Helena Dubland

Helena Dubland was born in 1921 in a Mennonite settlement in Olgafeld, Russia.  In 1926 she immigrated to Canada with her parents, William and Lena Dosso, along with her two sisters, Mary and Kay.  They settled on a farm in Gull Lake, Saskatchewan, where further siblings were born: Anna, Edward, Harry, Hilda, and Edna.  Those early years were difficult due to the Great Depression and the premature death of her beloved brother Edward at the age of twelve, yet were also filled with deep family love.  Greatly influenced by her grandmother, Helen accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior at age sixteen.

Educationally, she completed grade nine at public school; Bible training at Millar Memorial Bible Institute, graduating in 1943; basic LPN nursing training; Summer School of Linguistics at Briercrest Bible College; tropical medicine courses at Toronto Missionary Medical Institute; as well as some secretarial training: all in preparation for serving overseas as a missionary.

During those training years, Helen also served a stint with CSSM, teaching VBS and being instrumental in guiding many boys and girls to Christ.  In 1944 she helped establish New Brunswick Bible Institute, serving on their staff the first year of operation, along with John and Maureen Parshauer. 

Joining TEAM, Helen became part of the original formation of TEAM’s “Tibetan Frontier Field.”  In 1948 she departed for India on the ship “The Queen Mary”, arriving finally in Bombay.  From there she studied Hindi from 1948 – 1950 at the Language School in Landaur, Musssoorie, U.P.  Then from 1950-1952 she worked in a medical dispensary, deep in the Himalayan mountains, on the borders of Tibet and Nepal, in the village of Dharchula, alongside RN Pauline Gibbs (Hanks).  She told many stories of her interesting medical experiences there.

In 1952, while on holidays in Mussoorie, she met the love of her life, Olof Dubland, who was then in language studies.  A whirlwind romance followed, and on April 24, 1954, they were married at Kellogg Church in Landaur.  They spent their honeymoon at the Deodars Guest House, never dreaming that later they would establish a Camp and Conference Center in the same location!

From 1954-1955, Olof and Helen helped with the ministries of Landaur Bible Institute and then travelled to two small interior mountain villages called Sanudiar and Rawlizier, where they ministered from 1955-1958.  Here they established a small joint Christian congregation, a small junior high school, and a medical dispensary, which Helen ran.  Their two children were born during this time period, Edward on March 26, 1955 at Landaur Community Hospital, and Sylvia on January 29, 1957 (Helen’s 36th birthday present!) at Barielly Mission Hospital.  They were joyous, adventuresome years, with again many interesting anecdotes.

The family went on furlough to Canada from the fall of 1958 to 1960, travelling on deputation right across the continent, two small ones in tow.  Returning to India, they were given their “Magnum Opus” of establishing a Bible Camp/Retreat Center in Happy Valley, Mussoorie, U.P., “The Deodars Spiritual Life Centre.”  They both worked  night and  day  modernizing the 73 room “white elephant” mansion (a British Colonel’s summer home) in the Himalayan foothills at(seven and a half thousand foot elevation).  They served there for eighteen years, Helen wearing many hats: hostess, nurse, food manager, teacher, counselor, chief correspondent, grand organizer, etc., etc.  She handled it all with aplomb and vision.  Throughout, her heart beat to see lost souls meet her savior. 

In the last seven years of their service in India, Olof and Helen moved to the hot plains and were involved in a church planting ministry in Jhansi, U.P.  Olof was the senior pastor of Jhansi Bible Fellowship and Helen was the pastor’s wife and jack-of-all-trades.  She delighted in her women’s Bible class, many of the women being orphans from Donovar Fellowhip.

After forty years of faithful service, Olof and Helen retired to Abbotsford, B.C. in 1987, where they enthusiastically involved themselves in all the family happenings at Abbotsford Evangelical Free Church.  They lived in the Avonlea complex.  After nineteen years, failing health on both their parts precipitated their move to Vancouver in 2006, to be near their two children for care-giving.  They resided at the Salvation Army Southview Terrace Home. 

Despite all the indignities of old age and poor health, Helen maintained her evangelist’s heart.  Even in her last week in Burnaby Hospital, before her stroke, Helen asked Ed and Sylvia to pray she would be able to share Jesus with those around her.  She is now with her beloved Savior.  We know many will share heaven’s joys because of her witness and life of joyful obedience.  We will greatly miss her, especially her sweetheart, Olof.    We love  you  Helen!

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