Section of Unsigned Letter to Dear Ones at Home, February 28

Section of Unsigned Letter to Dear Ones at Home, February 28

Death; Grief; Women missionaries; Faith; Future life

This letter deals with the death of the siblings' brother, Frank, who had been sick for a while. The author is concerned about her family but grateful that Frank was a Christian. She continues to talk about the women they are teaching and converting to Christianity. Mattie does a lot of reflecting on the family and how she hopes to see everyone again, regardless of illness and grief, but she can only have faith in God.

Kerr, Martha Noyes

Loose, The College of Wooster, Special Collections, Noyes Collection

Unpublished

February 28, 1876

Council on Library and Information Resources Hidden Special Collections Grant

PDF

eng (English)

Text

noyes_c_cor_596

Canton Feb 28th
Dear ones at home
It was [u] so [/u] [u] kind [/u] of
you [u] all [/u] to write to me by
the last mail, and if I could
I would write to every one of
the precious circle to night
but indeed I can not The
mail leaves in the morning
and this is the first moment
I have had to devote to answer
ing letters. I think of you all
ever so much and I feel just
how lonely you must be in
the dear house. It is the first
death in our family where we
realized the loss, the vacancy,
can not be filled here but we
shall all meet some time.
I feel as if I know just how
everything was during the last
weeks of dear brother's life as
well as it is possible to do and

oh have we not much to be
thankful for that our dear
brother left such a bright evidence
of his trust in the Saviours
love. He is in the land of the
blest and we feel one more tie
to the home Above. It has been
so hard to think that no
letters from us even reached
him after we felt he could not
long be spared. It is a trial to
be so far away when our loved
ones are sick and dying but
he does not need our ministrations
and perhaps now he knows how
our anxious hearts ached for
him, and how often our hearts
went up in prayer to the
Father that he would be near
to comfort and sustain him
when no mortal could.
Shall I have the bitter trial
of parting with more of our
dear ones ere I am permitted
to visit again the home of
my youth. Will my eyes ever
look again upon those I love

as my own life God alone
knows, may he make us ready for
his will whatever it is. Some
times the heart will [?wake?] with its
burden of sorrow. You cannot
know how I have longed just for
a little to be alone, but ever
since school commenced I
seem to have been hurried from
one thing to another with not
a moment I could scarcely call
my own. But perhaps it is well
so sometime we shall have
time enough for all we wish
to do. I always gives me a happy
feeling to think of dear dear
Frank at rest, beyond the
reach of toil or care, not another
sorrow or another tear, forever.
How you must all miss
him. Just think what a
sorrow it would be if he was
not a Christian, we have every
reason to service havent we?
What would we do without our
Saviour. He is always with us
and I know he will always

comfort my loved parents brothers
and sisters. I do not believe
many families have enjoyed
as much in each others affec-
tion as we have, and this is a
rich blessing. I feel anxious
to know whether the family
are all well have feared very
much some of the others would
be ill now the anxiety for our
loved one gone before is over
It was so nice Mother was
able to wait upon Frank so
much and that you can all
feel every think that could
possibly be done was done
for him. You can not know
how I prized your letters they
seemed to tell me every thing
Later- Since commencing this
letter I have been called to the
parlor twice to receive calls
had tea, and since tea suffered
from an alarm of fire, but found
out soon it was rather a company
of men in pursuit of a thief.
The girls and women in the

missionaries would meet at
[--this--] one and the others at the
other extremity of the Mission
Circle. This was adopted and
we were urged to remember the
one [u] object [/u] A revival of religion
in our midst. We have met
twice and it is resolved to
continue these meetings. I do
feel we may expect a blessing
if our hearts are only in the
right frame to receive it
and God can fit us to receive it.
I met a very interesting case
in one of my day schools the
other day. A woman who
some time ago hear Lillie
Happer take in one of the day
schools. She said since she
heard the gospel at that time
she had never worshiped idols
and that she prayed to Jesus
every day. She came into the
city the other day lives some
distance away and hearing
that I was going to [?Nam Mung
Ki?] to hear the scholars recite

and have a meeting she came
there. I did not notice her
particularly until after the
meeting was over and was
just coming away when I felt
impelled to stop and speak to
her when she told me this
about herself. She has now
been in the city more than a
week and nearly every day has
found her at that school where
she could listen to the instruc
tions of our bible woman Asz,
who lives there. I have given
her quite a number of religious
books to carry home with
her which she says she can
have read to her. One of my
scholars at [?Nam Mung Ki?] is a
grown woman married but has
no children. She has given
up the worship of idols she
says and I hope she may find
the way of life. The teacher of the
Boarding School seems somewhat
interested also. The other day
after I was through hearing
my pupils in the chapel

she came down stairs and sat
down and the first thing she
said was, "Have you any
books which teach people how
to pray. If you have will you
give me one? I can not
worship the gods of China any
more for I do not believe they
have power to do me any good
and I am going to tell my
family they must not say
any thing more about it. They
are constantly blaming me
because I do not worship my
ancestors but I neaver can do
that again" But she added
"I do not believe in Jesus yet."
Oh what a blessing it would be
if we could see her brought to
the Savoiur. I know you
will remember her in prayer,
dear Father and I have such
confidence in your prayers
for I have the promise "they
will avail much." We meet
with disappointments here as
elsewhere sometimes we have
great hopes of a person and then

they turn back again, until one
often feels as if we would never
write anything about any one
but there were 5 foolish virgins
and so we must not be discour-
aged if the seed is sown and
afterwards no fruit is seen.
I have been so comforted
lately by the thought that no
[u] real [/u] [u] earnest [/u] prayer offered in
faith is ever [u] forgotten [/u]. The most
precious gift we can receive is
the gift of the power to lead souls
to trust in Christ for Salvation
or perhaps I ought not to put it
in that way but Paul had the
power to which I refer, and I am
sure it seems to rest upon
Moody and Sankey in our own
times. The last mail brought
the sad intelligence of the death
of dear Aunt Toa, not sad for
her only for those who remain
I hope to write to Aunt Nancy
to night how very lonely she
will be. But it will not be
long, the sisters will be separa-
ted but a little moment and

will have Henry and Hattie
with you in less than two
weeks now. Hope you are all
counting the days and how
much there will be to day.
Do not have [u] one [/u] [u] anxious [/u]
moment about [u] me [/u] I can
not bear that any shadow of
my making should rest upon
the hearts of the dear ones.
I am very happy in my
work and although it is by
no means done as I would
like to do it, it still gets on
and that is all we dared to
hope for this year at least
We still have rain. I think
we have had but 1 clear
day for 60 days, and to partial-
ly so. My schools commenced
the 15th of Feb and I have been
to them but once when
I was without fear of rain
It is getting too dark to write
more. I read over the verses you
composed about my leaving home
and meeting Henry and Hattie last

then no more parting. How
soon dear Frank can wel-
come one of his kindred to
the heavenly [?home?] and I feel
sure they will recognize each
other and may we not feel
they will often hold converse
about the dear ones left behind.
How much you all miss
our dear precious Frank
I feel so anxious that this
affliction may make me more
faithful in work for the
Master. We know not the strength
of our love till the object is
removed and I cannot help
praying I may meet the rest
of the circle once more.
Oh Father you know not
how my heart is bound up in
my loved parents. My prayer
is Spare them spare them until
we meet again but sometimes
I feel as if it was selfish to
desire to detain you here
when your lives have had so
many shadows. I hope you

[Continued vertically on the tenth page]
night am so happy you wrote



广州 2 月 28 日 亲爱的在家的各位 非常好心，
用最后一封邮件给我写信，
如果可以的话，
我会写信给每个宝贵的圈子，
直到晚上，
但我确实不能 邮件在早上离开这是我第一次必须致力于回信。
我一直很想你们，
我觉得你们在这所亲爱的房子里一定是多么孤独。
这是我们家的第一次死亡，
我们意识到损失，
空缺，
在这里无法填补，
但我们都会有时间见面。
我觉得我好像知道在亲爱的兄弟生命的最后几周里一切都过得怎么样，
以及可以做的事情，
哦，
我们亲爱的兄弟留下了如此鲜明的证据，
证明他对救世主爱。
他在最幸福的土地上，
我们觉得与上面的家又有了联系。
很难想象在我们觉得他无法幸免之后甚至没有收到我们的信。
当我们所爱的人生病和垂死但他不需要我们的服侍时，
离他很远是一种考验当凡人无法做到时，
他会靠近安慰和支持他。
在我被允许再次访问我年轻的故乡之前，
我是否应该经历与更多亲人分开的痛苦考验。
我的眼睛是否会再次将我所爱的人视为我自己的生命，
只有上帝知道，
但愿他让我们为他的旨意做好准备。
有时，
心会因悲伤的重担而醒来。
你不知道我是多么渴望一个人独处，
但自从开学以来，
我似乎从一件事匆匆忙忙赶到另一件事，
没有一刻我几乎不能称之为自己的。
但也许这很好，
所以有时我们会有足够的时间去做我们想做的一切。
想到亲爱的弗兰克在安息，
我总是给我一种幸福的感觉，
这超出了辛劳或关心的范围，
而不是另一场悲伤或另一场眼泪，
永远。
你们一定多么想念他。
试想，
如果他不是基督徒，
那将是何等的悲哀，
我们有充分的理由去服侍，
不是吗？如果没有我们的救主，
我们会怎么做。
他总是和我们在一起，
我知道他会永远安慰我亲爱的父母兄弟姐妹。
我相信没有多少家庭像我们一样享受彼此的感情，
这是一个丰富的祝福。
我很想知道这个家庭是否一切都很好 非常担心其他一些人会生病 现在对我们所爱的人的焦虑已经过去 妈妈能够如此多地等待弗兰克真是太好了所有人都觉得每一个可能的想法都是为他完成的。
你不知道我是如何珍惜你的信，
他们似乎告诉了我一切后来-自从写这封信以来，
我两次被叫到客厅接电话喝茶，
因为茶遭遇火灾警报，
但很快就发现了这更像是一群追捕小偷的人。
传教士中的女孩和妇女将在传教圈的另一端相遇。
这被采纳了，
我们被敦促记住一个目标——我们中间的宗教复兴。
我们已经开过两次会，
并决定继续这些会议。
我确实觉得，
如果我们的心只有在正确的框架中接受它，
并且上帝可以使我们适合接受它，
我们可能会期待一个祝福。
前几天我在我的一所走读学校遇到了一个非常有趣的案例。
一位女士不久前听说莉莉·哈珀（Lillie Happer）上了一所走读学校。
她说，
自从那时她听到福音以来，
她从未拜过偶像，
每天都向耶稣祈祷。
前几天她来到城里，
住在不远的地方，
听说我要去南梦基听书生​​诵经，
开会她就来了。
直到会议结束后，
我才特别注意到她，
当她告诉我关于她自己的事情时，
我感到有必要停下来和她谈谈。
她现在已经在城里一个多星期了，
几乎每天都在那所学校找到她，
在那里她可以听我们住在那里的圣经女性 Asz 的指导。
我给了她很多宗教书籍带回家，
她说她可以读给她听。
我在 Nam Mung Ki 的一位学者是一位已婚但没有孩子的成年女性。
她已经放弃了她所说的对偶像的崇拜，
我希望她能找到生活方式。
寄宿学校的老师似乎也有点兴趣。
前几天我在教堂里听完我的学生后，
她下楼坐下，
她说的第一句话是，
“你有没有教人们如何祈祷的书。
如果有，
你能给我一本吗？我不能再崇拜中国的神了，
因为我不相信他们有能力对我有任何好处，
我要告诉我的家人，
他们不能再多说什么。
他们一直在责备我，
因为我不崇拜我的祖先，
但我再也不能那样做了。
”但她补充说：
“我还不相信耶稣。
”哦，如果我们能看到她被带到救主面前，
那将是多么幸福啊。我知道你会在祈祷中记住她，
亲爱的父亲我对你的祈祷充满信心，
因为我有过“他们会大有裨益”的承诺。
永远不要写任何关于任何人的事，
但有 5 个愚蠢的处女，
因此，如果播下种子，
然后没有结果，我们一定不要灰心。
最近，
我感到非常安慰，
因为从来没有真正真诚的信仰祈祷我们能得到的最宝贵的礼物是引导灵魂相信基督而得救的能力的礼物，
或者也许我不应该这样说，
但保罗有我提到的能力，
我确信在我们自己的时代，
似乎依赖于穆迪和桑基。
上一封邮件带来了亲爱的托阿阿姨去世的悲伤消息，
不是为她而悲伤，
只为那些留下来的人。
我希望今晚写信给南希阿姨，
她会多么孤独。
但这不会太久，
姐妹俩会分开一会儿，
现在不到两周就会有亨利和海蒂和你在一起。
希望你们都在计算日子，
以及今天会有多少。
不要让我有任何焦虑的时刻，
我无法忍受我造成的任何阴影落在亲爱的人们的心上。
我对我的工作很满意，
虽然它并没有像我想的那样完成，
但它仍然在继续，
这是我们敢于希望的，
至少今年我们仍然有雨。
我想我们在 60 天里只有 1 天晴天，
而且部分如此。
我的学校是 2 月 15 日开学的，
我去过那里，
但有一次我不怕下雨，
天黑了，
写不下去了。
我读了你写的关于我离开家并最后一次见到亨利和海蒂的诗句，
然后不再分开。
亲爱的弗兰克多快能欢迎他的亲人到天堂的家，
我相信他们会认出彼此，
但愿我们不会觉得他们会经常谈论留下的亲人。
你们多么想念我们亲爱的弗兰克，
我非常焦虑，
希望这种痛苦能让我更加忠心地为主工作。
直到对象被移除，
我们才知道我们爱的力量，
我不禁祈祷我可以再次遇到这个圈子的其他人。
哦，
父亲，
你不知道我的心与我亲爱的父母是如何联系在一起的。
我的祈祷是在我们再次见面之前放过他们放过他们，
但有时我觉得当你的生活有如此多的阴影时希望将你拘留在这里是自私的。
我希望你[在第十页垂直上续]晚上很高兴你写的

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