The sudden arrival of more passengers into the airport lounge startled the couple out of their worldless soliloquy. Practical things needed to be done. As the ticket and baggage control counter opened, the business of checking-in for their departure demanded their attention. But the poetry now existed and could not be quenched. The union of hearts had taken place along with the opening moves of becoming one-flesh. The realities of the world had necessarily intruded. Yet those first notes had been played, unexpectedly early and with delirious joy, but the new duet would have to wait a few hours yet until they were steaming across the waters of the Gulf of Finland.

Stan was determined that some of his Masurian-Prussian customs would catch onto his new younger bride. Knowing that it was an uphill task with the modern generation, he had to find suitable moments and ways to get what he wanted. He had tried with Kasia but only partly succeeded as she was still very much a product of late 20th century post-communist Russiand and Polish culture and their particular mannerisms. One of his desires was to recruit wives who would pick up a few of the gentile customs of the ancien régime and so become ambassadors to his other wives of this new way of being. Part of this included dressing correctly for it was his firm belief that the clothes we wear had a profound influence on our mannerisms and behaviour generally. He detested the Western 'jeans-and-teashirt' culture with their back-to-front hats and expected women to look like ladies and not cowgirls. The only exception to this rule was when they were doing rough work outside or if it was too cold for open dresses.

So Hanna had been expected to wear skirts and blouses for the whole trip. Indeed, Hanna was so attired, having discussed what would be appropriate with Isabel who always dressed conservatively. She had picked a relaxed, loose navy blue dress with the hemline well below the knee, reaching mid-calf and topped it with a high collar pastel blue, buttoned blouse with long sleaves to her wrists ending in simple buttoned white laceed cuffs. Tiny white pearl-like clip-on earrings, a small chain necklace that Stan had given her with a white enamel heart along with her wedding ring when they were betrothed, completed her outfit. Isabel had approved, she knew what Stan liked, having had to make some major clothing adjustments herself upon marrying him.

Hanna knew what Stan wanted and had agreed unconditionally, and after claiming her frustratingly interrupted passionate kiss, readied herself for what she knew would be a crash course in Estonian culture. Having checked in their baggage and boarded the by now fuelled and cleaned SAS Saab 2000 turboprop plane, Stan proceeded to educate his new wife on what he expected of her during their Baltic venture.

"The Estonians were a part of the wider Soviet culture until a little over a decade ago when they declared independence. Unfortunately, the western ideal of casualness has swamped the country. But there are still many who follow the old traditions. Courtseying and bowing are still common, thank goodness, and they still dress their little girls like ballerinas and not like long-haired male hippies."

Hanna giggled. She wanted to please her husband as much as possible but was finding the cultural divide hard to bridge at times. She knew that a lot of the ways of the rebellious 60's would take time to be washed out of her, as was proving to be the case with the others, and that in order to make any real headway an effort would be required. Stan secretly hoped, I learned, by bringing more wives like Andreea into the family who possessed these social graces, that he might make some impact at Kadesh-Naphtali. We North Americans, he had openly declared, were proving the hardest to train of all, which had not gone down well with Sarah-Jane and I at the time. But we were learning and once the new habits had been mastered, actually started enjoying them.

Stan decided to postpone his pep talk on Estonian culture until they were actually aboard their train in Estonia. Besides, Hanna had only one thought on her mind: kissing! Selecting a couple of seats at the back of the aircraft, and with Hanna occupying the window seat, the couple shared few words on that flight to Finland. The bride meant to make the most of the little time they would have together, with so much pent up passion that needed releasing after so long a wait. So there, in that little plane flying over the Gulf of Bothnia, a quiet meeting of two worlds got underway, where lips forge new alliances, breath becomes language and time forgets to move. Their soft sighs of love were drowned out by the turboprop engines as they surrendered to a gravity larger themselves high up in the clouds over northern Europe.

The flight was a short one, less than two hours, and no sooner had they arrived in Helsinki than they were making their way down to the ferry terminal viâ fast train and tram. Stan was by now trying to mentally prepare for the meetings in Tallinn and Tartu, while Hanna dreamed of the anticipated bliss on the ferry. The train was jam packed with little room to breathe let alone pray in the stuffy atmosphere. Thank goodness they had managed to find seats as the corridor was full of standing passengers clutching hanging straps and grab handles. There followed the rush to find the right tram which was equally packed with people. Stan hated every moment of it as he and cities were for the most part mortal enemies. For Hanna hearing Finnish spoken brought her momentarily out of her internal Romeao and Juliet set and she was back 'home'. And yet now things were different - really different.

"We're here, darling," said Stan waking Hanna out of her dream, "now we must find Terminal 2...we've only got 35 minutes before the ferry leaves!" Hanna looked around. "There!" she shouted. "Länsiterminaali 2!" The tram had stopped right outside the terminal. Once inside the building, Stan started hunting for Tallink Silja, the line which would take them to the Estonian capital.

The ferry was called the 'MS Melodia'. "I like that!" said Hanna excitedly as they boarded the ship. He hadn't told her, but Stan had booked a Deluxe cabin for the short crossing. When Stan unlocked the door and they stepped inside, Hanna gasped with surprise. "I was expecting bunk beds!!" she cried but instead was greeted by a floor-level double bed with a comfortable sofa nearby. "But maybe we should go and eat first?" said Stan, ever mischievous, "as I'm sure you're famished after the small meal on the plane. "Whaaaat?" cried Hanna. "We've only got a couple of hours before we get to Tallinn!!" Stan laughed but Hanna was not amused. He apologised.

"Kultsi" (which means "darling" in Finnish), "I want to clean up," said Hanna, feeling self-conscious. "There wouldn't by any chance be a shower on board somewhere, would there?" Stan chuckled. She swung upen a door marked 'Bathroom' and there it was.

"You go first," said Stan, "but don't take all day as we're sailing in 10 minutes. Then I'll take my turn, ok?"

Hanna didn't bother to answer, grabbed her toiletry bag and a bathrobe and was gone in a shot, bolting the door behind her. Splashing and singing ensued. Ten minutes passed, the ferry's motors started up and horns blew. Hanna emerged flustered, hair dripping, feeling she hadn't nearly had enough time.

"My turn," said Stan, and disappeared for 5 minutes.

By the time he emerged. his bride was all ready, waiting for him, hair now neatly arranged in a bun and partly dried, standing by the bed. "I'm sorry I couldn't...."

"Shhh, my love," whispered Stan, laying his finger on her lips, "everything is fine. I love you just the way you are. You can make a grand entry when we're back home in Kadesh-Naphlati!"

"She beamed gratefully, feeling dishevelled, her heart pounding like a heavy hammer striking an anvil. With the ship's engines thumping an arousing primal energy all of its own, the surroundings seemed to fade away making the couple aware only of each other. It didn't matter they were still wet from their showers. Bathrobe saches loosened, opening Eden's gates, and revealing a banquet, as hands traced soft paths on new maps. The ship gently rolled, moving the floor, their feet giving way to the bridal bower beneath them. Fingers tangled, mouths bloomed, petals opened, amidst quiet whispers breaking the air. The sun streamed through the porthole, dancing across the sea to touch their tangled, dripping hair. New music played whilst bows moved over stringed instruments, as two separate names became one shared secret, a garden enclosed and bursting with life. Springs surged, fountains gushed and rose to the heavens, new scents mingled, two olives pressed together to yield their sweetest oil. The sudden burst of colliding and merging binary starts lit up the cabin, an unquenchable flame now blazing, to then settle down in sleepy bliss."

The loudspeakers on the decks and in the corridors woke the two lovers suddenly, reminding them of the Kingdom work they were about. Paradise would have to resume when it could. Stan and Hanna hurriedly washed and dressed, packed their things tother, and were on deck just as the Melodia birthed and was tied safely to the dock. Stan and Hanna's armes were wrapped around each other, a suitcase in each's free hand. The gangway in place, the two lovers disembarked into Kingdom service.

Stan and Hanna had arrived in Tallinn, the Estonian capital. It was now early afternoon. That evening they were to stay at the home of Dr. Paul Hagelberg, a friend of Stan's from Soviet times whom he had not seen in nearly 20 years. They would overnight with him and take a train to Tartu the following morning. Hanna was surprised at how easily she was able to understand the Estonian language in spite of the differences with Finnish and recalled afterwards that the differences could be compared to those between Swedish and Norwegian or Dutch and German.

The ferry arrived at Tallinn shortly after 2 p.m. and they were met by Paul Hagelberg on the quay. He pointed out the key landmarks of the picturesque city as they drove out to his home in the suburb of Haabersti. Paul was neither a Christian nor interested in plural marriage (indeed, he didn't even know the latter even existed) so the topic of conversation was mostly worldly. Paul showed Stan his large stamp collection, which is what had brought the two together in communist times in the first place, whilst Hanna and Paul's wife Irene exhanged small talk in a mixture of Finnish, Estonian and English. Philately had been a good cover for Stan to travel around the Soviet Union as a young man in pre-independence days, allowing him to secretly meet up with other Christians behind the Iron Curtain. Though Paul had not responded to Stan's invitation to receive Christ, they had remained the best of friends. Through this friendship Stan had developed a keen interest in all three Baltic States which were forcibly annexed by the Soviet Union in 1940 but by the end of the 80's wanted their freedom back. That moment didn't come until the days when Michail Gorbachev was in power when all three countries - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania - declared independence between March 1990 (when Lithuania boldly made the first move) and August 1991.

But there was another reason Stan was interested in these nations and that was his own ancestry. At various times they had been conquered by the German Teutonic Knights, Russians, Danes, Swedes and Poles and so their population was quite mixed, just as Stan was himself. Paul was himself of German descent though by now well mixed with Estonian, just as Stan was though on the Polish side. It was also their common German ancestry that had forged their friendship. Most of the German population had been moved out of Estonia during the German retreat in the Great Patriotic War, as the Second World War was called in the USSR, just as they had been forcibly expelled by the Poles from East Prussia, where Stan's family came from, and from the rest of the German eastern territories. The two men had therefore shared a common interest in the history, languages and customs of the region. Though Stan had hoped Hanna would show an interest in Estonian history given Finland's close relationship with that Baltic nation, she was mostly interested in the more womanly things like cooking and dress habits. And that is what the two women talked about.

After supper Stan and Hanna excused themselves, pleading exhaustion after their long trip from Sweden, and retired early to their room. They prayed together, resumed where they had left off at sea, and then slept soundly in each others' arms. They had been on the move for nearly 12 hours and were exhausted.

For Hanna this was a day she had long dreamed about and which seemed as though it would never come. What made it the more sweeter was the fact that she had been willing to forget it altogether and give her energies to building her spiritual life. As she lay in in her sleeping husband's embrace after the ecstacy of her second nuptial union, she silently praised Yahweh in overflowing gratitude for His loving kindness to her:

"Thank you, Lord, for giving me this man to be my husband and for such a wonderful family. Please bless him, and my sister-wives and all our children. Please bless the Engströms, the Nilssons, and the Åkersteds so that all we do is pleasing to You. May you also bless the Hagelbergs that they may receive Your Gospel. In Yah'shua's Name. Amen."

Hanna had shared a little of the Gospel with Irene Hagelberg who had appeared interested though the topic under discussion soon moved away to worldly things. The important thing, Stan had said to her, was to plant seeds, however small, and leave the Lord to work out the rest. She had found witnessing hard after her Armstrongite experience, for now, instead of witnessing for an institution, she was witnessing for a Person. Then, all that would have been required would have been acceptance of the teachings of the Church - now, it was a question of trusting in Christ and letting Him do the teaching.

The couple were awakened by Stan's portable alarm clock and they were soon scrambling to ready themselves for the journey to Tallinn railway station. Though English was rapidly replacing Russian as Estonia's second language, Stan was still glad of Hanna's Finnish.

In spite of their racial and linguistic similarities Hanna soon discovered that the Finns were not too popular in Tallinn. Ferry loads of them would arrive from Helsinki and other Finnish ports on drinking binges, taking advantage of cheap Estonian alcohol. Groups of drunk Finns were a common site in the city at night, a good many of whom found their way into the local gaol or were thrown back onto the next ferry. These 'liquid tourists' came only for the beer and were not the least bit interested in the many cultural attractions the city had to offer. Stan was disgusted by them and Hanna embarrassed. Alcoholism was a major problem in Finland and the habit was, sadly, catching on in Estonia too.

"Estonia is a special priority on the list of European Union (EU) member applicants," Stan told Hanna, "which means that I think there will be a lot of contact between our nations in the future. There is no doubt that their racial affinity to your country is in their favour, plus the fact that they are the most prosperous of the three Baltic States. I don't think it's any accident that the Lord has called us here now."

"What do you think is going to happen in Tartu, darling?" asked Hanna. "Has the Lord told you anything?"

"Nothing at all. We don't know too much about these people. We must go in faith."

Stan warned Hanna to be careful about what she said to them about the family and to let him do most of the talking at first. This would be an important learning experience for Hanna in the politics and diplomacy involved in being ambassadors for this controversial way of life. Stan knew that there were people who had tried to force him out into the open so as to either make a good newspaper story or to find a way to discredit him.

The Estonian countryside was flat and for Hanna rather uninteresting. Compared to Sweden and Finland, the poverty was only too evident. This country's history had not been a very happy one. Apart from being occupied for centuries by one invader after another, its fight for independence had been long and tortuous. First it was caught up in the Bolshevik revolution of 1917 and was divided along political lines as Finland had been in its own civil war, and then it was occupied by the victorious Imperial German army following the débâcle at Brest-Litovsk in 1917 when the Soviet Union had sued for peace terms. Then it was fought over by white and red armies before finally winning a short 20 year period of independence until its annexation by Soviet Russia in 1940. It then became a battle ground twice as it was first overrun by the German Wehrmacht and incorporated into a new state called "Eastland" (Ostland) before being overrun by the Soviet army again four years later. For half a century it languished under the reds until it finally won its independence again at the dissolution of the USSR.

But it was no longer the old Estonia. The Soviets, in their bid to eradicate nationalist tendencies, had expelled a huge section of the Estonian population to other parts of the Soviet Union and imported as many Russians to change the ethnic mix. In the new republic there were therefore major racial tensions, the Russians being looked upon as colonists who were not welcome. In some places the Russians were even in the majority as it had been a favourite place for pensioned Soviet officials to retire in their old age. The problem was still unresolved. It was also particularly unfortunate that in the Christian world, Russian and Estonian Christians largely kept apart in their own ethnic churches - the Russians in the Russian Orthodox Church and the Estonians in the Lutheran, though many Estonians had become Orthodox in Imperial times to curry favour with the rulers and advance more quickly in society.

The old steam train rumbled through Tapa, Tamsalu and Jõgeva through large unforrested areas on its way south. Hanna knew she would be in for a good dose of history and that Stan expected her to be attentive.

"Tartu is the second most important city of Estonia," said Stan, "and lies on the River Embach (Emajõgi) that flows into Lake Peipus." He pointed to a map on his knee. "Most of the Russian-Estonian border lies on this lake. In 1940 Russia sliced off the south-eastern corner of country just like it took the Viipuuri or Vyborg peninsular, and a big chunk of Lappland, off Finland after the Winter War of the same year. Russia never returned these stolen territories after the Soviet Union fell apart and neither Finland nor Estonia dares to threaten their giant and unpredictable neighbour..."

"You'd better not tell Kasia, then, or she and I'll be at war when we get back!" giggled Hanna.

"Quite," said Stan, impatient to complete his history lesson before they arrived at their destination. "The Russians also took half of my homeland, East Prussia, though our family home ended up in the Polish annexed parts. The Latvians lost territories to the Russians too so the "big bear" isn't too popular. The Baltic States and Finland have always had to play a very careful diplomatic game so as to placate a Russia who traditionally has had expansionist ambitions. Ironically, it was the communist Russians who were the most imperialistic of all - and though Russia was technically only one republic in the bigger Soviet Union, in reality it dominated all of the others. The mess caused by that imperialistic legacy is still unsolved as we have seen in Chechenya and other parts of the modern Russian Federation."

"I thought you supported the Russians in the Chechenya war?" queried Hanna.

"That is true, up to a point, but I have my reasons for doing so, and most especially because it is in the Chechens' best interest to work in a federal framework with Russia. There were atrocities on both sides but the Chechen rebels, inspired by Muslim fundamentalism, were undoubtedly the worst. It's the same reason I supported the Serbs in the Kosovo war. Both sides committed atrocities but it was clear to me that had Kosovo attained independence it would have become a Maffia state run by criminals and communists. Milošević was to blame for fanning the whole war there and many Serbs have a lot to account for, but in the long run the Albanians would have been better off in Serbia. But it's such a mess there now that there's no longer any right or wrong way to go. Only the Gospel of Christ will heal the wounds between those two communities. And according to our Order's founder, there will be no peace in that region until Christ returns."

"What about Tartu? I thought you were going to tell me about that," teased Hanna, knowing how easy it was for Stan to go off on tangents. Though others like Andreea loved to hear Stan discourse, Hanna was not much into history and politics.

"Oh yes, quite right. Now let's see, Tartu. Well, before Tartu was known as Dorpat, the old German name, and it's apparently still known by that name in Sweden because when the Swedes, Danes, Poles and Russians ruled, the old German names continued to be used. That's why Tallinn is sometimes called by its old German name, Reval."

Hanna groaned and Stan became irritated with her.

"If you're going to be helpful to me in this mission, Hanna, you must at least take an interest in our hosts and their culture. One of the virtues of being a Christian is taking an interest in your brothers and sisters."

Hanna took the rebuke wincing. She would later be grateful for Stan's tuition when in conversation with various Estonians she showed a knowledge of their history. This had impressed and endeared her to many, especially to the unbelievers amongst them. Most foreign missionaries to Estonia never took the trouble to find out much about their nation let alone show any appreciation for its past.

"Taking an interest in what is important to them is part and parcel of loving them. It's how you accept them as they are. It enables you to empathise with their problems and needs," he continued.

"I'm sorry, Stan. It's just that I don't find history very interesting...." she replied, trying to find an excuse.

"That's not good enough, Hanna, and you know it." Stan was in one of his no-nonsense moods and Hanna was about to learn some important lessons.

"If we allowed ourselves to be attracted to people solely on the basis of our own personal interests, the Church of God would become a small, insular collection of cliques and factions, just like it has over the centuries.There are things in the Estonian experience which are like diamonds in straw which we have come to learn about and incorporate in our Zionic quest. The chances are that some of these people will be coming to live with us in Kadesh-Naphtali and are going to feel like fish out of water in Sweden. And to help them make the changes, we have to understand them."

Stan was almost fuming and Hanna felt as though she had committed a capital crime. Suddenly, the reality of her own carnal nature was staring her in the face again, and on this the first day of their honeymoon.

"Oh, let's not quarrel, Stan," she pleaded, "this is our honeymoon!"

"I told you that this was going to be a working honeymoon, and that the honeymoon would have to take second place. You knew and accepted that."

The growing expression of annoyance on his face was beginning to frighten her a bit.

"You're here as my helper in administering to these people. But instead of being a helper, you're pursuing your own selfish agenda. Now, if this is going to be your attitude on this trip, you're going to be worse than useless to me."

Hanna was in deep shock as the reality of whom she had married began to sink in. His words had hurt her and tears began to well up in her eyes.

"I'm sorry to hurt you, sweetheart, but we really don't have time for this. We arrive in Tartu in less than an hour and there is a lot you need to know. Please try to understand that in order to be useful to the Lord we have to make some sacrifices when it comes to personal things. And this requires some training. OK?"

His voice was concilliatory and he was smiling again. Hanna was relieved to see that he still loved her and, grasping his arm, lay her head on his shoulder.

"I'll try, darling, but it's hard for me," she said.

"OK, shall we continue, then?"

She nodded.

"The people we've been invited by are university people. Tartu is a famous University town. In fact, the University was founded by the Swedes in 1632 by Gustav II Adolf. The people we're going to be teaching are high-brained academics and they're a little bit different from ordinary folk."

Stan winked, as if to acknowledge that he was somehow a part of their inner circle - and that he was well educated, which Hanna was not. Hanna smiled back at him and reached over for a light kiss.

"It's one of the most famous universities in these parts, at least on par with Uppsala and Gothenburg in Sweden. These people are rightly very proud of their university and it's only proper that you show an interest and appreciation for what they have achieved through much struggle.

"Like the rest of Western Europe, Estonia was originally a Catholic country, converted from paganism by the the sword of the Teutonic Knights. You could say that its conversion was therefore "unnatural", and because its conversion was by violence, it was only "natural" that the country should eventually swing back to paganism and atheism.

"Historically, there's always been a major division between northern and southern Estonia. Tartu is in the southern part; Tallinn - where we've just been - is in the north. The northern part of Estonia, together with what was then Reval, was a part of the Catholic Bishopric of Lund in southern Sweden, which was then a part of Denmark, though they were separated by a huge distance geographically.

"The whole of Estonia, north and south, converted to Lutheranism during the Reformation. Originally, northern Estonia was a part of Protestant Denmark. And although the southern part, along with Tartu, was still a part of Catholic Poland-Lithuania (the two were united as a single country), it still retained its Protestantism. Then to cut a long story short, Sweden conquered both the Danish northern part of Estonia and the Polish southern part, which was then a part of northern Latvia and known as Livonia..."

"How do you know so much?" asked Hanna. "It's so complicated."

Stan smiled sympathetically.

"Anyway, Estonia along with Finland were both Swedish in those days until the Russians defeated the Swedes. And remember that Russians were, and still are, Eastern Orthodox. That means that the Estonians have known one brand of paganism, three brands of so-called Christianity - Catholic, Protestant, and Eastern Orthodox, communist-atheism, and now the Western liberal mush. They've been through a lot. They're still nominally Protestant though half a century of communism has done untold damage.

"During the time of the Polish occupation, the Catholics moved into Tartu University and used it as a propaganda machine for the counter-reformation. The result was that the Polish nobles became Catholic and the local serfs remained Lutheran. For a while Tartu was also a flourishing trading centre. Then the Polish-Swedish wars brought in a period of decline."

"When was all this?" asked Hanna trying hard to show interest.

"In the 1580's. The Swedes captured Tartu in 1600 - remember that date, because it was an important turning point - and turned it into a bastion of Protestantism. We have a lot to thank the Swedes for, you know. Without doubt, they saved Protestant Europe from being overwhelmed by the Catholics. I hate to think of the atrocities that would have been committed if the Catholics had won."

Stan shuddered. He was clearly deeply involved and this was no arid history for him, at least. He seemed to be living the very experiences of those early Tartu people. Though he hadn't noticed it, a couple of Estonians sitting opposite the couple, and who spoke English, had been eavesdropping on Stan's historical lecture with considerable interest.

"Tartu became a military stronghold and was a key fort in their Baltic colony. It may with reasonable certainly be claimed that it was Tartu that was the barrier to the expansion of Catholicism in north-eastern Europe.

"The following year the Poles started their counter-offensive with a view to recapturing all the territory they had lost north of the River Düna (Dvina). Worse, as far as the ordinary people were concerned, the crops failed in 1601 leading to a terrible famine. The following year the advancing Polish army under Hetman Chodkiewicz began to lay siege to Tartu and in 1603 the starving town surrendered to Poland. The city was in ruins. The Poles held on to the town in spite of repeated Swedish attacks. After twenty long, bitter years of fighting the Swedes finally won and drove the Poles out of the Livonian (now Latvian) capital, Riga. But Tartu held out until 1625 when the Swedes finally occupied the town. They generously allowed the town to continue in its old ways and expelled the Polish garrison and the Catholic priests. In the Treaty of Altmark of 1629 most of Livonia, including Tartu, remained under Swedish rule."

"What a horrible period of history," said Hanna. "And all the terrible things those poor people must have suffered."

"Yes, that's true," continued Stan. "Tartu became the most important centre of Swedish power in the Baltic provinces after that. The newly conquered territories were joined to Ingria - what the Swedes call Ingermanland - and to the District of Karelia...Ingria is where St.Petersburg is today and was all Finnish-speaking at one time before the Russians colonised it.

"The King of Sweden appointed his own personal tutor, Johan Skytte, as Livonia's Governor-General. Tartu was the seat of the highest court of law in the region or Hofgericht which was established in 1630. Soon Tartu filled with well-educated Protestant clergymen, lawyers, doctors and officials.

"Tartu is, in my opinion, one of Europe's most important cities. It was here that Catholics, Protestants and Eastern Orthodox fought for supremacy. But it was also here that Protestant learning played an important rôle in the development of Estonia.

"Johan Skytte was, in my view, a remarkable man. When he was appointed to set up a Gymnasium in Tartu he determined that it should be open to everyone without distinction of rank or wealth. He began by introducing languages - first, the classics: Latin, Greek, Hebrew and Chaldean - and second, the modern languages of French, Latvian, Estonian and Ingrian (Izhorian) in addition to German and Swedish. To this was added Mathematics and, interestingly, "Fortification", a reminder that this was a frontier town. All the pupils were provided with meals and ate together - again, without regard for wealth or rank. The object of the school, he announced in the opening speech in 1630, was to "root out barbarism in Livonia". And that, you'll agree, was a worthy ideal!"

The couple opposite Stan and Hanna interrupted him to introduce themselves as members of staff at the University and to express approval for Stan's observations.

"Are you by any chance travelling to take up a position at the Univertsity in Tartu?" he asked politely in flawless English.

Stan was flattered: "Indeed not, sir, though such would indeed be a great honour. I am visiting Tartu in the footsteps of Johan Skytte - to 'root out barbarism in Livonia'."

The man looked at Stan astonished: "I'm sorry, I don't quite understand."

"I am an evangelist come to share the Gospel of Christ," explained Stan. The man laughed, appreciating his sense of humour.

"You don't sound like the kind of foreign missionary who normally visits our illustrious city," he said. "Most seem to know nothing about us at all, yet you seem to know much about our history. If I am not mistaken, you are Polish. Are you a representative of the Vatican?"

Stan roared with laugher, making people in the carriage smile at the sudden high spirits that filled an otherwise dull morning.

"No, sir. I am a Bible-believing Christian," he replied earnestly. "Though I am not what you might traditionally call a 'Protestant' - of the three major sects that dominate Christendom¹, you might say that that is the faith I most closely align myself with. I was raised in the Reformed Church but now possess no such label. I like to simply think of myself as a Christian who believes the Bible from cover to cover - a New Covenant Christian."

The man's wife beamed. Her husband went on to explain that both he and his wife were committed Lutherans and were glad to hear that a foreign Christian voice would be visiting their city who knew something about the place and people he was to be the guest of.

"We have five Lutheran, three Greek-Catholic and one Roman Catholic Church in Tartu," he explained, "and quite a few non-conformist Protestant churches like Baptists, Pentecostals and some others whose names I cannot remember. Perhaps we shall bump into you sometime?"

"Quite possibly," replied Stan. "I am here to conduct some Christian seminars at the invitation ofs some Christian faculty members from the University."

As neither seemed to wish to find out more about Stan's beliefs he did not press them further. Hanna had wanted to say more but had picked up his signal not to. The train was, in any case, approaching Tartu and other needs would soon be pressing upon them. The two men exchanged visiting cards and farewells.

"Tartu, Tartu" came the voice over the loud speaker and the carriage was suddenly animated by the scramble of passengers gathering their baggage together. Hanna's heart pounded in anticipation of what was now to come.