Born near Oslo in 1937, she was the youngest of seven children. Her father became involved with the Oxford Group in the late 1930s before advancing to the position of Director of Economics at the Norwegian branch of the American firm ITT. Early in her career, she served as secretary at a major Norwegian newspaper and later worked as a journalist and editor within the framework of Moral Re-Armament (MRA).
Her childhood was shaped by World War II and the five-year German occupation of Norway. Even in her teens, she was deeply concerned about Europe’s future, at a time when many spoke of a looming conflict between “East and West.” Several young Norwegians spent months and years in Germany’s Ruhr region, sharing information about MRA with German workers and industrialists, and keeping her parents updated on their work. The reports, especially about the mine workers in the Ruhr, inspired her and ultimately influenced her life’s path.
In 1989, she married Finnish engineer Paul Gundersen as his second wife. She now shares a home in Helsinki with his daughter Elina, taking primary responsibility for cooking while receiving support with Finnish language documents.
The Swedish-Finnish Lutheran Church has been a significant influence in her life, particularly through the theologian Ulla Christina Sjöman and her prayer meetings, which have had a wide impact in Finland. Sjöman’s emphasis on prayer and God’s guidance reinforced her belief that faith is about far more than personal salvation—it is a guiding force for life and service.
