Holding the Center When Everything Moves

This Sawat as seen from a drone January 2026 by Malum Nalu a journalist in PNG. In this case I copied photos from the FB page of I use to live in PNG. He has some more amazing photos there. Malum has many incredible stories related to PNG on his blog. The second photo shows the inner side of the peninsula as seen the other two photos or where the red stripe is. That is the site of where the new Sawmill will get built in the context of 1964. In 1964 the sawmill is where the pink dot is. Later there is a bulldozer accident where the yellow stripe is. The Becks and Littles lived where the purple stripe is.

The following is a summary of the letters for  OCTOBER 1964

Malalo Mission Station

Malalo in October: Heat, Smoke, and the Smell of Change

October settles heavily over Malalo. The weather turns hot again, and with it tempers shorten and patience thins. Gardens are burned and replanted, and the smell of smoke drifts constantly up the hill from Buakup. Pineapple season begins, sweet and sticky, a small mercy in the heat.

The station itself remains unchanged—long airy houses built by Fred and Edna Scherle after the war, wooden floors, wide verandas, paths worn smooth by decades of feet—but life within it feels crowded. People come and go more than ever. Boats miss schedules. Plans unravel and re-form daily.

Malalo does not collapse under this pressure.
But it does bend.

Background context with Malalo

Visitors and Voices from Beyond Malalo

October widens the circle.

Letters arrive that Ina treasures—not simply for news, but for perspective. Virginia Markquardt writes from Bumayong, where she teaches teenage boys English and art. Her letter carries wonder rather than complaint: boys debating independence and education, sketching native flowers in pen and ink, reading Shakespeare with delight.

Virginia’s words affirm something Ina has long sensed—that missionaries do not bring Christ to New Guinea so much as meet Him already present. The people’s faith, shaped by suffering and community, often runs deeper than imported certainty.

Loretta Kuse writes as well, describing her work as a short-term teacher on the coast. Her days are full: teaching multiple subjects, bandaging sores, running a trade store, training teachers. She writes of shell bands playing through the night, of students sleeping on mats in bush dormitories, of hymns sung with conviction.

These letters matter. They remind Ina that Malalo is not alone, that the work is shared across the coast and mountains, carried by many hands.

Alvin in Motion: Coast, Sawmill, and Students

Alvin is rarely home in October.

He moves constantly—down the coast, to Lae, to Sawet, and back again. With the Littles newly arrived, the sawmill demands attention at every turn. Timber boats miss schedules. Supplies fail to arrive. Orders pile up. A new site must be organized so that timber can be staged before boats arrive, painted with identifying colors, and loaded quickly when calm seas allow.

One dawn scramble at Sawet captures the pattern: lights fail, boats arrive early, tempers flare, canoes shuttle timber out to waiting ships. Alvin works through the chaos, grateful for experience he did not know he would need so urgently.

At the same time, he makes a point of visiting Malalo students scattered through Lae’s compounds and schools. He speaks with each boy individually—long conversations that stretch days into weeks. He believes this matters, that personal attention may draw some back into service of the church rather than losing them permanently to town life.

He often returns home late, short of clothes, already preparing to leave again.

The Littles Settle In: Companionship and Chaos

Graham and Vilma Little finally move down to Sawet, taking their two small children with them. Their house is barely livable, but they decide to make do. Independence, Ina knows, is the only way to survive here.

Their time at Malalo leaves its mark.

For Ina and Alvin, having another missionary couple—someone to joke with, to speak freely in English with—feels like oxygen. For the children, it is more complicated.

Robin, older and stronger than Tommy, plays rough. Heather, not yet two, torments Kristi without meaning to—poking eyes, knocking her over. Tears come easily. Discipline becomes negotiation.

Eventually, the children learn something important: how to fight back. When blows are returned, the torment stops. Friendship follows. It is exhausting, nerve-wracking, and strangely educational.

Malalo teaches even this.

1964 October 21

Children at the Center: Fear, Courage, and Daily Growth

October tests Ina most sharply through her children.

Kristi’s illness comes suddenly on a Sunday morning. Fever. Restlessness. Ina gives anti-malarials and aspirin, hoping for a quiet day. Instead, Kristi convulses violently, lips blue, body shaking uncontrollably. Milk pools in her mouth. Ina tips her, bathes her head in cold water, prepares to give artificial respiration as Kristi stops breathing.

Then—breath returns.

Kristi sleeps deeply, fever high but stable. Shots follow later. Paula cries watching. Tommy screams, “Don’t hurt my Kwisty.”

Ina has nursed countless New Guinean babies through the same crisis. This time is different. Faith is no longer professional—it is personal. She feels God’s calm presence not as abstraction, but as shelter.

Soon after, Paula cuts her toe badly, proud of the attention it brings. Tommy falls constantly, relaxed to the point of invulnerability. Kristi recovers, steadier on her feet than before, teeth pushing through.

Raising children here, Ina knows, requires wisdom she does not always have. She asks God for guidance daily—and admits how much she needs it.

The Dispensary: Work That Never Pauses

The dispensary remains busy, though mercifully free of major emergencies for a time.

A nurse inspects children and records. A woman arrives with a broken needle lodged in her foot. Ina and Phyllis work patiently, probing until the metal is found and removed. Novocaine makes it bearable. Relief follows.

Doctor boys strike again, appearing and disappearing unpredictably. When they are absent, order suffers. Ina manages anyway.

She enjoys dispensary work deeply. It allows her to know people not as abstractions but as individuals—bodies, fears, resilience. Yet when Alvin is home, balance is harder. Being nurse, wife, and mother simultaneously stretches her thin.

Still, she keeps going.

Loss and Witness: Ray Jaensch

News arrives that stills everything for a moment.

Ray Jaensch, mission pilot, has died in a plane crash. A veteran of World War II, badly injured once before, healed and returned to flying, Ray had served faithfully for a decade. When his plane went down, both legs were crushed, burns severe.

Yet even in that moment, he bore witness—keeping passengers calm, encouraging them while they waited for rescue.

Ina grieves deeply. Alvin says Ray bore the best witness of anyone in the mission. Another plane will be assembled. Another pilot will come. But Ray’s absence is felt sharply.

Death here is never abstract.

1964 October 21

Faith Spoken Plainly

October’s letters are more openly theological than most.

Ina speaks of prayer answered—chest pain healed, strength given, fear quieted. She speaks of God’s care not as something hoped for, but something experienced daily.

She worries about those at home who wait for death with little to fill their days. She aches for loneliness she cannot relieve from across the ocean. At the same time, she knows her own life is overflowing—with children, work, responsibility, purpose.

This contrast humbles her.

She writes not triumphantly, but gratefully.

1964 October 24

October’s Shape

October is not orderly.

Plans fall apart. Boats fail. Children test limits. Illness strikes close to home. Leadership demands constant movement. Grief intrudes unexpectedly.

And yet, Malalo holds.

Not because everything works—but because faith, work, and love continue even when they do not.

Sources

October 1964 letters by Ina Erickson and correspondence from Virginia Markquardt and Loretta Kuse

Loretta Kuse with the camera and paintings that Erickson’s either bought or were gifted by Loretta. The bride is Virginia Marquardt which is the only photo I found of her. These 2 women knew the Erickson’s in Stevens Point WI when they lived there for Alvin’s internship and where Paula was born. The accidently ran into Alvin Lae as they were all passing through in July 1964.

The following are the actual letters for October 1964:

1964 October 6 Tuesday

From Virginia Marquardt to Gertrude Rasmussen (Gertrude Rasmussem was on contact with Ina’s mother Estelle and she kept the original letters Ina wrote for Ms Rasmussen to type and copy and send out to many people. Basically a news letter. Ms Rasmussen obviously sent letters on to grandma Estelle who kept all these letters so here I am typing them up 60 years later. 2021-2026. She surely sent a letter like this to Ina but Ina did not keep the letters sent to her. )

Dear Mrs. Rasmussen,
I thank you very much for your interest in the Lutheran mission in new Guinea. Thank you for letting me share some of my experiences with you. We covet your interest and your heartfelt prayers.

I graduated from Stevens Point University in June, 1961 and was active in, LSA and Trinity church, particularly the year that Al and Ina Erickson were there. They’re coming here had some influence on my coming. I might add though that I did not experience some great urgent call nor did I experience any kind of sacrifice, or martyrdom then in coming here. I was rather my choosing New Guinea over some other city in the world to teach people who are pretty much the same anywhere you travel.
I came here July 13, and have now begun to feel that this is home. The weather is more and more lovely as summer comes. The temperature is higher, true, but the air is clear and sunshine is plentiful. We do have most of the rain at night. The flowers and vegetation is lush. I am enjoying the abundance of bananas and pineapple and tropical fruit as well. I am teaching at Bumayong junior high, which is 7 miles from Lae, New Guinea, the third largest town in the territory, which is on the coast. I have form one and two which is somewhat similar to the eighth and ninth year of school although my students average age is 18 and the subject matter is more difficult in some aspects than the eighth and ninth grade material in the US, although English is a foreign language for these boys, it is amazing how wild they communicate, although they’re bilingual background may account for some of this fluency. Many of the boys, speak pidgin English, Jabem, which is the official church language in this area, plus their own village language. I have the English and art classes in form one consisting of 16 boys and form two consisting of 21 boys. Discipline is no problem. The boys are eager to learn and enjoy books, although nature, emotions, and the weather do affect them like they affect the teacher, or anybody else for that matter.

My English teaching includes debates which the boys prepare weekly and really enjoy. They will talk for a long time on current New Guinea problems, such as co-education, independence, mission schools versus government schools. I enjoy the sessions very much. Also, we have oral reading, literature (enjoy Shakespeare plays, much), poetry, grammar, spelling and vocabulary, comprehension, and composition. The boys write at least one composition each week about current topics and their own experiences. Their depth in writing is quite remarkable sometimes and then disappointing in others. Similar to any English teachers experience I guess.

My art class includes drawing, painting, sketching, oil, paints, and anything else we wish to try. The Australian government supplies all school supplies and is most generous. At present the boys are doing pen and ink, sketches of native flowers. The drawings are quite delicate and show the boys, natural feelings and understandings of nature, since the New Guinean people live quite close to the soil, although, unfortunately, this is changing to. Education always brings many changes.

I live with two other teachers in a lovely home with anything we could wish. There are seven teachers on the school staff and I’ve enjoyed working with all. The mission is quite a close family and you can travel, almost anywhere in New Guinea and find someone from the “clan”.
My college roommate, Lorrie Kuse, came with me in July. She is stationed at about eight hour boat trip from here up the coast from Lae. I am about a 45 minute speedboat trip away from Malalo where Al and Ina Erickson live. I see them every few weeks since they come to lay on business, and some of Al’s boys from his circuit are at the school, and he visits them here.

In fact, I just visited with them yesterday. Several of us teachers took a weekend trip up there to visit and see the lovely, lovely coast, harbor, coral, reefs, Sandy beaches graced with palm trees. Al and Ina are fine and send their greetings. Their children are hail and hardy and any normal children from a loved home.
I cannot emphasize how much I see that we do not bring Christ to the nations, brother, we go to meet him there. The story of Job rings, clear and true. God will have his will and we are privileged to be a part of this plant. Sometimes words fail me when I try to capture the deep Christian concern shown by people of New Guinea. This teaching job here has impressed upon me the universality of human nature and the worldwide efforts and concerns of Christian men. We are not in this fight alone. Peace be unto you and the peace that passes all understanding,

Sincerely, Virginia Markquardt

1964 October 10.
Letter written by Ina Erickson from the Malalo Mission station to Durward and Estelle Titus Box 224 Route1, Carlos MN USA 

Dear mom and dad,

This has been kind of a busy time. The Littles have been in and out, as has Al, my Dr boys on strike again, and the dispensary has been pretty busy. Thank God it has been routine things, and no emergencies. Friday a nurse came to examine children and inspect the dispensary. No sign of the boy.

We could go Monday, Al went with the Littles down to Sawet to see about getting a few of the problems straightened out. They had thought that the mission boat was going to take the timber on hand so that they would have room for more lumber. The day before we found out that the boat wasn’t going to be able to make it after all. Graham has one of his first taste of the frustration of living in New Guinea. They had made a lot of plans around this. That would mean that none of the supplies would be there, and their stove wouldn’t be there either. The stove that is there was so badly rusted out that the oven doesn’t work and it smoke so badly.

So on Wednesday they took the Kuli which is the Sawet’s boat, and went to Lae to get some supplies and to talk to the fellows when the Simbang, which is the mission boat arrived in Lae. The boat crew from the Simbang agreed to make a special trip to Sawet the following week. So then Graham decided to —rather Al decided to send him to Madang and have a look at how the sawmill there was run and see where the supply house was and pick up some necessary equipment.

 Velma and the children came back to Malalo and Al stayed on and lay to visit with all of our students and as many of the boys from Malalo that are in the compounds. It worked out that they talked with all of the boys individually, so it took longer than expected. He told me he’d be home on Thursday, Friday, then, Saturday, and finally made it home on Monday, a bit short of clothes. Al felt his interview with the students was very good. Maybe that way we will get more of them back into the services of the Lord.

The boat is supposed to arrive at dawn tomorrow, so Al, Val and the children went down tonight to saw it to get some of the orders ready for loading on the Simbang.
Tomorrow he will come back and bring along a nurse that will inspect our dispensary and check our schoolchildren. I haven’t had a chance to clean it well, but I guess it’ll have to do. The dispensary books are good. We have enough plastic spoons, but the plastic bags are gone. And shorts are becoming more popular and they can use them. Laps laps serve as blankets also.
Also, a man will be coming to look at the Malalo situation and see what opportunities there are for the people in our area to make money. And how can we support our own station school.
How is working on getting a little newspaper of events in our area out to stimulate a little interest in the church and the community. Praising people for good service, making announcements, and birth notices, death notices, and things of interest. I’m supposed to be the typist on that, but haven’t gotten to it yet.

June, the teacher from Bula was over Friday and Saturday last weekend. The Australian girl that was helping her transferred to another station after another teacher suddenly left because his mother died. A lady that had been teaching in Dutch New Guinea replaced her. We are supposed to be teaching English in the school, and turns out that she doesn’t have a very good command on the English language so it doesn’t work out very well. The lady is near 50, having spent most of her life in New Guinea, but the other half of the island is so different That she can’t tolerate the climate of this half and the insects here bother her so much. She swells up from the bites. She understands so little English and knows no one around so it’s pretty lonely. June then has to carry the brunt of the teaching load, so we need your prayers in this situation, too.

Tommy has gotten to climbing trees as has Paula. Paula fell out about 6 feet, catching her leg in the crotch of the tree halfway down but she was able to get herself loose, then a day or so later Tommy fell out clear to the ground twice. He’s so relaxed that he doesn’t get hurt. He jumps from that height real often. He climbed to the top of a 12 foot ladder yesterday. He’s constantly running down the side of the mountain, and we have to be so careful about snakes that can’t be such free roaming.

Climbing trees. Middle photo is Tom, Michael and Kristin( Michael is Metegemeng the Victor captains son. As part of the staff they lived on the station)

Robin is two years older than Tommy, and really gives him a bad time. One day Tommy got tired of it all, and gave him a good kick in the face. How could I tell Tommy it was naughty to kick him when he’d been pestering the daylights out of him, hitting and knocking him down, etc. it really has been an education for the kids to learn to fight back since they so rarely fight amongst themselves, that they just aren’t used to fighting back. I told Paula if they hit her, she could hit back and she wanted to know if it was all right to make the little girl cry. I told her if she hits first, then it was all right, because Heather torments her to death. After they started landing a few blows, the children all became good friends, and played together quite nicely. What a nerve racking battle to reach that stage.

Michael is constantly coming up without any pants on to play, and once in a while, I’d put some pants on him. Now, if Tommy sees him coming without pants, he runs to the closet and find some for him. I overheard him explaining to Michael as he put them on. ‘These are ruffle pants, now you say it -ruffle pants.’ (they were a pair of boys walking shorts that has white bleach splashed on them.) Michael wasn’t a very cooperative student.  Michael and Tommy were going to turn on the lights, and climbed over the half door we have on our powerhouse. Tommy is climbing up to get the handle to crank it with when I found them. They had enough time to get mighty greasy, but a good check showed no damage. The last time Tom fixed the lights it cost $60. Then Tommy couldn’t understand why I should spank him because I asked our hired man to start the lights all the time and that is what Tommy was going to do.

Kristi climbs up on chairs now, so can spill milk and coffee, and tea, and what not -a bit better than she would from the floor. Since the weather has gotten so hot, she doesn’t wet so often so we are working on toilet training, slow, but occasional success. I told Paula that grandma had a certain kind of flower at her house, so now every flower we find she wants to know if you have them at your house or not. or if she can ride on this or that when we get to grandma‘s house.

I would like a circle to make four or five cobbler aprons. White ones of durable material with big pockets for me to wear in the dispensary. I can just put them on over my dress instead of changing each time there. They are burning and planting gardens now smells like fall in Minnesota. Pineapple season is starting. We need your prayers now with hot weather tempers are short.
We love and miss you all.

Love from us, Dad and Mom.

1964 October 21  Littles move to Sawet,  Kristin has convulsions, Our pilot died, Ray Jaensch
Letter written by Ina Erickson from the Malalo Mission station to Durward and Estelle Titus Box 224 Route1, Carlos MN USA 

Dear mom, dad, Willa and Martin,

We are surely happy with the Littles. It has been a lot of fun to have someone to chat and kid around a bit with. They are quite easy-going people, and independent, which is necessary to be able to survive in New Guinea. They are 30ish and Graham has had a little experience. They have moved down to Sawet now. They decided that the house was livable temporarily anyway.

One of the first setbacks was that the timber boat didn’t show up as expected to get their timber. It often happens here, but to people newly arrived from civilization. It was a minor catastrophe. Then they were waiting for the sawmill boat to come and get them on Monday morning to take them from Malalo to Sawet, when Val was going to move down there with the children. The messages got mixed up, and the boat didn’t arrive till the next morning.

Then the timber boat finally arrived, and Graham had gone to Madang the week before to see the sawmill there and was going to come back on the boat that would pick up the timber. It was also supposed to bring them their supplies and a new stove. That meant that Al had to get the timber orders ready to go on the boat, only he’d been in Lae visiting all of the students that Malalo has there in various schools and that took several days. Anyway, he arrived down at Sawet late at night before the timber boat was to arrive. He went with Val and the children and they found that the lights didn’t work, so he could not get going on the orders. The boat arrived at dawn and there really was a scramble to get things moving. Tempers were flaring as the boat had to keep its schedule.

Luckily it was a calm day so loading went OK. All of the timber needs to be put into canoes first then loaded into the boat. One reason for moving to a new site is that the water gets deep so fast that they can build a wharf and load the boat from the wharf. Then the orders can be assembled days before the boat arrives. Each order must have a dab of different colored paint on it to signify which timber belongs to which order. This was all new to Al, but he finally figured it out. It was good that he has had as much experience as he has now and able to clue Graham in. Even though he still will have quite a time finding his way around.

Unfortunately, while the Littles were here, our Dr boy went on strike, so I wasn’t able to keep my household as orderly as I would’ve liked to. But we got along. Now I have a nurse from Australia that works in one of the mission hospitals inspecting our schoolchildren and people from the dispensary that I want her to look at. We sent her down to a village near Sawet to see if she could find TB suspects as I have sent quite a few to the sanitarium from there.

On Sunday, Kristi gave me a few minutes of anxiety. I’d noticed she had a fever when she woke up in the morning. She had been restless all night and up many times and didn’t seem to have a fever. I gave her some anti-malaria and aspirin in the morning and soon she was ready to settle down with her bottle for a while. I left her with the girls while I went to the dispensary. She had been sleeping, all of the time while I was gone and had just woken up when I arrived. I noticed her temp was 102 which is high, but not enough to get too worried about. I bathed her and gave her some aspirin and tried another anti-malarial, but she spit it out. As I forced her, I thought she’d vomit, so I decided to wait until the aspirin had a chance to take a little affect.

When I laid her down in her crib, she started convulsing. She had some milk in her mouth, I quickly tipped her up and let it drain out, and then started to bathe her head and cold water. Poor little thing was shaking so violently and so blue. Finally, she stopped convulsing, but wouldn’t breathe. I laid her down to give her artificial respiration, but then she started breathing before I got started. She went into a deep, unconscious, sleep, breathing so noisily. Everyone was at church. I saw a little girl in the yard and told her to go get Al. I didn’t dare leave Kristi to get her some shots. Soon Al came so I could get her anti-malaria and phenobarb. Her temp stayed up all day, but she didn’t convulse again.

I’ve nursed so many native babies through the same thing, but it is a little different when it was my own baby. It truly is wonderful to have God’s calming arm around us when we encounter what we think is a great crisis. She is his child, and he is very capable of taking care of her and surely has. She seems all right now. She is a bit more steady in her walking since and is quite irritable. She’s cutting double teeth and then with her fall it added up to too much for her.

Paula was so worried, especially when we gave her shots. She cried when we gave them to her. Tommy wanted to watch, but then he screamed. Don’t hurt my ‘Kwisty’. Soon afterwards I heard Paula crying outside. I went running out to see what was the matter and found Paula with a bloody foot. She cut her big toe and had a huge gash. I brought her in and was cleaning it up. She didn’t cry much, because she was so proud of having a sore, big enough to attract a little attention. Tommy is always falling and bumping his head, and Kristi had to go to Lae with her bump, but never Paula. She’s so hungry for affection. Oh how I need God guidance and raising children. After Robin Littles’s visit, Tommy has gotten so naughty, I’m not sure, I want to have that little boy come back. Tommy spits at everyone and says “mommy I don’t want it “ until I’m sick of it.
Al has been home for the last two weeks just long enough for me to pack and clean his clothes again. Now he is down the coast conducting his last elder course. He’ll be gone a week, then off to the mountains for a week. Our fishing nets came, about 40 of them. We had ordered three large ones and got 42 small to use. So will sew a couple together and send the rest back. Some of our people have started to make some money fishing. The sawmill bought a speedboat as they are without a boat since the Kuli broke down And the Victor will be gone for 6-8 weeks getting repaired again. So, Al hopes to be able to transport fish to the market with the speedboat also.

Our pilot who died, Ray Jaensch, was an Australian man. He was a very dedicated man. Al said he thought, he bore the best witness of anyone else in the mission. He’d been a pilot during World War II and had injured his leg very badly and thought he’d have to give up flying. God, however, healed his leg and he’s been flying for the mission for about 10 years. Both of his legs were broken and crushed and would have most likely had to have been amputated. He had many third-degree burns. Fortunately, his passengers weren’t badly injured. He tried to keep them in good spirits while they were waiting for a rescue plane to find them. I think soon we will be able to get another pilot and the plane that Ray was going to assemble in the next month has arrived in another company, has agreed to put it together. His family is going to stay in New Guinea until the children are through school in December. Her folks were visiting. Just ready to go to Australia again when the crash occurred. And many ways God use the incident for good. We’re sad to hear of angers death. I was hoping to be able to see her again. I’m glad her suffering is over. Happy birthday to Lois. I never did get her letter written. Bob and Naomi Bagley hope to visit in November. The 4 Bagleys should arrive in March.

Love Ina.

Footnote: Taken from a FB page: I used to live in PNG- In September 1964 pilot Ray Jaensch was flying a single-engine Dornier that crashed following engine failure after take-off from Tauta airstrip in the Madang Province, on the Ramu side of the Finisterre Mountain Range.

With no engine, Ray still managed to control the plane and crash landed in a river-bed below the Tauta airstrip, where it was severely damaged by boulders.

Passengers on the aircraft were District Commissioner Fred Kaad, District Medical Officer Dr Laurence Malcolm, Assistant District Commissioner Vin Smith and Patrol Officer Tony Cooke.

They had all been to Tauta for the official opening of the airstrip which had recently been constructed under the supervision of Patrol Officer Tony Cooke.

It took several hours for help to arrive. Pilot Ray Jaensch who was seriously injured was flown out first by helicopter. Unfortunately he did not survive and died as they arrived in Madang.

District Commissioner Fred Kaad was sitting in front with Ray Jaensch and suffered a severe injury to his spinal cord which rendering him a paraplegic. He has not walked since the accident and has been in a wheelchair ever since. Fred turned 100 years of age in September 2020.

Fred Kaad went on to complete two university degrees and was later a lecturer at the Australian School of Pacific Administration - later known as the International Training Institute (ITI) - where many Papua New Guineans attended.

The passengers in the rear of the aircraft – Dr Laurence Malcolm, Assistant District Commissioner Vin Smith and Patrol Officer Tony Cooke were severely shaken and only suffered minor injuries.

Vin Smith died on Christmas Day 25 December 2020 at the age of 90. Dr Laurence Malcolm and Tony Cook both died previously.

Ray Jaensch. Photo from daughter Wendy's post on FB ‘ I use to live ing PNG’

1964 October 24.
Letter written by Ina Erickson from the Malalo Mission station to Durward and Estelle Titus Box 224 Route1, Carlos MN USA 

Dear mom, dad, Willa, and Martin

Al is still down the coast, and Phyllis is back from a weekend in Lae. She’s in bed and the children are all sleeping and the lights have gone out so I’m sitting here with my little kerosene lamp. it probably won’t be so quiet for a long, long time. It was nice to get your letter in such nice quietness, so I could really enjoy it.

  The Littles are pretty well settled in at Sawet. It is hard to have to right start out when they don’t know the language very well. He knows his business and is anxious to get his fingers into it.

Our Dr boy hasn’t been very faithful in working. I really do enjoy the dispensary work. I really get to know the people that way. It isn’t so good when Al is home, because I don’t have time to bake and be a wife besides. Paula and Tommy come down to the dispensary often and Kristi usually takes long forenoon nap.

I’m sorry that I have not been able to see Inger or Millie again. It will really be different when we get back with so many missing faces and so many new ones. I hope that you get a chance to comfort Nick. The days I’m sure are pretty lonely for him.
I’m surely glad to hear that God has heard our prayers for Carlos and that the Holy Spirit is at work in the hearts of our people. We really hope this continues. It is so good to hear that grandpa will be well cared for and happy this winter. My heart has cried for him in his loneliness. I have so much to fill my heart with, and as he waits for death and, he has less and less. I’m so sorry that I didn’t even bother to write to him or bill for that matter. I really do hope that I’ll be able to see them when we get back.
Our poor poor precious Danny. I really believe that God can make his body straight without all of those horrible cast. I prayed and pray that he will heal and I know that he has heard our prayers. Whatever you ask in my name in prayer, believing that I will do so. Let us rejoice and thank God for having healed him. I was having quite a bit of chest pain for a while. After asking God to heal me it completely disappeared in a couple of days.

Monday
Yesterday, Phyllis, the children, our house, girls, and I walked 5 miles to a nearby village for church. it was flat so the walking wasn’t so bad but it did get a little bit hot. Paula walked almost all the way over and most of the way back. Tommy walked a good share of the way and of course we carried Kristi both ways. Coming up our hill was the straw that almost broke the camels back as far as Paula was concerned.

( I am assuming that walk was from Malalo to Busemeng along the coast. photo 1 is of Buakup with the Victor sitting by, Photo 2 view the Busemeng peninsula from Malalo station, Photo 3 the beach from Buakup to Busemeng now called Pineapple Beach. # 3 is taken with a drone Jan 2026 by Malum Nalu who shared FB ‘I used to live in PNG” - Paula)

Kristi keeps so busy getting into things. This morning I was giving her a bath and she grabbed Al‘s razor. I put it up and then turn to help Paula and she already cut two fingers with it. I dried her and bandage her fingers and then let her go soon she was Chewing a tube of shampoo. Then she unset the table and then emptied the cupboards. I was going to let her help me give rations to our workers this morning but soon she was busy spelling rice over the floor. and then dipped her sore fingers into a bag of salt, and so it goes. It takes one person just to keep an eye on her. We’re working on toilet training. She goes long periods without wetting and is really good about bowel movements.
Saturday night a lady came up after she broke in a needle off in her foot. We worked and worked before he finally found it and then took a long time to get it out. I gave her some Novacaine so she could stand to have us poking around. I finally held another needle under it, and Phyllis was able to grasp it with the force, and it came out.
Dispensary has been busy. Our Dr boy has been in and out, I’m not sure if he is ready to work steadily now or not. Al has been in and out also. He breezed in last night and out again this morning. He is trying to help Graham set up the new Mail site. The next, or rather at the end of the week he will be heading for the mountains again. He seems to be more of a Guest than a lodger in our house.

Phyllis got her ticket yesterday which is Saturday. She has a little more than a month left. I wish we were going to. Our term is halfway through. Soon it will be our fourth Christmas and New Guinea.

I wrote a note to Mrs. Berkery, and you could thank her too for her note and gift. Oh by the way, our tape recorder doesn’t work. It only worked properly for about an month after we got it. We found out now that no one has been able to keep tape, recorders working on the coast. Will have to get it fixed up again and sell it I guess. The humidity is just too great even in a dry box. It really is quite disappointing.

A belated happy birthday to Lainey. I seem to forget so often but I am glad she had a nice birthday party. The book is leaving soon.

Love Ina and family.