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Show from a nearby town and set it up for a platform in the west end of the boys school'yard. There, on the day before Christmas, we had our big afternoon for the children for all our Religious Education classes in the different villages, the farthest a mile and a third away. Christmas Eve we dramatized the Christmas story with many carols woven in. Our worship services we had at the church but all afternoon Christmas Day and most of the next day they had plays at the school; plays on hygiene, idol-worship, literacy, superstition and such subjects, with crowds out to see them. Every-one seemed to think it well worthwhile and we certainly sold the idea of home talent plays. I haven't told you about out Harvest Home Festival, nor about teaching folks to knit, nor about the grand send-off we had yesterday with flags and horns and drums and crowds and tears to see us off, but this letter is most long enough. It is going to be a sort of come-down to work anywhere else but it will be an encouragement too to have seen what can be done. For more general Lintsing news. The Wickes and Gilbert families moved to Tehchow in November as the first step in combining the Lintsing and Tehchow stations. We three singletons are to move sometime this spring. Dr. Cooke is due for furlough then and it has not yet been decided where Miss Nelson is to be located, so they are not to move until time for Dr. Cooke's furlough. As my work was in the Lintsing field anyway it was more convenient to have my things here, so I am still here and probably shall be until early summer. Please don't hesitate to write to me for fear I am out in the country or have moved to Tehchow, for either Lintsing, Shantung, or Tehchow, Shantung, will reach me wherever I am. If we wern't so busy it would be a bit lonesome with only the three of us here and much of the time I am out in the country but we keep too busy to have time to fret. Next week I am off to Peiping for a North China Religious Education Committee meeting and incidentally to get some dental work done and some new ideas and some hayseed out of my hair. Soon after I get back, will come our annual station meeting for our whole Lintsing field and then early in March I will be off to our northwest field, to Hung Kur, for another three months. I had thought I would tell you of the new three-year plan for our church work in this field but as it is mostly plans and only just getting under way, I will wait and tell you about that as it really works out. We have just had word that ten more missionaries must go Home from our North China Mission but we do not yet know who they will be. Naturally I hope I Won't be one of them for I am muchly interested in this job and think it well worth the shivers. Life these days is like bobbed hair, just one cut after another. If only our work appropriations and salaries would grow as fast between cuts as my hair does! It is hard sometimes to see how all these things are going to work together for good but we trust and pray that they will. I wish I could feel sure our'folks in America were praying as earnestly as our folks in Fu Jen Chai for there is nothing we need out here now as much, not even money, as scarce and important as salaries for workers and travel money such seem now. Fortunately our prayers are not dependent on the size of our pocket books! We are counting on you. As ever, yours, Alice E. Murphy |