Ilula Mission worker
Do you KNOW how Berit got started in mission work?
When I was a little girl of about 6 or 7, my mother took me to a mission club at my church in Oslo, Norway. We small girls in the club were raising money for missionaries working in far away countries. We had bazaars and yard sales, and we cut up sheets and linens in long strips to make bandages for the clinics and doctors at Madagascar and Ethiopia. We were always amazed by the missionaries’ stories and pictures when they came home. In those days there were no videos or DVDs – only noisy projectors showing pictures on the wall. The stories from Africa amazed me most! How they had to struggle! With heat and animals and malaria – just like Doctor Livingstone! I can remember their stories about fever-ridden malaria patients sleeping – and dying – on the dirty ground. And how they had started a school under a shady tree, no books, pencils or anything. The children learned by memorizing. How would that work today?
My parents were far from wealthy. In fact, I was the only one in my class who did not have winter boots, simply because my parents could not afford it. In the 4th grade my Christian teacher, who taught us about the Bible and mission work, assigned us a composition: “What would you do if you won one million money (dollars)?” One million! I thought if my parents would get half of that, I would surely get a pair of winter boots! Now, the other half…….hmmm? I remembered the missionaries’ stories and pictures. And I decided to spend the other half on building a school in Africa, so these children did not have to sit under a tree. I turned in my composition, and the issue of winter boots and African school was out of my mind! I did not win a million, nor did I get winter boots…
Well, many years have passed and Berit has seen her and God’s plan take hold. She can be glad that her quest for building a school has seen fruition. She has seen the start, completion and ongoing of many projects, such as: IOP Sponsor Program, IOP Pre-school “Kids’ Corner”, IOP Foster Program, IOP Girl Guides, “Mskikamano”-IOP’s work for women, IOP Orphan Ctr for Girls “The Lord’s Acre”, IOP Seminars, IOP Food Distribution.