This time we began the conference with a feast, because it was the occasion of our precious brother Elias Aslaksen’s 80th birthday. The tables were decked for 1,600 people. Many precious friends came from Scandinavia and from other countries where Br. Aslaksen has received grace to proclaim the gospel during the last 14 years. The atmosphere at the feast was sincere, and thankfulness for the help we have received through this brother’s long and faithful ministry was deep and undivided. The feast began on Good Friday at 12:00 noon and lasted until 9:00 o’clock in the evening. At that time we had to break up to get the meeting hall ready for the conference meetings. These few hours were all too brief for so many hundreds to express their love and thankfulness. Nevertheless, what we did hear was a tremendous revelation of how God could use a faithful man—not just to gather so many people, but to help them to a new life. Br. Aslaksen was 19½ years old and a cadet in the Norwegian Navy when he met Br. J.O. Smith. As soon as he heard the truths that God had revealed to Johan O. Smith, he perceived that it was the way of life. He was so gripped of what he heard that he despised all material gain and gave up his career in the Navy in order to proclaim further the life he himself had partaken of by obeying the truth. To be able to be as free as possible, he took all kinds of casual jobs, from painting houses and picket fences to weeding vegetables. Jesus said about Himself: “I am the truth.” When John the Baptist sent his disciples to ask whether Jesus was the Coming One, He told them to go back and relate what they had seen and heard; and then He added: “And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” Matt. 11:6. Not many people were able to endure being together with Jesus. Nonetheless, they followed Him to be healed and to be fed, though He was generally hated and rejected by men. 1 Pet. 2:4. But to the few He could say, “But you are those who have continued with Me in My trials. And I bestow upon you a kingdom . . . .” Luke 22:28-29. This is also true of Johan O. Smith and Elias Aslaksen. They were faithful to the truth amidst all the religious hypocrisy that reigned; they were rejected and opposed and libeled by all the religious denominations. Many simple souls have been deceived by the lies of these religious denominations. However, blessed became all those who were not offended because of Jesus. They were set free by the truth and obtained a glorious, godly life. John 8:31-32. Thus many precious souls who had not been offended because of Bros. Smith and Aslaksen were now gathered, besides all those in many countries who would have liked to be there, but could not come. We were all blessed. All of us have experienced the liberating power of the truth and have come to love each other sincerely from the heart. We saw all the happy young people among us, who are in the majority, who can praise God that they were born into this world at all through the preaching in the church! It was overwhelming to see and hear the result of this preaching—a result that was not obtained by human strength, human reasoning or human competence, but by obedience to the faith. Rom. 1:5. We also praise God for all those who are examples of being obedient to the faith so that God’s longsuffering and power can be manifested to all who are poor in spirit, who hunger and thirst for righteousness. 1 Tim. 1:15-16. Now we have the grace to have such an example among us as Br. Aslaksen. He is 80 years old and has been true without fail, in good report and bad report, in honor and dishonor, for 60 years. He is a servant and slave to all. Consequently we were thankful to God that we could use this opportunity to celebrate, especially so that the upcoming generation could see the result of despising the world and its greatness and living wholly in the truth. Ps. 78:3-7. I am personally unspeakably glad that God led me to the church in 1920 as a 16-year old, and that I was not offended by the truth. I had the grace personally to be together with Bros. Smith and Aslaksen, privately and publicly, on trips, in many different situations in which I saw and heard their unfailing love, faithfulness, and wisdom without ever seeing anything that resembled division and sin, in spite of their widely different personalities. Since Br. Smith’s passing in 1943, this glorious fellowship has grown and has become more and more glorious so that it is impossible for me fully to express my thankfulness for and to Br. Aslaksen. Br. Aslaksen still has physical strength to be among us. His spiritual strength and ministry are like the rising sun so that we continually experience the truth of this word: “They shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing.” Ps. 92:14. This was revealed during the feast when he spoke to us about our exceedingly great High Priest, using Hebrews 4:14-16 and 5:7 as his texts. He began by saying that he wanted to give us great consolation, for it had to succeed for us who believe, to attain to a life of victory over sin and a godly life, because we have such a High Priest. We do not have a High Priest who is untried; not at all. He was tried in all things like we are—and then he read from the French Bible translation—“without committing sin.” It hadn’t been easy for Him. “Who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear . . . .” He knows what it means to be in flesh, so He really can have compassion with our weaknesses. Such is our High Priest—He intercedes for us. He understands and can give us grace to aid us at the right time. When we have such a High Priest interceding for us, we can be bold; then we can hold fast to our confession. The conference continued for another 2½ days during which we heard God’s Word in great abundance—especially from Br. Aslaksen who, in the power of the Spirit, was just as unfailing in his faithful ministry. A great many of those who did not have an opportunity during the feast could not restrain themselves from expressing their thankfulness and love for Br. Aslaksen, using the time as they had opportunity during the rest of the conference, so we can say that the entire conference was a special kind of celebratory conference. Thus we fully experienced the truth of the Word: “If one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.” 1 Cor. 12:26. Of course, for Christ who is the head of the body has helped us all, through this one member. Then we all went to our homes, glad that Br. Aslaksen has lived among us for so many years, and with a prayer in our heart that we might yet keep him for a long time. Dear Br. Aslaksen, please accept our sincere thanks. Throughout all these years your ever thankful and happy brother,Sigurd Bratlie