Aba, Belgian Congo - January 8, 1946

This letter is just a fragment, from Coralee to the girls. We are missing any pages beyond the first...  

Dear girls,

I'll send some Bangala letters along and also one I received from Frieda.

Daddy, Mary and Miss Lutz left this morning with Mr. Brandt for the Bangala Conference. So tonight I am all alone on the hill. Even the strong gara[1] wind died down this evening and it seems so still and sultry.  Maybe it will rain.

Orange bougainvillea
watercolor by Sydney Parkinson, 
1768, in Brazil while traveling with
Captain Cook on the Endeavor. 

Some odd details you'll be interested in.  The dead branch is still hanging in the eucalyptus tree, the one Eddie and Daddy tried to get down.  Nearly all my rose bushes have died. I brought cuttings from Rethi and I think one or two will grow.  Oh, yes, the first night after we left Orlando we stayed in a tourist home where the lady had a lot of cactus. She gave me slips of several... I passed them on to Mother Schuit. But one called an ice plant I brought. It suffered much enroute but it is growing. It makes me think of you and Florida. I was so interested in what you wrote about the orange bougainvillea. Wish I had one. I'd especially like a white one. The gold shower is simply beautiful these hot days.  There is a bouquet here on the desk...















FOOTNOTE
1.  The gara wind is a strong north wind from the desert, very hot and dry.  Mom also remembers the east wind, which is the one that brought the locusts. She remembers seeing a great dark cloud of them coming relentlessly towards Aba.

Aba, Belgian Congo - January 3, 1946

In which Ralph talks about burning grass, a new car, and air service to  Aba!  

Aba
Belgian Congo
January 3, 1946

Dearest darling daughters,
We have been thinking a lot about you during these Christmas-New Year days.  We remembered that Christmas is a really big day at DuBose and have no doubt you had a very good time.  To you a Christmas without ice and snow does not seem so strange as it does to a lot of others. We hope to hear all about it soon.  Except for the early morning Christmas Carols and the presence of a lot of natives from the outschools, our Christmas this time was pretty much like any other day. You may be sure we missed you mingi pinza[1] and that made it hard to even think about Christmas.

We are happy to have received a couple of letters from you since our arrival here, but there have been almost none other from America except one from Eddie[2]. No second class mail at all has reached us so far, but I guess that's just as well for we haven't had time to do much reading anyway. We are just about floored by the prospect of having to look after almost the whole of the station besides our own department until someone comes to take over. We wish it were going to be Eddie and Nellie, but they have been assigned to Blukwa, for the present at least.

We were thinking of you a lot the other night too when the grass was burned on the station. One part, the north end, was done Saturday night and our end Monday night. All the whites came up our hill to watch, including Mr. and Mrs. Littlejohns and Miss Short who were passing through on their way to Adja where the Bangala Conference is to be held. They were going early to help do some hunting so that there will be meat for the crowd.  All went well on our hill until after we had nearly gone to bed and the natives had all left. Then some wind blew up and started the fire again which came up the back of our hill and nearly reached the big stacks of soli that had been cut for roofing. A lot of natives came back when they saw the fire and some of them stayed around until the night sinziri arrived to keep an eye on things throughout the night. However while he was looking at things around the hospital about 2:00 AM fire started up again and this time it reached and burned up the boys "little house" at the back of our hill.

You ought to see our swell "car", the nearest thing we'll ever have to a Jeep, I hope. It's a 1936 or 1937 Chevrolet Roadster with Rumble Seat (or is it Grumble Seat?). It runs fine but just at present it doesn't stop so well for something went wrong with the hydraulic brake system. Francis Sense, Jim LaFoureau's nephew, who now works at the SHUN at Aba came up to help fix it, but it still needs a small rubber part which seems to be hard to get. And so now the car is just part of the scenery, standing under the orange tree at the side of our house. It has 4 good tires and a good motor, but that is about all the good that can be said about it - except of course the Rumble Seat. It's not so hard to climb into that seat, but to get out is hard on a fat man, take it from me! It's a good thing we are having dry season now, because when it rains you have to put up curtains on the doors and they don't look very rain-proof to me. If we ever get the thing running again, or rather, stopping, I'm going to try riding with the top down just for fun. I wish I could send it to you when we have finished with it; you'd get lots of thrills out of it I'm sure.

One exciting bit of news to us, though it will be old to you when this reaches you, is that Eddie and Nellie are due to sail January 10th.  That's just about three months later than our sailing date. No doubt they are all excited now with only a week more left for "Sassparillas". And Aunt Rose Mary [3] must be very close to us now as she was due to arrive at Stanleyville 4 days ago.

But then there's one other bit of news that I'm sure will interest you. Aba is now an airport!  A new Airline has been started, running from Aba to Stanleyville and Costermansville [4]. A plane comes to Aba twice a week, arriving in the afternoon and leaving about six the next morning. They carry air mail, and one passenger.  The present planes are converted British light bombers we have heard, two-engined Blenheims. It is said that before long they will add two new American planes. Regular service was started last week. The planes fly over the Faradje road on their way to Aba, and so pass close to our house flying low as they near us.  That field is a little beyond the SHUN Coffee plantation somewhere on the ridge south of the swimming pool. We have not been to see it as yet as we have not had our car very long and haven't had the time anyways. Neither have we been swimming or fishing as yet, although they say there are a good many "big" fish in the pond now. How about you, do you ever go fishing?  That's where I'd spend my study hours if I were you.

And that reminds me, we are proud of your grades that you told us about, and hope you will have the fun of keeping them up like that. You won't do it by going fishing, but don't let the ambition for high grades keep you from having the fun and recreation you need. We're glad to hear about your "Orchestra". Keep it up! It will do you no end of good. I hope you both will be able to have regular lessons in music somehow and that you will keep up up the good work you have so well begun. You would be interested in hearing the natives sing at Aba these days. Elekana Yoga went to Rethi last year for the Fourth Year Course that was given by Miss Wambold, and he brought back an enthusiasm for song leading and has taught the natives here a great deal about keeping together and keeping time. There are also about seven of the school teachers who have been taught to sing in harmony, four parts; and they give special numbers at the services once in awhile and do it very well. One of them is Adolph, who himself is developing into quite a song leader on the platform! I'm sure Bumps and her mother would be amused to see him. There is a finer spirit among the Christians here than we have ever seen before. The Communion service the day after Christmas was a real inspiration to all of us. The new church building was about three-fourths filled by the Christians who took part in the Communion. That morning 18 were baptised in the baptismal pool in the new church.

Lovingly,
Your Dad

FOOTNOTES
1.  Mingi pinza =
2.  Eddie Schuit.
3.  Mary White?
4.  Costermansville is now known as Bukavu.

Aba, Belgian Congo - February 4, 1946

In which Ralph and Coralee write to their supporters about the state of the mission field after being on furlough for 14 months.

Dear Friends,
We praise the Lord for a good and restful journey back to the field. All along the way the Lord wonderfully undertook. We thank you for your prayers. The ocean trip was the calmest we have ever had. Our ship accommodations were poor, but we had very good fellowship on board as there were more than a hundred missionaries going to all parts of Africa and the Middle East. In Egypt we had a delay of two weeks while trying to make arrangements to go on to the interior. The journey inland across the desert by train and then on the Nile steamers was tedious as there were a lot of changes. But we rested truly as we journeyed for the Lord's presence and help were very real to us daily.

We arrived at Aba December 7th.  Miss White our nurse had the lights on in our living room, and she and the natives gave us a very warm welcome. We had left our house furnished and she had used it as a guest house while we were away. She has kept it just as we left it. When we awakened next morning in our own beds amid familiar surroundings it seemed so natural that it was like a dream that we had gone to America. Miss White and the native nurses have done a fine job in the hospital. It has been precious to see how the Lord has blessed during this year away. We can see that many of the natives have grown spiritually.

The Christmas season is always a busy time when all the Christians from the district gather here for special meetings. It was a blessed time spiritually, and a joy to greet many old friends. There were more than fifteen hundred gathered at the service on Sunday and again on Christmas day. Eighteen were baptized.

We have been asked to take charge of the station and district work here temporarily, along with the medical work, until more workers are available. This seems to us a tremendous task. However the natives have learned to assume more responsibility during the shortage of workers, and they will be able to carry on some of the departments without a great deal of supervision. Miss Lutz has charge of the Girls' Home, and a native is in charge of the Boys' Schools of 400. Besides there is the Women's School; the Book Room and Printing Press which serve our whole field and neighboring Missions; the Carpenter Shop and the general workmen, and care of the station, the care of the Native Church, and the 70 Rural Chapels and Schools manned by native evangelists; and, with the able help of Miss White, the Dispensary and Hospital. Then, when able we are to visit seven other stations to supervise their dispensaries. These are scattered in three directions at distances up to 50, 160, and 500 miles.

The task is far beyond us, and we are at the end of ourselves before we begin. And so we begin with Him. Pray that during the shortage of workers nothing will hinder His blessing here in the work. The opportunity is very great, but the time may be short. Pray for the salvation of souls, for the strengthening of believers, and for the much needed missionaries and native leaders. A recent War Bond poster entitled "He's in it up to his neck. Are you in it with him?" reminds us of our present position. The soldier is up to his chin in water, his hands holding his rifle up over his head. Our hands are up in prayer for the the Lord's help. Won't you "come in with us" by sustaining prayer that His strength may be ours in the task that lies ahead?  We are thankful for you who pray and who have done so much for us during our furlough. You have refreshed us in the bonds of Christ Jesus.

Letters from our girls, Edith and Esther, assure us that they are well and happy in their life at Hampden DuBose Academy at Zellwood, Florida.

With Christian love and greetings,
Ralph and Coralee

Aba, Belgian Congo - December 18, 1945

In which Coralee shares many details of people and plants she has seen upon their return to Aba and visit to Rethy.

Aba, Belgian Congo, December 18, 1945

Dear girls,
We have been so glad for your letters that we found here. They were so interesting and it was lovely to have some details from you after so many weeks. These letters were dated in October and told of your interesting Halloween party. Yesterday we received your letter of October 18 (which you sent to the Mission office and it was forwarded to us here).

Through these weeks we have tried to picture you daily in your lives and we have been praying for you and loving you daily.  We are so happy that you enjoy your home there and the school. It was good to hear that the Glee Club has been organized.  Tell us about your music.  The details you have tucked in your letters are very interesting and help us visualize you there.

I hope you have received letters from us. We wrote in Cairo and twice while traveling up the Nile. The Lord gave us such a restful trip except the time in Cairo. Those were busy days for Daddy.

It has been lovely to finally reach home and receive the warm welcome that awaited us here. Mary and Ombasa [1] had kept the house exactly as we left it. It did seem that you girls would be somewhere about and that Purr and Blackie would come in. Mary has Cook's cat and it is exactly like Purr in the markings but bigger as it's a tomcat.  It spends a lot of time here and is a nice cat. Eddie's cat is over at Stam's house. Now that we are having our meals here, I will try and care for him until Eddie comes. He is very fluffy and still has lots of character. I'll tell you more about him when he joins our family circle.

Your room is arranged just as it was. Now I've even hung up the horse pictures [2]. The music Daddy printed on the wall is still there but it is a little smeary from the pencil [3]. I'm not going to try and erase it and keep it just as it is. The curtains are the same all through the house. We thought maybe the house would look shenzi[4] to us but it doesn't at all.  It's just home sweet home and compares pretty well with other places.

The rose bushes have nearly all died. Only one of the Jack Litchman[5] bushes by your door is alive and one old white one. The big yellow one on the trellis is dead. Many of the other rose bushes are dead, both here and at Grimshaw's and over at the hospital.

Gara lilies at Aba Station.  Date uncertain, probably in the 1950's.

The yard is clean and tidy with one or two gara [6] lilies in bloom. It was still quite green when we arrived but there hasn't been any rain since and so it's getting dried out.

Mary's cactus has grown huge [7].  You can see where you wrote your names. It has added about four new parts above the ones you wrote on. Mary has lots of pretty petunias. There was one yellow lily in bloom to greet us and two of the bell-shaped white ones. The ferns and flowers on the veranda are lovely just as they used to be. When I look at all these familiar things it hardly seems true we've been away fourteen months.  The bougainvillea on our house is full of flowers. Also the one at Grimshaw's. It has grown very big and looks very pretty.  The whole station looks nice, all the roads are in good order and the palms lining the main road are trimmed. The road has been widened going down to Aba and it is very nice. The white cemetery looks better than I have seen it in years. All the grass is cut down so you can see the graves plainly.

Over at Stam's the place looks more deserted than it does at Eddie's. His man has kept his place lovely. I was amazed at how much his cactus has grown and the other plants in his rose garden. The gardenia bush has nearly doubled its size.

Brills are staying in Cook's house.  Their freight hasn't come yet so they are using various bits of furniture and the dishes and pots and pans from the Appendix [8]. The F.C. has assigned them to Aungba. We are sorry about this and wish they would at least stay here until the Langfords or someone can come. I don't know how we'll ever manage seeing to everything but the girls [9]. We will need your special prayers.  Aunt Rose Mary is assigned to Todro so that Station won't have to be closed when Miss Wightman [10] goes for furlough. Miss Settles is there with her.

Steadily natives are coming to greet us. It has been a real pleasure to see them again. All the teachers are coming now for Christmas and will be arriving on Friday of this week. You'll be sorry to know that [illegible] has left his [illegible] and taken a second wife. We were surely sorry to learn this.

Mon Godin wrote asking if he can come for Christmas. He will come on Saturday and stay over Christmas. He is now stationed at Gariga not far from Bunia. It is where Zekaya Bage has opened a new school.[11]

Daddy mentioned that we went to Rethi for the F.C. meeting on Monday after we arrived late Friday. As we traveled down the familiar road it seemed just like we'd find you there at Rethi even though I kept reminding my heart to not expect any such thing. We got there about 8:30AM and stayed at the new rest house just between Millers houses. It has three rooms and is very neat and nice.  We had meals at Stauffachers. It seemed so strange not to find the Millers, Longmans, Trouts, Camps and Miss Clapper there. It really seemed like someone had died.

It was great to see Uncle John and Auntie Mabel [12] again. They all gave us a warm welcome.  The dormitory is so different as there are only about 20 children. Not even all the rooms in the old dormitory are filled.  The program was in the girls dorm. It was very nice but not so elaborate as those of former days when you were there and not so interesting as when you took part. After the program refreshments were served in the dining room and then there was a testimony meeting in the old dorm. The three new ladies that came out with us gave their testimony and then the returned missionaries. Mr. Brill spoke and then it was my turn. Daddy wasn't there as he had a medical committee meeting.  I spoke for you both. Everyone asked about you and all send their greetings.  It was hard to recognize some of the children, they had grown so big.  Sara and Jurena Coetzee[13] are real big girls now, nearly as tall as Freda. Even Mim has grown tall and is quite plump.  It was so nice to see Freda.  She looks well but is thinner. I let her read your two letters about the Halloween party. She was so pleased with the white dress I gave her. Mrs. Miller gave it to me. It was too small and I thought she would like it. It was a little like your two-pieced white ones but this was all one. She was so pleased. The Paul children went with the Stauffachers to Ruwenzori for a holiday. They will return the end of December. Then the Stauffachers are coming through to Bafuka to visit the O.S.

We heard that Jack[14] is living at their plantation. He married a Polish girl. She doesn't speak French. Folks say she is nice. He was drinking and cold spiritually after he met this girl but they say that now he is friendly again. I am going to write to him.

Daddy went to Kurukwata one day on business. [15] They gave him a warm welcome. Marissa has been out of school for a year because of her eyes. She has a very bad condition that requires special glasses. Tituli is in school in Kisumu. Mr. Schlippe is now much improved.

It seems so strange to be without a car. Daddy has been trying to buy an old one to use until the new one arrives. It may be he'll buy one that a Greek has offered. It has a folding top with curtains and a rumble seat. Want a ride?  We'll go to Aba fishing and swimming but maybe not till someone else comes along to join us.

On Sunday we went to the lepers in the afternoon. They asked about you and send their senes.  I went to the children's Sunday School in the morning. It was lovely to see nearly 300 children singing and making the motions of the choruses. Mrs. Brill has started a Sunday School in Aba poste. There were 115 there last Sunday.

Just a few minutes ago an airplane flew over Aba poste and circled several times. Daddy heard today that soon there will be a private airplane service stopping here. All the little boys came running up the hill to get a good view of the plane and we went out to look just as we used to do. It looked like the same Lockheed.

The elephant ear in front of the house I think is the largest I have ever seen. It is simply huge.  The flamboyant trees in front of the house have grown a lot too.

I am glad you got the pearls and I hope you have all the things you need. It's nice to think that you aren't getting fat. I do hope you both keep well and enjoy all the life there.  Eddie mentioned having forwarded some catalogs from Wheaton and Moody. If you have two copies send one on to us and if you have time, mark which courses are interesting to you.

We are wondering if Eddie and Millie have sailed as Stanley wrote from Cairo that the Gripsholm was making another Mediterranean trip. Hope they can come soon. They are assigned to the E.V. School [16] so they'll be a long way off too.

Millers and Harrises hope to leave for furlough soon. Someone said Millers hope to go in January via Mombasa. Dixes and Imhoffs are looking forward to going in the near future, also I believe the Landreths.

Peanut Williams is quite grown up. I could hardly recognize him. Verna is thinner. Jaceline is now a big girl.  Victor Paul has grown so much and his hair still stands on end.

My letter has wandered all around but I know you'll be glad to have these details. Read in it all our constant thoughts of you and everyone asks to be remembered to you. There are no words to tell you how much I love you.

With a heart full of love as ever,
Your Mother.


Pray much for us.

The golden shower has completed covered the trellis and it is full of flowers. It is beautiful!  M.

FOOTNOTES AND MEMORIES

1. Houseboy for the Kleinschmidts.  He did the ironing on the back porch using a charcoal iron.
2. Horse head portraits drawn by Eddie Schuit.
3. Ralph had drawn a mural around a pump organ found in pieces in the attic of the hospital. (May have been brought to Aba by the Hurlburts.) He put it back together and it played beautifully. Both Esther and Edie learned to play on it, with Ralph teaching. He drew bars of music on the white wall of the house.  Ralph's brother Harry had a hobby of restoring church organs, and Ralph apparently had absorbed some of that.
4. Bangala or Kingwana, possible meaning close to "shabby".
5. Jack Litchman was mostly at Aba, and had a great garden.
6. Gara lilies are red, and they come up without their leaves. An amaryllis of some kind, possibly a red variant of Amaryllis belladonna. "Gara" is a Bangala term for the dry season. 
7. Sisal cactus (an agave). One was dark green, one was variegated.  They had terrible thorns, and leaves that were long and sword-like. The girls wrote their names on some of the leaves, so that Mary wouldn't forget them!   
8. A garage, which eventually became a small guest house, and named the Appendix by Ralph.
9. A dormitory which housed Christian girls who were taught to read and also various housekeeping skills. Many of these girls married the preacher/teacher graduates of the Bible training schools at Aba and Blukwa. 
10. Ethel Wightman, tall lean woman might have been from England.  Marian Settles.
11. None of the names here are yet firmly identified.
12. Buyce (pronounced BICE).  
13. South African family
14. Closet - a Rethy student, the child of a local Belgian business man.
15. A plantation near the forest edge, with coffee. He had a clay factory, made clay pots, had African elephants trained to work moving logs. DeSchlippe (a Russian) escaped political persecution into Congo, married to a Finnish woman.  Read more about DeSchlippe here (in French). He also had two domesticated African elephants that were trained to haul logs in his forest on the plantation. Mom remembers sitting on the grass and stroking a baby leopard, maybe 2 months old, who had a great big purr.
16. Evangelistic Bible School (Blukwa).

Aba, Congo - December 16, 1945

Ralph describes the wildlife and transportation details of returning to Aba, and also a surprise Mission Field Council meeting at Rethy 3 days after arriving!


Aba, December 16, 1945

Dear girls,

The first letter from Aba.  It's like we are writing the first one to you after returning to Rethi from your vacation - and yet so different!

I believe our last letter was written and mailed on the Nile steamer when we were nearing the end of the trip and were seeing the crocs and hippos. It seems to me I wrote about them and about the many kinds of large birds we saw.

The steamer could not take us and the barges all the way to Juba as the water was too low, and so it left us off at Mongula where about six station wagons were waiting to take us. We (Mother, Miss Short and I and two other passengers) were fortunate enough to be in the first of these, and so missed the dust and saw the animals. The first we saw was a very large ostrich, and it was astonishing to see how fast that bird could run! It looked as it if took ten feet at a step. The stupid thing kept running in the road ahead of us for about a half mile before making a dash for the jamba.  Shortly after this we saw a hartebeest standing at the left side of the road with a tiny baby. At first the mother dashed away into the bush but when it saw its baby was running in front of the car on the left side of the road it quickly turned back into the road just ahead of the car, keeping itself between the car and her little one, and so gradually edging the babe off of the road and into the bush.  It certainly was a pretty sight to see how the mother risked her own life to protect its young one, and how it gradually eased it out of danger. You remember the hartebeest is the large antelope with the long very narrow face such as Eddie killed at Misa's when you were with him. I missed the next sight but Mother and the others saw it - about six mongooses running beside the road. Not long afterwards three beautiful bushbuck jumped out in front of us and sprang down the road ahead in great graceful bounds and then off into the jamba.  The jamba there was much like around Aba with short grass and sparsely scattered scrubby acacias and a few large trees, and so the animals could be seen for quite a distance from the road. We also saw a skunk, a few guinea fowl, and signs of elephants but nothing really exciting like lions, although there are many lions in that area.

After a ride of about four hours we got to Juba in time for lunch at the hotel. There we met Mr. Potamianis, the Greek who works for Mr. Luusi and learned that he had arranged to have a truck to take our luggage to Aba, and a car with room for three passengers. There were no other cars going to Aba that day and so we finally decided that Mother, Miss Short and I would go ahead in Louis's car (in which his wife also was going to Aba, the rest staying the night in the hotel and following the next day in a SHUN car). Our car travelled very slowly as it had poor tires and we didn't reach Aba until around 8:30PM. But the Customs official (a new one) took a peep into our bags and let us go to the Mission.

When we pulled up hospital hill we saw a light in Mary's house, and our house all lighted up. It took a few minutes before anyone appeared, and the first to show up were Mr. and Mrs. Littlejohn. Pretty soon Mary came running down from her house - and you can imagine the glad reunion we had. On entering our house we found it looked just exactly as when we had left it - the same furniture, pictures and drapes, and a nice big bouquet on the desk. Onitasa had done a beautiful job of keeping everything in order during all the time we were away and it certainly was lovely to find everything in such beautiful condition. The grass had just begun to turn brown but there was plenty of color about, with the bougainvillea, golden shower and poinsettia all in bloom.Quite a few natives came around to greet us and many more the next morning.

It was Friday, December 7th (Pearl Harbor) when we arrived at Aba. Soon after we got there we learned that we were all to go to Rethi the following Monday to meet the Field Council. The others of our party (Miss Green, Miss Cribbs, and the Fosters with Mis Riebert) arrived Saturday afternoon but their luggage, including overnight things, didn't get to Aba before Sunday Noon. And so at 6:00AM Monday we all appeared at the Customs to declare our things, then went back to the Mission for breakfast and reloaded for the trip to Rethi.

Mother and Mr. Imhoff and I went with Mr. Littlejohns in his car, and Misses Short, Cribbs and Green and Mr. Brill went with Mr. Senff in his car. A couple of the ladies rode outside behind and above the cab.  As they stopped at the Kitambala turnoff, went into Adi, and stopped at Aru and Aungba, they couldn't make the trip all in one day. The following morning they started very early and nearly froze on the trip  but had the fun of seeing a leopard and some other animals. We stayed at Rethi until Thursday and then returned to Aba. There we met a lot of old friends, the Pauls, Uhlingers, Boyces, Mixes, and many others, but space is too limited to write much about that.

Missionaries are still very few on the field and many have to do the work of several others besides their own. Brills are going to Aungba and that will leave only Miss Lutz, Mary, and us at Aba until Lanfords come out. We hear Miss Hayes is on the way out, but she is to go to Todro for the present so that Miss Settles can stay there after Miss Wightman goes home. Bells are also leaving soon and so Beckers will have to run Oicha besides the deara.  And so it goes.

I'm going to look around next week for a car to use until the one Eddie sends us arrives. I'm afraid this letter has been all about ourselves, but that doesn't mean we haven't been thinking about you. Just the opposite and we're praying constantly for you and thinking of your first Christmas in Florida.

Lots of love,
Daddy

Aba, Congo - December 12, 1945 Part Two

A Bangala letter and notes from Coralee, probably included with a letter to the girls.  

(Translations kindly provided by Mom (Esther Meyers) and Bill & Ruth Stough. My Bangala is non-existent!  I have included a copy of the letter in Bangala so that you can see the language written.  Mom says the emphasis should be on the penultimate syllable.)

Elisa Akolo letter, page 1

Adi, Congo Belge
December 12, 1945

Doctor K and Madame,

Greetings to you in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Are you well? We are well including Raele (Rachel) and the children (child) is also.  However one of the children, Estere (Esther) has scabies.  Thank the Lord that He has returned you again.  Thank you, now my thoughts are correct, and (kubika?) accurate, because every day (if) the doctor is present he is sufficient for the problem.  But when there is no doctor ... But thankfully now I can think 
correctly again.  Thanks, thanks, truly God has heard our (your) prayers. I want to see you again with my eyes.  We had a conference here at Adi.  It was a good conference.  We are considering that person who was at the very beginning, John l:1. Those baptized were 52, those who joined the church. Those brothers who went to their home country like Mr. Pont (Pontier) is he well?  Mr. Schuit is he well?  Mr. St (Stam)are they well? Are they returning also? Raele (Rachel) sends you a lot (of greetings). 
Greetings to Miss Mery (Mary White). I am Elisa Akolo the nurse

Elisa Akolo letter, page 2

(Coralee must have been short on paper, or trying to save weight in the letter, because she appended her notes to this letter.)

I've been almost too busy to even pick flowers.

Eleya Akulu has painted the cupboards and table (legs) in the kitchen a pretty green. They look nice and fresh now.  Tomorrow I'm going to have them paint in there.

The Scopelitis have just returned from Cyprus.  I didn't see them yet.

There are at least three huge adult ostriches in the poste.

Araba's dog is still here. The one with the crooked tail.

Last Sunday evening we ate in the yard. Mary, Dorothy (Lutz), Mrs. Bill and her children (Mr. Bill was away) and Francis Sevec (he came over to confer with Charles Hurlburt).

I had a nice letter from Mrs. Grimshaw. Bumps [1] added a line.

I'd better stop here. Lots and lots of love. Thanks for your good letters and also for your report cards with their excellent grades.

Your loving Mother

FOOTNOTES
1.  Bumps was the girls' nickname for Mary Grimshaw.

Rethy, Congo - December 12, 1945

In which Coralee reports on the Christmas program at Rethy.[1]

Rethy
December 12, 1945

Dear ones,
As I watched this program alone (Daddy was in a medical committee meeting), I relived again those I had seen in former years.

Christmas Program at Rethy [7]
December 11, 1945

It was so different not to have two little girls taking part. I missed you terribly but I am so glad you are having an opportunity to study there in the homeland.  The program was in the girls dorm but no one lives there as there are even rooms vacant in the old dorm. I believe they have 25 students. It is small because of the lack of workers. Mr. & Mrs. Uhlinger [2] have charge of Rethi station as well as the dormitory.

It seemed so strange not to find Miss Wambold [3], the Longmans, Camps, Trouts, Lasses, Macintoshes [4] and Miss Clapper and the Millers.

The flowers at Miss Wambold's were lovely. I picked a bouquet of carnations from Mrs. Miller's garden.[5]

We stayed in the new rest house just beside the Miller's home. It is between the Miller and Lasse house. It has three rooms and is a neat little building.

Mr. Litchman [6] lives in Miss Jarrod's house. He has charge of the dispensary.

I'll stop here and go to the lepers. [8]  Then I'll write you an air mail. Always you are in our thoughts and prayers.

Much love,
Mother

FOOTNOTES
1.  It is not clear why they would have gone directly to Rethy at the end of their trip instead of proceeding to Aba. But the date is firm because of the printed date on the program - the letter was written on the blank reverse of the program. The next letter I have from Aba is dated December 16, and notes that it is the first letter from Aba.
2.  Bwana Andrew Peter Uhlinger also served with the Meyers' at Oicha.  Mom remembers that she and my dad learned Kingwana from Mrs. Uhlinger.
3.  Burnetta Wambold.  See this footnote.
4.  Alan and Marjorie MacIntosh were in charge of the dormitory (the Old Dormitory).  They had 4 daughters - Janet, Marjorie, Catherine (Tassie), and Myrtle. They were from Canada and were very proud of being Canadians.  Mom has memories of Vespers in front of the fireplace and they also read the children stories, not just Bible stories but also other interesting stories. A special memory was of the story of Bob the cattle dog.  They had a small library including Amy Carmichael's books and poetry, which very much impressed Mom and began inspiring her to become a missionary.  Mrs. MacIntosh was a great one for brushing hair every evening before bed.  Mom remembers the big grosgrain ribbons that the girls wore to church.  The daughter Marjorie attended my aunt Edith's wedding (at Lubero in 1957) and her daughter Gracie was Edith's flower girl.
5.  Being at a cooler, higher elevation, Rethy could grow beautiful flowers.  Miss Wambold's garden was particularly memorable according to Mom. Carnations grew very well - there were red, pink, and white varieties, and redolent of cinnamon. There were also smaller varieties.
6. Jack Litchman (known as Bwana Jack) was a single missionary, greatly loved by the local people who came to chat with him and also for counsel. He ran a little "store" with pencils, paper and other little things.  A close friend of Ralph and Coralee. Mom remembers that he was engaged but that his fiance died of malaria before they were married.
7.  Christmas Program notes:  Miriam "Mim" Paul, daughter of Austin and Betty Paul, was a very good friend of Edith and Esther. She married Dr. Dan Fountain (his obituary here) and served as a missionary in Congo for 35 years.  (Her obituary here.) James was her little brother.  Fay Brill was a student, her father was Roy Brill, and the family was first stationed at Aba. (The Brills were on the ZamZam when it sank in 1941. You can read more about the sinking of the ZamZam here.) John Stauffacher was another student, son of Ray Stauffacher.  Verna Williams and Frieda Paul (Mim's older sister) did the Organ Duet listed in number 14.
8. There was a leprosy patient village walking distance from Rethy.