After 57 years, international pen pals meet in person for the first time

MINNEAPOLIS - Connie Male and Gun-Britt Efraimmson have been friends for 57 years, but they’re about to meet for the first time ever. How is that possible? They’re pen pals.

Male is from Minneapolis, and Efraimmson is from Sweden. They were assigned as pen pals in 5th grade. Even though the assignment ended, over the next six decades they kept writing, sharing news of graduations, weddings, children and grandchildren through photos and hundreds of handwritten letters.

But until this very moment, they’d never met in person.

“I’m probably going to cry,” Male told Fox 9 News, as she waited at the airport. “I can’t feel my legs.” 

Efraimmson did indeed arrive, even wearing a bracelet that Male had sent her when she was 15.

It took the two almost 6 decades to meet, but now they’ll get a week together in person. Male is going to show Efraimmson around Minnesota, and Efraimmson is going to show Male how to make Swedish meatballs.

It’s an incredible testament to the power of friendship. It can cross decades and sometimes even oceans.