Mavuradonha
7th July, 1955
Dear Mom,
Believe it or not, it is only about 5:30 p.m., not 10:00 p.m., that I’m getting at this letter. I’m feeling real pleased with myself, too. This coming week-end extends to Wednesday as Monday and Tuesdays are holidays. Rhodes and Founders they are called. I have a big sewing program laid out for myself those days, but then other jobs have come along, too, such as a special message on Sunday for the children at a Children’s Rally we are having with the schools and then on Monday they are having a day of sports and I’ll have to be in attendance all day. So I won’t be having too much time for sewing.
It gets dark so early these days but then we are over the hump now so it will gradually stay lighter a bit longer. My old Aladdin lamps certainly get good workouts.
How are all of your gadgets working? It will be fun to use so many electrical things when I’m home. My old stove is smoking away like a smoke stack out there in the kitchen. I have to clean the thing every week and last week it didn’t get it so I can hardly get a fire to burn tonight. I’ll get it cleaned tomorrow, though. It cooks and bakes very well, though, and I have no complaints. I think my stove pipe is so long and that causes it to fill up so quickly. I don’t know. Anyway I can bake all the fancy kinds of cakes in it, etc., so I’m satisfied.
There is a kerosene pressure iron on the market out here which is very nice and one day I want to get one. Some of our missionaries have them and they work better than those gas ones and are easy to light, etc. Of course I can perhaps manage until next term but if I can get one before, I’m going to do so. My flat irons are not in good condition. Three of them have been broken and the ones I have left don’t hold the heat after two or three strokes on a damp cloth. Say, by the way, if you ever get any old worn out electric irons or know of anyone who is going to discard theirs grab them for me. They make real good flat irons to use like other ones. I have one which I got somewhere while home and it is my best iron today by far.
We had a nice supper together last Sunday night up at Everswicks. I took a big layer cake and a cabbage salad. We have plenty of cabbage and tomatoes these days and I get plenty of eggs. I give quite a lot to the Everswicks and I sold a dozen or so a week to the Ratzlaffs when they were here.
I had a good and unusual opportunity yesterday to tell my class about how we missionaries get out there to Africa, why we came, and how we have money for our food, etc. They asked many questions; one of them was, “Why don’t we have a church here?” So I told them that Mr. Bruton would be building one, as soon as there were bricks, etc. I told them that when my father died last year, he had some money and my mother sent that out here to be used in building a church at Mavuradonha. They marveled at that and at the way Christians have given of their money for the Lord’s work out here. I made an application of course. I said yes, it is the work of Christians to cause God’s work to “walk” as they say and they all work together to make it do so and God wants the African Christians now to make his work “walk” here in Africa, not for Christians in my country to do it forever.
Love,
Eunice
P.S. We are beginning special meetings every night, next Friday night until the following Thursday. Mr. Dotson will be the speaker.