Kijabe, B.E.A. Oct 23^rd 1903                                                                                                  Index

My dear friend:
        I received your letter some time ago in which you made a suggestion that almost made me wild. I hope it may turn out to be the will of our Master. Nothing in the world would make me happier than to hear that Lora and Mr. Butzbach have applied to the Africa Inland Mission for work. How nicely we could use them here. And if they do apply dont you hold back for a minute. You asked if I thought you would be able to do anything here. Such a question. I really believe there’s not a student at the college who could not be worth sending here. If he could not do one kind of work he could do another. There is more than enough to do for all kinds of people. But this is perhaps too general to suit you. Of course I dont want to flatter you but think of it, if an odd looking spring chicken like me can learn to love you, some of these little n****r boys would fall in love with you at first sight. But now in earnest Florence if you think you could love one of the cutest little colored boys you ever saw, and cute they are, then it matters very little here how much of an education you may have back of you. The one great thing we want here is someone who can love the people. They are really treated awfully by nearly all the white people. And oh Florence how they do stand by one, when they see that he is really kind to them. Some of our people have changed wonderfully since we are here. Three months ago we found them dirty and greasy. Now they wash every day, and a great many of them are buying good clothing like ours, with their own money. I really believe it would bring the tears to your eyes to see some of the young men walk with us with their arms around us just as if we had been friends for years. Really I am so surprised that I hardly know what to think of it. Why just think we have one handsome young fellow who already acts as chorister. He has learned quite a number of songs sung to some of our old familiar tunes and he starts them and sings them through beautifully rarely making a mistake. Another man we found one day with a crowd of people around him really preaching to them. And to think that such a short time ago these people were numbered with the wild tribes of Africa. Does this seem as though the native is something like a brute, and it will need generations of civilization before he is ever ready to receive the Gospel. If anyone tries to make you believe this, even though he may have been for years in Africa, dont believe him. He may really believe that it is true but it is simply because he has treated the native harshly. If you love these people you cannot help but win them. I believe they are more susceptible to love, than any people I have ever met. Oh if I had only known the last few years what I would find here those years would have been the happiest of my life. It was an awful thought to think of going away off to a strange country and live there for a number of years without a friend. Now I am literally surrounded with friends, and although I cannot yet speak with them nor they with me, we do have some jolly good times together. Somehow or other we can understand one another quite well. I believe that when once I can speak the language I will be as happy as can be. I am afraid I should turn somersaults and shout and laugh like mad if I should hear that you and Lora and Mr. Butzbach were coming. Wouldn’t I just march down to Mombasa dressed in my Sunday hat, and escort you up here feeling like a king. Lets ask the Master that he allow this to come to pass. I am sure if you three would apply to the A.I.M. you would be accepted for the Lord is blessing us wonderfully, and the work is going on so rapidly that there is really a great demand for new workers. The other day I showed Mr. Hurlburt the picture of the volunteer Band, and he said he wished the Lord would send out every single one of them. And you would find it so pleasant working for on organization like this. Each one of us is practically independent. We can work as we feel the Lord leads. We do not have a wrangling church board at home jealously watching us and asking us to do things of which they have a poor understanding. After we pass through the hands of the Philadelphia Missionary Council, there is not an organization in America that can say a single word to any action we may take. The missionaries on the field control all rules of conduct and make all their own laws, and act in all things as they see best. And is this not as it should be. Ought not those who are among the people know best what should be done. If our church should refuse Lora and Mr. Butzbach then apply immediately. Mr. Hurlburt says get all the education you possibly can until, if you are a man you are 25, or a woman 20, and then get to the field at once. Five years after 25 on the field are worth more to a missionary than ten years at home. I am really beginning to agree with him. An education is an excellent thing, but the experience of young years on the field cannot be compared with it. So do not hesitate if the Lord presents an opportunity to get to the field. I really believe he is going to do it. If Lora is so much interested in Africa I am sure she would be happier here than anywhere else. You asked if I still expect to return some time. I am afraid not. I hardly think it would be wise. I suppose you asked the question thinking perhaps you would wait until that time, and not come even if Lora and Mr Butzbach should come. But do not wait. I am almost sure that my college days are ended. Now do not think I am urging you so because I have a spell of love-sickness or anything of the kind. In fact unless things should look different later, I sometimes think that even if you should come now it would be wisest if you and I should stay separated for a year or two. It will take some time for me to get a good start among the Masai, and until that time I think it will be best for me to be alone. Of course I dont want you to become a crabby old maid, nor do I want to become a cranky old bachelor, but perhaps that would be nicely prevented if once you were here. You know it would give us time to play old time lovers. I could take you to the monkey show and we would just need to go over the mountain and there we could feed the elephant peanuts (that is if you should bring some along) and then I could get some lemons and treat you to lemonade, and we have an old mule and a little donkey so we could go out riding. Wouldn’t that be great. Too good to miss.

        I have a book which the people at Phila. advised me to study and I find it the greatest thing I ever got hold of. I wish you would get it and study it carefully. It is called “Rightly dividing the Word of Truth” written by C. I. Scofield and in paper covers costs only 15 cents. I believe you can get it at Fleming and Revells book store or The Methodist Book Store. Try to get it some time when you go to the city. It is simply geat. Now I want to tell you of one thing more and then I will close for this time. The Masai people are very hard to get hold of and for some days I had been spending a great deal of time in prayer asking the Lord to open up in some way, a way for us to get hold of them. I had heard some awful stories about them, and it really did look as though it would hardly be wise to try to do missionary work among them. One day last week we were working out in the woods and here came along two native men, and a woman. The woman had a very bad running sore on her face, and they said they had heard that there was a big doctor at our place, and they came to have the sore healed. We thought nothing about it because we get such cases almost every day. Mr. Hurlburt said since they were looking for a big doctor I would have to play doctor so he got me some medicines, and I went to work. I washed the sore out nicely, and had it all nicely done up when Lo and behold! We discovered that they were Masai. I almost shouted and how did it happen that just I should play doctor. We made them understand as well as we could that they should bring all the sick people they could find. The old lady has been here every day since, and we have not only succeeded in stopping the sore from running but in this remarkably short time have really succeeded in healing the sore almost entirely. The woman is so happy she almost goes wild over it. She says it troubled her a very long time. But now let me tell you of the remarkable result of this little incident. Last Sunday Mr. Downing came here, and Hurlburt and I went to the station to meet him. What was our luck on the way but to meet one of the Masai men who came here first, and with him were several old men, and one of them the chief of the village. They almost went wild to see the “big doctors” as they called us. Before we left them we asked them all to come and see us the next day. They said they would and sure enough they did. Four old men and the chief came. We made them some tea with lots of sugar in it. My how they did smack their lips. Then Mrs Hurlburt gave them some cookies and we cooked some rice for them. They kept nodding their heads and saying , Es-sidai Es-sidai (very good very good). Then Mr Hurlburt gave them some bright colored blankets and said we wanted to be friends with them and tell them the words of God. Think of this remarkable statement from one of the old men. He said we know very much about the devil, but we long much to know about God. They said they would send us some young men to teach me their language so I could come very soon and tell them the words of God. More than this they begged us to come the next day to their village to see them. It almost made me jump. I felt so glad because I was asking to see a Masai village ever since I have been here. We went and I wish I had space to tell you all about it. They are really the handsomest people I have ever seen. When we got near the village some little boys and girls as bright as dollars came out to shake hands with us. Oh Florence if we can get hold of these it will be heaven to work among them. The men look very intelligent and are strong and handsome. To us they seem perfectly friendly. Other white people can hardly get near them. Can you see anything but the hand of God in the whole matter. Join me Florence in my prayers that the friendly feeling may ever grow stronger. Our crowns in Heaven will be bright and shining if we can win some of these for our Master. We cannot win them but with his aid. Oh lets spend much time in prayer for these people. But it is getting late and I must hustle to bed. The last letter I got of yours is the one telling of your plans with Lora and Mr. B. The mail comes again tomorrow so I expect I will get another. We rarely get mail more than once a month, but will have a post office at Kijabe soon then we will get it twice a week. I hope this letter will prove so interesting that you will overlook some of these nasty little blots and scratches. I hope the man is not like his letters. Now Good bye. Hoping, and praying that the Lord will permit me to see you soon.

        I am as ever John.

        Look on the other side [from other side] I send in this letter a little piece of a very beautiful vine. We call it the asparagus fern. It grows like a thick bushy vine, and reaches the top of trees a hundred feet high. Of course you get nothing of its beauty from a pressed bit of it. Oh the fine trees and flowers here, and the beautiful streams. Yesterday Hurlburt and I discovered two little water falls near here. One of them tumbles down forty feet upon beautiful mossy rock, and pretty ferns. Back of the falls is a cave so we can get behind the water, and see the rainbows. On each side of the stream are high banks covered with rocks, trees, bushes and flowers. The first day you are here I will take you up the mountain to see it. Ah but this is a beautiful place?