From performing life-saving surgeries to fixing cars and helping students, Dr. Kristian Hogganvik used every skill to serve others. He was dedicated to serving God until his death in 1994 at the age of 83.
Kristian Hogganvik was a Norwegian medical missionary in Ethiopia. He was born in 1911, in a small town in southern Norway. His family accepted Adventism when he was about five years old.
After he finished twelfth grade, Kristian received financial support from the Adventist headquarters in Oslo to study medicine and become a missionary. When he finished his medical studies, he was sent to northern Norway by the Adventist Church. There, he trained to become a surgeon. When he received a call in 1949 to replace a sick doctor in Ethiopia, he willingly left home with his wife and two daughters.
Initially, Dr. Hogganvik didn’t have many patients. Soon, he learned why. People were afraid that if they died in the Adventist facility, they wouldn’t be allowed to enter heaven.
One day, a young man came to the hospital with a blocked intestine. The family asked whether Dr. Hogganvik could promise that an operation would be successful. The doctor could only promise to do his best, so the family didn’t allow the procedure. After two days, the patient was so sick that he felt like he was going to die. He asked Dr. Hogganvik to do something, even if it meant an operation. Dr. Hogganvik prayed for guidance and then operated on the man. By God’s grace, the surgical intervention was successful, and the man returned home. News of the successful procedure traveled quickly, and Dr. Hogganvik had many patients after that.
Dr. Hogganvik was not only a physician, but he also worked as an electrician, plumber, carpenter, builder, and mechanic. Many times, he would lie under a car he was repairing, and his hands would be covered with black oil. The nurse would come from the hospital and tell him patients were ready for operations. He would scrub his hands and operate on a large goiter or a patient who was having a difficult delivery.
Dr. Hogganvik loved the people of Ethiopia and wanted to do everything he could to help them. He helped repair their sewing machines, cars, and various mechanical devices. He enabled many poor students to get an education. He liked to help people learn to help themselves.
One morning in 1975, after Dr. Hogganvik had served for 26 years, some 300 robbers looted and destroyed the hospital. They burned Hoggavik’s house and threatened to kill him and his wife. They found refuge in the home of a nearby friend. The next day, a plane flew them to the safety of the capital city, Addis Ababa.
One could imagine that Dr. Kristian Hogganvik would like to go home after this fearful experience. Instead, he moved to Gimbi Hospital in western Ethiopia, where he worked until his retirement. He continued serving God until his death in 1994 at the age of 83.
For more stories about pioneer missionaries, visit encyclopedia.adventist.org.
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