CORRINE SAHLBERG

BIOGRAPHY: Early Years

I was born in Chicago, Illinois as the first of eight children to Myrtle and Anthony Henricksen (five sons and three daughters). I attended a Salvation Army Sunday school when I was a child; all of our Christmas presents and much of our food came from the Salvation Army to help our family. I accepted the Lord in a Salvation Army meeting when I was 6 years old. My father worked various jobs on cargo ships, as an awning maker, operated a water taxi service and became a Merchant Marine sailor; we moved often in search of new work. In September 1942 my father's ship was delivering "Lend Lease" supplies when it was torpedoed by the Nazis; my father was killed. When I was 16, in order to help support our family, I had to drop out of high school to work. I worked as a nanny, next in a gasket factory, then wired Grumman Hellcat planes during WWII; I also completed a high school equivalency certificate. In July 29, 1943 I was accepted into the Nyack MISSIONARY TRAINING INSTITUTE. I studied hard while I worked in a cardboard factory and cleaned homes as a maid to help meet school expenses. During my senior year, I was a religious instructor at a Salvation Army camp for underprivileged children. At Nyack, I met the man I would eventually marry, Elmer Sahlberg. After graduation, I was accepted by the New York Nursing College where I graduated as a Licensed Practical Nurse on September 30, 1948. Elmer and I married on November 13, 1948 and I moved to Prattville, Alabama where Elmer pastored a church. Our son David was born in Prattville. We lived in a little rented room attached to a house. The church was a small wooden building. In November, 1949 we were assigned SIAM (Thailand) as our mission field. We traveled on a cargo ship to get there. I looked forward to my new life as a missionary to Thailand. September 1, 2013 - 92 years old ! Movie: cutting the cake for a 92nd birthday.
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