Narok, Masai Reserve,

March 20, 1934

        After six long years of waiting, Claudon finally arrived at Nairobi, on Dec. 18, where we were waiting to meet him. The joy of such a meeting no one can possibly understand unless they have first passed through the other extreme of parting, as we were obliged to do, somewhere back in the States, leaving two young sons, unprovided for (humanly speaking) amidst all the temptations whose deadly work have left behind them, many broken hearted missionaries, who sought education for their children in the Homeland. What can we say then as to the kindness of those who have made it possible that during these six long years we should never have a cause for worry, and there should never come a word of complaint from the boys we left behind? All we can say is, May God abundantly bless the Westervelt Home which through its faith in God is a real burden lifter from the hearts of many missionary parents.

        Well, anyhow, Claudon has arrived, and after just a little disappointment, for in spite of themselves Mother and Dad could not succeed in erasing from their minds the image of a bashful little boy, and here steps out of the train a strapping big fellow - but this soon wore off, and we couldn’t get out of the railway station quickly enough to jump into the old car and beat it for the Masai plains. The rest of it belongs to us alone. For who cares whether the cat was a kitten of the old mother cat, or who cares whether Kanoku a dirty little black herd boy has now too grown up to be a strapping big fellow, or whether that blue lizard down under the big rocks is still the one Claudon shot the tail off with his slingshot. This doesn’t interest ordinary folks but it meant a lot to us. And then those camps out on the plains, all by ourselves. How many silly things we remembered and how glad we were we could be just by ourselves and recall old times. Of course we missed Raymond, but his coming is another pleasure to look forward to.

        And then there gradually began to develop in our minds a plan: why not all go to the Congo together? Part of a bit of an old inheritance left over to us would make that possible. So after securing Mr. Devitt to go along with us to drive, especially on the way back, we decided to go immediately after Conference which closed the last of January. We now began to dream about Pygmies, and snakes, and elephants, and big forests, and what not, but who wouldn’t if they were to begin under such circumstances, a trip through Central Africa, which proved to be just a little over 3000 miles. So, after a lot of preparation we found ourselves on the road.

        We visited at the end of the first day, the Barnetts at Eldama Ravine, the second day, the Hoyts at Kaimosi, the third day, the Housdens at Kitale and then on through Uganda stopping at Jinja just long enough to see the famous Ripon Falls. At Kampala I hunted in vain for a little old camp ground, where, 24 years ago I lay sick with malaria and never expecting to get up again - but it was all now covered over with a good sized city. From Kampala we went straight west on to Fort Portal a beautiful little place at the foot of the Ruenzori Mts. or sometimes called the Mountains of the Moon, discovered, I believe, by Stanley on his trip in from the West Coast.

        And now I want to digress a bit, and give a little history, which I think, is not generally known, for I want to say something about the work done in Congo, just beyond the Uganda border, which we were now approaching. To me, the Mission work done there is a modern miracle wholly impossible without the special blessing of God. We will understand it better if we know a little about its beginning.

        (pg. 2) Fort Portal is just a short distance south from where 24 years before in 1910, two missionaries, Mr. James Gribble and myself arrived on the banks of the Semliki River, preparing to enter the Congo as the first party to represent the A.I.M. We arrived there coming down on foot from Hoima, about 150 miles to the north, and we had just time enough to pitch our tent when a terrific wind storm arose, which tore our tent through the middle, from end to end and left us without a shelter. After the storm was over the porters of which we had only six, scouted around for whatever they could find, and came back with the alarming report that the natives there told them that should we cross over the river into the Congo we should certainly all be killed, and they had definitely decided not to go any further. After a long discussion we finally decided to give ourselves to the Lord and let Him use us in any way He would, to begin His work in the Congo.

        The next morning we carefully packed up our things and told the porters to carry them back to Hoima and that we would return when and how ever we could. After a little difficulty we succeeded in getting a native to take us across the Semliki in a canoe, but he kept on assuring us that the canoe would be upset by hippos and we should all be lost. We did see hippos on the way over but safely reached the other bank. We had no difficulty in passing customs for there were no officials and all we had left in the world we carried in our pockets. Now does the Lord really provide for His children when in need? We could see at once that the natives could do nothing for us, but the Lord had His own way. After walking several hours we met two natives carrying guns and dressed like soldiers. This surprised us as we were told that no European would be found anywhere in that section. They told us however that their Master wanted to see us. After traveling another hour up a steep escarpment we met a white man, with red whiskers all over his face, sitting on a rock; he had been hiding in that country for several years, shooting elephants. He had seen us the day before and being out of ammunition hoped to get some from us but was afraid we might be government officials who were after him. After comparing notes we found he had a camp with about 20 cattle and plenty of food which he invited us to share with him, but at the same time we found he was scared out of his wits for the Belgian officials were after him and he wanted to escape over into Uganda. Discovering that we carried a letter signed by President T. Roosevelt requesting the courtesy of the Belgian officials, he offered to guide us any where we cared to go. If we took him under our protection. He had several canoes on Lake Albert, and together we traveled in high state for nearly two weeks, mutually a help to one another. After looking over the land we decided it would be best to choose a site near Mahagi Port which later proved to be Kacengu Station, and in this way the A.I.M. first began its work for which He alone deserves the praise and which I shall now try briefly to describe.

        From Fort Portal we went south to Kabale about 200 miles and then entered the Congo at Rutchuru about 60 miles north of Lake Kivu. Little suspecting the great work going on there, we passed one station near Rutchuru of the Unevangelized African Mission without knowing it, and another on the shores of Lake Kivu and numerous outschools in all directions. When we arrived at Kitsambiro where Paul Hurlburt is located we discovered that while we were lamenting the fact that we were passing through the most thickly populated part of Africa I had ever seen and yet not occupied by missionaries, that the whole section was really occupied by 4 strong stations controlling a large number of outschools all moving forward in a flourishing condition. This district which is just south of the Pygmy Forest occupied by the A.I.M., covers a territory about 200 miles long and for scenery excels anything I have seen in Africa. The road we traveled over from Lake Kivu north was so well (pg. 3) laid out that one could drive at 40 miles an hour and up and down the steep mountains one rarely needed to shift gears, so perfect were the grades. Nowhere have I seen such a perfectly ideal Mission Field in Africa, and the whole of it is practically occupied. The missionaries there well deserve our interests and our prayers.

        We now come down out of the mountains and at Beni enter the Great Ituri Forest. At Oicha about 20 miles west of Beni we found Mr. and Mrs. Bell, Dr. and Mrs. Becker, Mr. and Mrs. Keisling and Miss Smith. They are entirely surrounded by forest, and along the road interspersed with numerous other natives one sees here and there a group of Pygmies which once seen can never again be mistaken. Their copper colored little bodies with very thin lips but broad flat noses and the merry little twinkle in their eyes can never be forgotten after once seen. I don’t know what Claudon was thinking about by this time but I know down deep in my own heart I would have given anything in the world to be able to say “Here I will remain the rest of my days”. The grand big trees, the very fragrant odors, the birds and butterflies and flowers, and these strange little people! We followed out along some native paths into the deep forest and I shall never forget the impressions made on me. I believe Claudon is supposed to open a new station on a small elevation which rises above the tree tops surrounding it, and while we wanted much to see it it was a six days journey on foot which was too far for us to go in our limited time.

        After a week at Oicha, Claudon going with us, we continued our journey north to visit some of the A.I.M. stations. Just as we were leaving the forest and only about 20 miles from Irumu we saw some banana groves broken down by elephants, and as both Claudon and Mr. Devitt were very anxious to see elephants in the wild state they hired a few natives to guide them and if possible to get a look at them. They returned after about three hours and the pleased look on their faces told the story. They followed the fresh tracks through the thick forest and crept up to within 25 feet of three of them and after a few thrilling moments crept back again very much pleased with their experience. We then drove on and about 5 oclock reached Bogoro where we found Mr. and Mrs. Senff. This station is located on a high escarpment overlooking Lake Albert and about 15 miles from Port Kasenyi where Claudon’s trunks were awaiting him. We all went down together the next day for a picnic on the Lake. Mr. Senff proved himself a true American by producing a fine watermelon for our lunch. After buying a very large fish we drove up the escarpment again and the boys, Mr. Senff being one of them, planned a buffalo hunt. We must admit they did keep on the safe side saying they only wanted to see them and not shoot them for so it turned out. Sitting safely up in the branches of a tree they saw a large herd. They said they shot off their guns just to see what the buffalo would do and accidentally hit several of them but not aiming at them didn’t hit in the right place; so we got no buffalo steak at Bogoro. We did however get some at Aungba shot by Austin Paul. This was the third thrill for Claudon and Devitt for besides the elephants we saw several hippo in the Rutchuru River.

        It was hard to break away from Bogoro but promising to return again another time we drove on to Blukwa the top of the world, as they would say in California. From this station one can see many large villages in every direction and they told us there was a school with a native teacher in nearly every one of them. Holding our hands over our faces we peeped in at Miss Love’s Girls’ school, over a hundred pupils I should say, and here you get the strange sight of seeing, or rather hearing girls and women read well who haven’t yet learned to dress themselves. We were horribly shocked but I’ll declare we didn’t see any clothes. However, to give them credit I will say this of Blukwa, I hope I wont get into trouble with other Congo missionaries, in my opinion Blukwa is the best built station we saw in Congo, I shall almost have to say in Kenya as well.

        (pg. 4) Rethi was our next stop. While still a long way off I said, “Hello, California”, for on another top of the world we saw huge buildings all in California style and couldn’t even guess what they were. Taking for granted that the Belgian Gov’t. was doing something there we didn’t even inquire, and weren’t we surprised later on to find that it was the Rethi hospital, belonging to our own Mission. In fact I was surprised continually to find much better buildings in the Congo than I was looking for. The new Dormitory for missionaries’ children which was just being completed is also a very fine burned brick building. I was also very much surprised at the cost of some of these buildings- I believe they can do with hundreds of dollars where we require thousands in Kenya. Rethi and Blukwa are the high spots in the Congo work (we’re not forgetting Aba for after all, I can say Aba sitting like a Queen among the rocks is my favorite) but after you leave Rethi you must come down to a lower level.

        I wish I were just beginning now for we are now going to Kacengu, our “Little Grey Home in the West”. We found it was just 20 years since we left Kacengu, and during all that time we had never visited the place. To reach it we were obliged to leave our car on the main road and walk 12 miles. Imagine our interest when the place first came into view. When we left it there was but one big tree, now it had become a little forest. Soon we began to meet natives who remembered our name, and when we turned up the last grade there was great excitement. Jalmoro has returned and Mama but where was Claudon? No, that’s not he, Claudon was a small child- Well, but its been many years now. O, yes, that must be he. “Dong” one old man said, meaning Claudon, Yes, that is he but where is Raymond? O he hasn’t come yet. Has he grown up big too like Claudon? and so they carried on. Next we met Mr. and Mrs. Lasse and Mrs. King and Virginia May, and we were all very rude for each one of us tried to do all the talking. It would take days to write all that was said. Many joys had we experienced at old Kacengu, and shed many bitter tears too, but there it was- had grown steadily through the years, and I could hardly keep the tears back as Mr. Lasse pointed out the hills and said, “There’s a school, and there’s a school”. We sometimes almost doubted whether there would ever be even a Christian and now they have something like 40 teachers each one responsible for his own little flock. What a joy to see them come in for the Sunday services, but best of all Mr. Lasse announced that all should be called in on Monday who remembered us, and such a pack of scoundrels you never saw. 30 or 40 both men and women. There was the boy who washed our clothes and cut off all the buttons; and there was the one who herded our cows and drank all the milk- no matter what we accused them of they readily admitted it was true. They were no longer afraid of Jalmoro and all took it as a great joke. They assured us again and again that they believed all the words we had taught them. I must admit however, that they didn’t look much like it. Well, it was all a very grand time and we were very sorry to leave. We had never met the Lasses nor Mrs. King before, but within 5 minutes we were as though we had always lived together.

        The next morning early we were on the path and by noon were back at Rethi again. Here we were obliged to leave Claudon from where he returned to Oicha, and we went on to Aru. On the way we went to Austen Paul’s station for a short stop. This is a new station, opened just a year ago. They have made a good beginning & have wonderful opportunities in the many large villages near by. At Aru we simply could not get out of our minds that Mother Hurlburt must be in hiding somewhere. We spent but one night here and next morning before driving on to Aba we visited Arua station. Here too a large school is carried on, as well as girls work, besides the outschool work. Here they have a big opportunity because there are pupils from so many different tribes attending the schools and being trained to go out among their own people to teach and preach.

        We were at Aba only a few hours, but the place has been haunting me ever since. Whoever thought of building up there among the rocks, and yet the place is so pretty that in my opinion, there is nothing to equal it in the whole A.I.M. And they gave us such a grand welcome. In fact I can’t say enough about the hospitality of the missionaries in the Congo. As I think back now (pg. 5) of that great country only 20 years ago wholly heathen, and now mission stations and schools and fine roads and a fine Christian spirit everywhere I say again to me it is nothing short of a miracle.

        But this is getting too long. The rest of it is simply a confused dream. The roads were good and we simply whirled along, crossing the Nile at Juba, down through the wild Sudan with its rocks and deserts, then through Uganda and Kenya reaching Kijabe only about 5 days after leaving Aba.

        I only wish that those who have toiled and prayed and given of their means could have followed us. The toil has been great but what a harvest! And those of you who sometimes doubt just a little whether in face of the great falling away the A.I.M. may not have gone just a little too, let me assure you it has not. All one can say after seeing it all is “What hath God wrought!”

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