Thank you for your good letter; I was happy to hear that the young girls in Drøbak are making progress. I saw that you sent 1,000 kroner to Horten for the purpose of creating a central fund for spreading the truth (travel fund). Karl Pedersen had an account for that purpose, but the remaining balance was given to Br. Nils Risnes some time ago—around 62 kroner. I don’t think he should have anything to do with this fund anymore. I have asked Pauline to deposit the money in the bank and hold on to the bankbook until I come home. Then we can decide what should be done. We may need some help here in Vardø in the fall with regard to renting a meeting hall. Br. Strømme lets us meet at his place, but it has a low ceiling and not much space. Grass is growing on the roof.

There has been a lot of turmoil here. A brother by the name of Kristiansen, along with his wife, previously attended Br. Ellefsen’s meetings. However, he has now become very involved with the Frimission group, and he and his wife both fiercely opposed us last Sunday evening. A merchant by the name of Bratsberg (wholesale merchant) prefers Ulnes’s teaching and has left us. Two other women have gone over to the Frimission group. There are only two people here who really seem hopeful: Mrs. Strømme, formerly an officer in the Salvation Army, and Susanne Norum, the one who really stood up for us at the Frimission. Br. Strømme needs to be baptized with the Spirit, and we’ve now told him that. As far as I understand, each of them has now realized where they belong, and they can just do what they need to do. In Hamningberg, a fishing village a few miles north of Vardø, there are about twenty people who—through the work of a brother by the name of Goxun—have received the baptism of the Spirit and have spoken in tongues. Some of these people visit Strømme’s place when they are in Vardø, which is the main town in Finnmark. We have spoken with two of them.

However, I do have some news that you will be happy to hear about. One of the Navy’s most intelligent and insightful petty officers, who is serving here onboard, came to us the other day, of his own accord, and said that he would like to join us in seeking God as his Savior. He said what appealed to him was that such intelligent men as us were Christians. He had felt the emptiness of the world for a long time, but he resisted seeking God because many of the Christians he saw were foolish and couldn’t even take care of their earthly affairs. Now he comes to our quarters, kneels together with us, and prays for salvation, peace, and the Holy Spirit. He himself says that the first step he took was based on intellect, but now he is praying for the Spirit to work in him to bring him to acknowledgment. He prays and reads during the day and during the night watches. He is a very serious and intellectual man who has plowed through the works of Ibsen and Bjørnson and who has passionately thrown himself into learning English.

He completely broke down when I told him that his studies were just vanity and grasping for the wind, no matter how much he kept digging. Now he’s reading “Prayer,” Sirach, and the Bible. He prays and reads and visits us when he has found some gems. Humanly speaking, this man has the best prerequisites for becoming a true disciple and a worker. He has written a very insightful letter to his wife about the decision he has made. He came to me today and said that he had read in “Prayer” that the most dangerous time is in the beginning. It is like when a ship sails out of the harbor. To begin with, there are hidden reefs and rocks, headwinds, and many dangers, until you get into open waters and have room to maneuver. In the evenings, we have lots to do, both on board and on shore. God works along with us and causes people to cross our path, according to His will.

The latest Skjulte Skatter was full of printing errors. Today I proofread it, and I will send you the finished result. The article that I said should be included is well placed, because it fits with Clement’s letter to the Corinthians, which was very good. When everyone simply remains in the place they have been given and in their assigned area, everything goes well. There they can work and enlarge the place of their tent in a natural way.

So now you are up-to-date on the news from Finnmark. As mentioned above, we are hoping that some from Hamningberg will come and hear something. When they come here, they often stay for a few days. This evening we will have a meeting at Br. Strømme’s place. The flock seems to be growing in Ålesund. I think Brevik and Porsgrunn are next in line. I don’t know if you were in Horten and spoke with Nilsen. You know that Nilsen lives in Brevik and Lorentz Risnes is in Porsgrunn. Br. Nils Risnes will travel to Voss soon for military training. Perhaps he could visit his brother in Porsgrunn afterwards and from there visit Brevik. He is engaged, but I’m not sure whether or not it is to Kristine, the one who was staying with Andresen in Sarpsborg.

Greet the friends and your family.

Warm greetings from your brother,

Later in the day:

I just went and spoke with Petty Officer Johan Due Andresen. He keeps a diary. On Sunday, July 8, he wrote: “I began to seek God in earnest today.” In the same diary, he showed me a whole collection of quotes from Ecclesiastes, and some from Ibsen, where he describes the emptiness and hollowness of life. Now he is reading in the Book of Wisdom about how a wise man prays for wisdom and that a person needs understanding even to pray for it. He said he is making this his own personal prayer. All three of us are about to go to the meeting. He (Andresen) is a very good singer. The last song he sang for us was “Behold a Host Like Mountains Bright.”

Greetings once again from your brother,