Miss Slessor has been back at Ikpe for the last five weeks, and once again expresses her delight on reading Miss Crawford’s latest letter and in her descriptions of family life. She has had to take things a litle easier as she had overstrained her heart while at Use. However, the people display their care and kindness by making her very welcome, preparing her house for her occupation, and in carrying her to and from the Church Services and school. The mission work there is progressing well, and she has started to share with them the Old Testament.
Again she expresses her affection for Miss Crawford and regrets that owing to her state of health this is just a short letter.
You Darling!
Your letters must be written in the Spirit, for they come *living* & *direct*, with beneficent power to my heart every time they come,- which is all too seldom! I have just read yours the last one of my bundle which came this afternoon, & I hasten to thank you, before the last rays of daylight leave the window. How very precious your messages are, & how sweet it is to get a glimpse into A Home. How Good the Lord is to you dear Miss crawford giving you your parents till now, & your Home, & your sisters & brothers set in families. I am a poor solitary with only memories, & these very far off nowadays, & have no one except my bairns here to care very much what happens, & it is very refreshing to get a glimpse into *a Home*, & be allowed to share to some extent in its sacred joys.
I am up here, & I have been for 5 weeks, & am feeling as if it were a long time since I heard of the world, & yet, I love it, & feel so grateful to God for giving me once more the opportunity of telling the Gospel story. The House has stood empty the whole long wet season & it is marvellous how little it has suffered. I had overstrained my heart & it seemed as if my work was over, & yet when these poor solitary shepherdless sheep from this wilderness came down pleading for the help which seemed impossible, I *could not* let go, & God has sent me back. They carry me to & fro from Church because of the hill, but I can take both services & the Sabbath School twice every Sabbath, & the school twice every day, & Oh! I feel it such a privelege! How Good God is to me! & how kind the people are. When I came up we were met 3 or 4 hours down the Creek by two crowded canoes of lads, who literally dragged our canoe, & took off all our luggage, & then kept playing on before & then behind all the way up. Then the beach was crowded with waiting people, & hundreds were waiting at the head of the town, & all the grounds were cleaned & water & firewood were in the house & every thing that loving welcome could do was done for our comfort. So that “Goodness & mercy have truly followed me”, & I pray I may be more worthy of it & be more useful to them during the few remaining days than ever. The Chiefs don’t seek the Saviour yet, but neither do they hinder the members of their households from coming to us, & the congregations keep good, & the lads keep together, & the score of Catechumens(Note 1) keep firm, & in all, the work is hopeful, & the school lads are working hard, & at least 20 of them can read in a fair way the Truths of the New Testament. I have been trying to shew them what riches lie in the Old testament, which was till very lately an unknown book to them, & it has been very growingly luminous to myself. There is no way of getting mails or of sending mails from here, so it feels isolated a bit, but they are beginning to go down to the Dr. & he can send up any thing. I have twice had a parcel this way.
Now my dear dear friend, you are not to be thinking that this is any thing like a worthy reply to your precious letter. It is not, I am so awfully conscious of it, but dear it is just to say, How much I feel its tender message as a strength & inspiration to go on & try again & do better, & I do thank God for all you are to us in that, otherwise rather unattractive secretariat. We all - the ladies here I mean - feel that in your very presence there, we have a bright warm personal friend & sister. May you be kept in health & strength for us, with your sympathetic prayerful presence & personality. I don’t think you realize how much the sisters value you, and our Precious Saviour has in you His sympathetic servant, with the leisure of the Spirit to listen to His messages from His Church, & Cause. Miss Adam tells me about you now & then. I hope she is better! I dread the day when she may retire from Active service there. She is another in whom the Lord finds ever a listening ear & a sympathetic & obedient heart. You will understand that I am not able to write much. My back aches, & it makes me nervous, & that brings irritability of temper, which works not Gods Will, so dear, you will just take this one sheet, & beleive that it is just packed *full of* *love* & gratitude, & please give my warmest love to your dear parents whom I seem to know as friends through you. Just fancy that! & at first I feared you as an *official*, hard & supercillious, you dear tender heart! God bless you & keep your bow, long in strength, & bless you yet more & more. With *love, **love**, ***love***, I am dear Miss crawford yours very affectionately
Mary M Slessor
Editorial Note:
- Catechumens = those being taught the rudiments of Christianity before baptism