Margaret writes to Elizabeth that she knows nothing more discouraging than missionary work. The failures loom so much larger than the puny successes. She tells of one of the strongest Christian couples in their church that had split.
Margaret received a cable from Evangeline, signed, "Love, Evangeline Welsh." That was how she let the Landons know she had married Evan Welsh. Margaret reads about the two dresses she received, the children being sick with colds, Kenneth's…
Margaret recalls her first date in college, with Alexander Gale. It was very trying, because Alex didn't know how to talk. She tells of social times at Wheaton, when her mother would invite students over to her house, or they would go over to the…
Margaret wrote in a letter that she was going to assume responsility for the girls' school. Many of the students were Buddhists. She describes the Siamese customs and how she thought they were superior to the Chinese and Indians customs. She talks…
A group of ladies were meeting every Sunday afternoon. It was Margaret's turn to receive the ladies and entertain them as well as give the devotional. She served tea and cake with the help of her young cook. Margaret talks about the "fix-all" man and…
Margaret cannot trust the younger woman who was working for her. She passed her second year exam and was starting her third year. She got a new servant, very capable. Her mother was Siamese and her father a Czechoslovakian who left the family and…
Kenneth took Margaret to call on a group of Chinese Christians who converted to Christ with the ministry of Dr. Amner. He built a large church and left many years ago and entrusted the church to a Brethren missionary, Dr. Toy. This was unfortunate…
Margaret was back from Phuket and was getting ready for school. She wrote to her mother painting a picture of the school. The girls were very timid about sleeping in a room alone because they were afraid of spirits. Margaret recalls the night when…
Margaret talks about the heat and its effect on the body as the Landons were still adjusting to the climate. She talks about the kids, the horrifying bedbugs, and her constant concern to protect the kids. She talks again about the Bovees and how the…
Margaret went to Nakhon with Mrs. Bulkley on her way to Phuket, because one of the Christian teachers at the girls' school was getting married. The girl's mother was not Christian and made the process to the wedding complicated. The couple eventually…
Margaret tells of the second time in a year she had to cope in loneliness with what was required of her. She reads about Kenneth's seafaring adventures, the storm, how they waited on the sea for an entire journey for a steamer that wasn't coming.…
Margaret remembers the names of two of the women she stayed with at the Anglo-Chinese girls' school. They were very hospitable. She recalls Peggy as a little two years old girl, her fondness for Miss Christiansen, Bill starting to speak and how he…
When Margaret got better she was invited to go to Malaya where she had a true vacation. She stayed in a cottage at a beautiful hill station and had a wonderful view of the area. She enjoyed fresh vegetables, read and wrote most of the time, and…
Miss McCague, who ran the school in the basement at the house where the Landons lived, was apparently suffering from colitis and appendicitis. Dr. McDaniel was away, so she had to go to Bangkok.
Mr Bulkley bought a baby elephant and wanted to ship it to New York to the Museum of National History, where he was a contributor. His wife was traveling on the same ship and he wanted to save the fare of a keeper for the baby elephant. He brought…
Kenneth tells how Mr. Snyder suddenly died in Nakhon from a stroke. Kenneth and Dr. McDaniels made the coffin and shipped the body to Bangkok where it was burried. The Landons remember Mrs. Snyder as a bitter woman and how she failed to crush…
Margaret tells about Mrs. Bulkley and her difficult background. Daughter of divorced parents (unusual for that time) she married Con Bulkley, a man who actually wasn't interested in her. She had a difficult marriage of forty year with seven children.…
Kenneth explains that their cook, Nai Dit, took a day off to build a huge trap to catch a mongoose that was coming into the kitchen at night to eat the food. Kenneth was pessimistic that the huge and complex trap was going to catch anything, but it…
Margaret describes their arrival in Nakon Sri Tamarat, how the missionaries welcomed them, and tells about the history behind the name of the town. The Landons describe the city, its religious culture, and the beginning of the desire of the Siamese…
Kenneth talks about the Nanhalung show that would run through the night. People would hear the drum and walked in the dark, with torches, to the place where the sound came from and gather for the show. Kenneth heard the drum beat while studying Greek…
Margaret tells about some odds and ends in the Siamese culture: cloth colors for each day of the week, pythons used for food or medicine, Mrs. Fuller and the rickshaw ride, the fire that wouldn't burn the mission compound, etc.
Peggy was having a hard time with a nose infection she had. She liked taking care of Bill and would take things away from him, saying, "No, no..." She would run away to the school to her many friends. Kenneth was gone again for about a month (there…
Peggy often had a sore throat, and Kenneth would ask her to open her mouth so that he could see her beautiful tonsils. One day the Landons had guests and Peggy was trying to entertain them. Suddenly she realized that she had something special to show…
Al Seigle and Kenneth went to register Peggy's birth both at the American Legation and the local police station. Both men did not speak Thai, and the police officers did not speak English, but they were able to communicate about the registration of a…
Kenneth wrote that Margaret looked plump and healthy. She said that she felt better than at any time since coming to Thailand. Peggy had a "sort of fragile-looking beauty, and is very dainty in all she does. That is, she is until she decides to spank…