Perhaps our most frustrating part is trying to find out just where we fit in.
1962 August 10 to Willa
Letter written by Al Erickson from the Malalo Mission station to Martin and sister Willa Tonn, Alexandria, Minnesota
Dear Willa, Martin and family,
Our bestest to our fellow wanderers. It just didn’t seem right to have you in one spot for so long. Before I forget, enclosed please find a certificate which you should present if a package ever gets to you.
We can tell it’s summer in America as correspondence ‘taint what are used to be’. We’ve been in a kind of lull from our end also. I think the work here is already taking it’s toll to some extent. At least I feel the need of a vacation.
Almost a year is finished now and what are year of adjustments it has been. I have a new respect for the missionaries who gone before and gotten through the first years. From years of intellectual stimulation to New Guinea were even the simplest of communication is something, this sometimes is enough to put one back to sucking lollipops. Perhaps our most frustrating part is trying to find out just where we fit in, when as yet, we are not really capable of getting it. Most of the missionaries before us worked very hard to deliver these people out of the Stone Age heathenism. To a certain extent this work had its real rewards. Now our work seems to be to deliver these people into the 20th century and into the faith which still holds firm in such a time. If that is what we’re supposed to be doing then this first year shows no real accomplishment except that we are now nearer to a place where such work is possible.
It has been heartwarming that the people have accepted us quite well for what we are and probably aren’t expecting too much from us. We have experienced many times the ignorant white man coming to try to help them. At least they want us to learn about them.
Ina has done remarkably well finding her own role and going ahead without complaint. I think she will be a great companion for a new teacher and great friend to many natives later on.
Believe it or not, I seem to be getting my sea legs and even manage to keep things down on a very rough see. This is the month of bad weather. Our ship is quite seaworthy and does quite well. It needs some work done especially in the gearbox.
I wish Martin were here for about a week to straighten out our cow situation. Some just ate up one of the school boys gardens and we are having trouble getting milk. We are now going to build a new fence, send off some calves on our boat, and kill a young bull. I hope that solves the problem so that we can go ahead and finish the church then we will kill at least two for the big feast.
Well we’ve heard you sold your house but we’re quite hazy as to what you’re going to do. Please tell us your address anyway, if you have one. May he who began his good work within us continue to conquer our own evilness that we might grow up to patience and love towards those about us.
All our love, Al, Ina Paula and Tom.
Come all you who are weak and heavy laden and I will give you rest.
A mixture of stonage dress and western dress
1962 August 9, Willa
Letter written by Ina Erickson from the Malalo Mission station to sister Willa Tonn Box 224 Route1, Carlos MN USA
Dear mom, dad, Willa, Martin, Mickey, Lainey and Jennifer,
I have a lonesome feeling to know we won’t be visiting 10316 Grand Ave. anymore. Beryl and Bette have moved also. Al’s folks are also talking about selling their house. So I hope mom and dad don’t move before we get back. It won’t seem like home.
Boy, mom and you get more done in a day by yourself than I do in a week with two house girls. You make me feel so lazy that I finally got Paula‘s chair and potty chair and Tommy’s chair painted yesterday. I’ll work so hard making them.
I’m still having trouble training Paula. Now with a little potty she can go and sit on it by herself. If I’m not quick to empty it, Tommy put his foot in it. Tommy hasn’t gained any weight for about four months and has a large bulky stools. Everything goes through him undigested. I’ve been pouring vitamins and junk down him. Monday I will take Paula and Tommy in to the hospital in Madang, Yaguam where we have the best doctors in the territory.
I have seen Dr. Heist who is one of Reverend Bears of Iowa, classmates or friend or something, and he thought perhaps it was something wrong with his pancreas. Not diabetes but a lack of pancreatic enzymes that digest fats and carbohydrates. Paula has always had such a big stools and a big appetite and not much gaining weight so I’m going to have her examined also.
The government has taken over the buildings of the airstrip[1] which relieved Al of the headache of maintaining it. It is such a big headache in this climate. So he was really happy about that.
In the June issue of the missionary magazine, there was an article by June Prange, a former teacher at Malalo, and is returning to New Guinea this fall. She wrote about Christian who is one of our good church members here at Malalo. There was also an article by Korrine Oakland who is a teacher at Bula girls school which is 2 1/2 hours walking or 45 minutes by boat up the coast just north of Busameng. She comes to Malalo every other Sunday for church and dinner. And the last form letter I sent out was partially printed in there also. Did you notice how poor it was, I was truly embarrassed as I read it. Tommy just came in begging to be put to bed.
Al has been working on a fish trap to place at the mouth of a stream. When the tide comes in all the fish run up the river and when it goes out again they go back to the ocean. Al plans to catch them as they go back. We buy fish from Japan to give for rations to our hired help and Bula buys Japanese fish for all 60 girls. So Al wants to get these schools paying for their own school by fishing. Our station schoolboys are hungry most of the time and with such a wealth of fish to be caught. If Al can make it work then we can smoke the fish as the congregation has a hardwood sawmill with hardwood sawdust which is perfect for smoking fish. We also have plenty of coconut husk‘s which can be used for smoking fish as well. He has been having so much trouble with it. The theory is good but I hope the practice will be good also.
Fishing from a canoe
Fish trap from a canoe
One thing we really need is bandages. I’m out most of the time. I use old diapers and sheets. So churches used to cut strips of old sheets about 1 1/2 to 2 inches wide and sew the ends together then roll them in rolls with diameters of 2 inches, fastened the ends with a couple of stitches, put them in a sack and have the hospital sterilize them.
Look forward to your letters. God’s blessings
love Al, Ina and the kids.
1 Wagua Airstrip that Alvin Erickson supervised the construction of.
Bula Girls School
The Bula Girls School just north of Malalo. It is 2 1/2 hours walking or 45 minutes by boat up the coast just north of Busameng. Often the teachers and caretaker would come to Malalo for church or special events for a day or overnight. Ina would host them with meals regularly. It was great for her to have the company. She was often isolated even though she was amongst alot of people. She did not have other ‘Europeans’ around. Alvin was gone alot. Her children were very small. She could not speak the language well enough to converse in. There were no telephones, email, texting. The only outside communications was through letters and very limited 2 way radio where she could call out 2 times a day and the occasional visitors. Sometimes there were alot of visitors at certain times a year like Christmas and Easter. Letter writing was her being able to ‘talk’ to someone. ~Paula
Bula falls. About 30 minute walk from the large coastal village of Busameng.
Teachers from the Bula School in 1962 or 63. June Prange was around for longer so I have memories of her. ~Paula
Teachers at the Bula girls school at the time:
Bula girls school where Martin Boerner was a custodian. Loretta Kuse, June Prangy, Phyllis Engebretsen, Korrine Okland, Eleanor Unruh and Caroline Schurer were some of the teachers there that would visit MalaloKorinne Okland Madsen. Teacher/Education Malalo elementary school and Kaiapit 1962-?
Phyllis Engebretsen. Teacher/Education. Bula girls School and Malalo elementary school. 1962-1979.
Eleanor Unruh. Teacher/ Education. Bula girls school and Tiria 1962-?June Prange. Teacher/education Started at Malalo. 1957 -1960, 1962 -1973. 1981-1984.
Martin Boehner, caretaker at the Bula School. He left Bula in about 1965 and went to a school near Lae. He also was a caretaker at KLS the boarding school in Wau prior to Bula.
Adella Wilken. Teacher/Education. Rintebe, Bula 1964- 1966?
Barbara Ide Moore Teacher/Education. Malalo, Bula 1959-?
Wurst, Norman and Joy. 1966 -? Caretakers at the Bulu girls school
Ina in pink, June Prange and Phyllis. The one in black in the foreground is Australian but Alvin doesn’t remember her name. I did not get to this project until after Ina’s death in 2020. Its understandable since this is a massive job and I worked and did not get into this project until after retiring. I regret not doing it when mom was still alive.
Alos, June Prange, Carolyn Schurr, and Jalamino - all teachers. Alos and Jalamino get married later. Backgound-Malalo house and the steps where alot of people sat and visited and had pictures taken.
Ina, June and Carolyn all passed away in 2020.
Sat, Nov 21, 2020, 9:09 AM
Notes from Alvin Erickson in 2020. Ina passed away in January of 2020.
Paula, Tom, Kristin
You were probably too young to remember that when we were at Malalo, Bula Girls School was about 8 miles away. It was staffed by American young women and Mr. Boerner, an older German was maintaining the property. If you google Busamang village you will see the waterfall where a hydroelectric system had been set up to provide electricity for the school. I see the school has now become a government hight school for the area.
Here is something I just got. June Prange was Bula's main teacher. When her father died in America, Mom and I walked eight miles at night to be with her in her grief. She reminded me of that at Mom's funeral.
Now her long time partner, Carolyn Schurr, just died and Carolyn was also at Mom's funeral. June herself now says she has cancer and is going into hospice. Here is what she wrote: Love, Dad
June wrote 3 weeks ago: We're not doing well with communicating with all who would want to know that Carolyn (Schurr), who has been adjusting for several months to more physical challenges caused by her Parkinsonism, fell two weeks ago and suffered a stroke. She is in another facility better equipped to care for her present needs but it's been difficult to be in "quarantine" from contact with her except for some Facebook time. She has continued to be a remarkable gritty fighter and even when I couldn't get her up off the floor in her initial fall, she managed some inner source of strength and got herself up and back to bed. She has been having three rounds of therapy -- speech, occupational and physical daily and is pretty tired when we try to book "face time" with her at Lyngblomsten.
Meanwhile my own increasing lack of energy and oomph led my doctor to book me with a doctor who has discovered a massive growth of liver cancer and I will begin hospice care next week.
My eyes are also troubling me a lot so I'm not doing well on the computer at this time. We are grateful for all of you whose thoughts & prayers are for us. June Prange
Dec 3 2020
Below you were read of the death of Carolyn Schurr and the impending death of June Prange who was much closer to us. Carolyn and June have been close for years and done teaching in many countries. But it all started in PNG. Carolyn taught in the highlands and June on the coast. Carolyn had Parkinson's now and she died several weeks ago. There was going to be a funeral for her on Saturday and now if you read below that has changed because June herself is close to death. It is so good to remember these remarkable women.
At mom's funeral were two women from our days in New Guinea. One was June Prange who was the headmistress of Bula girls' school about 8 miles away from Malalo. She told me her memory of Mom and myself hiking at night to be with her when we heard of the death of her father. That night had stuck in her memory.
God bless their memory, Love, Dad
The following note was forwarded by Alvin (dad):
In my final in-person visit with June Prange, she shared a wish that her memorial service be held jointly with her partner Carolyn Schurr’s memorial service. A few days later, Carolyn died. Despite receiving hospice care, June was still strong. She made the decision to proceed with Carolyn’s memorial service, and the date was set for this Saturday, December 5.
In the days since, June’s situation has changed. She is now nearing the end of her life; we expect that she will die in the next several days. A wonderful hospice nurse and a core team of caregivers are providing 24-hour comfort care.
In conversation with Carolyn’s family, June’s family, and the Community of St. Martin, we’ve made the decision to postpone Carolyn’s service scheduled for this weekend and instead prepare a joint memorial service to be held in the near future. We trust that Carolyn and June’s communities will be flexible given the circumstances; we believe this honors their most deeply held wishes.
The date of the joint service will be shared by email and on CaringBridge after June dies and is received into the arms of the one who created her. Until then, please pray for June, her caregivers, and all those who need God’s tenderness. We join our voices in the prayer of Saint Augustine, saying, “Watch, O Lord, with those who wake or watch or weep tonight, and give your angels charge over those who sleep. Tend your sick ones, O Lord Jesus Christ; rest your weary ones; bless your dying ones; soothe your suffering ones; pity your afflicted ones; shield your joyous ones; and all for your love’s sake. Amen.”
Please don’t hesitate to contact Holy Trinity Lutheran Church (612.729.8358 // 2730 East 31st Street, Minneapolis 55406 // htoffice@htlcmpls.org) with questions.
With tenderness,
Pastor Ingrid Rasmussen