Sending Gifts stateside for Christmas
Last Saturday we journey to Wau which is 45 miles and two grueling hours of driving up the road. They were gold mines and some sawmilling there. We stayed at the mission school for missionary children and had a good time.
Wau is at the bottom of this map where the red balloon is. Wau is south of Gurakor (near Bundun on this map). Malalo is just north of Salmauua on the coast.
1961 November 14 to Willa
Letter written by first Al Erickson then Ina Erickson from the Gurakor Mission station to Martin and Willa Tonn, 10316 Grand Ave, Minneapolis 20, Minnesota, USA
Dear Willa, Martin, Mickey, Lainey and Jenny,
Greetings in the name of the Lord of life and our salvation! Thank you so much for all your words of encouragement and news. We have so appreciated hearing from you. We’re waiting now with you to see if you just might be moving to Carlos. I know it is a shot in the dark.
There are several things but I want to tell you just to get everything straight. First of all a package for missionary equipment service in Chicago should be arriving at your place. Will you please use some of our money to pay postal charges? Next open the packages and see what is in them. If there are any tools or suitcases, these are meant to be Christmas gifts. I doubt if there will be since we ordered some specials which are probably all sold out. If there is a suitcase the first would probably go to Bruce. If there is a drill set, the first we go to Martin if he can use it. If not he can have the pump if he can use it. Whatever else there is, keep for the time being, and send us a list. We will then write you how much it cost so that you can put that on the package that you would send later. Maybe it could be sent with some other stuff will have you get by then. The main point is to give the suitcase and tools as gifts if they come. Now Ina is sending some stuff for the kids and the women folk. Some we would like you to send onto my folks and sisters. All the stuff for my mom and my sister Helen, Vicki and Greg, please send to A. S. Erickson, Box 1327, Glendive,, Montana. All the stuff to my sister Betty and her kids Carol, Arlene, Steve, and Mark please send 218856 Arata Way, Cupertino, CA. We just got your letter which I asked about the commentary on Revelations. It was the last book of the Bible by Hans Lilje. You also asked about cake mixes etc. Here are the foods that we would enjoy some good Hershey cocoa, cinnamon, thyme and for now that’s all. It’s quite surprising the variety you can get here, many things are coming in from the US. We can get Jell-O and pudding, but it doesn’t taste like American. We can even get catchup and salad dressing. You mentioned our crib. We didn’t know before it was at your place. We could use it but to get it here would cost more than it is worth. What do you suggest doing with it? Did you get my note about the rest of our money which is in the north western bank? I had mentioned about writing out a check for that amount and sending it to my sister in Glendive.
Things are starting to look up around here. Last Saturday we journey to Wau which is 45 miles and two grueling hours of driving up the road. They were gold mines and some sawmilling there. We stayed at the mission school for missionary children and had a good time. Early Sunday morning I arose, drove about 4 miles out in the hills and went from there with some natives up to a worship service which was about 1 1/2 miles up in the mountains. They sang a song for me which I didn’t understand which goes also for the rest of the service. It was held outside but for me they got a chair and put it under the eaves of a little hut. Some of the men were quite savage looking but everyone seemed quite cordial and cooperative. I gave a little talk in my best Pidgin which was none too good. Afterwards, they wanted to discuss something with me and this was done in Pidgin. I’m still not sure what it was all about but I know we reached a decision.
Nowadays we are working mostly on Jabem. I think it will be a little more interesting when we went to get the spadework taken care of.
We are glad to hear Martin put his artistic finger to work Halloween time. It seems a little egotistical to start with a pumpkin head. However, I guess some do start their career with a self portrait. If you didn’t laugh at that then you don’t have an Australian sense of humor which is strictly corny, -I’m fitting right in.
Thank you for your prayers and concerns and letters. We are seeing their fruit and thank God for his abundant strength in this new land. Soon it will be all be over in the great lover of men will overwhelm us with his presence.
Sincerely Al.
Ina continues on the other side of page with her own note...
Hi, he left a little room for me. I’m so sorry to miss Jenny‘s pranks and the other girls are growing up so much too. Have Mickey paint her name on a letter. Tommy is getting so strong. By holding onto my fingers he can pull himself up to a sitting position then I hang onto his fingers and he stiffens out and stands up. He laughs and laughs. If he’s crying and I take hold of his hands he stops and pulls himself up. Paula goes around picking all the flowers, saying pre-pre meaning pretty. Wawa for water or else Bie which is the Jabem for water and ‘no- no’ for things she’s not supposed to touch. I was trying to tell my girls to feed the dogs as it wound up I was telling them to eat them. I asked a girl the name of the refrigerator expecting a long dissertation and she simply says icebox.
Say Martin, what happened to your arm? We are waiting for a few words from you. I got a bang out of a headline written in Pidgin English- ‘I Pas long semen’. It means that the bill was passed to allow more cement for something.
All is well and we are happy and we are trying to get settled. I’ve been working on making curtains. (this sentence is smeared so I can’t read it.)
Love Ina
1961 November 18 to Estelle
Letter written by Ina Erickson from the Gurakor Mission station to Durward and Estelle Titus Box 224 Route1, Carlos MN USA
Dear mom and dad,
Hi from the Erickson‘s.
All are well but weary after a trip to Wau. Al’s first visit to a village near the missionary children’s school Katherine Lehmann School. He had an extra pair of shoes along, prepared to walk through a few streams etc. etc., lunch along for dinner a diaper bag to keep his books dry. Then found he could drive within a half hour of it and they had built a bridge across the stream so the great missionary returned dry and in time for dinner. What a let down. It was quite a drive to Wau. One lane up the side of the mountain with a wall of rock on one side and deep canyons on the other side we had so many hairpin curves. I surely I’m not very anxious to drive there again.
Katherine Lehmann School located north of Wau town. Boys dorm in back, headmasters house to the left and dining hall to the right.
One Sunday after the Horrolt’s left, the new church at the village of Gurakor, which is about a mile from here, had a dedication and communion. All the Europeans sat on benches by the altar, so I had to sit there but it turned out Al had to take Tom out. Al was supposed to help with communion only pastor Horolt had not told him what he was supposed to say and we hadn’t been prepared for it.- confessions I suppose they want. So here sits the ‘Bingsu’ Erickson through the first communion service holding his son. Quite a start wouldn’t you say?
Al and I have each lost a few pounds getting used to the new climate. I am glad for me because now I weighed what I did when I was first married. With Al’s appetite he shouldn’t lose anymore. I can’t get him filled up. Soon after meals he comes saying have you got a little something to eat.
We live on a station including house, guest house, storage building and a wood shed (A straw roof with no walls), two school buildings and then some houses the school girls and boys live in. The native teachers families live down the road about a mile in the village of Gorakor.
We are 40 miles from Lae, but you have to address our mail to Lae as our mail comes on the route from there.
Lae Missions headquaters at Ampo. Stayed at the Ampo guest house. Mail came through here Box, 80 Lae then distributed to mission stations.
We are pretty well settled down in the house now. I have to make curtains and cushions for the chairs in the living room. I have curtains that brought with in our bedroom but I have to make curtains for the kids room. The kitchen needs painting.
I am so glad for the Tupperware, otherwise we would have to chip or salt off of salted blocks and the sugar would get lumpy and dry cereal soggy. It surely was made for the tropics.
Paula weighs 26 pounds and Tommy 15 so neither are very bad off. Paula has her bottle and Tommy is still nursing. Now that we can stay in one spot we’ll have to see.
We sure miss you all and love you very much. It is so comforting when we get voice of America and can know what is going on. We love to get your letters.
Katherine Lehmann School a boarding school near Wau town. Photo from the 1960’s