Chapter 35: Returning to Norway for a Time of Rest
AS TOLD BY GRO AGERSTEN
Edith comes to relieve us
We were so excited that everything had come together for someone to come and relieve us so we could go back to Norway in the spring of 1971. The plan was to be able to stay in Norway for about a year before we returned to Peru to resume work in the jungle.
Edith Aateigen was sent out as a missionary from Kristiansand in Norway, and she arrived just before Christmas in 1970. Earlier that fall, we had also received confirmation that the Swedish missionary Cristina Pålsson would join her in March. Edith adjusted well to the work in Tigre Playa. She didn’t speak much Spanish, but she was not afraid to use what she knew and learned quickly that way. In addition to the daily practice with the people, she also spent time studying her Spanish textbooks. There was a lot to learn both as far as communication, and also about life in a jungle village.
During the three months we were together in Tigre Playa, Edith traveled with us on a couple of trips to visit villages and the new believers on the Morona and Potro rivers. We also visited villages on the Marañon. It was important for her to become familiar with the areas we worked in and to make connections with the groups of believers in the different places.
There were also many practical things to learn and get used to. We had a few chickens that needed food and care. We mainly kept them for the eggs which were otherwise hard to get. They made a good addition to our diet which also consisted of fish from the river, smoked meat from wild hogs, and some canned foods. Usually, we could get plenty of manioc and bananas, and occasionally our neighbors came around wanting to sell fish or meat of different kinds. Sometimes, there were different kinds of fruit; several were previously unknown to us.
There were many things we wanted to accomplish before we left, but time was passing by quickly, and we were not able to do everything we had wanted to. One goal had been to have water indoors, but that had to wait till we got back from Norway. Still, having rainwater collected in barrels from the roof was a big improvement over having to go and collect dirty water from the river every day.
We were so excited that everything had come together for someone to come and relieve us so we could go back to Norway in the spring of 1971. The plan was to be able to stay in Norway for about a year before we returned to Peru to resume work in the jungle.
Edith Aateigen was sent out as a missionary from Kristiansand in Norway, and she arrived just before Christmas in 1970. Earlier that fall, we had also received confirmation that the Swedish missionary Cristina Pålsson would join her in March. Edith adjusted well to the work in Tigre Playa. She didn’t speak much Spanish, but she was not afraid to use what she knew and learned quickly that way. In addition to the daily practice with the people, she also spent time studying her Spanish textbooks. There was a lot to learn both as far as communication, and also about life in a jungle village.
During the three months we were together in Tigre Playa, Edith traveled with us on a couple of trips to visit villages and the new believers on the Morona and Potro rivers. We also visited villages on the Marañon. It was important for her to become familiar with the areas we worked in and to make connections with the groups of believers in the different places.
There were also many practical things to learn and get used to. We had a few chickens that needed food and care. We mainly kept them for the eggs which were otherwise hard to get. They made a good addition to our diet which also consisted of fish from the river, smoked meat from wild hogs, and some canned foods. Usually, we could get plenty of manioc and bananas, and occasionally our neighbors came around wanting to sell fish or meat of different kinds. Sometimes, there were different kinds of fruit; several were previously unknown to us.
There were many things we wanted to accomplish before we left, but time was passing by quickly, and we were not able to do everything we had wanted to. One goal had been to have water indoors, but that had to wait till we got back from Norway. Still, having rainwater collected in barrels from the roof was a big improvement over having to go and collect dirty water from the river every day.
Goodbye to Tigre Playa for now
The time for our departure was drawing close. It was now March 10th, 1971; nearly four and a half years had passed since we left Norway. We were feeling tired and also quite homesick. Today we would board the river boat “Alfert”, and take the three-day trip downriver to Iquitos. We had said our goodbyes at church the previous Sunday, but many still came to see us off on the riverbank, so it took some time before we were finally onboard. It wasn’t easy to say goodbye to our new, but dear friends. Edith held up well. She was looking forward to Cristina joining her in a couple of weeks when “Alfert” made the return trip. She had met Cristina in Lima before coming to Tigre Playa with John. Cristina had already worked in Tarma for about a year and spoke Spanish well. She would stay with Edith for a few months until Liv Haug would come from Norway and take her place.
On the riverboat, I wrote in a letter home: “ We will be meeting Cristina in Iquitos. John wants to show her around the harbor where the riverboats dock, the places where we shop, and introduce her to “Alfert”’s owner. She will be traveling with the boat on its return upriver in a week’s time. We see it as a miracle that things came together for someone to be with Edith.
We are feeling more than ready to go home now. It is strange to sit in this primitive riverboat and know that this is the first leg of our trip back to Norway. I get butterflies just thinking about seeing our loved ones again soon!”
The time for our departure was drawing close. It was now March 10th, 1971; nearly four and a half years had passed since we left Norway. We were feeling tired and also quite homesick. Today we would board the river boat “Alfert”, and take the three-day trip downriver to Iquitos. We had said our goodbyes at church the previous Sunday, but many still came to see us off on the riverbank, so it took some time before we were finally onboard. It wasn’t easy to say goodbye to our new, but dear friends. Edith held up well. She was looking forward to Cristina joining her in a couple of weeks when “Alfert” made the return trip. She had met Cristina in Lima before coming to Tigre Playa with John. Cristina had already worked in Tarma for about a year and spoke Spanish well. She would stay with Edith for a few months until Liv Haug would come from Norway and take her place.
On the riverboat, I wrote in a letter home: “ We will be meeting Cristina in Iquitos. John wants to show her around the harbor where the riverboats dock, the places where we shop, and introduce her to “Alfert”’s owner. She will be traveling with the boat on its return upriver in a week’s time. We see it as a miracle that things came together for someone to be with Edith.
We are feeling more than ready to go home now. It is strange to sit in this primitive riverboat and know that this is the first leg of our trip back to Norway. I get butterflies just thinking about seeing our loved ones again soon!”
Meeting friends on our way home and a reunion in Norway
The trip back to Norway took us through the USA and Canada where we had friends who had invited us to come and visit them. They wanted to hear about the work among the people in the jungle and they helped us with the extra expenses to make this possible. We traveled as cheaply as possible and took Grayhound busses all across the US from LA to New York with stops along the way. We spent Easter in Victoria, Canada with some friends there. In Chicago, we were hosted and shown around by a priest in a mission church. We stayed at the Seamen Church in New York. The assistant there was a good friend from his years working at the Seamen Church in Lima. He knew the city well and was an expert guide to New York the days we were there. From there, the trip continued by plane to Norway. Spring was well on its way as we landed at Fornebu airport where many were waiting anxiously for us. What a joy to see each other again!
The trip back to Norway took us through the USA and Canada where we had friends who had invited us to come and visit them. They wanted to hear about the work among the people in the jungle and they helped us with the extra expenses to make this possible. We traveled as cheaply as possible and took Grayhound busses all across the US from LA to New York with stops along the way. We spent Easter in Victoria, Canada with some friends there. In Chicago, we were hosted and shown around by a priest in a mission church. We stayed at the Seamen Church in New York. The assistant there was a good friend from his years working at the Seamen Church in Lima. He knew the city well and was an expert guide to New York the days we were there. From there, the trip continued by plane to Norway. Spring was well on its way as we landed at Fornebu airport where many were waiting anxiously for us. What a joy to see each other again!
Our time at home
Our stay in Norway ended up lasting a little over a year, from April 1971 to July the following year. We lived in “Mamre”, some apartments owned by the Pentecostal Mission and set aside for missionaries. The apartments were located in a quiet neighborhood close to Østensjøvannet, a small lake in Oslo. This was a great place for us as both our home church and our parents were here in Oslo. I got a position as a teacher at a nearby school so Maino and I started school in August while Lewi stayed with a neighbor across the hall during the day. It was a tough transition for the children, and especially for Lewi who was used to having me around all day. Now he was alone in a strange place with strangers while the rest of us went to school and work. He was also frustrated that people did not understand his Spanish when he could understand their Norwegian! It took him a while to switch over to speaking Norwegian.
Our stay in Norway ended up lasting a little over a year, from April 1971 to July the following year. We lived in “Mamre”, some apartments owned by the Pentecostal Mission and set aside for missionaries. The apartments were located in a quiet neighborhood close to Østensjøvannet, a small lake in Oslo. This was a great place for us as both our home church and our parents were here in Oslo. I got a position as a teacher at a nearby school so Maino and I started school in August while Lewi stayed with a neighbor across the hall during the day. It was a tough transition for the children, and especially for Lewi who was used to having me around all day. Now he was alone in a strange place with strangers while the rest of us went to school and work. He was also frustrated that people did not understand his Spanish when he could understand their Norwegian! It took him a while to switch over to speaking Norwegian.
John worked for a few months at Aker Hospital, but most of the time he traveled and held missions services around the country. He also visited some schools where he would talk about the Peruvian jungle and show them some things we had with us from there. He spent a few weeks in the north of Norway where he visited Eva and Rudolf Wilhelm in Kirkenes. We had had some contact with them through letters while we were in Peru. They had worked for three years in Honduras but wanted to continue their mission work in Peru. Now John and Rudolf were visiting churches in the counties of Finnmark and Nordland.
When it was time to return to Peru, we were able to go back feeling rested and encouraged by the fact that the Wilhelm family with their four children would join us in Tigre Playa that fall. It would be good to have another family to share the work with.
When it was time to return to Peru, we were able to go back feeling rested and encouraged by the fact that the Wilhelm family with their four children would join us in Tigre Playa that fall. It would be good to have another family to share the work with.
