Looks like will be moving to Mumeng…
‘ At first Paula was so scared of the kitten when it would rub against her legs, she would scream.’
1961 December 15 to Estelle
Letter written by Ina Erickson from the Gurakor Mission station to Durward and Estelle Titus Box 224 Route1, Carlos MN USA
Dear mom and dad,
Merry Christmas and happy New Year. We are so sorry to hear you haven’t been feeling very well. I do hope you have been able to shake it by now. Betty, Al’s sister, said it’s been really rampant there and many are missing school. Also Marion’s kids have been having it. We being so isolated don’t run into so much disease.
You can use those Christmas cards. We’ve sent a letter to Mrs. Rasmussen of Stevens Point to send out a form letter. Yesterday we went to Lae to get groceries etc.
We found out it’s quite sure we will be moving to Mumeng, a government post 10 miles from here. Probably in February. Then Al won’t have so much maintenance work to do and will be more in the center of his work. The house isn’t quite as nice as this one but does have a more of an American style and I’m sure we will like it real well. We brought a kitten back with us that is about three weeks old. At first Paula was so scared of it when it would rub against her legs, she would scream. I held it and petted it and let her pet it then gradually she would pet it but would rather keep her distance. This coming from a little girl who interacts with those big fierce looking dogs that everyone is afraid of but she sits on them, pulls their ears and tails and wraps them in her blankets. Today however, she spent the whole day crawling around chasing the kitten or it chasing her. She jabbered and jabbered at it. We also bought six more chickens so now we should have enough eggs. We haven’t butchered yet so haven’t preserved the meat. Mrs. H said there were glass jars around but I haven’t found them yet.
Last night our electric plant went haywire so we had lamps for the first time. In Mumeng, the plant (generator) is a little better so we shouldn’t have this much trouble. Today I hope to get our Christmas tree up. We bought some balls and Willa gave us some tinsel and bells.
Tommy has his third DPT shot and surprised me by not even crying. I don’t think he even screwed up his face. I do hope Frank settles down. I think it’s best not to take at face value those remarks he makes. One has to try and keep up his ego someway. Do pray that God‘s love will overwhelm him and pray for Bette’s courage, love and wisdom. She did marry for better or for worse till death do us part.
Al will mail this now.
Love Al, Ina, Paula and Tom
Mumeng Church gathering and Baptism
Schoolboys at Gurakor
1961 December 18 to Estelle
Letters from Papua New Guinea.
Letter written by Ina Erickson from the Gurakor Mission station to Durward and Estelle Titus Box 224 Route1, Carlos MN USA
Dear mom and dad,
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. All are well in the New Guinea front. We surely do hope you and dad are feeling better. It seems you were having such a time with a cold when you were teaching other years about Christmas time. We decorated our tree today and I had made an advent wreath last week. So inside it looks like Christmas even if it doesn’t look like it outside.
One of my girls was sick so I went up to see her and how she was. It was malaria naturally but the natives recover fast. Here they had made an advent wreath and had it hanging from the ceiling. Attached to it was some Christmas cards they had bought in Lae. I thought it was real clever of them. They had flowers hung up. They tied small bunches of flowers together and suspended them from the low rafters. They were getting into the Christmas spirit.
I got a note from one of our native teachers:
“Dear Mrs. Erickson, please, may I want to ask you about 2 pounds of sugar, because I have no sugar for this evening time. I’m very sad because I have no got sugar. Two shillings thank you yours loving Kayluing. “ How tricky the English language is. I’m sure they will smile at the way we say things many times before we leave.
Me, who isn’t much of a animal lover, have acquired 10 cows, 12 chickens, two turkeys, two dogs and one cat. Some people in Lae gave us the kitten which is about three weeks old. I filled a box of sand for it. Then it left a puddle on the floor, so I rubbed his nose in it and threw it in the box. I was waiting for a mess but none that day. And now the next so I thought it was constipated. And then I found it was using the box of sand after only one nose rubbing. I felt awfully lucky. Paula hauls it, and hauls the poor thing all around. She usually gets a hold of it by its neck. I tried to show her how to handle it nicely and little by little it’s coming. She crawls around and runs after it or has it chasing her all day. She’s been so bored that I have been worried.
How is your Christmas program coming, how about the Sunday school one? Greetings to the Hepty’s and Hintzen’s.
Baby has added two more teeth. Paula says ‘Kai Kai’ which is Pidgin for food. Each day she seems a little more grown-up. We are still struggling with the potty. She’ll go if I put her out on one but she won’t tell me. We have advanced one step and she gets excited after she’s gone.
It looks pretty sure that we will be moving in February to moving which is 10 miles down the road to be near Al’s work. (Mumeng) They have a little better electric plant it so maybe we won’t have so many problems that we have here. Al is getting so disgusted as he spent 2 1/2 days on it and it still doesn’t work. But he did get the Land Rover fixed when it went on the blink.
Tom is as fat and happy as usual. He looks a lot like that baby picture of dad. Same round face and his eyes are the same shape. Except for brown eyes. His hair is coming in and it is quite dark.
Gods blessings love Al, Ina, Paula and Tom.
Durward Titus as a baby. Perhaps this is the photo Ina is referring to when she compares Tom to her dad (Durward).
Tommy held by housegirl Pelip and Paula at Gurakor PNG