Marshfield, Wis. March 5, 1903                                                                                           Index

Miss Florence Minch,
Naperville, Ill.

My dear friend:
        I hardly know what I ought to write this time and did I not firmly believe that you have a strong faith in God, ready to do His will at any cost, I would not write at all. Perhaps you misunderstood somewhat the beginning of my last letter. What I wrote was not exactly a plan but rather a suggestion. Knowing that you have given yourself unreservedly into His hands and that He, seeing your willingness to obey plans your life even to the smallest details I would not dare to plan unless my plans were in harmony with His. Since however you have given me an expression of your respect to me I will not hesitate to write some things that I would not otherwise. I must confess that ever since I have known you, you have had the first place in my affections. It should therefore be no surprise to you that I made the statement I did in my last letter. But both of us are young both of us have given ourselves into His hands to be used as He thinks best so He surely has His plans concerning our lives. I believe that I have sufficient evidence that He wants me to spend my life in Africa and I am bending all my energies toward that one purpose. What He has in store for you I do not know. If He should make it clear to you that you are to go with me and you were willing to go I should be most happy to know it but if otherwise I would not dare to murmur. I would rather crawl in and out of the most filthy hut of the most degraded African, alone, away from civilization, and please Him, than live with the best of companions in a mansion. I have every reason to believe that you would do the same thing and therefore I made the suggestion having no fears whatever that you would do anything foolish or hasty. Your last letter has made good my confidence. When you are ready you may tell me what you think of the suggestion but I feel confident that you will not until after careful consideration and faithful communion with Him who holds us in His hands. If God has already shown you His plans it would be the height of folly for you to consider any other simply at my suggestion and I hope you will not hesitate a moment to give your honest sincere convictions. The worst cannot disappoint me. I have already left all that has been dear to me for His sake, and can continue to do so in the future. “My Jesus as thou Wilt” is the only prayer I wish to offer. I am still planning to go to Philadelphia in the Fall and if God does not plan otherwise that is no doubt where I will find myself. The Africa Inland Mission is progressing very rapidly. Three young ladies went out last Fall and three married cuples are preparing for the journey. They are still calling for more workers and I doubt not but what I could start toward the field before a year passes by if I felt myself fully prepared. I only wish you could read a letter printed in their paper which was written by the leader of the Mission on the field. It almost made me impatient to think that I could not go at once. I cannot help but feel more keenly each day my lack of proper preparation for the work, and I hope God will give me patience to remain until His appointed time. I am working hard to gain all the information I possibly can that may be helpful in the future I am sure that Jesus is leading me gently and tenderly into the truth as he would have me know it. I get more time for study than you might perhaps expect. I have spent about $22 for books since I am here and recently looking over the books I have read I find that since last Thanksgiving Day I have gone over nearly four thousand pages of good reading matter. Sometimes I think I have made almost as much progress as if I had been in school. I think I almost dare call this a proof that Christ intended I should remain here. He has been my teacher in the place of my Professors and under His care I have been able to make the progress. But now I have written more than I intended. Sometimes I am almost afraid that you find running through my letters such a serious strain that you might think I am getting sad and gloomy but I can assure you that this is not the case. Sometimes I feel so gay so cheerful and jolly that I almost get foolish. I can laugh until my sides ache but these outward expressions can never reveal the joy I have within. I would not dare to deny that I have my ups and my downs but underneath it all there is a peace and a joy which nothing can destroy. I love when out at work to stop sometimes for a moment and turn my face toward Him and let Him smile upon me. Oh the joy in His blessed smile. I would not turn away from His blessed face when He smiles upon me not even for a moment even if I could feast my eyes upon all the joys of this world and now to think that we may go on and increase day by day in this holy joy, increase in His love this thought causes me more than anything else to press closer to His bosom. Hoping and praying that this joy may be yours in an abundant measure I am your true friend

        J.W.S.