Early Sunday Morning: Memories - February 20

Another Sunday morning! This week several things have reminded me about events in the past.

I wrote last week about the meeting we are planning for the Latvian Officers in Stockholm in June. The meeting will take place at "The Kungsholmen corps".

That is the corps where Ruth and I grew up. Those days the corps was called "Stockholm 6 corps", and that name you can still read on the sign above the corps entrance. That is the corps where Ruth and I were Junior soldiers. That is the corps where we both were enrolled as soldiers in the same meeting. That is the corps where we were music leaders, Ruth for the Songsters and I for the Band. That is the corps where we had our spiritual breakthrough 1975. By the way, the soldiers enrolment was 1961, fifty years ago!

During the week I also spoke with one of our sons. He lives in Norway and he is a teacher at the Salvation Army School, "Jelöy Folk High School". Ruth and I were teachers at the same school 1979-1988. The son told me that he "appreciated the life style as a teacher at the school. To be a part of the school life, not only during the lessons, but also on evenings and weekends. That is the way I grew up". And I remembered how it was...

During the week we have also started the preparations for Aunt Karin´s funeral in Blekinge. Her life also brings my thoughts back to days which have passed. Aunt Karin was born 1911 and died 2011. A long and rich life with many memories. Aunt Karin is Ruth´s aunt, not mine. But I have been part of that family more than forty years, so I have memories of my own. And I have heard a lot of memories from Aunt Karin´s first sixty years, before I was introduced to the family.

But reality brings me back from memories to the present moment which is full av work and activities. Looking forward we still focus on getting people saved, discipling the saved people and as a result of that reach out to a suffering humanity.

I can sense that this will be a victorious year for the Salvation Army in Latvia. But the victories will cost problems and suffering.

But we will live the year week by week and I wish that the coming week will be a blessed week for you.
Now it is Sunday morning and we shall soon start the two hour drive to Drusti for the Sunday morning meeting.

Peter Baronowsky