Voyage of Faith

Voyage of Faith

Anna Setterlund’s story begins in the small village of Lerback, Sweden. Her parents, along with other family members and close friends, defy the state church and conduct religious services in private homes. This new style of worship provides a strong foundation for Anna’s faith but also threatens the family with persecution from the parish priest.When tragedy strikes, Anna’s father decides to follow other Swedish emigrants to America, where religious freedom and economic opportunity await them. Anna’s faith is nurtured in a small community church in Minnesota where a series of events puts her on a path toward mission work that will take her from the western frontiers of America to a small fishing village in Japan. Her mission is to spread the Word of God through simple acts of kindness and use her unwavering faith to challenge social injustice and religious prejudice wherever they exist. This chronicle of a missionary’s life is set against a stunning historical backdrop that examines Sweden’s cultural fascination with ancient folk beliefs, the growing pains experienced by a young American nation, and the centuries-old homogeneous society of Japan where the citizenry worship an Emperor as a God. Anna’s story is made more poignant by the fact that she is the author’s grandmother