Josh here -
We've sure had a whirlwind time here in Pullman, WA. On Friday we slept in (to make up for the 2:30 AM arrival time) and that evening played mini-golf. It was a very nice course, and the weather was perfect. Bjorn especially loved hole 12, for that had a fun feature on it - when you put the ball in the hole, it tunneled it down to another location some distance away, where it shot out, bounced off a rock, and toward the 'true' hole. Bjorn spent a good deal of time throwing his ball down that hole!
Saturday Knut, Grandpa and I got up early to go help with building the new church. We did roofing, and got a fair bit done. I brought my roofing nail guns and other tools, and there were about 15 of us working that day. I guess a crew comes out every Saturday to work on it. Except for the plumbing, wiring, HVAC and heavy stuff, the rest is all built with volunteer labor. Wish I could spend more time here. It was fun working with the guys here, and the lunch was fantastic!
We left the worksite to rush home for a quick rehearsal, and then got ready for a cookout. Our old friends, Jon and Crista Davis were there, as well as the associate pastor, Caesar Paul and his wife. After the wonderful food, we hiked up to the top of Kamiak Butte - about a 3.5 mile round trip. A nice little hike, but I would have preferred to hike before the food!
Next morning was church, so we arrived early for a sound check with the tech, and Nancy and I led the music portion of the service, with a brief interjection of special music from the family. The sermon by pastor Doug was great, and really hit with some things I've been studying lately - the Calvinist/Armenianist debate. (If Pete sees this, he'll check my spelling). Pastor Doug's stance is that both are wrong, and scripture is right. That's where I've been leaning all along, but I have been wanting to at least study both sides of the issue and understand it for myself. Doug was very good at explaining some confusing aspects, so I can't wait to get back to the studies.
The afternoon was devoted to some pleasant napping (preceded by a bit of reading), and then the concert that evening at 6:00. I was pleased at the turnout - I forgot to count how many showed up, but I would guess around 50. I was also pleased to see a fair number of younger people there. Pullman seems to have a large number of college kids here for the summer. More so than I've seen before.
Some high quality ice cream from Ferdinands was enjoyed after the concert, and I had some good conversation with many people, but a few people slipped away before I had a chance to talk with them. A couple people handed us some money, which we gratefully accepted, and put in the kitty for our sound equipment fund.
On the way back home (meaning Nancy's parents place) we took a trip down Memory Lane, and stopped by the Embassy where I lived for most of my undergrad years. A nice young man, Jadin, was there, and he let me tour around, showing the kids the rooms I used, and told goofy stories about practical jokes and the strange roommates I had. The mailbox I built was still in use, and the photo album I started is now full. Hopefully they'll start another. It's been a dream of mine to catalog all the residents of the Embassy over the years.
Perhaps I should first explain the Embassy - it's a house, originally belonging to music professor Kemble Stout, who rented it out to students. At some point a bunch of Christians got ahold of it, and had a revolving residency there. A sign was built to hang over the front porch "The Embassy," which references the scripture verse calling all Christians "ambassadors for Christ." Students came and went, always Christians (or people claiming to be such), and we've tried to maintain some kind of ministry as well. We would hold the Embassy Bash a couple times a year - a dance party with Christian music, followed by singing and prayer. Occassionally a half-drunk student would walk in, looking for beer, and leave perplexed when it was discovered that no alcohol was to be found at such a gathering. Dozens of people would show up for these bashes.
It was also the site for many a Bible study, and we tried to maintain some form of government over our affairs, with varying success. Still, it was a great place to have iron sharpen iron, and very cheap rent to boot.
Anyway, after the Embassy tour, we hit the park across the street, showed the kids where Nancy and I became engaged, and headed back home.
In the morning we head back to Billings - a ten hour drive or so. Wish we could have spent more time here. Pullman has always been such a great town, and we have many happy memories here.
Thank you Pullman, and Evangelical Free Church for all you've done! Great to see you again!!!!
We've sure had a whirlwind time here in Pullman, WA. On Friday we slept in (to make up for the 2:30 AM arrival time) and that evening played mini-golf. It was a very nice course, and the weather was perfect. Bjorn especially loved hole 12, for that had a fun feature on it - when you put the ball in the hole, it tunneled it down to another location some distance away, where it shot out, bounced off a rock, and toward the 'true' hole. Bjorn spent a good deal of time throwing his ball down that hole!
Saturday Knut, Grandpa and I got up early to go help with building the new church. We did roofing, and got a fair bit done. I brought my roofing nail guns and other tools, and there were about 15 of us working that day. I guess a crew comes out every Saturday to work on it. Except for the plumbing, wiring, HVAC and heavy stuff, the rest is all built with volunteer labor. Wish I could spend more time here. It was fun working with the guys here, and the lunch was fantastic!
We left the worksite to rush home for a quick rehearsal, and then got ready for a cookout. Our old friends, Jon and Crista Davis were there, as well as the associate pastor, Caesar Paul and his wife. After the wonderful food, we hiked up to the top of Kamiak Butte - about a 3.5 mile round trip. A nice little hike, but I would have preferred to hike before the food!
Next morning was church, so we arrived early for a sound check with the tech, and Nancy and I led the music portion of the service, with a brief interjection of special music from the family. The sermon by pastor Doug was great, and really hit with some things I've been studying lately - the Calvinist/Armenianist debate. (If Pete sees this, he'll check my spelling). Pastor Doug's stance is that both are wrong, and scripture is right. That's where I've been leaning all along, but I have been wanting to at least study both sides of the issue and understand it for myself. Doug was very good at explaining some confusing aspects, so I can't wait to get back to the studies.
The afternoon was devoted to some pleasant napping (preceded by a bit of reading), and then the concert that evening at 6:00. I was pleased at the turnout - I forgot to count how many showed up, but I would guess around 50. I was also pleased to see a fair number of younger people there. Pullman seems to have a large number of college kids here for the summer. More so than I've seen before.
Some high quality ice cream from Ferdinands was enjoyed after the concert, and I had some good conversation with many people, but a few people slipped away before I had a chance to talk with them. A couple people handed us some money, which we gratefully accepted, and put in the kitty for our sound equipment fund.
On the way back home (meaning Nancy's parents place) we took a trip down Memory Lane, and stopped by the Embassy where I lived for most of my undergrad years. A nice young man, Jadin, was there, and he let me tour around, showing the kids the rooms I used, and told goofy stories about practical jokes and the strange roommates I had. The mailbox I built was still in use, and the photo album I started is now full. Hopefully they'll start another. It's been a dream of mine to catalog all the residents of the Embassy over the years.
Perhaps I should first explain the Embassy - it's a house, originally belonging to music professor Kemble Stout, who rented it out to students. At some point a bunch of Christians got ahold of it, and had a revolving residency there. A sign was built to hang over the front porch "The Embassy," which references the scripture verse calling all Christians "ambassadors for Christ." Students came and went, always Christians (or people claiming to be such), and we've tried to maintain some kind of ministry as well. We would hold the Embassy Bash a couple times a year - a dance party with Christian music, followed by singing and prayer. Occassionally a half-drunk student would walk in, looking for beer, and leave perplexed when it was discovered that no alcohol was to be found at such a gathering. Dozens of people would show up for these bashes.
It was also the site for many a Bible study, and we tried to maintain some form of government over our affairs, with varying success. Still, it was a great place to have iron sharpen iron, and very cheap rent to boot.
Anyway, after the Embassy tour, we hit the park across the street, showed the kids where Nancy and I became engaged, and headed back home.
In the morning we head back to Billings - a ten hour drive or so. Wish we could have spent more time here. Pullman has always been such a great town, and we have many happy memories here.
Thank you Pullman, and Evangelical Free Church for all you've done! Great to see you again!!!!
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