Davao City, P.I.,

March 23, 1941

Dear Mother and all,

I am afraid that I have not answered Mother's letter 66 January 31st to Davao. I have been very busy since coming from Baguio.

I left Baguio February 19th for Manila and two days of conference with various church officials about the overlapping of the Christian and Missionary work and our work in Davao and Cotabato. Their foreign secretary from New York had spent a week in Mindanao and was back in Manila. While in Mindanao he had seen Dr. Laubach and had a conference with him and Mr. Scaff. Dr. L. was very hopeful for full church union after his visit and wired us in Manila to that end. It turned out that Scaff thot differently after the meeting but being new he just wrote down for his own information everything that went on at the meeting and his reactions. I" Manila we found that Dr. L. judgement was way off and /' our Manila meeting turned out as Scaff had thot it must. We are going to strengthen our work in Cotabato and let the Alliance do what they want to do.

Peg and the children stayed in Baguio until March 15th. They arrived home yesterday morning on the Don Isidro, two days late because of engine trouble. The good food continued throughout the trip so they had no special complaint. Peg's boils cleared up. She had four or five in the same ear successively. She enjoyed Baguio and the new friends immensely. The kids have lovely pink cheeks and had a fine time.

After I left Manila I came back to Mindanao via Dansalan and visited with the Scaffs for two days. They had been about two months in Dansalan and were well feed up with the waste of time, money and missionary personnel which they found there. They fell on me like a lost friend and did all their complaining. When I left them I spent part of a week in Cotabato and few days in Davao before I was off to meet them in Cotabato. We drove on to Davao for our Women's Missionary meeting and then left for Kiamba, Cotabato. That is the place on the South Coast where Peg and I went with Eloise and Curtis last year at about this time. In Kiamba we celebrated the 20th anniversary of the founding of the colony and the church and then had our annual conference. I arrived home two days ago and Peg came yesterday.

The next conference will take place in Midsayap, Cotabato April 2-4 and then the next one for me will be the General Assembly of the whole church in Dansalan April 25-May 1st.

Thank you for the news paper clippings which have come thru in several batches. They are of real interest to us. Also many thanks for the information on the saving bonds and birth certificates. The Board is probably the best place to leave all that information and papers.

Mrs. Oesch returned to Davao/after taking Betty and Godfred to Australia to school. Frances Frank and three children and Gen Frank and three children left Davao several weeks ago and will leave Manila this week for the States. Mable Reed came down from Cebu for a visit but was back in Cebu when Peg came thru last week. They entertained her royalty and as did the Rigby's. Bob took Eloise and Curtis to the circus in Cebu and they had a fine time riding the flying horses and ferris wheel, etc., and then he brought them back to the ship and put them to bed before he went up on the deck to join Grayce and Peg and Mable. Grayce said he never did that to his own son and was surprised. They certainly have been friendly to us.

Evelyn Birchfield had a nervous break down recently. It seems that Dave told her that he had a contract that would keep him for several

years in Zamboanga carting coal from the mine to the shore. It was a big thing.
Evelyn and Jim could go and live in Baguio and Jim could go to school in
Brent. Evelyn was pleased with the prospect and told the town all about
it. But then the bomb burst. It was a big thing alright but Dava was not in
on it. Hence the nervous breakdown. So Evelyn and Jim and Dave spent three
weeks in Bayabas in Fraser's house.

Effie and Ann will leave Manila in April for the U. S. A. Sam will
follow later if he does not get the idea of leaving with them. He is supposed
to visit Davao again but may not get down here.

Fred Roth is still here and has an assistant in a young man from
New Hampshire. Mr. Christianson has been sick and does not look at all well.
He doesn't have the resistance he once had. But is still as stubborn as ever.

The same nite:

Edith Adele just arrived from Dumaguete to spend a month or so with
Eloise. She came overland with some of the Silliman students and drove from
Iligan here today. Her mother sent a note asking to have her tonsils removed
by Dr. B. I can see his face when he reads the letter tomorrow. She has been
having colds and Virginia thot her tonsils ought to come out. Would I send
Eloise off to Dumaguete alone to have her tonsils removed or anyother
operation? Some people I do not understand.!

There are many new people in the gold mine now. Some of them
are most friendly tho they are not in town much of the time.

Frank Woodward went to Manila for a check up after spending
five weeks here in Davao resting up. Edith reports that Dr. Laubach is
sick in Cagayan. So the Scaffs will have pretty smooth sailing in Dansalan
for a while alone. Dr. Laubach is due to leave for the USA about May 1st.

I think that is about all the news this time.

Loads of love to each and all,

P. S. We also received B's fine letter. I forwarded it to Baguio
and when Peg gets it unpacked I will try to answer it.

Croydon.

Helen had said nothing about receiving pine cones but Peg will ask her when she sees her again. Helen went to Zamboanga for two weeks and brought her sister back for a while.

Manila Bay has been mined and all boats confine their movements to daytime travel in the bay and can only enter and leave under twice a day under direction. The report is that Davao will be mined also but unless they are going to mine the whole coast line why bother with the area near the city.

The children are well now. While I was away the Doctor took them for a ride every afternoon from Five to six. He would ask them where they wanted to go and every time the answer was the same, "to the Dog pound". They go there and look at the dogs and pity them.

I enclose a letter from Mr. Harvey L. Moeken, 14 Beacon Street, Boston. Will you please forward that to him? Thanks.

Davao is a hot spot for a few days now. The Japanese and Chinese are having lots of trouble to get at their funds in the Bank. The price of Hemp reached 25 pesos a picul last week but tumbles with the news of freezing of Japanese credits.

It is time for the plane now so will stop and hurry to the post office.

Love to all,

Not corrected. You'll have to guess.