Kijabe B.E.A. Dec. 11^th 1903                                                                                                 Index

Miss Florence Minch,
Naperville, Ill.

My dear Florence.
        After a long and almost unbearable wait of almost two months I finally received your letter of Nov. 1^st. In it you speak of a letter giving your decision. That letter I have not received perhaps it will come later. I have written twice since I received your last letter and not wishing to write a third time it is almost a month since I have written. This will give you an explanation for the delay. You can hardly know how good I did feel when yesterday at the station saw with some others your letter. It seems I am just getting to that point now when I feel most keenly what it means to leave all friends yet I am perfectly happy. God is so good to us here. I really believe he has given us the most beautiful spot on all the Continent. In all my plans I am arranging to make this my permanent home and I am only waiting for you to make that home complete. You wrote about your decision. I dont know what it was yet I have always felt very confident that you were coming here so I suppose I need not fear about the decision. Florence if we cannot be happy here on one of the most beautiful spots I have ever seen then we never can be happy. Believing that you have decided sometime in the near future to join me here at Kijabe I shall change just a bit the nature of my letters and speak of the work here not as my work but as ours. I know you will be interested in my plans as much as I am myself and surely I shall be interested in yours. So you have decided not to finish your course? I am glad you have. Of course I should be more than glad to see you go on in your education, but Florence you can hardly realize what the delay of even a year may mean. It does seem to me as I look at conditions now that unless missionaries come quickly with the Gospel this section must turn out to be a place worse than hell itself. Florence sometimes I could just throw myself down on the ground and cry my eyes out. Among the natives here you see some of the most beautiful innocent looking little girls who even if left in their heathen state would be very happy, but they are becoming the victims of some of the most horrible things one could imagine. This country is becoming just full of the scum of India. Horrible, lecherous brutes carrying in their bodies the foulest diseases as a result of their sins and coming here for no other purpose but to satisfy their evil passions. Florence it is too horrible to speak of and I would not mention it if I did not believe it would put you on your knees pleading with our Master to have mercy on these people. Can you hold back when you know that beautiful young Masai girls for whose salvation the Master is calling you are on the very verge of this danger. Oh it is awful. The last few weeks I have been studying three books written by Joseph Seiss. An exposition on the book of Revelations. When you come face to face with the awful Judgments of God upon the lost, and when everything seems to indicate that the time is ripe for our Lord to return and conditions are as they are one hardly knows what to cry out to the Lord in prayer. And in the face of all of this these people as if by instinct are yearning to know of the true God. They say they have served the devil much and now want very much to know the words of God. And oh the hold that the devil has on these people. Last week one day a man came here and said that he wanted us to come quickly to his house. He said his wife was sick with the devil. We laughed at the idea at first and I hope you will not think me foolish for what I am going to say, but I really believe it was a case similar in all respects to those spoken of in the Gospels “one possessed with the devil”. Mr. Hurlburt says the woman is not insane. She was here yesterday and was as sensible as anyone can be, yet the day we were there she raved and would bite and scratch like mad. The people are confident that it is the devil tormenting them. Florence is all this as it is because thousands of professing Christians are folding their arms and disobeying God in His commands. I dread to think of it yet I am afraid that even many of our own near and dear friends will be sadly disappointed when they receive their reward for the things they have done here. A continent with teeming millions as it seems yearning for the Gospel and none ready to go. It does seem as though we were all asleep while the devil works so fast that even the saints of God are overcome. It is for this reason I am anxious to see you come soon. I want you to fall right in with me in my plans for the Masai. Lets not be afraid of means to carry out plans. It is true I have nothing in the world that I can call my own. I have means on hand now for about two months support and beyond that see no possible way to get more. Houses are to be built. Many necessary things must be gotten. You perhaps have little more than I have. You have a journey of thousands of miles before you with heavy expense. You have an outfit to get, but Florence this is just as I want things. You remember when I wrote to you from Wisconsin that I had nothing but the clothes on my back. The money my father had reserved for me was all lost. I tried canvassing and could earn nothing so that I was obliged to go grubbing stumps. You cannot be worse off than I was then, yet here I am 10,000 miles away from those stumps with plenty of food and clothing and in good health. What more can I ask for. When you feel that the Lord is ready to have you come determine you will go and let nothing hold you back even if your friends think you have gone crazy. I remember one day about a year ago I was out working all alone and looking into the future which then seemed dark. While thinking of different things there came to me the words of the old song “All power is given unto me, Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel, and lo I am with you allway”. It came to me with tremendous force. That very same evening I sat down and wrote to Mr. Adams Sec. of our Home Council and told him I had nothing in the world I could call my own yet I would start for Africa before another year passed by, and I was really planning to walk to New York and work my passage across the ocean by scrubbing decks. If the Africa Inland Mission had not offered to send me here when they did I had planned to start about the first of last Sept. and I should have done it no matter what people would have said about it. Wait for his time, but when it comes turn your footsteps toward the land to which He has called and do not turn back even if the whole world goes against you. Florence I admit you have no easy matter before you, but let me know of all your difficulties and feel sure that there is one who is holding up your difficulties before the Master. If you apply to the Africa Inland Mission please let me know before you apply. I have said nothing about it yet and they would think it strange if you should apply before I even mentioned the matter. Please let me share in your plans and let me know as God leads. God is all powerful and he can bring it to pass in spite of the sneers of our friends. Oh Lord give us a stronger faith in thee. We are as yet babes in the strength that comes from thee. In your planning for the future please do not plan for my comfort. Do not think of things to please me but let your plans be for the Masai women and girls. If you will simply love me which I think I need not fear that is all I ask, and now let me hold you to a statement which you once made, which you have perhaps forgotten and never supposed that someone was thinking of it, all these years. I think it was in your first exercise in old Laco. I do not remember the exact words but it was something like this. “I would rather live in a hut where there is love than in a palace where there is none.” You are going to get the hut, and I hope and pray that you will get the love. Plan simply for simple things. If you have spare time for sewing make things which will be useful for instance chair cushions and bed quilts. If you make clothing dont make them to keep cool but rather to keep warm. Nights are always cold here and in the day time it never gets hot. Of course you will need some light clothing for traveling down on the plains. The Masai live on the plains which are about 1500 ft. below us. Sometime when you are at home make some heavy wool comforters. My mother made two for me and laughed about them but they are the best thing I have brought along. Dont make anything fancy, but look rather for strength than beauty. Now I want to give you a special object for prayer. About one month ago two young Masai men came here and said they wanted to stay with me and teach me their language so I could tell them the words of God. They are two noble young fellows and I believe were sent here by God. Last Sunday I had a long talk with them through an interpreter and they say they want very much to stay with me a long long time. They want to know about God. In order that you and I may be able to spend all our time at mission work I am in hopes these two boys may be our servants, do our cooking and other work. They are willing to learn and are already helping with the work in Mr. Hurlburts cook house. They are very bright and intelligent and it is simply a delight to sit out under a tree and try to get words in their language. Mulungit especially is very handsome and if at home would be very popular. Noya the other boy is not so handsome, but learns much more easily. Mr. Hurlburt is much delighted with both of them. Oh Florence if you could know how I am yearning for these boys to become Christians. God has sent them here, now if we do our part he will save them. Can you not pray for both of them by name asking God to prepare them for his work. Who can tell but that they may some day be powerful evangelists.

        You asked about medical missions. A knowledge of medicine is good but medical missionaries are not needed here as in other countries. Ulcers and colds are plentiful but other diseases are scarce. I am playing doctor myself now as all missionaries must. I have several patients almost every day. Nearly all are bad sores. I am also playing dentist. We have several pairs of forceps, and pull teeth nearly every day. These are some of the pleasures of missionary life. I am learning two languages, the Masai and the Kikuyu. There is no similarity at all. The Kikuyu being one of the Bantu tongues, and the Masai coming from the people of the north being very similar to the Arabic. Of the two I much prefer the Masai. It is said to be the most harmonious of all African languages. I can truly say I rejoice with you in your answered prayers. I have been praying much for that little Volunteer Band and believe God has still greater things in store for it. Oh if we would only let God use us more in his own way! Now hoping you will trust in him with an unwavering faith and praying for his richest blessings in all your labors. I am as ever your true friend John.