Birth: 04-02-1840
Home Calling :11-12-1910
Native Place: Lillehammer
Country: Norway
Place of Vision: India
Lars Olsen Skrefsrud was born in a poor family and received minimal education. He fell into bad company in his youth and became an addict and a thief. At the age of nineteen, he attempted to rob a bank with his friends but was caught and imprisoned. In prison, he was visited by his friend Anna Olsum, who encouraged him to read the Bible and other gospel literature. Eventually, Lars repented of his sinfulness and accepted Christ as his savior.
At the age of 21, he was released from jail and soon joined the Gossner Mission Society in Germany for missionary training. For two years, he trained his body, soul and spirit for the ministry through fasting and praying. In 1863, he left for India and started a mission among the Santal tribe who lived north of Calcutta. Anna, too, joined him on the mission field, and they got married.
Santals were oppressed by the Zamindars and were at constant threat of annihilation by the upper caste Hindus. Lars learned their language and developed a system for writing it. Lars also translated Bible into Santali and published a hymnal using the native tunes. According to him, “It is the unbelief we want to get rid of, not the national character.” Hundreds used to gather to listen to him preach the Word of God. He established churches that reflected the character of that region and consistent with the Biblical order. By 1890, the Santal mission had 6,000 baptized church members.
Lars was also concerned about the welfare of the Santal people. He appealed to the British Government for their protection from oppression. With the aim to make the natives independent, he founded schools to teach them farming, animal husbandry, carpentry, and other valuable skills. His ministry expanded to the neighboring states of Jharkhand, Bihar, and Assam. By the time he finished his race in this world in 1910, there were more than 15,000 Santal Christians!
