THE LIGHT SHINES IN THE NORTH

The first one to get the truth in north Norway was Lotte Holm. She lived near the town of Narvik, about 200 kilometers (124 miles) north of the Arctic Circle. In the autumn of 1903 she went south to Trondheim, where she met colporteur E. R. Gundersen. He gave her a small tract, Is Jesus Suffering Eternal Torment? She also subscribed for the Swedish magazine I Morgonväkten, the forerunner of the Swedish Watch Tower.

In this magazine Lotte Holm read that true Christians celebrate the memorial of Christ’s death only once a year, and learned what the Memorial date was for 1904. “I told my mother that I would celebrate the Lord’s Supper at the date of Jesus’ death at the same time as other Christians all over the world,” she wrote in a letter to the Society. “She gave me raisins. I made unfermented bread and ‘the fruit of the vine’​—and celebrated alone. There was nobody with ‘listening ears’ for miles around at that time. But I had an unforgettable celebration in March the first year. . . . My first contact with the office in Kristiania was when I wrote for some magazines to distribute.”

Soon it appeared that there were others with “listening ears” in the town of Narvik, not far from Lotte Holm’s residence. Some time between 1903 and 1905 Viktor Feldt came to Narvik as a colporteur. There he met a married couple who showed interest, and soon another couple joined them. This small group wrote the Society to inquire if there were others in the vicinity of Narvik who were interested in the good news. In this way they got in touch with Lotte Holm, who lived only a few hours by boat from Narvik. This group, the first in north Norway, now consisted of five persons. For many years these were the only true Christians in that part of the country. Lotte Holm remained faithful to Jehovah God until her death in 1966, when close to ninety-three years of age.

In this magazine Lotte Holm read that true Christians celebrate the memorial of Christ’s death only once a year, and learned what the Memorial date was for 1904. “I told my mother that I would celebrate the Lord’s Supper at the date of Jesus’ death at the same time as other Christians all over the world,” she wrote in a letter to the Society. “She gave me raisins. I made unfermented bread and ‘the fruit of the vine’​—and celebrated alone. There was nobody with ‘listening ears’ for miles around at that time. But I had an unforgettable celebration in March the first year. . . .