Happy New Year!
I have been wanting to write this post connecting the places we visited in Norway to my family heritage. My interest in my Norwegian heritage started in 2018 and when I went to a piano concert of my uncle that year. He shared during the concert that he had discovered through research that his great-grandfather, which is my great-great grandfather was one of the first converts to the Adventist faith in Norway. I became very interested in this and approached him later and asked him about it more. We started doing research on our Norwegian ancestors on Sabbath afternoons and I loved studying it. The beginnings of Adventism in Norway is so special.
We found this article on my great-great grandfather, Hans Steen.
It touched my heart to read this. He was baptized into the Adventist faith by the evangelistic efforts of John Matteson in 1880. Here are pictures of the Adventistkirken Betel church in Oslo, the first Adventist church in Norway. My Steen relatives attended there.
My uncle and I outside of the church.
My grandmother, Elinor Steen grew up in Chicago before she met my grandfather and became Elinor Dittes. It was neat to read how Hans Steen was involved in ministry in Chicago and Minnesota.
John Matteson also ministered to the Scandinavians at the Humboldt Park SDA church in Chicago before he went to spread the Adventist message in Norway. My grandmother attended this church. I love this article too.
Later in the trip we were able to visit Moss, Norway. My grandmother's mother, Eris Haroldsen grew up there. It was a beautiful place to visit. Here is part of an article about my great-grandmother.
We also took interest in visiting Moss because Thorwald Steen, my great-grandfather and Hans Steen attended a campmeeting with Ellen White there around 1887. We went to an area where there was likely a campmeeting held there. Here are some pictures.
We visited the town of Halden on the same day we visited Moss. The Steens moved to Halden after living in Oslo. My great-grandfather attended school there. We went to the top of a fortress in Halden. It was so nice.
In conclusion, I am grateful for the missionary efforts of John Matteson. My great-great grandfather's spiritual influence carried into my grandmother's life. She was a godly woman and how she raised my mother impacted the wonderful Christian values my mother taught my brothers and I. I'm thankful for my family heritage and I look forward to meeting my ancestors in heaven.
