Sten Lindberg

Lindberg, Sten Fritiof (August 12, 1899 - ). Son of Anna and J. E. Lindberg. As a child he went to the British school in Chefoo, China. Later he attended Bethel Seminary in Stockholm, Sweden [possibly at the same time as Hellen Rinell?.] Like his father and mother Sten was a missionary in China working in Zhucheng being responsible for the work in Rhizjao. He had some medical training and so saw patients. Since he had American citizenship, he left China before World War II. If he had remained he would very probably have been put into an internment camp by the Japanese military. It may have been at this time that he entered an American school to further his education. He then worked with a mission ambulance in Ethiopia for the Baptist General Conference, and had personal contact with King and Emperor Haile Selassie.

Sten returned to China after the war, became a translator in the "Liaison Group of Foreign Affairs Bureau National Military Council" for the nationalist Chinese government, and worked for the Baptist General Conference in Tsingtao.

See Foreign Missionary Advance

He was forced to leave China like most Westerners when the Chinese communists took over the country. He retired in the USA.

At 91 years of age Sten spoke before a committee hearing of Appropriation on March 6, 1991 for the budget not to be cut for the Elim Park Baptist Home, Cheshire, Connecticut in which he was a resident. See Committee Hearing Transcript (APP) 03/06/91 ².

Following from Lally Rinell:

When war was over he came as a liaison officer to China for the US - and later came back as a missionary for the General Conference in Qingdao. There he worked together with Alma and Dale Bjork of the same mission. Sten was fun, a character. He had a good hearted giggle, a horse and a run-down car ("The old grey mare ain' what he used to be" - I guess this was more about the car than the horse!!). He had a small church upstairs in an apartment building, where I taught Sunday school with him! We traveled there on his motorbike each Sunday morning... When he had to leave China again, he became Secretary of Foreign Missions for the Baptist General Conference. In 1999 i visited Janet Reinbrecht in Mechanicsburgh, PA. From there I called Sten, who now was in a home for the elderly. It happened to be on the day of his 100 birthday!! I'm sure you could get more information about Sten from the General Conference - even through the internet. Sten's wife was Alice, American lady with a Finnish background. They had three children. The oldest one was Dorothy (early widowed and remarried), Gilbert and Edward (called Eddy). Perhaps you could find them through the General Conference as well? The data in our "Missionary calendar" says: Lindberg, Sten Fritiof, born in Kiaohsien, China August 12 1899. Baptized in First Baptist Church in Stockholm 1919. Studied at Betelseminariet 3rd and 4th year programs (year 1920-22) and held a BSc degree from The College of the City of New York, USA, 1928. Medical studies at The Union Missionary Training Institute in New York, USA, 1928. Arrived in China 1929. Married to Alice Maria Friberg, Visited Sweden 1936. - (The rest of his story is probably to be found in US archives.)