My father, Nils Olaf Dahlsten was born in Smoland, Sweden in the year 1896 and died in Loma Linda, CA from a brain aneurysm on May 12, 1979. He was retired and doing really well physically but died suddenly because of this problem. My mother Ester Hokkenson-Dahlsten died in Loma Linda in 1988.  

They both came to China in 1925, after a year of studying the Chinese language at Peking they went to Manchuria in a town called Chanchung. This is where I was born. There was a son Eric who died at age 3, and a daughter, Verneta who died at age 6. I was born June 13, 1927 and a younger sister Mabel born Feb. 18, 1929, and another sister Joyce born Nov. 23, 1943, she is the only child born in the USA.

The history of my father before I was born is vague, but I can give you what I know after I was born. We lived in Harbin, Manchuria until I was six, then went home to Sweden for one year, 1933 to 1934. After coming back to China, we went to Lanchow and then to Yening. Then on to Suchow near the borders of Tibet. From there we went to Hong Kong because of the Communist Forces moving down fighting the government troops. We were in Hong Kong for three years and then moved back to China to Lanchow again and to Sian. I left Sian to go to Shanghai in 1940, the Japanese that occupied Shanghai forced all foreigners to leave so I came to Canada. My folks went to Assam for a while and then to Ceylon. 

My father went upper Peninsula Michigan a place called Calumet where my father was in charge of several churches. Later he had opportunity to return to China in 1943 and he went alone back to Northwest China where he stayed until after the war was over in 1945. Returning back to Michigan, he became a US citizen and then we went to India. I stayed in the US for college and Nursing School, also my sister Mabel stayed; she is also a R.N. living now in Hawaii.

If I have turned the events around I apologize, but it is hard to follow all the things my father has done in his life and when he returned to US again in 1954, I met my folks and sister Joyce in Takoma Park and we all drove together to the General Conference meeting in San Francisco. After a year visiting California, my folks went to Arizona where Dad was pastor of several churches in and around Safford and Thatcher. When he retired in 1974 or 1975, they moved to Loma Linda where he had opportunity to meet many old China friends like the Larsons, Nelsons etc. Both my mother and father were very happy living near the University and Hospital. They are both buried at the Montecito Cemetery near Loma Linda. We miss them very much and are looking forward to the Lords coming so we can all live in Heaven.