Christensen, Otto Henry (1898–1979) and Dorothy Julia (Kocher) (1906–1998)

Otto H. Christensen was a pastor, evangelist, theologian, educator, author, linguist, and pioneer missionary to Mongolia and China. Dorothy Kocher Christensen, also a pioneer missionary in Mongolia and China, served as a Bible instructor, translator, nurse, dietitian, educator, and author, and assisted in ministry.

Otto’s Early Life (1898-1923)

Otto Henry Christensen was born in a log farmhouse north of Mahtowa, Minnesota, on March 25, 1898, the sixth of seven children (Olga, Nels, Elsena, Herbert, Emil, Otto, and John) born to Danish immigrants Christian Enevold and Dorthea Marie (Jensen) Christensen.¹ After passing the eighth grade at the eight-grade country school, Otto enjoyed school so much that he attended two additional years, early indication of a life-long academic interest. In 1906, Adventist meetings held in the schoolhouse produced a Scandinavian Adventist group with his mother and two siblings being baptized. At a church home meeting, Otto committed his life to Jesus and was baptized at the next Minnesota camp meeting; his other siblings also became Adventists. Otto’s father never became an Adventist but believed and lived the teachings.² Otto, Herbert and John, became life-long church workers; Nels and Elsena also briefly served as academy teachers.³

Otto helped on the farm and, later, like his father, worked in northern Minnesota lumber camps. His life dramatically changed on January 25, 1917, while trimming tree branches. Otto recalled, “. . . a dry broken off branch sprung up and its sharp edge pierced my left eyeball . . . . I quickly grabbed some snow and put it on my head and then walked over to where my boss was loading.”⁴ After a ten mile horse-drawn sleigh ride in below zero weather and a train transfer to a hospital, he spent several weeks recuperating. His forest work ended, leaving him with sight in only one eye – a daunting handicap for some but Otto seemed undeterred. Years later he stated that “many have suffered from worse accidents than that, so we must not complain, but leave those things with the Creator of all.”⁵

Otto then labored in North Dakota harvest fields until, at 20 years of age, he changed course, enrolling at Maplewood Academy in Maple Plain, Minnesota. He described his time there as “the happiest days of my life.”⁶ He was active in student life and, displaying leadership skills, was elected senior class president. Of the eight young men in Otto’s 1922 class, he and four others (Wesley Amundsen, Owen Garner, Marcus Odegaard, and Emmett Vande Vere) dedicated their lives to church work, sometimes crossing paths in their careers.⁷ Otto then attended Emmanuel Missionary College (EMC) in Berrien Springs, Michigan, for two years. During academy and college summers, he and Marcus Odegaard teamed up as fairly successful colporteurs selling Christian books in Minnesota and, later, Tennessee and Kentucky.⁸

Dorothy’s Early Life (1906-1923)

Dorothy Julia Kocher was born October 20, 1906, in Lansing, Michigan, the first child of Ray and Irene (Wiselogel) Kocher.⁹ A sister, Marion, was added to the family two years later. Irene and the girls joined the Seventh-day Adventist Church around 1918.¹⁰ Ray did not become an Adventist until weeks before his death in 1956. His wife, who died in 1954, never knew of his decision.¹¹

Dorothy attended Adelphian Academy in Michigan, graduating in 1923 as valedictorian. Her valedictory address was indicative of her future life in ministry: "Tonight we stand on the threshold of life. . . . Our future rests with God, but to us it is an uncharted sea . . . ."¹² The following year she began studies at EMC. During academy and college years, she also spent summers in colporteur work and assisted with a tent meeting in 1924.¹³

Early Years of Training and Service (1923-1930)

Otto and Dorothy became acquainted during an evangelistic effort in New Troy, Michigan, where Otto assisted as part of his ministerial training while Dorothy, a good story teller, worked with the children. They became quite fond of each other – in Otto’s words, “I liked her so well that I thought it would be nice to have her tell stories to me the rest of my life.”¹⁴ After graduation in 1924, Otto returned to Minnesota, beginning ministry by conducting tent meetings with classmate Owen Garner in Pine River where they organized a church of seven members.¹⁵ Dorothy labored in Michigan as a Bible worker. They continued their relationship through letters and, on June 30, 1925, they were married in Lansing, Michigan, thereafter engaging in ministry as a team.¹⁶

The Christensens served more than six years in Minnesota, ministering in the districts of Brainerd (1924-1927), Detroit Lakes (1927-1928), Wadena (1928-1929), and Faribault (1929-1930), and conducting many successful evangelistic meetings.¹⁷ Otto also pitched in with physical labor, such as digging the basement and laying block for the Faribault church.¹⁸ Dorothy served as a church school teacher one year in Brainerd.¹⁹ While at Detroit Lakes, their first child, Bruce, was born on May 18, 1928.²⁰ On Sabbath afternoon, July 9, 1927, at Minnesota camp meeting, Otto and classmate Owen Garner, were ordained to the ministry.²¹

Mission Service (1931-1941)

In September 1930, the Christensens accepted a call to serve in the China Division. After selling belongings at depression era losses, they boarded a train on December 7 at Sawyer, Minnesota, waving good-bye to Otto’s parents who were losing a second son to mission service; it was the last time Otto saw his father who passed away six months later. Reaching California, they learned their destination was the newly established Mongolian Mission. On December 17, 1930, in Los Angeles, they boarded the S. S. Asama Maru bound for Shanghai, China.²²

The Christensens arrived at their new home in Kalgan, China, on the Inner Mongolian border on January 22, 1931, in the dead of winter (Mongolian winters rivaling the northern Minnesota winters familiar to Otto). Their new home had a view of the famous Great Wall, but had little furniture and one small heater. Kalgan would be their home for the next decade.²³

Various faiths experienced limited missionary success in Mongolia.²⁴ With a harsh climate and difficult terrain, Mongolia was inhabited by nomads living in yurts (round felt tents). They were mostly illiterate and suffered from serious diseases. Otto observed that, though kind and hospitable, they were superstitious and deeply entrenched in Lamaism.²⁵ Adventists first entered Mongolia in the early 20th century.²⁶ In 1918 Minnesota natives, W. A. Spicer and O. J. Grundset, entreated fellow “northwestern young people” who were “hardened to prairie life” to consider Mongolian ministry.²⁷ The Christensens fit that description and after Adventists established the Mongolian Mission in 1930, headquartered at Kalgan, Otto became director, secretary-treasurer, and the sole ordained minister at the mission. Later, he also served as Publishing House secretary and Home Missions-Educational secretary. Dorothy served as Sabbath School Department secretary. Together, they served on the mission’s executive committee.²⁸

The Christensens’ first task was learning local languages. Chinese was spoken in Kalgan, many mission workers were Russians, and Mongolian was spoken in the mission territory. The couple obtained limited assistance from Mongolian and Chinese teachers. Otto knew Greek which he found to be similar to Russian. He used a Russian-Mongolian dictionary lent to him to create an English-Mongolian dictionary. Clarence Crisler, secretary of the China Division, also searched bookshops for Mongolian translations, sending them to the Christensens. Early in 1931 they began translating Sabbath school lessons and by that summer they were hosting Mongolian Sabbath services. Eventually, Otto became sufficiently fluent to translate in church meetings whether, from Mongolian, Chinese, or Russian.²⁹ Throughout the first year, the Christensens also focused on constructing mission compound buildings.³⁰

Dorothy supervised Sabbath schools, the first started early in 1931 at Kalgan, with two more added by March 1933.³¹ Students earnestly studied lessons, but there were challenges. Early on, a Sabbath school was interrupted by soldiers ordering them to disband. Worshipers prayed while leaders talked to a government official who recognized their good work and authorized the meetings.³² Other challenges weren’t so dramatic. Mongolians, not accustomed to structured settings, often wandered about during services, asking questions out loud; speakers learned to adapt. When leaders held a separate children’s Sabbath school, parents stopped bringing children, fearing the missionaries would give children drinks turning them into foreigners. Leaders adapted by keeping everyone together, with parents enjoying pictures and presentations as much as the children.³³ By 1936, the Christensens offered services in English, Mongolian, Russian, and Chinese.³⁴ They also used music, the universal language. Dorothy played a little organ, a curiosity to Mongolians, who gathered around, touching keys while she was playing. Eventually they participated in singing, enjoying a favorite, “Jesus Loves Me.”³⁵ Christensen’s granddaughter recalls that, years later, Otto loved to sing “Jesus Loves Me” in Mongolian to his grandchildren.³⁶

On Sunday, May 31, 1931, Otto performed his first Mongolian baptisms.³⁷ One of the three he baptized that day, a young male convert named Jamsa, was sent to the Adventist school in Nanking, China, where he would learn to translate materials from Chinese into Mongolian.³⁸ While Jamsa was at school, the Christensens supported Jamsa’s wife, Maria (also baptized), and she helped produce a Mongolian Bible. Only translations of the New Testament were currently in print, so an older Mongolian Bible was borrowed and, for nine months, Maria hand copied the Old Testament. In the evenings, Otto and Dorothy sat by kerosene lamp, taking turns reading and checking translations to ensure accuracy. Completed in 1933, the nine-by-fourteen, four-inch thick book on India paper was bound in a leather cover.³⁹ Later, Otto was appointed by The British and Foreign Bible Society to a committee for revising and editing the Mongolian Bible.⁴⁰

In June 1931, accompanied by George Appel (North China Mission superintendent), Dr. Elmer F. Coulston (Mongolian Mission medical director) and two Russian workers (Orel and Maltsev), Otto made his first of many excursions into Inner Mongolia. The 150-mile truck journey was beset with difficulties; after many flat tires, the resourceful travelers used baling wire and rope to tie the tire to the rim. Later trips were made via auto (on unmarked roads never used by autos), camels (notoriously temperamental), oxcart, motorcycle, bicycle, horses, rickshaw and walking. Otto’s idea of the best means of transportation changed upon experiencing each.⁴¹ In any case, he concluded, “travel in Mongolia was seldom reliable or comfortable.”⁴²

Other sources of trouble included climate extremes, bandits, and creatures both wild and “domestic” (Otto preferred to meet a timber wolf than a Mongolian dog). The Christensens sometimes traveled together but often Otto went with male workers on journeys that sometimes lasted for months, while the women remained working at the mission.⁴³

With most Mongolians illiterate, the Christensens determined to start a school. On an October 1932 trip, they recruited five young Mongolian men to come to Kalgan where classes started October 13.⁴⁴ Having no Mongolian textbooks, Otto wrote grammar books, completing the first two volumes in December 1936. Several young people were educated, some becoming mission workers.⁴⁵ Later, Dorothy home schooled their children and worked with a Pentecostal woman to establish a school for the area’s English-speaking children.⁴⁶

The Christensens also opened the first Adventist print shop to produce publications in Mongolian. Jamsa, now educated, was prepared to translate materials for printing. Though he had no printing skills, Otto procured equipment in early January 1933 and learned how to assemble it by visiting a print shop.⁴⁷ Within days, tragedy struck—Jamsa became ill and died on January 19. Otto washed and dressed Jamsa, placed him in a coffin, bought flowers and a cemetery lot and conducted the funeral.⁴⁸ Now Otto had to author Mongolian materials. In May 1933, he experimented by printing a one-page song, “Tell It Again,” expressing the theme of telling the gospel again in a new language. He then authored and printed 2,000 copies of the first tract from the press, The Beginning and End of All Things, a 26-page booklet sharing God’s plan from creation to the second coming.⁴⁹ More songs and tracts were printed along with a hymnal and books such as Steps to Christ.⁵⁰ In 1934, Otto translated and published The Way of Life, a large volume of Biblical teachings, medical instruction, and full-page illustrations. Armed with 50 copies, Otto and Adlai A. Esteb, the North China Union’s Field and Home Missionary secretary, traveled 200 miles to a meeting of Mongolian princes and officials, having been told it would be a miracle if they sold any books to a Mongolian. They sold the first book to a lama along the way. At the meeting, they immediately sold 10 copies to the leading official, who also wrote an endorsement. Sale of 39 more books to other officials followed in the next two hours with all 50 sold by the time the missionaries left.⁵¹ The book became a best seller and, in 1936, Otto helped the first Mongolian colporteurs get started.⁵² This fulfilled North China Union Sabbath School Department secretary Roy Cossentine’s expectation that Otto would add “colporteur” to his responsibilities as “author, editor, translator, typecaster, typesetter, and printer.”⁵³

In the midst of the printing travails, Dorothy contracted tuberculosis and her condition, complicated by pregnancy, necessitated a transfer to the Adventist hospital in Shanghai, a 900-mile trip involving four train changes and a hazardous descent down a steep embankment to a rocking boat crossing the wide Yangtze River. The trip was safely completed and Otto traveled back to Kalgan where he received a wire that their daughter, Ilene, was born February 14, 1933.⁵⁴

Funding posed another ongoing difficulty, largely due to the Great Depression. Often, a project was barely started when budgets were reduced. Always resourceful, the Christensens cut costs by traveling third class with cargo in railroad boxcars, paying staff from their own salaries, and doing repairs themselves, such as when Otto fixed the mission’s 1924 Dodge. At times the mission received special offerings.⁵⁵

In the spring of 1931, the prince from the area of Otto’s first Mongolian journey had offered to gift land for a school and provide building materials and students.⁵⁶ This made possible, in the summer of 1933, for Otto to oversee construction of the first mission station in Mongolia, the Durban-Hodok Mission at Tamachuen in the Chahar banner (banners are administrative divisions).⁵⁷

Medical work was an indispensable part of the Mongolian Mission, the area not having any hospitals. Dr. Coulston and his wife, Leatha, arrived in Kalgan just months before the Christensens. The couples were old college friends and they worked together providing medical care in northern China and Mongolia. While Dorothy helped with clinic support, Otto oversaw construction of medical facilities and acquired basic medical knowledge, usually carrying medicines to dispense when traveling and sometimes offering veterinarian services.⁵⁸

Medical care frequently opened avenues for sharing the gospel. The Prince of Durbut, for example, whom the Christensens met in the fall of 1932, expressed his gratitude for their medical assistance by supporting establishment of a mission station, offering the most desirable location in the village. There, Otto oversaw construction of Durbut Mission at Ssuwangtze, the second Mongolian Adventist mission station. Dedicated on September 18, 1934, it included a hospital-dispensary, and constituted the first Protestant presence in Suiyuan banner.⁵⁹

Yet, the medical work also entailed challenges. In January 1934, a high-ranking officer in the Chinese military forces died while hospitalized at Kalgan. His angry son attacked Dr. Coulston who, with his wife, fled to the Christensens’ home. Otto immediately sought help from the provincial secretary of state in Kalgan, but after an evasive response, contacted the U.S. Embassy in Peking (Beijing). The Coulstons temporarily relocated, leaving hospital administration to Otto, who restored order, in the process confronting soldiers who defied hospital rules. The beating of Dr. Coulston became an international incident reported in the New York Times.⁶⁰ The provincial governor finally intervened and his secretary of state arranged an elaborate 35-course dinner for the Christensens and the Coulstons at which the attacker apologized. Soon after, the secretary issued an “everlasting free pass” to Otto for passage between China and Mongolia, saving many tolls and much time at the border.⁶¹

Rampant serious diseases endangered the lives of the missionaries in addition to afflicting the Mongolians. Otto stated, “It is said that ninety per cent of the Mongolians are sick. But I must admit that I have never been able to find the other ten percent.”⁶² The Christensens’ daughter, Ilene, was hospitalized for months with serious illness⁶³ and the Coulstons lost their only child.⁶⁴ On May 26, 1934, Dr. Coulston, just 28, died from diphtheria.⁶⁵ In his diary, Otto recorded, “He gave his life for China.”⁶⁶

Otto, with other workers, made many more journeys into Mongolia. In 1934, they visited 63 villages in three banners via ox-cart and horseback.⁶⁷ In 1935 they traveled 800 miles by camel and horse, spending two months visiting five princes and six banners.⁶⁸ They at times had experiences that seemed miraculous and deeply impressed the natives.⁶⁹

In the spring of 1936, the Christensens moved to Durban-Hodok Mission where Mongolian Mission headquarters and printing operations were to be relocated. They planned to build a medical facility, school and student industry but were hindered by war-time difficulties as young men entered military service, building supplies became scarce and travel became problematic. Additionally, 1936 was the worst Mongolian winter in 400 years with Mongolians losing most of their herds. The Christensens commenced construction, created textbooks and purchased wool industry equipment, however, due to war, the school could not open that fall. They planned a spring opening, but leadership thought it better for the Christensens to take furlough and open the school upon their return. Ultimately, due to the many complicating factors, the school was never opened and, after furlough, the Christensens returned to Kalgan where mission headquarters remained.⁷⁰

They departed from Asia on May 4, 1937, for a furlough that was soon filled with activity.⁷¹ The Christensens spoke at camp meetings, churches, and other venues promoting the mission, often in Mongolian attire and sometimes putting up a yurt.⁷² Otto attended Union College in Lincoln, Nebraska, where he was senior class pastor and graduated in the spring of 1938 with a bachelor of arts degree.⁷³

On July 29, 1938, the Christensens sailed from San Francisco, returning to the Mongolian Mission.⁷⁴ While they were on furlough, a report stated that mission headquarters were “very badly broken up” due to the advance of Japanese forces which had taken over that area of China and Inner Mongolia.⁷⁵ The couple arrived at Kalgan to find that their home had also sustained bombing damage.⁷⁶ In 1939, due to insufficient personnel and funding, restructuring merged the Mongolian Mission and the Cha-Sui Mission into the Sai-Pei Mission, headquartered at Kalgan with Otto as director.⁷⁷ The new assignment required Otto to preach more in Chinese, in which he was less fluent, but, in his characteristic style, he “put forth intensive study.”⁷⁸ Under his supervision, colporteurs set records for sales, and most chapels exceeded goals in the annual Ingathering campaign for Adventist missions worldwide. The expanded mission experienced increased baptisms, albeit Mongolia continued to yield few. Otto urged “workers to instruct carefully, and to be sure the candidates are fully converted, and not to think too much of numbers.”⁷⁹

During the summer of 1939, despite war time conditions, the Christensens conducted the first evangelistic meetings within Mongolian borders. The family temporarily moved about 120 miles into Mongolia, living in yurts and conducting tent meetings in a small village. The first night, 130 people responded to the beating of a large drum. Sometimes, attendance was enlarged when cows, horses, or sheep wandered in! The Christensens unknowingly pitched their tents in a flood zone and when torrential rain came they awoke one morning to find they were on an island in the midst of swirling waters. The Mongolians viewed their safe escape as a miracle, furthering their respect for the missionary family.⁸⁰ On a June Friday evening, Otto and Dorothy received a surprise visit from General Conference vice president William H. Branson along with his wife, Elizabeth, two physicians, and W. J. Harris, North China Union superintendent. Elder Branson reported that Mongolia was a difficult field but he saw hope for future work.⁸¹ Mrs. Branson highlighted Dorothy’s role: after providing sustenance for unexpected guests, Dorothy helped erect the tent (done daily due to wind and rain), laid out straw mat seats, and greeted attendees before providing organ music. Sabbath morning, Dorothy and Elizabeth visited homes, inviting Mongolians to services. Monday found the Christensens providing medical care and interpreting for physicians. Such was their typical ministry in Mongolia, which Elizabeth Branson referred to as “our most difficult mission field.”⁸²

The Christensens returned that fall to Kalgan and the mission continued exceeding Ingathering goals and experiencing membership growth.⁸³ In September 1940, Otto stated he had baptized several in Suiyuan, some of whom were attending school and entering colporteur work. Also, the church there organized a church school with about 20 students.⁸⁴

Despite these successes, storm clouds were gathering. Amidst increasing political tensions and the outbreak of World War II, Otto intervened to obtain freedom for several Russian workers jailed on false charges. It became a daily routine for occupying officers to interrogate the Christensens. As war escalated, travel became dangerous with Otto even being threatened at gunpoint; eventually, travel into Mongolia was banned.⁸⁵ When the United States government requested that all American missionary women and children immediately leave China, Otto bid a heart-wrenching farewell to Dorothy, Bruce, and Ilene, who departed from Tientsin, China, for the United States on November 13, 1940.⁸⁶ Otto relocated mission work to Peking. Soon after, he was hospitalized with deadly typhus. After a prolonged recovery, he left for America on February 14, 1941, a decade after their initial arrival.⁸⁷

After returning to their homeland, the Christensens still advocated for mission work in Mongolia.⁸⁸ At the May 1941 General Conference, Otto presented a stirring appeal, garbed in Mongolian attire and holding the hand-copied Mongolian Bible.⁸⁹

Devoting a decade to mission work, during which they came close to losing their lives, the Christensens endured many hardships, yet showed a fortitude characteristic of many missionaries. Otto wrote: “Tragedies and disappointments do not last long. Devoted missionaries have a way of quickly forgetting their trials. Courage overrules. The work is resumed and gaps are filled in God’s great army. Trials and tragedies only brighten the sword for the next encounter and the truth goes marching on.”⁹⁰

Due to war, all ministry in Mongolia was discontinued. In 1942 the Kalgan property was occupied and it was finally lost in 1949 at which time the Sai-Pei Mission work was merged into Hopei Mission.⁹¹ Adventism would not touch Mongolia again for half a century. It was then initially assumed, incorrectly, that the first Mongolians to become Seventh-day Adventists were baptized in 1993. The record has been corrected, but the misconception has persisted to the present.⁹²

While the work was interrupted and Mongolia didn’t yield large numbers of baptisms, through the work of the Christensens many lives were touched with the story of a God who loved and cared for them personally. This was exemplified, in a story Otto recounted, by a lama who came to the mission seeking the God his lama friend had discovered, the “Jesus God” who was “in his heart.”⁹³

Further Ministry and Higher Educational Pursuits (1941-1964)

After the General Conference, Otto attended the 1941 summer term at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C. That fall, the Christensens settled into pastoral ministry in Bay City, Michigan, a five-church district. During their three years there, they reopened the church school, held four evangelistic series, and led the Bay City church in acquiring and paying for property on which to relocate. Also during this time, the U.S. Army Map Service called upon Otto’s expertise because, he recalled, “I was the only one in the United States who could read, write, and speak Mongolian.”⁹⁴ He spent six weeks translating Russian army maps of Mongolia and creating a letter in Mongolian that American pilots carried in case they went down over Mongolia.⁹⁵

Otto took a leave of absence in 1944 to return to the seminary, graduating with a masters degree on September 5, 1945.⁹⁶ Shortly thereafter, he began work on a doctorate at the University of Chicago while pastoring the Humboldt Park Church part-time. In 1947, Emmanuel Missionary College president Alvin Johnson offered Otto a college teaching position with summers off to complete doctoral work. Otto joined the faculty (which included his brother John and classmate, Emmett Vande Vere) as professor of Biblical Languages, Bible and Religion.⁹⁷ Dorothy attended the college, obtaining a bachelors degree in home economics.⁹⁸ While functioning as both student and professor, Otto also authored the section on the book of Joshua for the Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary. In 1951, shortly after the death of his mother, Otto completed his Ph.D. in literature and culture of the Near East with a dissertation on “The Scholia of Bar Hebraeus on Proverbs and Job.”⁹⁹

In the summer of 1955, Otto received a scholarship from New York University to be one of 12 scholars attending the Israel Workshop in Palestine. He was able to visit much of the Middle East and all of Israel. Just before that, the Christensens accepted positions at Southern Missionary College (later Southern Adventist University), in Collegedale, Tennessee, with Otto teaching religion and Biblical languages and Dorothy teaching home economics. Each became chair of their respective departments.¹⁰⁰ While there, Dorothy earned a master of science in food and nutrition at the University of Tennessee and became a registered dietitian.¹⁰¹ In 1958, Otto served on a four-person Sabbath School lesson advisory committee set up to include “a college Bible teacher, an editor, an evangelist, and a pastor.”¹⁰² Otto had performed all those roles! The Christensens returned to Andrews University (previously Emmanuel Missionary College) in 1963 where Otto taught Biblical languages and Dorothy taught home economics. In 1964, they retired and moved to a newly built home at Spring City, Tennessee.¹⁰³

Retirement (1964 and thereafter)

Full retirement didn’t last long. Oakwood College, 150 miles away, requested they teach part-time for a year starting in the fall of 1964. Commuting weekly, Otto taught Greek and Hebrew and Dorothy founded and chaired the Home Economics Department.¹⁰⁴

In the fall of 1965, Otto and Dorothy embarked upon a six-month world tour. After a month traveling by rail in Europe, they journeyed to Bengazi, Libya, where Dorothy led out in a cooking school. After visits to Egypt, India, and other Asian destinations, they traveled to Australia where Otto spoke at camp meetings and Dorothy conducted cooking classes televised on the Australian Broadcasting Network. The Christensens then sailed to Panama, visited several Pacific islands, and flew to Nicaragua before returning home.¹⁰⁵

In the fall of 1966, the Christensens returned to Andrews University with Otto serving as acting Seminary librarian for one school year and Dorothy teaching home economics. In 1966, Dorothy also helped found the Eastern Chapter of the Seventh-day Adventist Dietetic Association and was elected as the first secretary-treasurer. In the spring of 1967, Otto fully retired but Dorothy continued working part time for several years as head of the Food Service Supervisors Training Program, a project training supervisory personnel for food service in medical and educational settings.¹⁰⁶

For the first three months of 1972, the Christensens volunteered as missionaries at Inca Union College in Lima, Peru, where Otto taught Biblical languages and religion and organized the library, Dorothy taught home economics, and they both assisted with fund raising. During a school break they joined another family in a 2,000-mile tour of Peru, visiting Adventist missions and schools where Otto spoke and Dorothy advised on food service. They also stopped to render service at various points en route to and from Peru: in Costa Rica they assisted at Central American Union College; in Trinidad, Dorothy shared her expertise in food service at an Adventist hospital; and in the Virgin Islands she assisted with a cooking school.¹⁰⁷

In retirement, Otto, always a prolific writer, authored religious articles, many rich with practical applications, along with two books, Getting Acquainted With God (Review and Herald, 1970) and Mission Mongolia (Review and Herald, 1974). Dorothy also authored articles over the years on Sabbath school work, food preparation, child care, home organization, and promoting home economics degrees.¹⁰⁸ In 1972, Otto donated his diaries along with Mongolian printed materials and other memorabilia to the Heritage Room at Andrews University (now the Center for Adventist Research).¹⁰⁹

On July 25, 1979, after an extended illness, Otto Christensen passed away at Ooltewah, near Chattanooga, Tennessee, and was buried in nearby Collegedale Memorial Park.¹¹⁰ Shortly thereafter, Dorothy volunteered for service in Australia and Africa. After teaching one year at Avondale College, she was on her way to Africa when she became ill, necessitating, to her great disappointment, a return home. Dorothy’s remaining years were spent in the Andrews University area near her son, Bruce. She continued to serve, grading Bible study lessons for a prison ministries group. Upon the onset of Alzheimers, she entered a nursing home in Bridgman, Michigan, dying there on January 25, 1998. She was laid to rest beside her life’s companion throughout adventurous years of service.¹¹¹

Legacy and Contributions

In addition to pastoral ministry, the Christensens pioneered the Adventist work for Mongolia, organizing missions, schools, churches, medical facilities, a publishing house, and other services. Later in life, Otto was a noted linguist and college Bible professor, while Dorothy became a nurse, college professor and dietician who assisted in founding a training program for food service personnel at Adventist institutions. The Christensens exhibited tenacity and creative solutions when faced with obstacles and dedication to completing tasks the Lord impressed on them. They gave few indications of discouragement, keeping their focus instead on the blessed hope of Christ’s return.

Sources

Atwood, Christopher P. Encyclopedia of Mongolia and the Mongol Empire. New York, NY: Facts On File, Inc., 2004. Accessed March 5, 2024, http://www.battle-of-qurman.com.cn/literature/Atwood-2004.pdf.

Burnham, Gilbert. “Dr. Otto Christensen Has Had Full, Colorful, Church Career.” Southern Accent, February 7, 1963.

Christensen, Bruce. “Eulogy for Dorothy Christensen.” 1998. Minnesota SDA History. Accessed March 5, 2024, https://mnsdahistory.org/families/bios/christensen-dorothy-julia/.

Christensen, Bruce. “Obituary for Dorothy Christensen.” 1998. Minnesota SDA History. Accessed March 5, 2024, https://mnsdahistory.org/families/bios/christensen-dorothy-julia/.

Christensen, Otto. “A Letter From Elder Christensen.” Northern Union Reaper, October 6, 1931.

Christensen, Otto. “Our Work in Mongolia.” ARH, August 14, 1941.

Christensen, Otto. “The Mongolian Mission.” China Division Reporter, May, 1935.

Christensen, Otto H. Mission Mongolia: The Untold Story. Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1974.

Christensen, Otto H. “Autobiography.” C. 1969. Minnesota SDA History. Accessed March 5, 2024, https://mnsdahistory.org/families/bios/christensen-otto-henry/.

Christensen, Otto H. Otto Christensen Collection (033). Center for Adventist Research, James White Library, Andrews University, Berrien Springs, Michigan.

Crisler, Clarence C. “Mongolia.” In China’s Borderlands and Beyond. Takoma Park, Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald, 1937.

“Otto H. Christensen obituary.” ARH, September 20, 1979.

“Otto Christensen obituary." Southern Tidings, September 1979.

“Shadel/Christensen correspondence excerpts.” 1988-2009. Personal collection of Judi Christensen Doty, granddaughter of Otto and Dorothy Christensen.

Thiele, Edwin R. “Progress in North China.” ARH, February 1, 1934.

Thompson, J. C. “The North China Union Mission.” ARH, November 14, 1935.

Notes

1. Town of Atkinson, Non-Certified Copy of Birth Register no. B-41-4 (1898), Otto H. Christianson [sic], Town of Atkinson, County of Carlton, State of Minnesota.↩

2. Otto H. Christensen, “Autobiography,” c. 1969, 1, Minnesota SDA History, accessed March 5, 2024, https://mnsdahistory.org/families/bios/christensen-otto-henry/; Minnesota Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, “1942-1943 Conf Clerk Records,” Mahtowa section, states Mrs. C. Christensen was baptized Sept. 25, 1906; Fred Johnson and O. J. Nerlund, “Mahtowa,” Northern Union Reaper, October 02, 1906, 4-5, reports dates of meetings and baptisms; Fred Johnson, “Among the Churches,” Northern Union Reaper, March 19, 1907, 7, lists Mahtowa as a Scandinavian church; see also Joyce Schillinger, “In Duluth,” Mid-America Outlook, December, 1987, 16.↩

3. 1920 United States census, Hennepin County, Minnesota, enumeration district 17, roll T625_839, page 2a, digital image, “Christensen, Nels P.,” Ancestry.com, accessed March 26, 2023, http://ancestry.com; “Elsena Christensen Martin obituary,” Medford Mail Tribune (Medford, Oregon), February 2, 1953, 7; “Herbert Christensen obituary,” ARH, April 1, 1965, 25; “John Christensen obituary,” ARH, January 5, 1984, 30.↩

4. Christensen, “Autobiography,” 1; Otto H. Christensen Diary, January 25, 1917, Christensen Collection (033), Box 1, Folder 1, Center for Adventist Research, James White Library, Andrews University, Berrien Springs, Michigan.↩

5. Long Theme No. 1, Christensen Collection (033), Box 3, Folder 3; Christensen, “Autobiography,” 1.↩

6. Christensen, “Autobiography,” 1-2.↩

7. “Maplewood Yearbooks and Class Photos, 1922,” Minnesota Seventh-day Adventist History, accessed June 21, 2023, https://mnsdahistory.org/schools/mwa/yearbooks/; “Wesley Amundsen obituary,” ARH, May 22, 1975, 23; Ed. E. Holton, “Owen T. Garner obituary,” Northern Union Outlook, January 11, 1974, 10; “Marcus Odegaard obituary,” ARH, March 18, 1954, 26; “Dr. Emmett K. VandeVere obituary,” Mid-America Adventist Outlook, October, 1989, 29.↩

8. Christensen, “Autobiography,” 2-3.↩

9. Michigan, U.S., Births and Christenings Index, 1867-1911 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA, FHL Film Number: 975640, accessed January 9, 2023, http://ancestry.com.↩

10. Bruce Christensen, “Eulogy for Dorothy Christensen,” 1998, 1, Minnesota SDA History, accessed March 5, 2024, https://mnsdahistory.org/families/bios/christensen-dorothy-julia/.↩

11. “Dorothy Irene Kocher obituary,” Lake Union Herald, May 4, 1954, 7; “Raymond S. Kocher,” Ohio Deaths, 1945-1957, Ohio Department of Health, Columbus, Ohio, accessed May 3, 2023, http://ancestry.com; “SH-2 May 31, 1993 written by Marion Shadel,” Shadel/Christensen correspondence excerpts, personal collection of Judi Christensen Doty, 1.↩

12. Christensen, “Eulogy for Dorothy Christensen,” 1.↩

13. Christensen, “Eulogy for Dorothy Christensen,” 1; “Canvassers’ Report for the Week Ending July 9, 1921,” Lake Union Herald, July 20, 1921, 11 and similar entries in subsequent issues; S. N. Rittenhouse, “Lansing Effort,” Lake Union Herald, August 27, 1924, 2.↩

14. Christensen, “Autobiography,” 3.↩

15. Christensen, “Autobiography,” 3; “Minnesota Items,” Northern Union Reaper, September 30, 1924, 6.↩

16. Christensen, “Autobiography,” 3; Christensen, "Eulogy for Dorothy Christensen," 1; Michigan Department of Community Health, Division of Vital Records and Health Statistics; Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan, Marriage Records, 1867-1952; Film: 181; Film Description: 1925 Cass-1925 Ingham, accessed January 09, 2023, http://ancestry.com.↩

17. Christensen, “Autobiography,” 3; “Minnesota Items,” Northern Union Reaper, September 30, 1924, 6; “Minnesota Items,” Northern Union Reaper, January 11, 1927, 8; “Minnesota Items,” Northern Union Reaper, October 9, 1928, 4; “Minnesota Items,” Northern Union Reaper, October 8, 1929, 4-5; A. R. Smouse, “The Faribault Church Dedication,” Northern Union Reaper, November 11, 1930, 5.↩

18. Otto H. Christensen Diary, July 21-September 24, 1930, Christensen Collection (033), Box 1, Folder 10; “Faribault Church History,” c. 1991, Minnesota SDA History, accessed March 5, 2024, https://mnsdahistory.org/churches/faribault/.↩

19. “Minnesota Conference – Church School Teachers,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Takoma Park, Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald, 1926), 56.↩

20. Christensen, “Autobiography,” 3; Minnesota Birth Certificate Index, Certificate # 1928-00699, Bruce Vincent Christenson [sic], Minnesota Historical Society, accessed January 2023, https://www.mnhs.org/people/birthrecords/1928-00699.↩

21. “Minnesota Items,” Northern Union Reaper, July 26, 1927, 13.↩

22. Otto H. Christensen, Mission Mongolia – The Untold Story (Washington, DC: Review and Herald, 1974), 9-11; Otto H. Christensen Diary, December 7, 1930, Christensen Collection (033), Box 1, Folder 6; Otto H. Christensen Trip Diary, December 19, 1930 to January 11, 1931, Christensen Collection (033), Box 19, Folder 15; “Appointments and Notices,” ARH, January 15, 1931, 32.↩

23. Christensen, Mission Mongolia, 14-15; Otto Christensen, “Mongolia Opening Its Doors,” ARH, June 11, 1931, 12, note that the unpublished Christensen “Autobiography” gives an erroneous arrival date of January 08, 1931.↩

24. “Foreign, A dispatch from Pekin . . . ,” ARH, December 22, 1891, 799; W. A. S[picer], “Away Beyond,” ARH, May 21, 1908, 4; W. A. S[picer], “One Region Beyond,” ARH, September 27, 1917, 5; [c.], “Mongolia,” China Division Reporter, March, 1931, 2-3; While the term “Mongolia” is used in this article, the work of Christensens and the Mongolian Mission primarily occurred in Inner Mongolia, a region often beset with unrest and administrative change, and instability heightened with the approach of World War II; see Clarence C. Crisler, China’s Borderlands and Beyond (Takoma Park, Washington, DC: Review and Herald, 1937), 154.↩

25. Christensen, Mission Mongolia, 73-75; Otto Christensen, “Mongolia, the Land of Lamaism,” ARH, January 5, 1933, 17.↩

26. T. T. Babienco, “Our Work in Mongolia,” ARH, January 6, 1927, 8-9.↩

27. W. A. S[picer], “The Challenge of the Waste Places,” ARH, March 28, 1918, 1.↩

28. W. H. Branson, “In the Far East,” ARH, February 26, 1931, 16-17; “Mongolian Mission,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald, 1932), 148 and similar entries in subsequent issues.↩

29. Christensen, “Autobiography,” 4; Christensen, Mission Mongolia, 16-21; “Another Forward Step,” China Division Reporter, May, 1932, 7; Crisler, China’s Borderlands, 156-157.↩

30. Otto H. Christensen Diary 1930, Christensen Collection (033), Box 1, Folder 10.↩

31. “The China Division of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Statistical Summary – Including Provincial Missions – Quarter Ending March 31, 1931,” China Division Reporter, August, 1931, 6 and similar reports in subsequent issues.↩

32. Adlai Albert Esteb, “When Sabbath School Was Turned into a Prayer Meeting,” in Missions Quarterly, Second Quarter, 1936, 19-21.↩

33. Mrs. O. H. Christensen, “Sabbath School in a Tent in Mongolia,” in Missions Quarterly, Fourth Quarter, 1940, 14.↩

34. W. J. Harris, “A Sabbath School Conducted in Three Languages,” ARH, April 16, 1936, 12.↩

35. Mrs. O. Christensen, “Mongolian Sabbath Schools,” in Missions Quarterly, Second Quarter, 1936, 15-18.↩

36. Judi Christensen Doty, granddaughter of Otto and Dorothy Christensen, electronic message to author, February 12, 2023.↩

37. Otto H. Christensen Diary, May 31-31, 1931, Christensen Collection (033), Box 1, Folder 10; Otto Christensen, “In Mission Lands,” ARH, August 20, 1931, 9, photo of first baptism.↩

38. Christensen, “Autobiography,” 4; Christensen, Mission Mongolia, 26.↩

39. The Mongolian Old Testament and Story of the Mongolian Old Testament, Christensen Collection (033), Box 19, Folder 14; Editor [Lora E. Clement], “Inspirations,” Youth’s Instructor, July 8, 1941, 10, denotes the size; “Copying the Mongolian Old Testament,” Missions Quarterly, Second Quarter, 1936, 1, photo of Maria copying the Old Testament; Roy F. Cottrell, “Telephone News,” ARH, June 8, 1941, 194, photo of Otto Christensen holding the hand-written Mongolian Bible.↩

40. “China Division Symposium,” Review and Herald, June 4, 1941, 153.↩

41. Christensen, Mission Mongolia, 31-41 and 100; Otto H. Christensen Diary, June 23-25, 1931, Christensen Collection (033), Box 1, Folder 10.↩

42. Christensen, Mission Mongolia, 41.↩

43. Diary of 800 Mile Trip into Mongolia by Camel Caravan [1935], Christensen Collection (033), Box 19, Folder 16, provides an example of an extended trip to Mongolia.↩

44. Otto H. Christensen Diary, October 9-13, 1932, Christensen Collection (033), Box 1, Folder 6.↩

45. Christensen, “Autobiography,” 4; Christensen, Mission Mongolia, 19-20; Otto Christensen, “Another Baptism in Mongolia,” ARH, October 31, 1935, 8; Writings/Books – A List of Otto Christensen’s Book Collection, Christensen Collection (033), Box 7, Folder 3; Writings/Manuscripts by Otto Christensen – A Grammar of the Mongolian Language, copy 1, Christensen Collection (033), Box 3, Folder 9, an example of a Mongolian teaching manual created by Christensen; Mongolian Grammar, vol 1, c. 1., Christensen Collection (033), Box 12, Folder 13, an example of a Mongolian textbook.↩

46. Christensen, “Eulogy for Dorothy Christensen,” 1.↩

47. Christensen, “Autobiography,” 4; Christensen, Mission Mongolia, 22-26; John Oss, “Securing Our Mongolian Printing Equipment,” China Division Reporter, June 15, 1940, 3-4.↩

48. Christensen, Mission Mongolia, 26 and 94; Otto H. Christensen Diary, January 17-23, 1933, Christensen Collection (033), Box 1, Folder 6.↩

49. Christensen, Mission Mongolia, 26-27; Otto Christensen, “The Seventh-day Adventist Missionaries’ Special,” ARH, December 21, 1933; F. E. Stafford, “First Mongolian Tract,” China Division Reporter, July-August, 1933, 2; “The Beginning and End of All Things,” Writings/Publications in Mongolian, Christensen Collection (033), Box 12, Folder 11, tracts including the first one off the press; Heritage Room Accessions, July 20, 1972, Christensen Collection (033), Box 19, Folder 14, story of Mongolian Press.↩

50. E. L. Longway, “1934 Big Week: What We Hope To Do,” China Division Reporter, March, 1934, 2, photo of Otto and Mongolian assistant setting type; Otto Christensen, “Among Our Bookmen of the China Division, Our Mongolian Printing Plant,” China Division Reporter, April, 1934, 22; “Division Notes,” China Division Reporter, November, 1936, 7; Mongolian Publications: A List on Cloth, Christensen Collection (033), Box 10, Folder 4, cloth banner listing publications; Crisler, China’s Borderlands, 158-164.↩

51. Christensen, Mission Mongolia, 27-30; Otto Christensen, “Our First Mongolian Book Sale,” ARH, November 28, 1935, 12; “The Way of Life,” Writings/Publications in Mongolian, Christensen Collection (033), Box 12, Folder 12.↩

52. Christensen, Mission Mongolia, 28-30; Otto Christensen, “Colporteur Work in Mongolia,” ARH, June 3, 1937, 13.↩

53. R. M. Cossentine, “Literature for Mongolia,” ARH, October 19, 1933, 2.↩

54. Christensen, “Autobiography,” 4-5; Christensen, Mission Mongolia, 92-94; Otto H. Christensen Diary, January 29-February 14, 1933, Christensen Collection (033), Box 1, Folder 6.↩

55. Christensen, Mission Mongolia, 91-92; G. J. Appel, “The Call of Mongolia,” in Missions Quarterly, First Quarter, 1932, 5-8 and similar entries.↩

56. Otto Christensen, “Mongolia Opening Its Doors,” ARH, June 11, 1931, 12.↩

57. Otto Christensen, “The Mongolian Mission,” China Division Reporter, May, 1935, 18-19; Crisler, China’s Borderlands, 157-158, 162; some workers used variants of the name (i.e. “Dorban Hadak” and “Dolor Hodok”).↩

58. Christensen, “Autobiography,” 4-5; Christensen, Mission Mongolia, 57.↩

59. Christensen, Mission Mongolia, 98-103; Crisler, China’s Borderlands, 157-158 and 162; Otto Christensen, “The Mongolian Mission,” China Division Reporter, May, 1935, 18-19; “From Pastor Geo. J. Appel,” China Division Reporter, December 1934, 2; J. C. Thompson, “The North China Union Mission,” ARH, November 14, 1935, 13-15.↩

60. “American Doctor Beaten By a Colonel in China,” New York Times, January 17, 1934, 11.↩

61. Christensen, Mission Mongolia, 76-81.↩

62. Otto Christensen, “Our Work in Mongolia,” ARH, August 14, 1941, 15.↩

63. Otto H. Christensen Diary, June 15, 1936, Christensen Collection (033), Box 1, Folder 6.↩

64. “Chris L. C. Coulston obituary,” China Division Reporter, September, 1932, 8.↩

65. “Dr. Elmer Floyd Coulston obituary,” China Division Reporter, July, 1934, 22-23.↩

66. Otto H. Christensen Diary, May 26, 1934, Christensen Collection (033), Box 1, Folder 6.↩

67. Otto H. Christensen Diary of Itinerating Trip in Mongolia 1934, August 6-20, 1934, Christensen Collection (033), Box 19, Folder 17.↩

68. Otto H. Christensen Diary of 800 Mile Trip Into Mongolia by Camel Caravan, May 29-July 16, 1935, Christensen Collection (033), Box 19, Folder 16.↩

69. Christensen, Mission Mongolia, 117.↩

70. Adlai A. Esteb, “Of Special Interest,” ARH, July 9, 1936, 24; W. E. Nelson, “Pathetic Pleadings for the Gospel,” ARH, August 27, 1936, 12; Otto Christensen, “Progress In Mongolia,” China Division Reporter, December, 1936, 3; Otto Christensen, “God’s Leading in Mongolia,” ARH, September 23, 1937, 16; Otto H. Christensen Diary, March 8 and June 16-21,1936, Christensen Collection (033), Box 1, Folder 6 and similar entries.↩

71. “Recent Sailings,” China Division Reporter, June, 1937, 24.↩

72. Otto H. Christensen Diary, June 2-July 17, 1937, Christensen Collection (033), Box 1, Folder 6 and similar entries.↩

73. “Union College Senior Recognition,” Central Union Reaper, March 15, 1938, 8; Christensen, “Autobiography,” 5.↩

74. A. W. Cormack, “Missionary Sailings,” ARH, August 18, 1938, 24.↩

75. A. W. Cormack, “China Carries On,” ARH, October 28, 1937, 20.↩

76. Christensen, “Autobiography,” 5; Christensen, Mission Mongolia, 118-119.↩

77. W. J. Harris, “News From the North,” China Division Reporter, September 1, 1940, 5.↩

78. Otto Christensen, “Along the Mongolian Border,” Church Officers’ Gazette, December, 1940, 31-32.↩

79. Ibid; Arthur S. Maxwell, “The Greatest Day of the Feast,” ARH, June 10, 1936, 239, states that only six baptisms had occurred in the previous five years in Mongolia.↩

80. Christensen, Mission Mongolia, 110-113; W. J. Harris, “Evangelism in the North China Union,” China Division Reporter, November 1, 1939, 4, with photo of tent meeting; Mrs. O. H. Christensen, “Sabbath School in a Tent in Mongolia,” in Missions Quarterly, Fourth Quarter, 1940, 14.↩

81. W. H. Branson, “A Visit to Mongolia,” China Division Reporter, July 15, 1939, 1.↩

82. Elizabeth Hinton Branson, “A Visit to Mongolia,” ARH, September 14, 1939, 13-14.↩

83. Otto Christensen, “Harvest Ingathering in Mengchiang (Sai Pei Mission),” China Division Reporter, July 15, 1940, 7-8.↩

84. Otto Christensen, “Progress in Suiyan,” China Division Reporter, September 15, 1940, 3.↩

85. Christensen, Mission Mongolia, 118-122.↩

86. J. L. McElhany, “Missionaries in the Orient,” ARH, November 21, 1940, 32; J. L. McElhany, “Evacuation of Missionaries,” ARH, November 28, 1940, 1.↩

87. Christensen, “Autobiography,” 5-6; Christensen, Mission Mongolia, 121-123; Otto H. Christensen Diary, February 14, 1941, Christensen Collection (033), Box 1, Folder 7.↩

88. For example, see Rollin A. Nesmith, “Chicago Youth Adventure for Christ,” ARH, March 7, 1946, 19.↩

89. W. A. Spicer, “Sabbath, May 31,” ARH, June 1, 1941, 67.↩

90. Christensen, Mission Mongolia, 97.↩

91. J. G. MacIntyre, “Interned in Shanghai,” ARH, October 8, 1942, 12; S. J. Lee, “An Interesting Journey,” China Division Reporter, November, 1949, 5.↩

92. “First Mongolians Baptized,” ARH, November 25, 1993, 7; John Peralta, “Mongolia – History-Making Baptism Held in Mongolia,” ARH, March 10, 1994, 19-20; “Wrongpoint,” Australian Record, June 11, 1994, 5, correction of incorrect reports that first Mongolian baptisms were in 1993; Gerald J. Christo, “Taking Risks in Mongolia,” ARH, May 14, 1998, 16-19, notes Christensen’s work and baptisms in Mongolia; Pyung Duk Chun, “Report of the Northern Asia-Pacific Division, Challenges and Opportunities,” ARH, July 3, 2000, 18, states that Mongolia was unentered by Adventism prior to 1990; Andrew McChesney, “Tears of Joy as Missionary Hails Mongolian Milestone,” Elder’s Digest, July-September, 2022, 4-7, again states the first Mongolians were baptized in 1993.↩

93. Otto Christensen, “The Jesus God,” ARH, August 22, 1940, 24.↩

94. Christensen, “Autobiography,” 6.↩

95. Christensen, “Autobiography,” 6; Gilbert Burnham, “Dr. Otto Christensen Has Had Full, Colorful, Church Career,” Southern Accent, February 7, 1963.↩

96. “News From the Schools,” The Journal of True Education, October, 1945, 26. masters degree↩

97. “School News,” Journal of True Education, October, 1947, 26; “Emmanuel Missionary College, Faculty,” 1948 Yearbook of the Seventh-day Adventist Denomination (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald, 1948), 240 and similar subsequent entries.↩

98. Christensen, “Eulogy for Dorothy Christensen,” 1.↩

99. Christensen, “Autobiography,” 6-7 and 10; G. E. Hutches, “Dorothea Marie Christensen Obituary,” Northern Union Outlook, May 8, 1951, 11.↩

100. Christensen, “Autobiography,” 7; Mrs. Mildred Wade, “Lake Union,” ARH, February 27, 1964, 21.↩

101. Christensen, “Eulogy for Dorothy Christensen,” 1.↩

102. General Conference Committee, September 11, 1958, 68, General Conference Archives, accessed May 1, 2023, https://documents.adventistarchives.org/Minutes/GCC/GCC1958-09.pdf.↩

103. Christensen, “Autobiography,” 7.↩

104. Christensen, “Autobiography,” 7; Christensen, “Eulogy for Dorothy Christensen,” 2.↩

105. Christensen, “Autobiography,” 7-8; O. K. Anderson, “South Australian Conference and Camp-meeting,” Australian Record, April 11, 1966, 3.↩

106. Christensen, “Autobiography,” 8; “Eastern Chapter of Dietetic Association Organized,” Lake Union Herald, May 17, 1966, 2; “In-Service Training Offered to Food Service Supervisors,” Lake Union Herald, March 7, 1967, 16.↩

107. Addenda to Autobiography – July, 1972, Christensen Collection (033), Box 19, Folder 14; Letter from South America, c. 1972, Christensen Collection (033), Box 19, Folder 14.↩

108. Christensen, “Autobiography,” 8, also see Bibliographies for both Otto and Dorothy.↩

109. “Minnesotan Donates Mongolian Publications,” Northern Union Outlook, October 27, 1972, 1 and 10.↩

110. “Dr. Otto Christensen obituary,” The Herald Palladium (St. Joseph, MI), July 26, 1979, 16; “Otto Henry Christensen,” Find A Grave, Memorial no. 92261811, accessed February 26, 2024, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/92261811/otto_henry_christensen.↩

111. Christensen, “Eulogy for Dorothy Christensen,” 2; “Dorothy J. Christensen obituary,” The Herald Palladium (St. Joseph, MI), January 28, 1998, 9A; “Dorothy Julia Kocher Christensen,” Find A Grave, Memorial no. 92261704, accessed February 26, 2024, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/92261704/dorothy_julia_christensen.↩