In June 2025, our family celebrated our seventh year in Canada. Over the years, many have asked us to share our story— and what better time than now, as we mark our milestone? As we look back and reflect on the journey we've walked, we feel the time is right to invite you into the story of how God led us from our beloved homeland, Norway, to our new home in Canada.

Looking Back

Before we share the story of our family’s move from Norway, we would like to offer a little retrospective. Our story begins many years ago, when Cecilia was only 11 years old. She and her parents were part of a congregation in Os, just outside Bergen. One weekend, she experienced something very special. The congregation had invited an evangelist who had lived in Canada, and someone you may know well: Svein-Magne Pedersen.

↑ CANADA: At 11 years old, Cecilia listens to her future father-in-law as he shared stories about Canada.

With great expectation and curiosity, Cecilia sat at the very front, eager to hear the evangelist's many testimonies from Canada. From that moment, fire was kindled in her heart, marking her first encounter with the miraculous. At this very first meeting with the man she did not yet know would become her future father-in-law, Cecilia’s once misaligned back was completely healed.

Svein-Magne and his family lived in Canada from 1982 to 1988 and became Canadian citizens on July 13, 1989, in Winnipeg.

Runar, Svein-Magne's eldest son, spent much of his childhood in Canada. He was 13 years old when the family moved back to Norway. Having completed all his elementary school years in Canada, Runar remained Canadian at heart. The transition was not always easy, but he adapted remarkably well. Even at a young age, Runar’s heart for service was clear. By the time he was 15, he had begun working with Jesus Heals Ministries in Vennesla after school. From that point onward, he has devoted himself wholeheartedly to the work of the ministry, faithfully serving to this day.

The Journey to Canada

Cecilia and Runar did not know of each other until Cecilia was 16 and Runar was 19. In fact, it would still be several years before they met for the first time. Later, their paths would cross, as God’s timing and plan brought them together.

In 1997, Cecilia's parents went out as missionaries among the indigenous people in Canada. Fresh out of high school, 19-year-old Cecilia decided to join them. Her time in Canada left a deep and lasting impression, planting Canada firmly in her heart. From that experience onward, she felt a clear and compelling calling from God to serve in the country.

Cecilia and Runar met for the first time in 1997 in Abbotsford, the city they now call home. As you might imagine, sparks soon flew, and they became a couple. They later returned to Norway, where their relationship blossomed into marriage in 1999.

Cecilia earned a bachelor’s degree in kindergarten teaching, while Runar completed a bachelor's degree in public administration. They began their journey as a family, joyfully raising four children, a true blessing in their lives.