It is 1977, and in the town of Huddinge outside Stockholm, Sweden, six-year-old twins Mia and Susanne are having their first days at a new primary school. Elise Skogsrud is in the same class. She has been looking forward to meeting new classmates and quickly makes friends with the twins. This is the start of a lifelong friendship that will have a major impact on Mia and Susanne’s lives.
Contrasts between the homes
The twins say that Elise and her family belonged to BCC’s former local church in Stockholm. The Skogsrud family had an open home and Mia and Susanne often visited them after school. They say that it made an impression on them to notice the good atmosphere in the home.
The twins really enjoyed visiting Elise and her family after school. Photo: Private
“It was a safe, good and warm home. They were hospitable people. Helena, Elise’s mother, was very attentive and good to all the neighbors. She always showed such an interest and asked us how our day had been. She also had a very strong personal faith and told us about her experiences of faith several times,” Susanne remembers.
Mia adds: “It was a bit chaotic, but as a child you don’t see that; you just notice that there’s a good atmosphere.”
It also made an impression on them to see how father Ove would come up to Helena and give her a good hug. They rarely experienced this in their own home. The girls say that they themselves came from a home characterized by alcohol abuse. Caring roles were often turned upside down. However, their secret was well kept within the four walls of the house. With this in mind, the contrast they experienced in the Skogsrud’s home was all the greater. There they got to see Christianity in practice.
They gave their lives to God at the age of 11
Years passed, and the hopeful six-year-olds were now eleven years old. Their friendship was still as strong as ever. Elise was an exuberant girl with great boldness who talked about Jesus as a matter of course. She herself was very excited about what she had heard at Christian meetings and conferences, and enthusiastically passed this on to Mia and Susanne. The twins had a childlike faith as a result of attending Sunday school and participating in various church activities.
Yet there was something about Elise’s faith that was especially vivid and attractive to the girls. One day, the short walk home from school turned into a four-hour-long conversation about Jesus and faith, the church and the conferences. This was a turning point for Mia and Susanne. They decided that they wanted to be Christians. They sought out the same Christian church that Elise was a part of. It would be another two years before they attended their first conference at Brunstad. This participation turned out to be problematic for their parents.
Defying their parents’ wishes
Their parents didn’t want the girls to go to the conference at Brunstad in Norway. It was something new and unfamiliar to them. The girls, on the other hand, had a strong desire to participate. For a long time beforehand, they had put a lot of effort into being as good and helpful as possible to their parents, in order to gain goodwill for the day they would tell them what they wanted to do. When their parents still refused, the girls decided to do something they had never done before.
They chose to stand their ground.
They called a professional body in Sweden and received confirmation that they had the right to choose their own faith. The girls also wrote a letter in which, for the first time, they chose to confront their parents about their alcohol abuse and how this affected their everyday lives. They also described why they thought it was fair that they should be allowed to go to the conference. They left this letter in their room and then escaped to the Skogsrud family, wanting to join them at the conference. The twins say that the Skogsrud family wanted to let them come along, but that they were clear that they couldn’t do this without the girls getting approval from their parents. The twins and the Skogsrud family all folded their hands and prayed that the talk would go well. Susanne then phoned home and asked her mother to check the note in their room, while arguing her case well. Forced by the circumstances, their mother finally reluctantly agreed.
The twins wanted to participate in conferences together with Elise. This picture is from a Christian conference in Finland. Photo: Private
Their first conference experience at Brunstad
The girls were taken to Brunstad and stayed in dormitories with several other girls. They attended the meetings, full of anticipation. Mia says that what made the biggest impression on her was the atmosphere; the entire, large assembly sat completely still as they listened to what was being said. Mia also describes it as very special when the whole congregation sang together from the heart. That made an impression on her. As the days went by, the girls made many new friends, while at the same time having a safe base with the Skogsrud family. Mia describes her stay as safe and pleasant, with a good atmosphere.
Their journey home was fast approaching, and Mia and Susanne were dreading the meeting with their parents. After all, they had run away from home. The girls got a sharp reprimand when they got home, and found their rooms had been cleared of pictures with Christian content. However, something had changed. Their parents gradually showed greater acceptance of the girls’ Christian faith and allowed them to attend meetings and conferences.
As the years went by, the twins developed a good relationship with their parents. For their part, the parents acknowledged their choice and saw the positive effect faith had on the twins’ own family life.
40 years later—and still regular participants at BCC’s conferences at Brunstad
It’s been 40 years since the twins attended their first conference at Brunstad. Mia and Susanne are 53 years old now. They both have good and stable family lives, with husbands, children and grandchildren. They spend the summer at Brunstad, coming here again and again with their families. Susanne says that she wants to make the most of her time when she attends BCC’s summer conference. The more people you get to meet and talk to, the better. She is grateful for the good weather this summer and for the fact that there have been so many activities to choose from for children and young people at Brunstad. However, she points out that it’s first and foremost the meetings and fellowship, as well as meeting friends, that are most important.
She continues: “I prayed for this during the first meeting because I don’t know what I need myself. God knows me, and He knows what I need; both what I need to hear from God’s word and what I need to work on in my own life. I am aware that I have a flesh, that is, that there is sin in me, so I need to work on my salvation. I felt my prayers were answered powerfully by Kåre’s message,” says Susanne, referring to Kåre J. Smith’s opening message at the conference. Mia interjects: “It was like sitting in a Bible class.” “Yes, that’s exactly what it was like,” confirms Susanne.
The twins each have a large family now, including children, children-in-law, and grandchildren. Here is Mia’s family. Photo: Private
God has been with us all the way
Susanne speaks with warmth about what the preaching means to her. “This is everyday Christianity. There is no magic formula or pretending. You encounter small and large circumstances throughout the day, with your children, in your marriage, at work, and so on. Through the words of the Bible, we have actually been given guidance on how to handle the different circumstances, and we can also pray for wisdom to do things the right way. We make mistakes and say the wrong things, but it’s an opportunity to do better and move on. This life has made me happy!”
She continues: “When you open up to faith, you experience much more. You can have full confidence that what’s meant to happen will happen and that there is One who is following all the details. We have experienced this in many things. Even when we were young, in the difficult times with mom and dad, we have seen that God has been with us all the way. I have experienced people who are true believers. There’s something about them and their lives that is so tangible; it’s a testimony in itself. There’s simply no room for doubt. You become more and more strengthened in your faith.”
Mia agrees. She says that she has had many convictions throughout her life, from tiny things to big things. “I don’t think anyone can make me believe that there isn’t a God!” The twins agree that they have received great grace from God over their lives. With their upbringing in an alcoholic home, things could have gone very wrong.
Instead, they have become happy followers of Jesus.
