Thank you for your good letter which I received today. I hear you are having battles in Vardø, but that some people are still willing to listen.

I hadn’t heard anything from Ålesund for about 2½ months, so I was anxious to find out how things were going. So it was a great joy to find out that they had been fighting valiantly and had kept the opposers out. But last Saturday things came to a head. The chairman of the church board came and gave Gunda Willersrud a 14-day termination notice and said that the final meetings would be the Sunday meetings the following day.

She requested a general meeting to present her case to them in person but was ordered to comply with the board’s decision unless she wanted to be escorted out by the police. So now they had use for the police.

On Sunday morning, nearly the entire board showed up for a meeting. Gunda Willersrud was very compelling and gave an account of where she stood, starting from the beginning; how God had saved souls, healed the sick, etc. Then she addressed different things head on. I spoke about what they had called a false Catholic doctrine that led people astray from the simplicity in Christ, and I addressed their grievances one by one. I mentioned their trip to see Barratt, where they conferred with him about things that they should have been mature enough to look into on their own. Finally, I welcomed the brothers and sisters out into the street, where the blind man had met Jesus. The board sat there dumbfounded. Several brothers got up and testified that they would join those who were being expelled. One brother, Brune (who works as a diver), became extremely zealous in his spirit and asked that the board explain themselves. He demanded it, even though he was going to leave with the others. The chairman then got up and said that it was Smith’s doctrine which had brought division, but that he had nothing against anyone personally, etc.

Yesterday we had our first house meeting. It was an excellent meeting. The place was packed. Gunda Willersrud implored them to seek the knowledge of God and forget how things were before. I spoke to them about the testimony of Jesus and that we have an altar to eat from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat. There was such a blessed spirit present that no one wanted to leave. I had to go at 11:30 p.m. Some brothers there also prayed fervently. A midwife, who was a captain in the Salvation Army, has joined the group and has a good understanding.

In Moldøen things are also progressing. Br. Kvalheim is suggesting that we make about 500 collection boxes. If each person puts in 1 kroner every 3 months, this would add up to 2,000 kroner per year, for the furtherance of the work. He wrote to Aksel about this, and Aksel thought it was a good idea. And it is a good idea. Just look at how others work for their false causes; for example, Millennial Dawn.[6] Please write if you have any thoughts about this.

I would be very happy if you could take a trip to Ålesund. You can go to Br. Berg (who does renovations) at 5 Ystenæs Street, and he can fill you in on the details. God is working together with us, both in the north and in the south.

Warm greetings to you and the friends, from your brother,