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The ferry methodically transports the airport bus from Vager to Torshavn, the capital, wending between lofty crags, half-cloaked with stubborn green. At frequent intervals streams tumble down in a headlong plunge so that it seems that the land has just been heaved out of the ocean and the waters are still running off. Higher hills are sprinkled with snow as if prematurely aged. Occasionally a house, settled determinedly at the foot of a cliff, stands lonely and forlorn with the air of being the first to arrive, thinking others would join it. It is rugged, gaunt and magnificent.

Torshavn buildings cluster about the harbour as if afraid it will escape. More trusting houses head away into the hill. This is Europe’s smallest capital with 16,000 people. No other settlement reaches 5,000 and most are less than a thousand.

Blue sky proclaims, "No rain today - trust me!" We venture out and the ambush is sprung. From over the hills, where it seems to have been lying in wait, leaps a huge dark cloud that empties itself over the city. Half an hour later the blue sky is back. "No rain today trust me!"

The grave of Eskil Ljungberg, Knight of Bahá’u’lláh, is prominent in the cemetery, a miniature of the resting place of his beloved Guardian. He was here for over thirty years, half of them as the only Bahá’í, and was nearly 99 when he died at his post. When he arrived he was regarded with suspicion. Some people thought he was a spy or an agent of the devil and would cross the road when he approached. He began this greatest phase of his life at the age of 67 and gradually wore down the suspicion with his steadfastness and love. Now the older Faroese refer to him as "Eskie" with affectionate memory. Now there is an attractive Bahá’í Centre, royal blue, where all visitors are welcome on Friday nights.

The Faroe Islands has only 45,000 people but still holds three local Spiritual Assemblies, all of which need to be stronger before giving thought to the formation of a National Spiritual Assembly. Torshavn is one and the others are close neighbours (Runavik and Toftir, the latter with only 1,000 people). Both nestle one side of a fjord with a settlement just across the water (but 20 miles by road) gazing wistfully across. Sometimes the mist prevents it. In the evening both sides of the fjord twinkle with a multitude of lights that merge at the bend so that it is hard to tell where the water runs. It gives the illusion of a huge bay of speckled light, its lands united in darkness where they were separated by day.

The Faith progresses slowly here but dedicated pioneers, hailing from all parts of Europe (Norway, Iceland, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Spain, Bulgaria, United Kingdom), America and Iran, are daily and gently easing away opposition and moving more and more people towards respect for the Cause and acceptance of it. "I have nothing against the Bahá’í Faith", one lady tells us. She knows the Philbrows who have been here since 1972. Long standing patience and steadfastness are watchwords here and every action is noted so that to mirror forth the attributes of a true Bahá’í becomes even more paramount a duty than it is already. As travel teachers we try to make friends wherever we can to aid this process. We walk about the villages whenever the weather permits, and say prayers in appropriate places when there are no people to meet.

Suduroy is the southernmost island which depends on a ferry battling its way across a frequently heaving ocean. The lone Bahá’í here comes from Sweden and all the island seems to know her, thanks, in part, to the international language of music.

In many ways these are innocent islands. Houses are often left unlocked during the day. The postman opens each door and drops the mail inside. Small girls wheel their baby siblings about the streets with no cause for fear. At a mothers’ meeting prams are parked outside in an orderly line, their occupants well protected against the elements, but needing protection against nothing else. A visit here is memorable, the warmth of the people more than outweighing any thoughts of the northerliness of the location. "Come again", they say.

John Lester

Many youth in England are actively forming and participating in a number of interesting and exciting youth groups. You may be part of a youth group without even knowing it! Youth groups are when young Bahá’ís undertake a systematic and regular activity with a social dimension with the purpose of advancing the progress of the Cause of God. This may include Bahá’ís gathering together, or with their non-Bahá’í friends to meditate, deepen, watch movies, cook, play sport, use the internet, read, participate in dance workshops, drama activities, or a multitude of other activities.

The ultimate focus of youth groups is to provide a forum to connect peoples’ hearts to Bahá’u’lláh and to teach the Faith to others! Youth groups are an amazing way to proclaim and serve the faith locally and nationally and to help achieve the goals of the Make Your Mark 157 Campaign.

Now there is a new dimension to youth groups - serving the Faith internationally. The European Bahá’í Youth Council has established a plan to twin (or match) youth groups throughout Europe with a youth group from another specified country. The aim is to help create a European Bahá’í identity. The English region has been twinned with - MALTA, GREECE, SOUTH CYPRUS, CANARY ISLANDS, LATVIA, DENMARK, THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.

The Bahá’í Youth Committee for England has been asked to collect the contact details of all the youth groups operating throughout the region of England. We will then match these with similar youth groups in our twinning countries. It is hoped that these groups will then have the opportunity of linking, working and learning from each other at an international level, thus helping to fulfill the vision of the Universal House of Justice of "Collaborative activity of the Bahá’í youth throughout Europe."

To help the BYCE bring together youth groups in the region of England with youth groups in twin countries, WE NEED YOUR HELP!!

1. Tell us about your youth group! Who are you? Where are you? What are you doing? What are your contact details?

2. Send this information to the BYCE - and wait with anticipation to find out who your twin youth group is!!

Eight youth are on a Year of Service in Lapland Five more openings in March and April!

Interested? Then contact YOSDesk for information on a systematic year of service project in Lapland (the region above the arctic circle of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia).

One of the aims of the project is to reach the Sami people, a minority stressed over and over again by the Universal House of Justice. The focus of the project is to develop human resources, through developing the process of the training institutes (all youth are involved in regular training in the Ruhi institute). The means used to achieve these aims will be through regular study circles, performing with arts workshops in schools with the intention of creating local youth groups and new arts workshops, arranging concerts and seminars at the university, public multi-cultural activities and events, social and moral conferences and projects, not to mention all the service and extra-curricular activities that go on in the gatherings almost every evening.

The youth meet with the Council for Lapland often, and report thirty youth declarations in Murmansk, Russia. Recently, after the efforts of the dance/theatre group "Generation of Hope", some thirty youth declared their Faith in Bahá’u’lláh and are bringing their friends to firesides. The receptivity for the Faith in this region of Lapland is strikingly high. Their local dance workshop, after their performances, were promised to be formally thanked by the Governor of Murmansk, and were given a lot of attention by TV and Radio.

Four youth and a pioneer from Finland will be in this region for three weeks from the end of January 2000, to organise a youth Winter School. They will stay afterwards to lay a foundation of training institutes by strengthening the existing study circles and also nurture the youth group activities, and dance workshop.

The Council for Lapland is aiming at having a "travelling team", based in Kiruna, Sweden. This base will send out small teams to the entire region with a system that will allow for the activities to go on in Kiruna and other places all the time.

Kiruna is a town of 25,000 inhabitants, and since one of the biggest space centres and research faculties (Swedish Institute of Space Physics) in Europe and the biggest underground mine in the world are situated there, ten percent of the population are scientists, engineers or researchers from all around the world. The Government of this town has had a project with the local Bahá’ís conducting training in the Bahá’í principles indirectly to all students from 1st-12th grade in and around Kiruna, for the past ten years. We urgently need devoted and independent youth, especially with some kind of artistic talent(s) for this project, which will be during the twelve month plan.

The next orientation for the new group is between March-April 2000, depending on when and how many arise to serve. At the moment there are five more openings for the project in Kiruna.

Lapland has a very interesting climate - in the dark winter time, great amounts of snow are illumined by blue moonlight and dancing northern lights and during summer the sun is present 24 hours a day for two months. Midnight sun is visible much longer. The weather shifts quickly and unpredictably, conditions are often rough and distances between places very long.

It’s really easy and cheap to get to Lapland (Kiruna, Sweden), a flight for youth under 26 years of age costs approx £17 from Stockholm (Sweden). If you are interested in serving the Faith in Lapland, please contact YOSDesk for further details.

Start thinking, start planning, start saving, ... but first of all start with a call to YOSDesk!