Anna Greta Davidsson was born in a little village in Sweden called Edsbyn. She was from a poor family and was number 8 in a family of 11 children.
Anna Greta Davidsson was born in a little village in Sweden called Edsbyn. She was from a poor family and was number 8 in a family of 11 children.
She was saved in Evangelistic meetings when she was 18 and soon realized that God had something special he wanted her to do. One day when she was praying she saw a vision of a map. A map of a place called "Ceylon". She did not know where it was but when she looked up the atlas and saw that it was a little island south of India she told God "Never! I can never go there. I'll do anything for you in Sweden but I cannot go there."
Still God has his own ways and one day she heard that a Sri Lankan pastor was going to preach at her church. It was Jacob Perera, a young evangelist who was traveling around the world and had received an invitation to speak at Anna Greta's church. They began to write to each other and soon fell in love and in 1969 Anna Greta traveled to Sri Lanka carrying only 400 dollars and her wedding dress with her to start life in a new country.
They were married on June 13th, 1969 in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Their first Christmas together in Sri Lanka, the Perera's decided that instead of giving each other Christmas gifts, they would buy some food and give it to the poor. They bought rice, tea, sugar, coconuts, lentils, and canned fish, which they packed in brown paper bags. As they distributed these packages to the poor in the city, they were especially moved by the little children that they met who had no food and no one to care for them, and living on the streets in poverty and misery.
Anna Greta began to speak about taking some children to live in their home with them. She felt like God had laid this burden upon her heart and she could not forget the children that she met on the streets.
As they prayed about this burden that God had laid on their hearts they asked Him for a sign that they were following his will. They prayed that someone would send a sum of money to them clearly stating that it was for a Children's Home in Sri Lanka without their having to say anything to anyone. A month passed. And then suddenly there were three checks in the mail. On each of them the memo said "for a children's home in Ceylon (Sri Lanka)." The PereraÕs realized that God had ordained this work for them and in 1971 they moved to a house in Kegalle that would have more room for their growing family.
The first two children that came to join Jacob, Anna and their new son Jake, were siblings named Dorothy and Cecil. Their father had been poisoned and their mother could not take care of all 5 children on her own. The third child, named Ester, was only two months old when she came to Anna-Greta and Jacob. The family was growing.
When they realized that they needed more space and a bigger house God led them to a home in Bokkawella. Although money was scarce God provided through many miracles and they were able to move into the house in Bokkawella in 1972. This house still stands at Fridsro Children's Home but around it has grown up a large campus incorporating a school, hospital, vocational training units, computer training center and several other social empowerment projects that are affecting the whole nation.
Anna-Greta, the store cashier in the small village of Edsbyn, Sweden, did not have big plans for the future. However, she was obedient to God's call when He called her and He led her into an incredible adventure that has touched thousands of lives. Our prayer is that the many examples of Gods faithfulness and goodness to the Pereras and the rest of us here at Fridsro will encourage you to actively pursue Gods will for your life and the adventure he has in store for you as well.