A few happenings

Here's another summary of things that have happened since the last update.

Thursday was the National Day of Prayer. The evening service was at the Baptist church, in which I was to take part in leading a few songs, and the children's choir was asked to sing a song. The congregational singing was to the accompaniment of a digital hymnal. It was an interesting experience trying to sing along to a very mechanical accompaniment. It would hold notes unexpectedly, and then not hold notes where it would be expected. The kids sang quite well -- much better than what I thought was going to happen after going through the rehearsal on Tuesday. On Tuesday there just wasn't much volume in their voices, and I didn't think they would be heard beyond the first few rows. But on Thursday things were much better.

This afternoon was the annual Blessing of the Fleet in which anyone who wishes to have their boat and their fishing work prayed can have that done by the pastors of Petersburg. It was an interesting service. It was indoors this year because the rain and wind was pretty strong. It is normally held outside, even with rain. Afterward there were refreshments. This was my first time inside the Sons of Norway Hall, one of the landmark buildings in the city.

Sometime after returning home, I was startled by a knock on the door. It was the lady for whom I translated some school transcripts for her boys. She works at one of the canneries in town, and she had with her a bag full of "kazunoko" (herring roe), a Japanese delicacy. I'm pretty sure these are fresh from a recent catch that came through the cannery. My sister and husband are arriving in a few days, so I've set aside a few to soak out the salt.

A month after the Good Friday service in which I took part and gave a short message, there are still people coming up to me telling me how much they appreciated the message. I can only credit the Holy Spirit with bringing all the pieces together for what I said, and for how I delivered it. The Adventist congregation here is tiny, but it appears that the work I am doing is having an impact beyond the walls of the Adventist church. I don't really expect that the Adventist church here will ever be that large, but if, through some of these community events, I can share a new perspective of God that some people haven't seen before, then I would consider our work here a success.