Thank you for your good letter which I received today. It is always a joy to receive your letters, because you are always endeavoring to draw nearer and nearer to God in acknowledgment and in life. Br. Anthony is coming here tomorrow (Thursday). He was very excited that we might have the opportunity to be together and work together. I have written to the Fleet Admiral requesting to take leave from October 15 through January 1, 1910—for 3 months. I expect I’ll get an answer around October 10. There have been some whispers that approximately six gunners will be able to go on leave this winter, so it will most likely work out for me, God willing. I mentioned in my request that the editor had promised to teach me English and help with translations, and in exchange I would help him in other ways. The point is that when people take leave, it should be beneficial for the Navy as well.

On Sunday I was at Ellefsen’s place since he had shore leave. He had a fairly young petty officer with him who had given his heart to God on board. Br. Ellefsen is more zealous than ever. Life on board and the opposition have only brought him closer to Christ. He told about spiritual battles he had waged on board: such as battles in the spirit—without words—against various people. He said that people hated the Spirit in him—and not least his superiors.

Br. Birkeland, who has been on the other warship (Tordenskiold), told about a young apprentice machinist who was saved on board the ship. His name was Terjesen, and he was from Porsgrund. His father and mother and all of his nine siblings were already saved. He was the only member of his family that wasn’t, but when he told his family that he had given his heart to Jesus on board, they erupted with joy. They didn’t dare tell his frail mother, because they were afraid it would be too much of a shock for her. Yesterday, Br. Birkeland stood with tears in his eyes and said that he longed to talk with me about many things.

It is amazing how God works—more amazing than I can express. His goodness is revealed more and more, and that has caused me to think a great deal about Eph. 2:7 recently: “That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

During a conversation later on at Pauline Roa’s place, God shed a glorious light on 2 Pet. 1 for us, starting from verse 19. There we see clearly that the Scriptures (the prophetic Word) are never written by the will of man, so they cannot be interpreted by the will of man but only by and in the Holy Spirit.

You are in the thick of things, I see. You have a certain longing to go on “the way of faith.” God will undoubtedly satisfy that longing according to His riches, because He has an abundance of situations He can put us in to try our faith. When our faith has been tried, it becomes more precious than gold that perishes, which is tested by fire. With God the Lord there is a way of escape from fire, water, and the grave—into an eternal weight of glory. So God is able to find a way of escape in this situation too. Our strength will be in quietness and confidence. We are to stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. I’m sure you remember that we have spoken together about these things.

Aasgaardstrand is just a small village inhabited by poor sailors and fishermen, so I think you probably wouldn’t be able to live there. Apparently, they don’t have a dentist there. Chief Gunnery Officer P. talked about Fredriksværn, where he didn’t think there was a dentist. This town is about a 30 minute trip from Larvik and is considerably larger than Aasgaardstrand. Anthony could probably tell you more about this town in this respect.

Thank you for the greeting. It was so fitting, and it was a blessing to me. God has broken gates of bronze and cut the bars of iron in two, and He will continue to do so.

It is a joy to see that Br. Anthony is progressing in Christ and that he is receiving deeper and greater peace. It is only our labor in the Spirit which bears eternal fruit and is gold, silver, and precious stones that can endure the fire when that day comes. Let us remember this and remind others of it, so that more and more we can become God’s co-workers and say with Paul, “For we are God’s fellow workers, you are God’s field.” God is Spirit, and His work is spiritual. Therefore, if we are going to be His fellow workers, we must be able to do a work in the Spirit. To be God’s field is one thing, but to be a worker in His field is something else entirely.

Hearty greetings.

Your brother,