Margaret and Kenneth tell the story of a group of lepers who found a king cobra asleep (it had just enjoyed a full meal and was digesting). The lepers got a heavy box and forked sticks and coordinated their action to take the snake by surprise and…
Kenneth went on a tour with Paul Fuller while Margaret and baby Peggy went to Nong Khae where there was some sort of resort hotel and stayed in a cottage owned by the mission. Margaret tells the story behind the property. Kenneth tells also the story…
Peggy was still a baby when she had a near death experience with a king cobra. Kenneth tells how one day he was coming back home from church when he noticed Peggy laying in front of the house, with a king cobra rearing up, getting ready to strike.…
Margaret tells about the move from Nakhon to Trang. She remembers the old cars they rode in. She describes the land, the homes, and the people they first met. she worked to improve the look of the house they lived in and recall the enormous and…
Kenneth tells of shipping his car to Nakhon and the terrible burning he experienced because of the heat. Margaret managed to drive safely and recalls the only time he nearly had an accident.
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…
The Landons rode the train to the Nakhon Sri Tamarat station, where they planned to serve for three years. Margaret describes details about the train and the trip, how they met Dr. McDaniel from Nakhon Sri Tamarat, and their arrival in the town. They…
The climate in Bangkok was hard on the Landons, causing their blood pressure to decrease. Kenneth comments that even today if he were to go back to Bangkok he would lose about one pound a day until he levels off at about 130 pounds after about twenty…
After the vacation the Landons returned to Bangkok and began to prepare to move. Everybody started to entertain them, having in mind that they would soon be gone. There was quite a "confab" as to where they were going to go, but the Landons did not…
The Landons began to attend school commencements. Once they attended a commencement ceremony and were so exhausted that they had to leave before it was done. They were told later that the ceremony did not end until 1:30 a.m.
Margaret and Kenneth witnessed a cremation ceremony. The actual cremation usually took place only after a couple of months or a year or several years. It was costly to afford the cremation, so many families could not get enough money for it until a…
Kenneth and Margaret tell about Ah Chuan, their houseworker's baby. Chuan and his wife had already lost a first baby, so the Landons recommended that they see Miss Christiansen. The wife thus received pre-natal care and delivered a healthy baby.
Margaret tells about the furniture they owned. Kenneth tells of the way the Chinese made the furniture beautiful by rubbing it and polishing the finish to a gloss.
Margaret played in a singles tennis match and lost the game. In the doubles she played with Dr.Theobald and played well, but they didn't win. The Landons talk about their misfortune buying some furniture. It cost them everything they had because of…
White elephants (as well as white cows and white monkeys) have always been venerated in Asia. Margaret describes the white elephant festival. Large crowds would go out in procession for this festival. The first time the Landons joined the crowd they…
The Thai loved festivals. The King's birthday, November 8, was a great celebration that lasted three days. They had built a 150 foot mountain that was believed to be the center of the world.
The Landons tell about Albert and Kenneth laying out a tennis court behind the two houses. Margaret talks about Dr. Theobald preaching on Sunday. They also tell of the operation that James had to remove his arm.
The Landons adjusted to the Thai culture very quickly. The Seigles and the Landon's teacher were all very helpful in their adjustment. The language teacher gave a great deal of her time taking them on culture tours in the city, teaching them the…
Kenneth and Margaret scored very high for their language exam. Their teacher said they were the best students she ever had. Mrs. Welsh wrote them saying that she had been praying for their language study (she was still a friend to them at the time). …
Kenneth tells again about their language training, his doing three years in one, and Margaret two years in one. She kept up with me, he says. Margaret remarks that it was agony.
The Landons completed their first quarter of study, which they did in two months. As it turned out, Kenneth completed in one year a three year language program.
Mr. McKenzie, the American minister, was entertained by Prince Damrong and wanted to reciprocate. He sent his number one "boy" to buy the best kind of Chinese tea for the prince's visit. It turned out that the tea cost much more he had thought, but…
Margaret and Kenneth talk about the buying and selling of Women in Siam. A young girl was bought for $10 in Hong Kong from her parents. Another was sold for 110 tekals. They were working as housemaids for wealthy people in the town.
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.