Voice from the Past

Do you ever have a completely random something from your past drop into your present? I was cashiering at the rummage sale in the church fellowship hall on Saturday when the church phone rang. I answered, and a loud, enthusiastic, accented voice said, "This is Ulf Oldenburg from Germany! Can I speak to Brother Smucker?"

I nearly fell over as the dots suddenly connected in my head. When I was a child at our little Beachy-Amish church in Minnesota, Ulf Oldenburg used to come and preach to us about the persecuted church in Eastern Europe and Russia. He had that intense been-through-the-fire look in his eyes, and would preach until ten at night sometimes, through a patient interpreter. I remember he wouldn't spare on the details despite the children in the audience, and once described a Christian man who was tortured by putting "Zwei Hoge in sei Nass" (two hooks in his nose) and hoisted up.

I thought Ulf was an old man back then, and I can hardly believe he's still alive thirty years later. But apparently is he not only alive and well, but he's learned to speak English quite well. He'll be in this area sometime soon I think. I'll need to go hear him.