island in the cold North Atlantic, this may give you an idea of what the festival is like!
Inspired by the work of 24-7 Ibiza, I felt an urgency to get a team together to go and bring God’s kingdom to the drunken partygoers. Following a similar model of our friends in 24-7 Ibiza we knew the key was to unite prayer and mission. So we gathered a team of 10 people and held a week of 24-7 prayer on the island.
After a great week and sleepless nights of prayer we began our outreach on the first day of the festival. The original plan was to set up a tent where people could come for a free coffee and chat with the team, however violent winds on the first day blew down to the tent. Undeterred, we gathered in prayer and worship and decided that we would go to the people instead. So, armed with fresh coffee and hoodies with the logo “I love Vestmannaeyjar’ we went out onto the streets. Our aim was not to try to preach at people, our aim was the BE the gospel message through our love and action.
It was an incredible time full of great conversations and connections. We got to talk with one guy who was depressed and suicidal and were able to pray for his protection. Later that day he tried to jump off a cliff and was spotted by a security guard, who was able to stop him just in time! We have since been able to keep in touch with him and continue to show him God’s love. So many people were surprised that we were willing to give something for free, no catch!
As the festival came to an end I realised we needed to be consistent in coming back year after year. This year still saw numerous drug raids, sexual abuse, violence and even one death. This wasn’t a one off mission trip to make ourselves feel good but an ongoing journey. The plan is to keep praying and to keep persevering that, in the middle of a 3-day drunken party, people would come face to face with the love of God.