Kenneth and Margaret perform the Burmese Gospel chant they learned when they were young. They have no idea what it means. A group of young Siamese taught Kenneth one sentence in their language.
Margaret tells of the Landons' first Christmas in Thailand. It was Peggy's first Christmas, and presents came from the U.S. Even though Adelle and the girls had very little money, they always found ways of sending gifts. She tells of the customs and…
Margaret and Kenneth explain who Prince Damrong was. He was a very powerful and highly respected person, not only by the Thai but also by all the foreigners living in Bangkok. He was the premier prince. They tell of the coup d'etat that led the…
Margaret tells the story of her Chinese pictures of Christian scenes. It began when the Landons were living in Siam. Margaret received a magazine for women that contained a picture of a Madonna done in the Chinese manner, and she wanted to have the…
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 reads about her work around the house and her having fun doing activities she never did before. That was the beginning of her gardening. Kenneth and Margaret talk about the food in Trang.
Margaret remembers the "cats" the Landon had. There was a small "panther" (a cheetah type). At some point the Landons had nine cats, seven dogs and one hornbill.Â
Margaret talks about the house in Trang. She explains about property ownership in Trang and the acquisition of the mission compound. She describes the house they lived in and the building style that took into account the monsoon. She explains the…
Margaret often had problems with her servants not being responsible enough. The Chinese servants tended to be noisy, negligent, dirty, and dishonest. But they were tremendously hard workers. The Siamese were quieter, cleaner, and more careful, but…
Margaret talks about her servant Ah Sim. She couldn't read but was very bright. She would keep the market list in her head. Kenneth was keeping track of the market. Once Kenneth was away for six weeks. Upon his return Ah Sim gave him a report of her…
Margaret remembers two little girls who walked four miles to come to Peggy's birthday party. She recalls getting a cable for her own birthday. Kru Chin Da brought Margaret nice things for her birthday (she also taught Margaret incredible cooking…
Margaret wrote about the Christmas presents from home that came the day after Christmas. She describes the presents and how the family reacted to receiving them. The Mortensons were so thrilled when they received the movies Kenneth made at Bill's…
Margaret continues to read her last letter to home. She writes about the children's health, their growth and some specific ways in which they behave. She returns to the story of Dan and Doris Hume Bovee and what they meant for the Landons, in…
Bill never had Peggy's social instinct; it was just born in her. Bill was always self-absorbed and he was so busy from the day he was able to get around. By the time he was two he was really maneuverable and showed a gift for language.
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…
Margaret stayed with the Sheehans for three and a half weeks. They were delightful people though uncultivated. Mrs. Sheehan was a devout Catholic and Mr. Sheehan was often singing a song (his only song) while working around the house. Kenneth sings…
In May 1930, Kenneth wrote concerning his father and dresses. Margaret tells of the fine dresses Victorine Smith had picked up for Brad to send to Margaret. Brad deemed them too expensive and returned to the store to exchange them for cheaper dresses…
In one of her letters Margaret wrote that she had always thought, and at some point felt, that she didn't do anything important. Kenneth was the one on the road all the time doing what really mattered. Kenneth joked that he was just dashing around.
Margaret tells of the family animals. Izzy and Lizzy were two hornbills that Kenneth had brought home from his last tour. They liked fruits, especially the jack fruit. The Landons also had a small Japanese dog called Suzy, and a long, thin, Siamese…
The Landons were trying to persuade the Thai Christians to tithe to support their new pastor, Charlie Hak, but the response was not good. Previous missionaries had created a lot of what the Landons called "rice Christians." They were not anxious to…
Margaret tells the story of "The Pakai Affair". It started when Margaret spent the year battling some health issues and couldn't fulfill her responsibilities at the school. Her illness became part of the plan of Bertha Blount, one of "the villain[s]…
Ho Chi Minh knew he couldn't give Kenneth a gift, and didn't offer him one. He was a clever man, and what he did was give Kenneth a tortoiseshell vanity case for Margaret.
After the Thai-British negotiations in 1946, the Thai government wanted to give a gift to Kenneth. However, Kenneth had the reputation of not accepting gifts of any value. The government had a policy that fine statues of the Buddha could not be taken…
While Kenneth was traveling in Bangkok in 1960, Prime Minister Sarit requested Kenneth for breakfast. Through the course of the breakfast, Sarit talked quite highly of Kenneth. As it turns out, the entire thing was televised, and many invitations…
Marshall Sarit of Thailand came to dinner with the Landons in 1958. When Kenneth and Sarit were on the porch, Sarit noted the wild animals which lived in the same area as the Landons. Noting they weren't afraid of him, he concluded Kenneth had the…