Chapter 1: Farewell to Norway
It was evening, November 28th, 1966, and anyone at the Eastern Railway Station in Oslo that chilly autumn evening, would have seen a young couple with a small child on the platform surrounded by a cluster of people. They might have wondered if we were someone important to deserve such an entourage. However, they would have been disappointed to find that we were quite an ordinary couple; an ordinary couple about to embark on an extraordinary journey.
The night train would take us to Gothenburg, Sweden, and it was ready to depart in just a few minutes. We were happy to not be alone on the platform. Family and friends surrounded us. There were friends from our church, Salem, and even the men’s choir from Salem was there! Our parents and siblings were standing closest to us, and there were plenty of tears and hugs. We did not know when we would see each other again! The train to Gothenburg was just the first leg of the journey. From there we would travel by sea to Peru in South America! Nowadays, you can reach Peru from Norway in less than 24 hours, but back in 1966, the journey was a bit more arduous, to say the least!
The night train would take us to Gothenburg, Sweden, and it was ready to depart in just a few minutes. We were happy to not be alone on the platform. Family and friends surrounded us. There were friends from our church, Salem, and even the men’s choir from Salem was there! Our parents and siblings were standing closest to us, and there were plenty of tears and hugs. We did not know when we would see each other again! The train to Gothenburg was just the first leg of the journey. From there we would travel by sea to Peru in South America! Nowadays, you can reach Peru from Norway in less than 24 hours, but back in 1966, the journey was a bit more arduous, to say the least!
As we were about to board, the men’s choir began to sing the hymn “He will take care of you!” It was a beautiful and moving moment that brought more tears, but comfort and courage as well! The song was still sounding in our ears as we pulled out of the station and we waved goodbye to our friends and family left on the platform: “He will take care of you!” To this day, we can still picture that moment. As the platform disappeared from view, our minds went back to the many farewells that came before this last one.
The very first goodbye took place in Halden where Gro’s grandmother lived. We had traveled to visit her in the summer of 1966, just a few months before our departure to say goodbye to her. We didn’t know at that time that it would be the last time we saw her on this side of heaven. She went home to be with Jesus in the summer of 1971 before we came back to Norway.
Our next goodbyes were in Rjukan, where we had lived most recently. Gro had worked as a teacher there. John had been traveling from there visiting churches and raising funds for our mission work. As we left there, we had to say goodbye to colleagues and students at the school, our neighbors, friends in the church, and of course our family that lived in that area.
Our next goodbyes were in Rjukan, where we had lived most recently. Gro had worked as a teacher there. John had been traveling from there visiting churches and raising funds for our mission work. As we left there, we had to say goodbye to colleagues and students at the school, our neighbors, friends in the church, and of course our family that lived in that area.
We left Rjukan for Oslo, where we said farewell to friends and family in the Salem church. Our parents were all members there and were also part of a Peru mission group along with other good friends from Salem. They held a wonderful farewell party for us. It was also very special for us to see Fredrik Eriksen, the pastor, and Ivar Dahl, the mission secretary, had come as well. We were given many good words and Bible verses to encourage us on the journey.Ivar Dahl read Psalm 121: “I lift my eyes to the hills, where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, Maker of heaven and earth.” Later, John would sing this psalm a lot in Spanish to a Latin-American tune he learned in Tarma.
The last Sunday before we left for Peru, we had the farewell service in the Salem Church. It was packed!. It was also the welcome service for missionary Ruth Jansson who came home from the Congo along with a national pastor. It was a moving moment when this Congolese pastor and Pastor Eriksen, along with others, prayed for us at the end of the service. Now there was no turning back. The die was cast. The future was placed in God's hands, which is the best place for it to be!
Our hearts and minds were full of all these memories as the train pulled away from the station. We kept waving until there was nothing left to see outside our windows except the dark November evening. It was tough to think about being separated from friends and family indefinitely, but at the same time, it was exciting to think about what lay ahead. We talked quietly, but tiredness was creeping in. Maino, who was 20 months old, had already fallen asleep in our arms. We got comfortable in our sleeping compartment, and soon, sleep overcame us as well.
