Butiaba, Uganda, Feb. 18, 1914.

Dear Mr. Palmer:

        There are several letters here from the office and many explanations as well as questions to write.

        One time lately a note was put onto the receipt that we needn’t return them to you. Do you mean we need not return receipts to you at all any more or was it just that one that you didn’t want. In looking over unanswered letters I’ve found two other receipts not returned & will return them not knowing whether or not you want them. Perhaps we should return them to Mr. Hetzthen. Well if these two are superfluous then I suppose they can be destroyed - but I’ll send them on now.

        Then about the Code book. One came here with Mr. Sywulka’s name on but our address so thinking you would make a mistake easier in name than in the address we kept it here. Have never heard whether Sywulkas got one or not. I doubt tho whether we need one here as messages never come but by the mail and the people at Kijabe could just as well get the cables & send on to us by telegram. We must pay Rs 15 a year for registering our address & we don’t think it advisable. However, perhaps you’d better continue to send addresses until I let you know differently. We expect Mr. Hurlburt here soon and will then talk it over and let you know decision.

        We are extremely sorry for the reports that have gotten started about our work here. Especially sorry for that part of Dr’s letter in Hearing & Doing which told of 50 converts. There is not one that we know of. These she speaks of have all said they are children of God but they are not willing to give up any thing of their old wicked ways & do the Will of God. Not one. Some say they are willing to stop stealing. Another says he won’t tell lies but very few are willing to give up anything and most say they can’t stop any of their old customs. They attend services & school some but very irregular and care for nothing so much as getting more goats in order to get more wives. and every once in awhile they have a big dance just as near us as possible. There are several very promising young men on the hill and I believe they are really interested but none are willing as yet to give up old customs & come out for God - trusting Him for the strength they need to free themselves. It is a pitiable state of affairs and sometimes very discouraging but we need more prayer than ever. We have so wanted a native church but of truly consecrated young men not the kind that belong for the money they get out of it. I feel if the blame rests any place it is on us. We have taught by word & example and they know the Gospel story yet it hasn’t taken hold of them as the power of God must to make them willing to give up all for Him. We can’t help but have pity for their weaknesses - and do pray that they will soon be overcome by a sense of sin & shame & come to God for pardon. They seem to think if they believe that Jesus is God’s son that’s all that’s necessary - no confession nor sense of sin at all.

        And that article of Mr. Haases. I can’t understand what he imagined to write such stuff. His mind must certainly have been effected then already even as we’ve found it here. Toward the last of his stay here we found him saying things entirely untrue - but his body was in an awful condition physically & without a doubt his mind was effected. He has in his article given people to understand that he had translated hymns & tracts into Aluru. He couldn’t say an entire sentence in the language. Nor could he say any thing in Kingwana that was understood. If he spoke to the people he usually spoke thro’ Dr. Newberry. As to the grammar - There’s almost nothing to it. Just the simple forms - and much of that we have found to be wrong. Even Dr’s work on the language has had to be revised & her translations - taken mostly from the Acholi (The Gospels were Acholi) have been found unusable as the people don’t understand.

        Mr. Clarke - J.F. who was with the English party at Dungu - has returned here and is helping with translating John’s gospel. He has worked among the Kavaronda and their language is so very much like this. and he speaks the language in a way that the people understand him. Of course some understand us. These who hear us every day - but it’s hard to make strangers know what we’re saying - but he can speak to any of them and be understood. We hope Mr. Hurlburt will let him stay with us & help for awhile. We are making good use of him now.

        Just now we are away from home again working on the road from the Mission to the Boma, Mahagi. The ladies house was so nearly done that we left Mr. Morris & Mr Clarke to fininsh it. they have been such a help at that work - as just when John was ready to go at it the Gribbles left & of course he expected to have to do it alone. and it is so necessary for of course the bamboo & grass affairs are very good for temporary but Miss Harland is still very nervous when it storms - owing to the awful experience she had at Mahagi - and it seemed very necessary they should have a good house where she could feel less troubled. Now the heavy part of the roof is done and the walls almost finished so we hope they will get the grass on before more rains come. We are out here with the family so the ladies have moved into our house. and they’ll move from there into their own when we return.

        Mr. Morris is waiting now to see Mr. Hurlburt I think. Poor fellow feels rather done out as he expected to get married and take his wife back with him & now he has had word from home to wait. Hard lines I say.

        We wonder what plans Mr Hurlburt will have when he arrives. Rather hoped Mr & Mrs Hannay would go to Dungu and then Miss Hurst & Miss Stirton could go too. Not that we want to get rid of them but it seems too bad for them not to be at their language. they are both excellent workers and have been such a help at Gasengo.

        Might just mention that it isn’t necessary to send so many Hearing & Doings to Mahagi. 2 or 3 is plenty. In last inland mail we had word from Haasses saying they considered they’d better sever connections with the A.I.M. Think perhaps he had some notion that that’s what would be done with him any way. They had an awful accident on the way. While going thro some rapids the boats capsized and all goods damaged & much lost. Think Bambili must be quite a place so perhaps they can get much replaced. But perhaps you’ve heard from them.

        Now about this receipt business - for Emergency fund. The only receipt I saw was the one for the $55 which came from the Home office. How they got it I don’t know but the amount Rs. 165. was sent to the bank. Mr. Gribble had told me he was supposed to have turned back $100 to emergency & Miss Harland $30 but as to receipts I don’t know any thing about them - nor do I know if the money is in the Bank. I think the fault lies with Mr. Zemmer or Mr. Hetz. If they put those amounts into the Bank they didn’t let me know. and as all but one of the Bank amounts I have track of I think the trouble may be there but yet not entirely for the whole amount $130 is too much for the Bank amount. So I can’t quite make it out. The amount Rs. 165.- were turned over to Mr Miller as he had nothing to go on to Dungu with.

        We had hoped that we’d hear something definite about the rest for we thot we’d use it for the store house as well as the ladies house since none of the ladies have had much to put into it. I just remember now Mr. Gribble spoke several times of receiving money “that he didn’t want from General Fund” but I never thot that that was emergency fund. But now I’ll get things straight with him if possible and also with Miss Harland and will let you know definitely by another mail or two. I didn’t realize Mr. G. already had the money sent to him but thot he had told you what to do with his money & I didn’t know what you did or to whom you sent it. Now since reading your letter several times, it has soaked in and produced the required effects. Now I’ll get busy with the books again & find out what we’re at. Miss Harland hopes to take out her own bank account and Haases will no doubt soon have their accounts closed and the Gribbles too then we’ll have only our own. It’s been quite difficult to keep everything straight with so many under one account and all drawing out & putting in. I’ve had a time to keep things so we know what’s what.

        And now to the blank filled out. I don’t suppose you in the homelands will ever be able to realize how difficult such a thing is. We seldom have the same attendance 2 days in succession.

        Sunday school is held under the trees and is fairly well attended some times, and sometimes when there is a dance on very few will come. Day school too fluctuates awfully. Sometimes for a week or two they are very regular but then when work is to be done in the gardens they don’t care enough for school to come. We have also had a night school for such as are in our employ during the day. The two native workers keep that but one of the ladies supervises.

        The three baptised ones were baptised by Mr. Haas & are not Baluru but Bagungu from the Lake shore & had received some instruction by C.M.S. workers. They were only here about 3 weeks when they were baptised. ‘Twas while we were away to Dungu. So far as we know now they are as bad as the worst native - and were very bad while on the station but we knew nothing of it. One of the same tribe & village was a baptised boy of C.M.S. teaching Nasaneri by name & I think he is a real Christian. He helps much with the work. Unfortunately his wife is anything but a fitting companion. Worse than the ordinary native as she wont work at all. Another boy in our employ now Singoma, by name, can read & is a good worker too & wants baptism. We don’t know much about him and are keeping him busy helping but are slow to baptise till we see more of him altho he is much more valuable than any of the other 3 who were baptised but couldn’t read & were deceitful. and altho they declared when they came that they had been called here by the Lord & wanted nothing so much as to learn to read & be teachers of the people - yet as soon as we wanted to reduce their wages to just their board & keep they immediately left showing how much they really did care. These two boys here now Nasaneri & Singoma go every week with the ladies to the far villages & help with the teaching in the morning and either one or the other does the dispensary work and if nothing is to be done P.M.s they go out to villages. They also help in translation and are taught for an hour every P.M. by Miss Harland.

        It’s awfully hard to say how many natives attend chapel as sometimes there will be quite a crowd & then again not more than half a dozen or so. Don’t think we often have more than 50 and the average I suppose would be about 25 or 30.

        What we need here is a man & his wife who can stay on the station while we are out itinerating & go out when we are in. There’s such a lot of itinerating to be done. These two chiefs I’ve mentioned have had Catholic teaching but have asked us to come & teach them. They are each a big day from here. and lots of people between here & there and for three days in further there are many untouched as yet. With two ladies on the station to carry on the work & a married couple in & one out we’d have some little show of doing something - as it is we reach a few hundred around us & the great numbers are still without. We had really hoped that Gribbles would be willing to stay here. but he’s a rolling stone & can’t settle any place. One day the Lord calls to one place & the next to another.

        But I think I’ve written sufficiently to let you know something of our where abouts. I only wish there were a dozen married couples each for a new station. I’d like nothing better than to help start them on their new stations.

        We are fairly comfortable as to house room. Much to be done understand & I’d love to have time to fix things up a bit but I feel it’s more necessary to get new stations opened. We’ve been wanting windows for our house for a long time as when it storms muslin doesn’t keep out much rain but we are quite comfortable & with the ladies in a stone house too we will be glad to help others get started for it is a task, especially for those not accustomed to roughing it.

        With many prayers that God may use us more & more to His honor & glory and hoping to be more punctual in letting you hear from the work here

        I am Yours in Christ

        Florence Stauffacher.

        [from margins] John is suffering with ulcerated teeth of late. Swelled face etc. Also has had bad hands. 3 festering sores on one & 4 on the other. Better now. Others well.

        We are sending by this mail for an order to Montgomery Ward & Co. Will you please pay the bill.

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