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Harvesttime in the Land of Ice and Snow

GREENLAND, the largest island in the world, is truly a land of ice and snow. Most of this nearly 1,700-mile-long [2,700 km] island lies north of the Arctic Circle and is under a permanent ice cap averaging about one mile [1.5 km] in thickness. The rest of Greenland is covered by snow from five to eight or more months out of the year. It is said that the early Viking explorers named it Greenland to attract settlers. During the short summer, however, certain coastal areas do fit the name.

In the spring, the frozen sea off northeastern Greenland breaks up, and pack ice appears. This ice makes its way down the east coast, around Cape Farewell, and partway up the west coast, making travel by sea extremely difficult for months on end. In the wintertime, the sea around most of the island freezes, isolating the populated places. Literally, ice dominates the land, the sea, and the people’s way of life. It is hard to imagine what could be harvested in this country.

Making a Start

Eskimo of Inuit cultures have lived as hunters in Greenland for centuries. In 1721 Lutheran minister Hans Egede came to Greenland as a missionary. Later, the Moravian Mission was active in various settlements. Some of their missionaries translated certain books of the Bible into the Greenlandic language, preserving God’s personal name, Jehovah, in their translation. But since 1900, only the Danish Lutheran Church has operated in Greenland.

In 1953, while Greenland was still a colony of Denmark, an important turn of events occurred. According to the new Danish Constitution that took effect that year, religious groups other than the Lutheran Church were once again allowed in Greenland. Thus, in January 1955, two of Jehovah’s Witnesses from Denmark arrived as missionaries. Their assignment was a 1,200-mile [2,000 km] stretch along the southwest coast, where almost all Greenlanders lived​—a population of 27,000, consisting mostly of hunters and fishermen.

Kristen Lauritsen, one of the two Witnesses, recalls: “Our knowledge of Greenlandic was next to nothing, but we did have a very strong desire to teach Greenlanders the truth of God’s Word. We had a few tracts in Greenlandic, and the booklet ‘This Good News of the Kingdom’ arrived later that first year.” How did they go about their preaching work?

“In the beginning we used printed cards to explain the purpose of our visit. But later we learned some sentences by heart. Travel between towns was always by boat and very irregular, as timetables were virtually unknown. Seasickness was a common experience. We also had problems finding places to stay. Often, we had to make do with the tent we always carried along with our luggage.”

But there were compensations. The Greenlanders are a friendly and hospitable people. It is natural for them to believe in God and respect the Bible. Nearly every home has the complete Bible in the vernacular. Kristen remembers that a little girl once came up to them with a note that said: “If you haven’t got a place to stay yet, you can come and stay with us.” This family also helped them to find a place where they arranged to show one of the Society’s films.

Reinforcements Arrive

By 1961 families from Denmark began moving to Greenland to serve where the need for Witnesses was greater. They put forth admirable effort to learn the extremely difficult Greenlandic language and to endure isolation from fellow believers. They held meetings regularly and kept strong in their faith and Christian activity. Their labors were surely not in vain. That year the first two congregations were established in Greenland, one in the capital Nûk (Godthåb) and the other in Qaqortoq (Julianehåb), to the south. It brought the Witnesses great joy when some Greenlanders who had moved to Scandinavia were baptized.

In the 1970’s several young and zealous special pioneer couples arrived, spearheading the witnessing work. By 1973 The Watchtower and the book The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life were available in Greenlandic. Thus equipped, the pioneers plied the coast, visiting towns and villages, bountifully sowing the seed of truth. For the first time, the preaching work had reached the isolated east coast around Ammassalik (Angmagssalik). What a joy it was when a Greenlander finally embraced the truth in Greenland that year!

Harvest at Last!

As other Bible study aids were published in the local language, much literature was placed. For example, it was not uncommon for a couple of Witnesses working in unassigned territory for a few weeks to place from 300 to 400 books, just as many booklets, and 1,000 magazines, also obtaining 60 or 70 subscriptions.

As a result of all the sowing and watering, ‘God has made things grow’ among both the native Greenlanders and the Danes living in Greenland. (1 Corinthians 3:5-7) Today, 117 Kingdom proclaimers serve in seven congregations and one isolated group, scattered throughout this land of ice and snow. Let’s meet some of these hard workers.

Visiting the Greenlandic Field

A good place to start is the southernmost congregation, in Qaqortoq (Julianehåb). Five families have come up from Denmark to serve there. Some of them have worked hard at learning Greenlandic so that they can witness to the Greenlanders who do not understand Danish. Flemming, a family man and a pioneer (a full-time Kingdom proclaimer) in this congregation, says: “Our territory is extensive. It includes many fishing villages and sheep-farming stations snuggled in the complex of fjords along the southern coast.” Using their own motorboats, the Witnesses make trips as long as 400 miles [640 km] to call on the people living in these out-of-the-way places.

After traveling three hours by boat through the picturesque fjords, we come to the next congregation, at Narsaq. Living here is a lone family of four Kingdom publishers. Though isolated, they are able to encourage and build one another up spiritually through healthy study habits and by regularly sharing in meetings and field ministry.

Now we board the coastal passenger ship that comes here weekly during the summer months. This 24-hour trip takes us to Paamiut (Frederikshåb), where there are ten Witnesses. But at the halfway point, we pass a village where there are two isolated publishers. One of them, Ane Marie, has a son in Nûk who learned the truth a few years ago and began witnessing to her by telephone and letter. She appreciated what he told her. By reading everything available in Greenlandic and listening to tapes of Greenlandic Witnesses relating their experiences, Ane Marie has taken her stand for the truth. At over 60 years of age and without the support of a local congregation, she succeeded in breaking her 50-year-long smoking habit, stopped celebrating Christmas and birthdays, and started witnessing to the whole village. As a result of her patient effort and good example, about ten interested ones gather regularly to study the Bible and to listen to the recorded meetings.

Leaving Paamiut, a 14-hour boat trip on the rough open sea takes us to Nûk. In this capital city of 13,000, there are 43 publishers in the congregation, and over a third of them are Greenlanders. The weekly meetings are a mixture of Danish and Greenlandic, certainly a challenge for both language groups.

Back on the coastal passenger ship again, an eight-hour journey takes us to Maniitsoq (Sukkertoppen). Here, four families from Denmark work along with a few local Kingdom publishers. They have covered the territory in town so thoroughly and have placed so much Bible literature that every other household has a copy of My Book of Bible Stories in Greenlandic. By means of their motorboats, they also arrange regular witnessing trips to the outlying villages.

Continuing northward, our next stop is ten hours away, at Sisimiut (Holsteinsborg). Five Danish families and a few local publishers make up the congregation here. A special-pioneer couple from here make periodic visits to the east coast. This involves a half-hour helicopter ride to the airport, a two-hour plane trip across the central ice cap, and another short hop by helicopter across the bay to Ammassalik on the east coast. The scenery there is truly impressive​—rugged mountains towering above and glaciers filling the hollows below. The people are quite receptive to the Kingdom message, but few have yet taken a stand for the truth.

After flying back across the ice cap, we make our last stop in Ilulissat (Jakobshavn), the northernmost congregation. Ilulissat is Greenlandic for “icebergs,” and it is an appropriate name. Nearby is the most productive glacier in the Northern Hemisphere, and icebergs float all over the bay and fjords, making the scenery quite enthralling. Six families from Denmark and a couple of Greenlanders make up this very active congregation. In addition to the town of Ilulissat and the entire Disko Bay area, they have what is probably the world’s northernmost witnessing territory, reaching right up to the village of Kullorsuaq (Devil’s Thumb) near 75 degrees north latitude.

The special pioneers in Ilulissat regularly visit this distant area, witnessing to the people in Upernavik and Uummannaq. Bo and Helen report: “These wide-open northern areas are still an untouched Arctic paradise. The area is sparsely populated, and people live on hunting more than on fishing. Their life is simple, and they don’t worry too much about the future. Many of them are interested in spiritual things. They willingly listen to the message we bring.” Time alone will tell if such sheeplike ones will be gathered into the one true “flock” under the “one shepherd,” Jesus Christ.​—John 10:16.

Only Danish pioneers have ever worked in this area, but about eight Greenlanders in Nûk made a video tape recording of a general witness about our beliefs and way of life. When the pioneers used this tape in their house-to-house ministry, it really got people talking and asking a great many questions, especially about our not celebrating Christmas and not baptizing babies. It may be added that about 200 books were placed during the entire four-week trip just described.

The Harvest Goes On

In spite of the harsh elements and the language barrier, the Kingdom harvest goes on. Many Greenlanders have learned the Danish language in order to benefit from congregation meetings. However, an increasing number of meetings are being held in Greenlandic, making it possible for more to share in the spiritual feeding.

For example, although the 1988 “Divine Justice” District Convention program was presented in Danish at Nûk, about a third of the talks were translated into Greenlandic. A total of 163 attended. Delegates from the northernmost congregation at Ilulissat and the southernmost congregation at Qaqortoq had to travel as much as two days each way. Four were baptized at the convention.

What are the prospects for future harvest? Very good indeed! In 1989 it was a joy to see 205 attend the Memorial of Christ’s death. Presently, over a hundred home Bible studies are being conducted. Yes, Jehovah is richly blessing the hard work of his servants in this land of ice and snow.