Angeline Leetmaa is a pastor for a compulsory care institution in Sweden.
When did you trust Christ?
I grew up in a Christian family. My father was a pastor, and my parents were missionaries in Burundi, Africa. As a young child, I decided to follow Jesus and have grown in my faith in the Lord throughout my whole life. I have served in a church for the last twenty years.
What have been the defining moments of your Christian walk?
Growing up in Africa made a strong impact on my life. I saw many people trusting God despite poverty, and their joy in the Lord really touched me. In high school, my faith was tested when we moved back from Burundi to the north of Sweden, and through those years, my faith and trust in God deepened. Over the years of serving in a church, my experience of following and trusting God in everyday work has also deepened--especially through times of conflict and struggle. As I grew in leadership, my relationship with the Lord has developed. About six years ago, I began putting aside one week every year for a silent retreat. Those weeks have been defining moments when God has spoken into my life.
What do you hope to gain from participating?
I believe that ELF can encourage me, give me more knowledge, and strengthen my gifts and calling. I look forward to meeting and listening to Christians and senior leaders from other countries.
What is your ministry?
For the last four years, the Lord has been calling me to step into a new kind of ministry. In January, I stepped down from leading my church and followed God's calling. Now, I am serving as a pastor at an institution for compulsory care that helps women struggling with severe drug abuse. There, I offer counselling, encouragement, and teaching.
What is your leadership role or what were your past leadership roles?
I have been part of a pastors' team in my church for the last twenty years. In the past ten years, I was the head pastor, leading my church and a team of pastors and leaders. I have also been a leader for different youth camps, camps for missionary kids, prayer teams, and counselling teams.
Why should someone invest in your ministry?
Sweden is a hard country, and right now, evangelical theology is being questioned while liberal theology increases among all churches in Sweden, including our evangelical denomination. I find it challenging, but I want to stay true to God's Word, and I hope to be a foil to liberal theology. I have started a ministry among the marginalised, those who need compulsory care and were looking for an institution. There are, as far as I know, no other pastors doing what I do in Sweden among these women. I believe God is calling me to walk in faith and lead the way in ministry for this particular area.
