Kijabe E.A.P. Oct 22
04
Index
My dear Florence
I just returned
yesterday from a very long journey and found two of your long
letters. In the one that you wrote last you said that you had
just heard from the Board and that their reply was sort of
dreamy like. Well never mind. It is true the Home Council is
just a bit upset now. They really have no one to act as
leader. Mr Hurlburt is thinking much of going home shortly to
put things in order. This need have no serious effect upon us
however. If you are not sent out sooner you certainly will be
sent out next Fall. Dont blame them for saying they want me
here two years before you come. That seems to be the principle
of all Missions with unmarried men. Mr. Hurlburts idea was
however that you should spend one of those years here, at
language study. Never mind my dear girl however if the home
people do not think it best to send you now. You certainly can
stand it if I can and I will try to look very bold and say I
dont care a little bit and so another year will pass by very
quickly and perhaps both you and I will be the wiser and the
better for it. In the meantime I should advise you to stay
quietly at home and take things very easy. Make it a business
to spend all the time you possibly can in the garden next
summer. Never mind if you get as sunburned as a real Dutch
man. It will match your features very well. Learn to do all
you possibly can with the chickens and pigs. Try to get a
large number of simple ideas. They will be very useful here.
Also remember that you will have a great big fellow to feed
and I tell you he can eat a lot and he likes very much good
things. As far as cooking goes there will be absolutely
nothing that you cannot get here so you can enter fully into
that. At the same time you can also be gathering up many
little things that will come handy. Also let me advise you to
use your camera as much as possible. There will be hundreds of
pictures you will want here and spoiling material is too
expensive for this country. You can well spend a year at home.
Try to get in the habit of walking as much as possible. There
are so many pretty water falls and caves and gorges that I
want you to see that I should’nt like very well to cripple you
the first thing by making you walk too far. But most of all
there is one habit I want you to form above all others and
that is to accustom yourself to at least one hour each day of
quiet undisturbed Bible study and prayer. Florence I am
sometimes almost horrified with myself. There is such
excitement here and so much to do that I sadly neglect this
most important part of my work. I think it is simply because I
allowed myself to gradually slip away from that steady
quietness. It is very hard to regain this when once lost. In
the mean time I shall be doing my part in getting ready for
the work. I said I had just returned from a long journey. I
went 80 miles north of here to see about a mission station
near the Masai Reservation. We will not be allowed within the
boundaries and since it is surrounded on all sides by
mountains we cannot get near and moreover it is only the
Naivasha Masai who will go there so we have decided this time
for always to remain at Kijabe. I shall begin building our
house at once. Enclosed you will find the plan. The house will
be built of stone and the roof of cedar shingles. I will lay
the walls myself also make the shingles so there will be no
expense at all except the labor. This cannot be more than $50
and it will no doubt give us a house that will last our days
in Africa. I like this plan very much but am sending it to you
to see if you would like any changes. The roof will be four
sided to prevent the high gable walls and there will be an
eight foot veranda clear across the front. Please look the
plan over carefully and tell me if there are any changes you
would like. I want to build a small one room house first to
live in and use it as a wash house after the large one is
finished so there will be plenty of time if you wish to make
any corrections.. The house will be up on a high hillside just
across a valley from Hurlburts and overlooking the immense
Kedong Valley with Mts Longonot, Kijabe, and Suswa in plain
view. It will face the West with the sitting room toward the
North, but remember the sun is in the North here, and not the
South. Beautiful woods will be all around the house, and the
garden just a bit below us between the house and the Thungi
tungi River. To sit out evenings and watch the sun set from
this spot is one of the most glorious pastimes I have ever
had. The sunsets here are simply immense. I am so glad the
house faces the West.
Now what are the chances for work at
Kijabe. The Lord seems just now to lead us into a new line.
Just a few days ago an old Masai man came here asking for
permission to bring his family and live on our grounds. We are
making a large Kikuyu settlement so Mr Hurlburt says why not
make a large Masai settlement. So we have given this old man
permission to stay with us. He has two wives five boys and
three girls. He has just now asked permission to bring several
of his old men friends and their families. Mulungit is tickled
half to death. He says that now in a short time there will be
many people here. This also makes it possible for him to bring
his mother at once. He was waiting with this till you should
come. May the Lord carry out his plans very rapidly so that we
may get control over a large number of people in this way.
This of course will give both you and me plenty of work
without any travel. But there is another matter I must tell
you of. Three weeks ago last Sunday our Conference was in
session. On that Sunday Mulungit was baptized. I think it was
one of the most glorious days of my life. To think that so
soon a native heathen was brought into the Kingdom of our Lord
through my work. His record is a most remarkable one. How I
did wish you could have been present with us that day. But I
will leave this until you come and tell you all about it then
for my letter is getting too long. I will try to find time to
send you lessons in the Masai language so that you can at
least acquaint yourself with some of the peculiar
constructions and also with the vocabularies. It will be a
great help to you when you get here. I wish I could send you
Mulungit. If I could put him in a little box I would send him
by mail. I was much pleased to hear of the Organ you were
planning for. It took me quite by surprise. When I said dont
get a Bilhorn I was thinking of one of these small cheap ones.
They are no good. This one however that you mention is
capital. I shall be tickled all over to get one like that. Now
get as much good music as you possibly can. I am very fond of
good sacred music such as good Organ Voluntaries. Get as many
as you can. Also good hymns. But I must close. Now may the
Lord graciously keep and richly bless you this is the prayer
of
Ever faithfully yours. John
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