A rising star in Swedish media, Ingrid Carlqvist worked as an investigative reporter and editor at some of the country’s largest news companies.
Her reporting would lead her to take some controversial stands on issues like Muslim immigration to Sweden, which would doom her career in the mainstream media.
Then, after 59 years of living as a convinced atheist, her life completely changed in 2019.
An Atheist Who Was ‘Very Fond of Christianity’
Ingrid said, “I thought I was an atheist, but I was very fond of Christianity. I, for many years, dreamed about there being a revival in Sweden.”
“I just didn’t think I needed it.”
Ingrid’s journey to Christ began when her friend Henrik Hultberg, a Christian, was miraculously healed of a serious blood clot in his brain while in the hospital.
Ingrid recounted, “(Henrik) said to me, ‘You have to become a Christian. That’s the thing, don’t you understand?’”
Ingrid told him, “‘Yeah, I, I think I want to. But how do you do it?’ And then God started doing things in my life.”
Meeting Jesus at the Sea of Galilee ‘On The Wrong Boat’
The turning point came when Ingrid went to Israel, visiting the Sea of Galilee where, as she puts it, she “got in the wrong boat.”
After Ingrid talked about Christianity on her podcast, a listener suggested she meet Lars Enarson, a Swedish Bible teacher living in Israel.
Enarson said, “That’s when I decided I’m going to connect with her and see if she would be interested in coming to Israel and I could show her what Israel is all about. And she graciously accepted.”
Enarson and his sister Ellen gave Ingrid a tour of the Holy Land and scheduled a trip to the Sea of Galilee. She traveled north with Ellen, and they prepared to board one of the many tourist boats that operate on the lake.
Ingrid said, “And then I just saw a lot of people walking onto this boat, and I said, ‘Ellen, that must be our boat. Let’s go.’ And we went on this boat, and suddenly people started to sing in English hymns.”
It was a boat chartered by a group of American Christians.
And Ingrid told Ellen, “I think we’re on the wrong boat.’ And she said, ‘Okay, but now we’re here. Let’s just have fun.’ As she sang along with them, she knew all these hymns, but I had really bad conscience. I hadn’t paid for my ticket.”
Then the Pastor told the story of Jesus walking on water, calming the storm, and how Peter tried to walk on water and began to sink because of his unbelief.
Jesus’ Words Hit Her Like a ‘Boom!’
When the Pastor repeated the words of Jesus, “Why do you have so little faith, Peter?” Ingrid said they hit her like a “’boom’ in my heart. I started crying. And I just cried and cried and cried. And I thought to myself, ‘Wow, I really met Jesus today.’”
As the boat returned to shore, Ingrid, her face still red from crying, felt guilty because she hadn’t bought a ticket for the cruise.
“So, I went up to the Pastor, and I said, ’My name is Ingrid and I’m from Sweden, and I’m so sorry that I got on the wrong boat. And he looked at me and said ‘Ingrid, you were definitely on the right boat.’”
The Smears on Her Reputation Followed Her Into Church
Ingrid returned to Sweden and began reading her Bible each day and even enrolled in a Bible College. Although when she wanted to join a church, the media’s past attacks on her reputation, that she was “an Islamophobe, a racist, a horrible person,” followed her.
Members of one church looked up Ingrid on the web and she says she felt unwelcome and left.
Then she discovered a church pastored by Sven Wiborn.
Wiborn told us, “I looked it up on the internet and I could see very, very bad things written about her. And I was interested. So, I went to her and I talked to her, and I found a longing for truth. And she told me she had been rejected in different churches. And I said, ‘It’s not right.’ If God has saved her, who are we to stop her? Even if she’s different? Doesn’t matter.”
Ingrid Says God Gave Her the Title For her Book
Then, as she was driving to her baptism, “I heard a voice in my head saying, ‘You must write a book about your story, how you came to faith. And I will give you the title.’ And in English it is ‘Oh my God, Do You Really Exist?’
“Because it’s true, He exists.”
Ingrid’s new book, Oh My God, Do You Really Exist?, was published last month. Lars Enarson, who wrote the forward, says we should never decide who is a good candidate to become a Christian.
“There are many people who are looking for truth today and many are like her and they just need to hear the truth, “Enarson said. “I think many are open today. And we have the answer. So, I think we need to be very bold in in reaching out to these people.”
And Henrik Hultberg, who’s miraculous healing started Ingrid on her journey, said he knew God was going to get her.
“I was pretty convinced,” Hultberg told us. “I just thought, ‘He’ll get her soon enough. Sooner or later, He’ll get her.’”
Her New Mission: Reaching a Nation of ‘Unhappy Swedes’
Ingrid wants to use her new book to reach a nation of what she calls “unhappy Swedes,” many of whom in polling have admitted that their lives lack meaning.
“That’s my mission. You can go around and believe almost all of your life that you are an atheist because ‘It’s cool. It’s cool to be an atheist.’ Then you believe in ‘science’ and all that stuff. And God is for people who are ‘weak or a little stupid. ‘”
“So, my message is, ‘No, it’s not. It’s just waiting there for you. You can change your life like this and just be filled with happiness.’”
Ingrid hopes to release an English version of her book soon.
