iiTom letter received at Youngstox^ra Hov.

28,1951
M.i(x Paciiic, B'ov. 8
Lear Polks,
Tonie,lit we xvill cross the international date line and I am celebrat
ing Dy typing my lirst letter using the newly leaxned touch system. It
has been more than tv/o weeks since v/e have seen land, ana v/e have no
certainty of seeing any before we reach the Philipines on the 19th.
God has been very good to us. So far there he.s been neither storm^if
nor mishap, .nd we have suffered no physical ailments. It was good to ^
have your letter awaiting us xvhen we got to Cristobal, and we are eager^
anticipating further mail when we get to Manila,
You ma,y vvonder how we occupy our time. We arise at 5s45 in order to
view the beautiful Pacific sunrises. Prom 6:50 to 7:30 we study Chinese.
Typing class follows breakfast at 8s30, and the rest of the morning is
occupied with Bible study and Prench, Pollowing our afternoon siesta we
read the books that we brought along and take care of such odds and ends
as washing and ironing. Our evenings are free for exercise, games and
letter writing. We really have had no time to get bored.
hov. 17, At dawn Thursday we got a glimpse of Saipan, our first glimp
of land since we left Panama, and it has been three weeks since we have
seen another ship, but tomorroxv vre arrive in Manila, There have been nary
interesting sights along the way though, myriads of flying fish, a schod
of porpoises, some seals, some luminous creatures that have a green glow
and even a whale. The bird life has been interesting also, A pair of
booby birds made the front mas't their home for a few days. e have also
watched various speeies of fishing birds as they follow the schools of
fish. Glorious sunsets and brilliant moonlight have adaed unbelievable
beauty to the voyage. In a way we regret seeing the trip draw to a do
It has been wonderful to have Mrs. Voth -with us as she has contribute
much valuable information on what to expect when we get to Siam, She is
sincere ana has become interested in Hew Testament Christianity, althougi
it is hard for her to conceive of a church that is not a denommhitidnn.
The three of us have.worship services in our cabin each Lord^s day. The
officers of the ship have tried to get us involved in religious discus
sions and we have had a number of good opportunities to witness for the
Lord, Last night I had a long discussion with the Second Mate, a young
man who is hungry fdr the truth. V/e are praying that these brief contact
xvill bring forth fruit.
Sunday, H6v, 18, Today dawned bright and beautiful as Samar, the firdi
of the Philipines loomed into view, ,,, Terra firma is a wonderful sight
and we think we have an inkling of how Columbus felt, .. It has been in
teresting to see the nipa-thatched huts and the checkerboard fields on
the inhabited slopes,
\7e iiaa services in our cabin at 10;00 this morning. We regret not
imving reached Manila in time to attend services there. We will enter ^
Manila bay tonight, but ?/ill not be allowed ashore until morning and as
the ship is scheduled to leave at 7sOO tomorrow evening we will not have
much time to visit. This is especially disappointing because Ruth Smith
is from Dorothy's home town, ...
How wonaerful it is to have the assurance of doing the Lord's willl
Bach day seems to draw us closer to Him. The calendar verse on the day
of our sailing was Gen. 2Ssl5, ( Behold I am with thee and will keep th
whithersoever thou goest.) bhat a wonderful promise it is! All the
pangs oi parting seem as nothing to the joyous anticipation that fills ^
our lives as we prepare to take His message to those who have not heard.
You are daily in our prayers
(Signed) Your children
Garland and Dorothy