2-1-57
Friday

Dear John,

It was so good to get your letter yesterday and quite a surprise. I had schooled myself not to even look for one so soon as I knew what pressure you were working under. The first week is about over — only five more then a new start, eh?

There is no school today, so we have a lot going on around here. I don’t suppose that I will get much written as there are too many interruptions. Norma and Lola are here today. They expect Hesper home tonight. Her mother broke her leg before Christmas and they are just going to get the cast on her leg this week. Danny gets even more attention then ever with the extras here. Last night he wanted to sleep with Dorothy and so I yielded and let him. When I went to bed I took him out of his bed and put him in his own. He woke up during the night twice calling for Dorothy and going to go back to her bed. It was really on his mind. Roy brought over some chuck roast today since the girls are going to be here and so we are having that for dinner. Smells real good.

I must write the letters of acknowledgement today. I put it off as long as I can as I dread doing it for some reason. I never seem to sound the way I want it to sound.

Dorothy is making some molasses cookies. David pasted flannel graph pictures for me and the others have been playing games and taking turns typing. I put the machine in the kitchen where I could keep an eye on it. It is my turn now.

I have been having trouble getting the car started. Even when it is not very cold. If it keeps up I guess that I’ll have to take it to a garage. Mary pushed me Monday and Marv did on Wed. Yesterday afternoon I got it started when it was above freezing. Snowing again today.

Dale Sowers was here yesterday and I ordered a brush for you and some more wax. He brought up the subject of you teaching and marveled at you doing that. And then he asked about what we thought of smoking at the chapel and one thing led to another. We talked about an hour. He bought a $30 Bible at the fair that has lots of questions in the front and he has been reading them. He says “It tells all about the signs of the Lord’s return — and that the nations are going to line up – probably Russia against the others which the United States will be in. I don’t know what kind of Bible he has, but that interested me.

I asked him, “How does that make you feel, believing the signs are pointing to the soon return of the Lord?”

“Oh,” he said, “we’ll just take our chances whether we go to one place or another. But I believe that if you believe in something hard enough you’ll get what you want.” Sort of a psychology.

I said, “I was brought up to believe that there came a day when I had to make a decision.”

He didn’t believe that. So I asked him to finish quoting John 3:16. He had quoted that first part once trying to show that God was higher than the Lord Jesus and if God so desired he could destroy the Lord Jesus. Rather implied that Christ is God, but a secondary one. I believe it boils down to evading the fact that he is a sinner in need of a Saviour. He accepts that Christ died as the Saviour of the world – but doesn’t see that that brings the dividing line between people. Going back to John 3:16 – I tried to show that it was a personal thing – whosoever hath or hath not. A Jehovah Witness is working hard on him now. Let’s pray. He said he would read some more and talk again. Somewhere he says the Bible says we are all the sons of God. I asked him to look that up again and mark down the reference for me. Don’t know what I’ll get! Next time you are home to preach we’ll have to give him a special invite to come over. He goes to the Pres. but he says he doesn’t think much of the pastor.

Now I must close,
Lovingly, it already seems ages since you left.

Nellie