Coffee and drugs at Iceland's biggest music festivalSimon Turner - 11 May 2016

This summer, for the fifth time, 24-7 is sending a mission team to Iceland to serve at one of their biggest national festivals: Þjóhátíð.  Simon heads up the team and shares some of his vision… 

"Wow... are you Jesus?!" 

Lots of well-meaning Christians warned us not to start going to the festival, they said it was too dark. But that's exactly the kind of place I believe Jesus would have prioritised. 

The darker the house, the more it needs the light. 

So for four years we have walked around festival-goers offering coffee, conversation, prayer, and a listening ear. The first year, we met a guy who wanted to end his life by jumping off a cliff. We told him how much he was worth, and prayed a simple prayer for his protection. Later that night he climbed a cliff by the festival site, but was miraculously spotted by a security guard, who followed him up, and stopped him just as he was about to jump. I remembered that line from the Vision Poem:

“It loves people away from their suicide leaps…”

Years after it was written, that poem's prayer is still bearing fruit; even in the very darkest of places.  

I first felt convinced that God was calling us to start this outreach when I read an article in the local press about some of the problems associated with the festival; sexual assault, alcohol abuse, drug abuse. “Nobody seems to have a solution to this problem”, the reporter concluded. I heard instantly the voice of the Holy Spirit: "You carry a solution: prayer and my presence". 

I kept thinking of Jesus' words to his disciples:  

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.”  

Matthew 5:14

Now recognised as "the coffee angels”, this year will be our fifth year serving at the festival. People are dumbfounded that we come to simply give out coffee to drunk people. “Wow...are you Jesus?!” one guy asked, as he climbed out of his tent, hungover and gratefully receiving the coffee.

That atmosphere is extreme, often shocking - it’s not always easy to minister in this environment -  but we're in this for the long haul, and we believe our simple prayers and service are making a positive difference.

And we need help from those who would thrive from the challenge. Could you join us this year in Iceland?

Applications for the 2016 team to Þjóhátíð are open until 23 May. Apply now on our Iceland Mission Team page or email us with any questions or queries about joining in.