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This is a very sweet letter written by an older missionary to Sibyl. Miss Melville was stationed in Chissamba, where Sibyl was stationed for the two-plus years before her marriage to Fred. At the time this letter was written, Sibyl had recently married Fred and was with him in Dondi for a while before they left Angola for good.
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Chissamba
July 16th 1928
My dear Mrs. Stokey,
Thank you for your letter received this evening.
We are all very well. Mrs. Steed is still in Camundongo. Kasova, Muriel and I were invited up to have tea at Steeds this evening. We had a good time.
Our afternoon yesterday came off very nicely everyone seemed to have a good time. We had tea out on the lawn in front of the annex. We had little cakes of different kinds, wee tarts and some very lovely candy Mrs. Strangway made. She seems to be an expert at it. They are both so lovely I like them better every day.
The pig I bought from Sayoko was fat I have three oil tins of lard from it, nice firm lard.
I was very sorry to hear of Dr. Stokey’s accident. We are very thankful it was not worse, he will need to do as I did explain to people the cause of my black eye.
My dear Mrs. Stokey I do hope you will have the very best of journeys calm weather smooth sea and every pleasure. We do appreciate all the fine work you did at Chissamba you will long live in the hearts of the people. I cannot in my own mind reconcile why the dear Lord allowed you to be taken from us, I do not question His wisdom but I cannot just see it. He must have a fine piece of work for you to do. May He bless you and make you a blessing to others. I love you, altho I never seemed able to get near to you or make you understand me.
God bless you and give you every joy in your life.
With love
Very sincerely,
Helen J. Melville
July 16th 1928
My dear Mrs. Stokey,
Thank you for your letter received this evening.
We are all very well. Mrs. Steed is still in Camundongo. Kasova, Muriel and I were invited up to have tea at Steeds this evening. We had a good time.
Our afternoon yesterday came off very nicely everyone seemed to have a good time. We had tea out on the lawn in front of the annex. We had little cakes of different kinds, wee tarts and some very lovely candy Mrs. Strangway made. She seems to be an expert at it. They are both so lovely I like them better every day.
The pig I bought from Sayoko was fat I have three oil tins of lard from it, nice firm lard.
I was very sorry to hear of Dr. Stokey’s accident. We are very thankful it was not worse, he will need to do as I did explain to people the cause of my black eye.
My dear Mrs. Stokey I do hope you will have the very best of journeys calm weather smooth sea and every pleasure. We do appreciate all the fine work you did at Chissamba you will long live in the hearts of the people. I cannot in my own mind reconcile why the dear Lord allowed you to be taken from us, I do not question His wisdom but I cannot just see it. He must have a fine piece of work for you to do. May He bless you and make you a blessing to others. I love you, altho I never seemed able to get near to you or make you understand me.
God bless you and give you every joy in your life.
With love
Very sincerely,
Helen J. Melville
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1.
Chissamba
July 16th 1928
Is the date on the letter the 15th or the 16th? It looks like a 5 to me, but I decided that Miss Melville would not have closed the loop of a 5.
2.
We had little cakes of different kinds, wee tarts and some very lovely candy Mrs. Strangway made.
Mrs. Strangway was the wife of the doctor whose arrival at Chissamba Fred and Sibyl had been awaiting so that they could get married.
Wee tarts and nice firm pig lard, all in one letter.
3.
I was very sorry to hear of Dr. Stokey’s accident.
So far I haven't seen anything more about Fred's accident that Miss Melville mentions. I imagine that by the time any letters after this were written that I would see, he would have forgotten about it.
4.
I do not question His wisdom but I cannot just see it.
I like that expression of faith. I don't share it, but it's pretty.
5.
I love you, altho I never seemed able to get near to you or make you understand me.
This is interesting, in conjunction with something Sibyl said to Fred in a letter the previous year:
1927-08-10 LETTER FROM SIBYL TO FRED
I wish that I was in a house with anyone else but Miss M.
Chissamba
July 16th 1928
Is the date on the letter the 15th or the 16th? It looks like a 5 to me, but I decided that Miss Melville would not have closed the loop of a 5.
2.
We had little cakes of different kinds, wee tarts and some very lovely candy Mrs. Strangway made.
Mrs. Strangway was the wife of the doctor whose arrival at Chissamba Fred and Sibyl had been awaiting so that they could get married.
Wee tarts and nice firm pig lard, all in one letter.
3.
I was very sorry to hear of Dr. Stokey’s accident.
So far I haven't seen anything more about Fred's accident that Miss Melville mentions. I imagine that by the time any letters after this were written that I would see, he would have forgotten about it.
4.
I do not question His wisdom but I cannot just see it.
I like that expression of faith. I don't share it, but it's pretty.
5.
I love you, altho I never seemed able to get near to you or make you understand me.
This is interesting, in conjunction with something Sibyl said to Fred in a letter the previous year:
1927-08-10 LETTER FROM SIBYL TO FRED
I wish that I was in a house with anyone else but Miss M.
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