Thank you for your good letter. You wrote that sixty people were gathered in your home for a feast; that’s a whole congregation. I rejoice over the good development in Drøbak. I think that Helga now understands better than before why a person can be so enthusiastically taken up with this work, and that the doctrine stands the test of time and leads to godliness.

You mentioned Ystrøm; he has a whole group of young people in Horten. If he lays hold of things, the others will follow. I see that you went to the Salvation Army’s holiness meeting—I believe that can be worthwhile. Holiness meetings and soldier meetings are the only meetings where something can be accomplished. We were at a celebration at the Salvation Army here in Vadsø yesterday, but the young people were making such a commotion in the hall that we decided it was best not to say anything.

Sr. Sigrid Dannell is in the hospital in Vadsø. Br. Ellefsen was up there the other evening and spoke with her and one of the other sisters, who is now extremely interested, so she wants to listen. The next day, which was yesterday, we were up there talking with them, and she (the other sister) prayed for the baptism of the Spirit. She had never heard of it, she said, but she was so enthusiastic that she soaked up every word we spoke. She thought it was so strange that she should be crucified with Christ. Maybe God led us here for that reason, so that some people could hear the word of God. We came here because the water line had burst in Vardø.

It’s easy to work everywhere at the moment. The believers in Vardø are powerless to resist it. They have stopped talking about it being a dangerous doctrine, because their best people have joined us. Here in Vadsø there are two Laestadian Lutheran assemblies. We spoke with Pedersen from Kjøllefjord when we were there. He’s the one who wrote to Skjulte Skatter asking for back issues of the paper. Both he and his wife are Laestadians, but they are very willing to listen, because Sr. Dannell has been with them for several months. He told us that we should hold a meeting for the Laestadians. There are quite a few of them in Finnmark. We have talked about visiting the Salvation Army officers here; we’ll have to see how that goes. Lieutenant Bekkevold said he has already spoken to them.

There are no set plans in any of our work; but nevertheless it goes according to plan. The other day I clashed with a number of people here on board; so one of them sat in my cabin sobbing; he had to wash his face before he left. I was really taken aback, because it seemed to me as if they really wanted to do me in. After he left, I lay down and opened Madame Guyon’s commentary on the Five Books of Moses in English, and these words caught my eye:

“I am your protector wherever you go.”[8]

I threw the book and the difficulties overboard, and all I could do was rejoice in the Spirit. That was fitting for that occasion. From that moment on, things changed here on board. My adversaries lost their power. I cannot flatter people, and when they demand that I do so—not directly, but indirectly—I come into conflict with them. People with authority tend to flaunt it in one way or another, until open conflict breaks out. But then God directs each step, and He crushes the necks of the ungodly and fills them with great fear, so that they have only one way to peace, which is reconciliation.

God has given amazing grace and victory in these battles on board. Satan has lost so much power that when someone wants to say something that they know will be contradicted, they look around to see if they dare say it in front of those present. Sometimes they give Andresen a hard time when he is by himself, but if several of us come in, it becomes dead quiet. When God is at work alongside us, then victory is in the air, and it causes our opposers to cower, even before they open their mouths to fight. This is not only the case among ungodly people, it’s also that way at the meetings. I have often wondered about this, but that’s just how it is.

As far as feelings go, I feel wretched, almost like “never mind.”[9] I don’t have anything to assert, no honor to defend, no position to protect, and no group that I’m afraid will get a bad reputation because of me. This gives me much greater freedom and flexibility, so that when the battle begins, I don’t need to take anyone’s flesh into consideration. Although the battle is ruthless and fierce, the glimmer of victory can already be seen in the heat of the battle, and all fleshly arguments must fall. It’s a terrible position for the flesh to be in, but woe to me if I don’t remain there. This is my testimony in the ministry. The Spirit, the water, and the blood can testify to this, even if it isn’t accepted by men.

We need to stop in Vardø on the way up, since we have a watch crew there. Br. Ellefsen is very familiar with almost all of Finnmark. He knows all the people and where they live. He is always on the go, no matter what the weather is like.

Br. Johan Lohne has now returned home from Hardanger Fjord. He is thankful to God for the trip and is thinking about visiting Haugesund in the next few days. He has a large field of work. Ellefsen has his own field; he is well-regarded here in Finnmark. They say he keeps going until they can’t take it any more; but he torments them, and he just keeps on going, without stopping, until he has reached his goal. Yes, he is a real “leech.” I have met several here who have been knocked out by Ellefsen, but who still have not yet received their death blow. Describing it like this would probably horrify people, but you understand what I mean. After all, the goal is to bring people down to the point of being “dead with Christ.” In this work we are the servants of the Spirit.

Greet the friends and your family.

Warm greetings from your brother,