This week I’ve cut several of the interviews. Soon I will have them all. I have yet to start on my website, but I understand that time is short and I should get to it as soon as I can.

Here are the notes I shared with class on Tuesday:

When I arrived at Saint Seraphim church, I was struck by how large the campus was. As I followed signs for the main office, I tried to imagine Father L working at a computer. The idea itself was blasphemous, yet our entire correspondence was electronic.

He directed me to an event hall. A group of Norwegians were taking a tour of the campus. And there, in a group, was my interviewees: one young woman, one young lady, and three elderly ladies. One, who dealt with publicity, brought a bin of all the recent print ads and press releases in the last three years.

I immediately felt these people were family. Rather than interviewing alone, they took comfort in knowing their fellow parishioners were in the same building, listening in, fact checking, and giving warm, silent support. The mood changed when they spoke in the church among the iconography. They behaved silent, introspective, calm, and not overly animated as one might get over Glendi – a huge party.

I immediately picked up on one of Father Lawrence’s favorite phrases: as it should be. Through stefan and I were worried about the outcome of the video, the father sensed our worry and through his precense alone, helped me feel more calm.

As it should be fed into the answer to one of the first questions. The tropical rainstorm ended up being mystical, a warning that they were not ready. It brought them together.