CHURCH HISTORY

Chapter 78

The Mission in Greenland and Labrador

In the last part of the 10th century the Norsemen had discovered Greenland and established some colonies upon the southern coast of this great island; these Norsemen, however, were yet heathens. It was not until some time later, when Christendom was extended in Norway also, that the king sent preachers to bring the Gospel to the inhabitants of Iceland and Greenland, which lands belonged to his territory. Shortly afterwards Christendom was established in Greenland; in the 12th century even a separate bishopric was instituted. The settlement began to grow, with the people finding their support in hunting, fishing, and trading with the Norwegians. In the 14th century the colonists of Greenland became involved in a war with the Eskimos, who perhaps had come to that island from the northern parts of America. In this war many of the Norsemen lost their life.

In the year 1397, when a change was brought about in the government of the state because Norway, Sweden, and Denmark were united under one crown, they began to forget the settlement upon the coast of Greenland; at least they did not keep up communications with them any more. In the course of time various American, English, and Danish merchantmen visited Greenland and found the coasts inhabited by Eskimos. with whom they traded. No one knew what had become of the former colonists.

In the beginning of the 18th century there lived in Norway a young preacher by the name of Hans Egede. At the age of twenty-one, he was ordained as a minister at Vaagen in Norway. Having read some writings about Greenland, the thought arose in his mind that perhaps some descendants of the former colonists were still living in Greenland. If so, then those people were living there without any Christian communication; perhaps they had already turned to heathendom, and nothing had been done to instruct them in the right way of salvation. These thoughts gave him no rest. Many a time he be-seeched God to show mercy to Greenland and to send him there to preach the Gospel.

For a whole year he did not talk to anyone about this; even his own wife did not know what was going on in his heart. The more he asked the Lord to show him the right way, however, the stronger his desire became to go to Greenland. He then decided to make his thoughts about this mission known to the bishop of Bergen and the bishop of Trondheim, and to request them to ask for the king’s consent in this matter. The bishops were very surprised that a young preacher would come forward with such a proposal. They were really not opposed to a mission to Greenland, but judged that a suitable time for this had not yet come. The king, Frederick IV, was at that moment involved in a war with Sweden, and consequently they could not think about asking him for money for the undertaking.

Egede was disappointed, but not discouraged; however, a heavier trial awaited him. Now that his plan became known, his wife and relatives declared themselves strongly against it. Some of his friends laughed at him when he talked of leaving his comfortable parish in Norway to go to the inhospitable regions of snow and ice. They also thought it unjustifiable for him to leave his congregation and to expose his wife and children to the dangers of such a journey. Egede had to fight some fierce inward battles, but the following words penetrated deeply into his heart, “He that loveth father or mother, son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.” Therefore he resolved to carry out his intention in the strength of the Lord as soon as the proper time would arrive. The more he thought about this matter, the clearer it became to him that a mission to Greenland was practicable. If commerce with that land could be opened again, then the costs of the mission could be covered by the profits which the trade would yield. He began to speak to others about his opinions in an effort to take away the prejudice against the mission, if possible. Thus some years passed by. Egede committed this important matter into the hands of the Lord, and the Lord cleared the way for him to go.

His wife, who hitherto had opposed his intention so vigorously, began to consider that, if the Lord would call him to go to Greenland, she must not oppose the will of God. It became a matter of prayer for her also, and the Lord made her willing to follow in the way which He would show her. From that time on she supported Egede in his endeavors to carry out his plan. Soon other obstacles were taken away also. After the death of the king of Sweden, the war came to an end. Egede could now go to Copenhagen to speak to Frederick IV about a mission to Greenland. The king was ready at once to support his plans. He used his influence to persuade some Danish merchants to establish a commercial colony on the coast of Greenland. A ship was equipped; some emigrants declared themselves willing to spend the winter in Greenland to see what could be done to promote trade. Egede was placed at the head of the expedition.

Finally the wish of Egede was fulfilled. He thanked God for it. On the 3rd day of May in the year 1721 he set out with his wife and children for Greenland. Eleven years had passed by since the idea first arose in his mind to begin a mission in that land. Since that time the Lord had confirmed his faith, that He had called him for that work.

When they arrived at the coast of Greenland, the emigrants began to build their houses with the materials which they had brought along from Norway. They called the new colony God-thaab. The coming of the strangers drew the attention of the Eskimos, who approached them and with signs made it clear to them that their houses would soon be buried under the snow. However, when the Eskimos noticed that the strangers went on building without paying any attention to them, they became afraid and fled away.

Egede had observed these small, insignificant people with interest, and he felt that they could not possibly be descendants of the old Norsemen. The thought that these people were also yet un-acquainted with the way of salvation, however, made him feel sad. For the time being, he could not do much for them; the establishment of the colony occupied all of his time. Gradually he tried to gain the confidence of the Eskimos by giving them presents and showing them friendship. His children soon made friends with the young Eskimos and could understand them in a short time. This made it easy for Egede to learn the language of the people. When winter came, he let his children make drawings of events from Bible history and taught them to the Eskimos as well as he could.

When Spring arrived, the provisions which they had brought along with them from Norway were just about used up, and the colonists were dissatisfied because trade did not go as well as they had expected. Hence, they wanted to return to their country. This was a heavy trial for Egede; he could not remain in that strange land alone with his wife and children. His wife, however, encouraged him by pointing out that God Who had spoken to him, “Go out of thy land and depart to the desert,” would not now forsake him there. She firmly believed that the ship would come at the right time. The ship did arrive on the 27th of June and did not only bring provisions, but the king also sent a message to Egede saying that he would continue to support the mission work.

Encouraged by this tiding, Egede continued his work. When winter came, he and two of his sons took up their abode in the huts of the Eskimos. Living with them was really not very attractive. Their huts were filled with smoke and the stench of train oil and half rotten seals, for the inhabitants had no conception of cleanliness. Nevertheless, Egede felt that the best means of approaching and instructing them was to b.come familiar with them. He was willing to patiently bear all privations, if he could only preach the Gospel to them.

To bring the Word of God to them was not an easy task; the Greenlanders were not so interested in those things which Egede was so willing to make known unto them. Whenever Egede invited them to come to his home, they readily accepted his invitation. As soon as they were well fed and cared for, however, they went away. Egede now tried taking two orphan boys into his home to live with them, in the hope that he could instruct them in the true religion, but the boys did not understand why it was necessary to learn so much. They thought it was much better to go hunting and fishing, and when summer came they left him.

During the summer of the year 1723 a missionary came from Norway to help Egede. While this man worked in the colony, Egede had an opportunity to travel along the coast to see if he could discover any trace of the Norsemen who had formerly lived there. He did find the remains of earthen pots and bones of human creatures, also the ruins of some houses and churches, which did prove to him that Norsemen had lived there, but he could not find out where they had gone or what had happened to them.

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