Bodil Biørn

“ Syria is a beautiful country, especially Lebanon. Syria used to be under the Turks, but after the last world war the French took over the protectorate all over Syria. There are about 3 million people living in Syria, Christians and Muhammadans. Damascus is the capital and has about 1⁄2 million residents. The first half year I was with the Danish sisters in Beirut and worked there among the refugees, helping them and evangelizing. There I met several of my friends from Harunje, and with some of them I had Bible lessons every week. ”

“ Many also came down from the mountains where they had been hiding for months. Oh, how they looked miserable! What a joy it was to be in Musch for the 3 1⁄2 months before the Russians took the city and help all these wretched, poor people. We were all often in danger but felt so completely enveloped by God's strong hand. Almost daily, someone was sent off to be killed. It was a difficult time, and yet I would not do without it, being able to help and comfort those unhappy people. Some of our boys from the orphanage came running down to me. ”

“ Armenia is rich in springs, spreading everywhere in the mountains. Between the mountains there are large, fertile valley areas where grains, tobacco, fruit trees, melons, grapes, etc. are grown.
Armenia was almost as large as Norway before it was divided, but it was divided between Turkey, Russia and Persia, and the Turks occupied the largest and most fertile part of the country. From ancient times, Armenia has been the scene of major historical events, and many peoples from Asia have wandered through the country. ”

“ The first few years I worked mostly among the sick and poor and I had never before seen so many poor people as in Musch and in the surrounding villages. I opened an outpatient clinic 3 times a week where about 4,000 people were treated annually, and I also visited about 300 people in the city and about 200 in the villages.
When the outpatient clinic was opened, there came a number of sick people, both Armenians, Turks and Kurds; because they had heard that this "doctor" could cure any kind of illness. I must say that I have never felt so small as among all these sick people ”

“ Protestants usually have more light. Most of the refugees came from the Charput area, from Musch, Urfa and Zeitun. These all spoke Armenian, while those who came from Cilicia mostly spoke Turkish as the Turks there did not allow the Armenian language. To my aid, I had a Bible woman who spoke both Armenian and Turkish. At first, we started out in a big nice building where a lot of refugees were gathered. We worshipped there once a week with quite a few women. There we also started a Sunday school and also one in the Akkaba-camp where many children came. ”

“ There was a time of revival in the great "camp". God used one of the Armenian Protestant priests, and many listened to the word of God and had peace.-
God later led me to Aleppo where I started work in 1927. Aleppo is a city of about 300,000 inhabitants, of which about 200.000 are Muhammadans, Arabs and Turks and about 100,000 Christian Syrians, Armenians and Asians. About 50,000 Armenians live there, of which almost 40,000 were refugees from their old country and from Cilicia. During the World War, about 250,000 refugees passed through Aleppo. ”

“ Aleppo is located in Northern Syria about 4 hours’ drive from Antioch. It is very hot in summer, but colder in winter as it lays slightly higher up than Beirut. The surrounding nature is barren. In the vicinity of Aleppo, there are many Muhammadan villages where fellachas, Turkomans and Arabs live. Since the Armenians are largely farmers - 80 percent of them were farmers in their homeland - many of them had to go to the villages. ”

“ I had Sunday school and gatherings with children. Many had come to know Jesus and had given him his heart and wanted to follow in Jesus' footsteps. That last year I got sick, so I had to go home to great grief for all of us. When I later recovered, there were so many obstacles in the way of my departure that it was not possible to leave. I can't say how much it hurt me not to come back to my dear children. A nice believing Armenian woman continued the work for a time, and some of the children later came to American homes.-
In Syria. ”

“ It was captured by the Turks in 1375, and their last king Levon VI was captured and deposed. It was this land the Armenians hoped to get back after the world war, but the great powers did not keep their promises.
The Armenians are an intelligent, diligent and frugal people who, with tenacious perseverance, have stayed upraised despite terrible hardships, distress and persecution. 80% of them are farmers, but there are also many educated people. - probably no Armenian people would have existed today if Christianity had not taken root so early. ”

“ A monastery for men is included. As early as in 301 Christianity became a state religion in Armenia, and it is thus the world's oldest Christian state. The Armenian Mesrop gave them their alphabets, and part of the Bible was translated into Old Armenian in 406 and the whole Bible in 433. ”

“ Some fled into the mountains, some escaped across Persia to the Armenian Republic, some were deported, but most were killed. The Armenian part of the city and all the Armenian villages were destroyed. I myself was very sick with typhus. A fanatical Albanian doctor tried to shoot Sister Alma but hit 2 elderly women who both died. Our children were taken from us, and this doctor entered my home with 20 Turkish soldiers and abducted our staff, but by God's grace we recovered some of them. Our 3 believing Armenian teachers were for 2 days in the violence of the Turks ”

“ Nor did that part of Armenia escape the devastation of the Turks. Twice the Turks invaded it. The first invasion in 1918 and the last in 1921. By then they had destroyed 78 large and prosperous Armenian villages and murdered most of the population. In the Kars district, 12,000 of the Van and Musch refugees had built temporary homes, but because of the Turkish invasion they had to flee from their homes and possessions.
The small Armenian Republic is only 30,000 sq. kilometers with a population of c. 1 million, the majority of Armenians. They control their own country. ”

“ After all, a majority of these persecuted people have lived on the run for years, and the orphaned children roamed around and where begging. Therefore, the godlessness of the youth increased to a disturbing degree. ”