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Show i Lintsing Shantung China Jan. 1st 1922 My dearest dear Family, Happy Happy Mew Year to you each and a l l . How I would l i k e to say-i t instead #:f writing i t l I try to imagine what yon are each one doing today and am so glad for a l l tb.e l e t t e r s and kodak p i c t u r e s that have made you seen nearer. Hasn't i t been a / i ^ X # ^ # / W / y e a r / of important t h i n g s ? - t h at make us both f l e d --nd sad. I a: proud of you, j u s t l o t s , and g r a t e f u l for a New Yesr and a new chance to try to he more of the things I love and admire in you. I am tempt* to be discourseed whta I think about how f&ulty $,he past lias been ,but I am determined that i t shall not e n t i r e l y spoil the future, for G-odts plan i s that each of us should be ureful surely, and His power able to take us so. I s t a r t e d to write t h i s early t h i s morning,but i t being lew Years 0 Day was also the day for the Chinese church people to wash us Happy Hew Year and so the minutes before church, time were mostly full with sreeti®g them, I wish you could have seen the* too-the eighty g i r l s of the schools,the twenty wo is of the S t a t i tB Class, the bunch of boys whom. Dr Helliwell ie teaching to we-ve ruga and t i e tennis nets ( some h o s p i t a l pr-tients who have h; /W been crippled, and have no other su port,and some those from very poor homes and those hardly over the Famine s t r u g g l e / , l i t t l e l r d s from trie Day 'School, l i t t l e neighbor children, church women from near and far and an ole blind .im (flit one wh« l i k e s to s i n , the doxalo£iy, fjusie) with his wife ana l i t t le ' •' )\ r r l o fro i vi « V ', - | B toe country, trie Hospitel folks. *-tia Qurw front t&«t#4 -hers. It It wonderful, the kindness and fri^ ndshijb *in theiir faces, and ought to §t| r t tile Year with a g r a t e f u l heart.. Last night we watched the Old f e a r out ft our house, tho not a l l the foreigner* coula ace p% the i n v i t : t i o n to join, ff$$ Ethel did play so b e a u t i - f u l l y for us. At il&BlgBt we thought we would introduce a new custoae and fjtjk went and n Bg the church b e l l . About aawn the boys at the school seat off ,/'-rds of f i r e - c r a c k e r s to express t h e i r joy! The church people seemed to understand', t h e i r s b e t t e r than ours! This P.M. I h ve brought ay Corona over to the G i r l s School and am writing in E t h e l ' s stu.Iy, l- i t i t s voic: IB1 witQ nz-.oL net Sunuey rest for tin folks et our house. Ruth Van Kirk U: having a birthday. The Chinese count t h e i r ggefl | i t u r r e e e d on the H#w l e e r , and you see she feegaB to do things Chinese style * •*"< w r £3: nma! Most of you ;r •/• i:-r& hen- Alma Cooke's s i s t e r froas India cane t h is • y enroute for America. Since she had to Slave an operation in Peking,Alma brought the two children litre f i r s t , t h e n th B#tB.#f * no l a t n r c; me 1* t< r. i'hey are on the P a c i f i c now and expf-et to be in Calif, these months. They a n such nic p ©pie, I hop« JOA J son- of p a pio ! . Mr Be^rixr er is t o R,jricultur- l i s t , •-nd hopes to worn in Vocational schools when he goes to India ig IB, ! b by *i juet over a year, • nd ic.-rned to take a few steps while 'he --e. L i t t l e Hester was at sweet ai B p^ey,and full of mischief aBA cut l i t t l e re^ rice too. % he cool &&JS were'" nice and cold"to the i i t t l India g i r l . E r B. had a Ford in Ifi&li and was able to help Mr Et t v ; i understand the Lint sine, Hiatal a* b e t t e r . Dr Pencuiton Wat here for a few days staring tfctir e t e y , f o r she escorted then down on a house-boat from 'honow, ffcW j i r l e ere pi yinv, J a c ; tt#B ouion to t tsHHI you sec i t is not the coldest Janur.ry weather! i . 3 no snoi yet*but some white fp f r o s t s that lo >ked l i k e i t a snort t i tt#aB< Ice t h a t secnas reaey for ek s c tiag* I t hardly it ^e 11 i n r - - t ^ ' i -on tc n i l i be wat«alB£ for tlg&t of spring, I wish you coalo yiTi shared in the plans of the n Presents com. i t t e e 14 durin.. tfet ft fl N f0 ?c C h r i s t - - c . Mot t h a t I aft f o r g e t t i n g how some of you die shore in the boxes that oene-but I wis ft you could have enjoyed tnem at t h i s end too! I d i d n ' t do ranch else those days ana tea t l o t of Chinese helpers too aaklBg l i s t s and sorting g i f t s and wr- >lBg aBt * tlag on ihie bright r< pa er witn 1 - u s e , s o r t i n g the Sards and planniBg the d i s t r i b u t io You couldn't have said the room looked neat,but you would have lined i ts f t s t i v e n e s s l There were over a thousand remembered in a l l ! The very day of |