History Comes to Visit

We are not this first to have such a vision for this place, in fact our province has a rich history of workers sharing the good news.  Almost 100 years ago there was a large group of Sweeds that came here for the same purpose.  The opened school, orphanages and hospitals in the area.  Through these practical expressions of love they were able to give many people the opportunity to see and hear good news.  Over time they had enough followers meeting together regularly that they actually build a chuch building.  All of these workers were expelled in the late 1930’s when the ruling authorities underwent a drastic change in our province and favour was no longer shown towards their work.  One couple return to their home county pregnant.  Last week I had the honour and privilege of meeting the daughter of one of these workers.  While she herself never lived in this province, she grew up hearing her parent’s stories and reading their diaries.  She is steeped in knowledge of the way they saw Father working back then.  Her stories were compelling and challenging for us today.  While in town she was actually visiting a local family, the daughter of one of the children her parents cared for at the orphanage.  She had studied old maps and could tell us right where the hospital and other sites use to be in town.  She also speaks enough of the language that she loved going out and asking the old men and women if they knew anything about the Swedish work or had any memories from that time.  Father has worker mightily in the past and we are asking that he will do so again in our province.