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Welcome to a special edition mid-week post! We had so much to share about our day on the Westman Islands that we needed a full post for all of the information and pictures. We’re excited to share with you! Let’s start with some information about the Westman Islands (Vestmannaeyjar in Icelandic) and how the Church is connected it.
“Westman Islands (Vestmannaeyjar) main islands is called Heimaey it has the population of around 4300. Westman Islands are surrounded by 15 other uninhabited islands (although 6 of them have single hunting cabins) and around 30 rocks and skerries making our seabird life very rich and bountiful.” You can read more about the islands and their volcanic history here. On the map below you will find Vestmannaeyjar on the bottom of the map off the coast of Iceland.
In the late 1840’s two Icelanders from the Westman Islands went to Denmark for professional training. While they were there Guðmundur Guðmundson and Þórarinn Hafliðason both joined the church. After returning home they were excited to share their new faith with their families and friends. However, they met steep opposition from the local Lutheran leaders. Despite that opposition, many people began to listen to their teachings, felt the Spirit of God in what they were saying, and joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
After some time, as the congregation grew and the persecution increased, nearly 400 saints left Iceland to immigrate to Utah. Over 200 of them left from the Westman Islands in the mid 1850’s. When they made it to Utah the majority of them were sent to settle Spanish Fork, a small town in Utah county. You can read all about this interesting story here.
From that time until 1975 there were no missionaries assigned to serve in Iceland. That all changed 50 years ago when Byron Gíslason, an Icelandic descendant living in Utah, was called along with his wife Melva and their two sons, to go to Iceland and begin missionary work in this country.
On June 6-8 2025, in a collaboration between BYU and the Westman Islands, a commemorative celebration was held to honor both the saints who left the islands for America and the reopening of the mission work in Iceland 50 years later. All of the missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were invited to participate in the events on Saturday the 7th.
The islands are about 5 miles south of Iceland and it takes about 40 minutes on the ferry to get there. It was a two hour drive from Reykjavik to the ferry landing. This made for a very early start to our day! We left Reykjavik on our tour bus at 5:00 am.
During the drive along the south coast you can see the Westman Islands in the distance. This was the first time Todd and I have been there, but we have seen them on the horizon several times.
The boys picked their uniforms for the day. White shirt & tie with a lopapeysa (Icelandic sweater). Don’t they look sharp?!
The ferry ride was smooth and fun. We crossed to the island and enjoyed the views coming into the harbor.
Elder Moyer, Elder Morel, Elder Nehren, & Elder Nielsen —
Below left, me and my companion! Below right, me and my sweet friend Greta.
We arrived on the island right at 9:00. The ceremony was supposed to start at 9:00 but they knew we had a big group coming (there were 26 of us) so they waited for us to arrive and started at about 9:20.
The morning speeches were held in the Sagnheimar Folk Museum. We hustled in and found our seats but didn’t have a chance to explore the museum. Right from the start of our day Todd and I decided we will return to the Westman Islands soon so we can do some exploring. This museum is a place we’ll spend some time.
Throughout the morning we heard from several speakers, beginning with Íris Róbertsdóttir, the mayor of the Westman Islands.
Spencer Cox, the governor of Utah, and his wife were in attendance and he spoke about the shared legacy of the pioneers in Iceland and Utah.
Fred Woods, a historian and BYU professor, spoke. You can read more of his research about the Church in Iceland here.
Kari Bjarnason, the director of the museum and someone who works closely with Fred Woods, spoke.
Joe Everett, the BYU Family History Librarian —
There were also some former missionaries who served in Iceland when the mission was new who shared memories of their mission experiences. It was very interesting to hear about how much progress has been made in the mission in the last 50 years. Below left, Ty Erickson. Below right, Steve Bain.
We also heard from a Scandinavian folk band (they were terrific) and Kim Wilson, the chair of the Ensign Peak Foundation in Utah who sponsored the conference.
A few members of our district were invited to speak. It was fun to hear about their experiences with the Gíslason family and their memories of the early experiences of the church in Iceland. Below left is Gerhard and below right is Gummi & Valla with Greta.
The meeting was uplifting and enjoyable. While it wasn’t a church sponsored event, it was all about missionary work and the Spirit guiding the work and the people in Iceland. The Holy Ghost was there and we know many people felt it. It was really wonderful.
Following the meeting there was a lunch of soup, bread, and desserts. As well as what they called “Mormon coffee” — or hot chocolate!
In the museum is a large exhibit about the pioneers and the immigration of the church members. Because of the crowds and the schedule we couldn’t read it all. But we will return!
During lunch we had a visit with Governor Cox and his wife. They were very kind and also interested in our work here as missionaries. It was fun to visit with them for a little bit.
In the early afternoon we took a walk to the outdoor monument that commemorates the bond between the Westman Islands and Utah. First off, the island is gorgeous so the walk was full of breathtaking views. Like this amazing rock formation called “Elephant Rock”. It is fantastic!
The monument is located between a golf course and the cove. We walked around the edge of the golf course where a tournament was taking place.
There were a few speakers here. One of them was Bragi, the branch president of the Selfoss branch.
The missionaries sang two songs. “Come, Come Ye Saints” in Icelandic and “Called to Serve” in English. They did a good job. There were people on the golf course watching to see what was happening!
This is our mission president, President Davidson, with his wife and their daughter who joined us for the weekend celebration.
During this ceremony a new monument was unveiled across from the statue. If you stand at this spot and look out at the ocean you will see the tide pools where many early members of the church in Iceland were baptized. Often in night, in secret, to avoid persecution.
It was a beautiful place to be and we loved the words and the scenery.
At the conclusion of this portion of the ceremony the group sang a song called “Blátt lítið blóm eitt er / Forget me not”, a traditional Icelandic song.
When we had finished the ceremony we boarded the bus and went to the dock where we prepared to board a boat for a cruise around the island. We suited up in our flotation devices and my friend Johanna and I modeled them for the camera!
As we left the harbor we got big waves from some of our friends on the shore! Below, from the left, Gerhard, Audrius, and Ólafur.
We cruised around the island for more than an hour. Todd and I spent the entire ride on the bow of the boat. It was amazing! It was cold and windy but the scenery was incredible! Words can’t describe it so you just get all these photos:
The Westman Islands are home to nearly a million puffins. This time of the year they are nesting in the hills and the cliffs. We saw them flying around everywhere.
They nest in these mounds in the hillside. In the picture below you can see them all over the hill.
We cruised by elephant rock and I love, love, love this view. She is beautiful.
This was a glorious way to bring our boat cruise to an end.
We were pretty worn out by the end of the cruise but there was a bit of time before our bus had to get to the ferry. We filled that time with a little puffin and sheep viewing. The sheep can get into all kinds of crazy places on the edges of the hills and cliffs! I wonder how they every get out of these tight spots. Gummi told me that sometimes they do fall off the cliffs into the ocean. But most of the time they can get themselves back to the tops of the mountains! There’s definitely a spiritual message to gain from this, don’t you think?!
Below: Elder Benzley, Elder Morel, Elder Mijares, Elder Nielsen, Elder Monzon
We rode the 7:30 ferry back to the mainland. We rode the bus back to Reykjavik. We drove two elders to their apartment. Then we drove the car home. We’d started our day with a 3:30 alarm and ended it with an 11:00 bedtime. We were exhausted! But, oh, what a day! It was such an amazing experience to be part of. We rejoiced in the joy of the saints! And, we are in awe at the sacrifices made by these early members to be a part of the kingdom of God in the last days. It helped us remember how comfortable we are in our lives today.
One day, when we’re back in the states after our mission, we will visit Spanish Fork, Utah and see the monument there that commemorates the saints from Iceland who left their homeland to join the members of the church in Zion. For now, we will live in Zion in Iceland where we will strive to be “of one heart and one mind, and [dwell] in righteousness” Moses 7:18.
Check out Todd’s social media pages for more pictures and videos. You can find him here:
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