Erickson

Emelie Erickson

China, 1896-1900

Emelie EricksonEmelie Erickson was raised in an upper-middle class Christian home in Sundsvall, Sweden. At age fourteen she accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and immediately took her place in a Missionary Alliance Church congregation. She joined Missionary Fransons Bible School in Sundsvall, and an English language course in the same city in 1892. In autumn of 1895 she came to Miss Elsa Borgs Women’s “Bible Home” where the idea of becoming a missionary was put before her. She decided to follow God’s call to go to China and went there with other Swedish missionaries funded by the C&MA.

She arrived in China in the winter of 1896 and attended indoctrination in Peking. She studied the language awhile and then traveled to the mission station at Chonguei.

When she became fluent in Chinese she was assigned to the station in Kueihuacheng. Quietly and seriously she looked after her obligations. She started a “station” for women. The station took in women and children that were destitute and cared for them as well as giving them Bible studies. Her missionary work was so successful that she wrote to her superintendent that she needed help as the burden to disciple all who had accepted Christ was more than she and the small group with her could handle.

Not a lot is known about the death of Emelie. It is assumed that she was with the Lundbergs and was martyred along with the small group of missionaries and Christian Chinese that had assembled for safety on August 16, 1900. The Boxer army attacked the small mission station and murdered all of the missionaries and their children. Nothing was ever heard of them after the attack. It is reported that at her mission station the Boxer army burned her mission station down and slaughtered over 200 Chinese that had associated with the mission.

On her marker it says, “And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever.” Daniel 12:3

Who will be willing to take the mantle of those who have “gone home” and will go out and teach the poor in darkness and sin, and guide them to righteousness?

Translated from Swedish article into English.

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