Israel Speaks
Over 60 years ago God called a Finnish man to leave his home in Ilmajoki -
and go to the land of Israel.
Kaarlo Syväntö and his family settled on the shore of lake Gennesaret -
right at the beginning of the state of Israel.
Bible distribution became his life's work.
Kaarlo's children remember well how life in their new home land began.
My father was a railway worker.
He had given his life to God's use wherever.
He had a vision of an angel and he was shown where he would work.
He began preparing for it and resigned from the railway service.
We lived in Ilmajoki close to Seinäjoki.
After the Continuation War it was time to leave Finland.
Still in the aftermath of the war it was difficult to get -
supplies, clothes and food with coupons.
Eventually in 1947 we gave our apartment to a large family.
We were supposed to go to Sweden at first.
Anyway, we went to Helsinki in order to get on the ship.
However, in November of 1947 -
the United Nations made the partition plan and decided that -
a Jewish state would be established.
This resulted in an immediate war.
That time our journey stopped in Helsinki.
My father sent a telegram saying we shouldn't come, because it was -
so restless here.
He had managed to rent an apartment for us -
and he went to Jerusalem.
The apartment was in the city of Safed North of lake Gennesaret.
When he came back from Jerusalem the apartment had been blown up -
along with all the stuff he had managed to gather there.
Before the explosion he had written to us that from the city -
you could see the lake, but it was too far away to go swimming.
My brother, who is 1,5 years older than me, said: -
If we can see the lake we will make a short cut and go swimming.
Now that we're here, at least on the way back we need a car.
There is a 1 km hight difference between Safed and lake Gennesaret.
I was then 4 years old.
The first memories of my life were from the Larsmo missionary home.
Ever since then I knew we were going to Palestine to eat oranges.
I didn't understand the calling. I only understood we were leaving -
Finland and going to a far-away land.
I've been told I said: Jesus will come to the Mt. of Olives.
We will be closer to it so we will get to Heaven faster than you.
Aunt Eeli told me this later on.
Eventually, we went to Sweden the following spring.
The Independence War lasted until Israel's independence in May.
It was good that we didn't come in the midst of those battles.
The Syrian army occupied Tiberias and the whole Northern part -
of Eastern Israel.
There were no cargo ships going from Finland to Israel, -
but there were ships from Sweden. You never knew when they'd leave -
so it was better to be there waiting when it did come.
It took a few years before the freighter connection started.
Another obstacle was obtaining a life-long visa.
My father had obtained one during the British mandate -
and the family was expected to get it as well.
Nonetheless, we had to wait a long time for it.
Finally the direct cargo ship connection started operating.
I don't remember if it left from Göteborg or somewhere else.
It went until Haifa and it took two weeks.
We stopped once in the Algerian harbour, -
where we saw for the first time the Southern lifestyle -
with merchants selling their products to the sailors and passengers.
It was a good journey.
In cargo ships passengers travel in first class and eat at -
the captain's table. They are treated like guests.
There were no mobile phones and communication was not -
as good as it is today.
The ship came to the harbour one day ahead of time.
My father was not notified, and no one was there to greet us.
He only knew the original arrival time.
However, the captain of the ship said we could wait on the ship, -
at least through the night and until the next day.
We looked at Haifa from the harbour.
He came the following day.
We were four siblings and mother. All our luggage was put in a truck -
and we drove to the shore of lake Gennesaret.
My father had found an abandoned house there.
It had been completely robbed during the war -
even the windows and doors had been taken.
There had been no electricity and the water pipes had been stolen.
It was September 9th and very warm when we came.
In the beginning it didn't matter that we didn't have windows.
However, the winter in Israel is cold and it snowed in TIiberias -
the following winter. Since then it hasn't snowed as much as then.
The snow was nice, but not the cold weather that came with it.
Children receive what they are given.
I though it was normal life.
On the other hand, now that I will turn 67 this year and we had -
four children, I realize it was a remarkable story.
You don't see it when you are living in it yourself.
To leave somewhere with 4 school- aged children for the rest of your life.
You have to send your children to the local school and not to -
a missionary school.
My father put me and my sister in a local school.
What were they thinking putting us in a Jewish school -
as the only non-Jews there.
Because it was an abandoned house, rats had occupied it.
On the first night the girls slept on top of a packing case.
They could fit well there, because they were young.
My young sister Lilja suddenly shouts: -
"Dad, something bit me in the nose!"
My father came with a flashlight but he couldn't see anything.
He said she had just had nightmares.
She didn't even manage to fall asleep before something bit her nose again.
Then my father saw that it was a big rat.
There was one wooden dinner table in the house -
and on that same night he made a mousetrap out of it.
Not many would be able to do it.
After that every 5-10 minutes a rat got trapped and we threw it out.
I felt that we had a lot of fun as children.
There were no toys or TV.
It felt like we never lacked anything.
When we were bored we would run along the shore of the lake -
and turn the stones to see the different coloured crabs.
We also made small water channels.
Behind the house there was a hill which had a city -
from the times of Jesus.
When I was around 8 we went to the archaeological excavations.
We found broken vessels there.
Later I heard we were the first archaeologists in that place.
We never lacked food or clothes, even though they were old.
I never went to a café or a restaurant with my parents.
I never went shopping for clothes with my mother.
We had old clothes. My sister, Lilja, liked blue and I liked red.
We divided old clothes that way -
as well as all other things.
We used to say that our clothes were from Maire's boutique.
My mother's name was Maire.
I believe that if children have a modest life, they are always greatful.
They are thankful for every small extra thing.
At that time plastic had not yet been invented, -
so we couldn't cover the windows. Mosquitos and wind came inside.
We caught malaria which we thought was a common cold.
The fever was high, but of course it is when you have a cold.
Then the fever went down and up again.
The former Scottish missionary hos- pital had been reopened in Tiberias.
Nurses had come from Finland among other places.
They came to us and said it had to be checked, -
because it might even be malaria.
We took blood tests and the malaria had already spread, because we -
had not had any medication for it.
I, especially, remember that I and my mother got sick at the same time -
and father later on.
It had become so bad that we had to go to the Scottish hospital -
and go under medication.
The only effective medication at that time was Quinine, -
which also has side effects.
I was given 4 pills at a time 4 times a day, -
which was the maximum amount given to a boy my weight.
I complained about tinning in my ears and other side effects -
of the medication.
I should not have complained because then a nurse came and -
gave me an injection without telling me what it was.
Then my head started spinning.
Maybe it was some kind of a drug injection.
Well, I survived and it was later checked in Finland as well -
and they found out that there is no sign of it in my blood anymore.
Thank God for that.
In the apartment where we came the Syrian army had apparently -
left a trap for the next residents.
The yard had a stone-made oven which could be warmed up with branches.
We had a lot of dry branches.
There were two ovens which were filled with trash and leaves.
When we were cleaning the area we lighted up the trash in the first oven.
Before using the second oven, my brother wanted to see what was -
under the trash.
He found several hand grenades there.
We didn't light the fire and all of the children survived.
At least we would have been badly injured.
My father went to Tiberias which was 3 km away -
and asked the police to take them away.
Life continued.
Later on I also read the story of Robinson Crusoe.
Our life was very similar. It was a battle for existence -
and we did survive with the help of God.
My father was not supported finan- cially from Finland nor anywhere else.
Before leaving Finland, he had owned a wood lot and -
the house in Ilmajoki, but he gave them away.
The Larsmo missionary home was built with that money.
Hence, there was no money even for food.
However, there was fish in the lake and in the fall there were dates -
ripening on the trees.
The food was not very diverse.
For the first Christmas we had a good catch of fish.
We caught 53 medium-sized fish.
After not eating properly for a while, we could eat as many fish -
as we wanted.
We ate the 53 fish quite fast.
There was lack in Israel as well.
My father went to buy potatoes with coupons.
The shopkeeper laughed and said there were no potatoes in the summer.
He should come again after the winter.
It took a long time before we could buy flour, which helped a lot.
We had a real Christmas with a cypress tree and gifts.
I remember one gift that Kalervo made for me.
He made a small table and two chairs out of iron wire and put -
a white paper as the table cover.
I still remember how excited I was.
We came up with these kinds of gifts.
For our mother we gave a plate, because we didn't have utensils.
It was a Christmas gift, even though it was for everyone.
Speaking about childhood, everything was bought with coupons.
We got 1 kg of sugar per person including the children.
My father liked sweets.
Each person's sugar bag was put on the table and each one could -
decide when he finishes his sugar.
My father finished his first, because he liked sweets.
It depended on the character who finished whose faster.
Caramel was put in a jar where it melted together.
If you put chocolate and caramel in a jar it will melt in the heat.
We had fun and the children kept each other company.
We went to see the caves and went on boat trips.
I feel I had a very happy childhood.
In the evenings we used oil lamps and we kneeled down to pray.
I intentionally pretended to fall asleep so my father -
would carry me to bed.
We saw a lot of sabra cactuses which in the fall bear big fruits -
the size of eggs.
They are full of small thorns, though.
Furthermore, the thorns on the sabra fruits are so small -
that you don't notice them immediately.
They are like a stubble of beard, but very sharp.
The wind takes them and if you're not careful the thorns come to -
your skin and inside your shirt.
After we learned that, we first had to soak the thorns in a water basket -
to soften them.
Then you peel the outer layer and eat the insides.
It's very good and full of vitamins.
Fortunately, we lived on the shore.
We would go to the water up until our necks to soak the thorns -
and they didn't hurt anymore.
These are the kinds of things I remember.
We lived in that house for 3 years.
I don't know where he got the money for it, -
but eventually my father ordered lumber from Finland.
We also got doors to our house.
I don't remember if they came for the next winter or not.
There is still at least one door that I made in the storage room.
I don't remember that I as a child would have complained -
to my parents, unlike children today might.
I can testify to the Bible verse that -
"Godliness with contentment is great gain."
Translation: Sonja Mattayev