Their only way to clean clothes is to rub them on a flat rock
The next day many new things came up. First there was the laundry to send out, then the marketing to be done. We all rose early, got our Spanish grammars, and, by the time the woman came for the washing, we were ready to speak a few words to her about it. Then we studied what to say at the market, and my husband came home with some of the things we wanted, and some things we didn’t want, but we were learning the language right along.
I wanted to season something with butter, so called to the cook to hurry and bring it to me. I thought she was awfully slow. Hearing a great noise behind me, I turned and saw her leading the horse into the kitchen. I had asked for the horse, instead of the butter, to put into the cooking. After a hearty laugh from all of us, I went into my room for my Spanish grammar and looked up the word for butter, to be sure I should not make that mistake again.
Things were going pretty well by this time, except for the few mistakes we made occasionally.
The next thing I called for was a spoon, with which to eat my soup. They brought the broom in, and laid it on the table. I couldn’t very well eat soup with the broom, so sent it back and kept asking for a spoon, until either I had the word right, or they guessed what I wanted, I don’t know which.
We employed a teacher and every morning for a couple of hours we studied the language. This was a great help. We soon were able to ask for butter or spoons with no such mistakes, and before long we could sing and read our Bibles quite well, also give our testimonies in Spanish. From day to day we could note the progress we made in learning the language.
Then came the day when Brother and Sister Schoenich returned home. They were tired and worn, for they had been working very hard in the meetings while away, and we wished we could take all the burdens from them, and let them rest. But there were many things to attend to. They went right to printing the paper, toiling almost day and night, not sparing themselves one moment. These dear souls have come into this dark land of sin and idolatry and laid down their lives for the Gospel. Let us hold them up in prayer and by our means. Let every reader of this book breathe a prayer to God for these dear workers. Their bodies are tired and worn and they need a rest very badly. May the Lord of the harvest send forth laborers to this dark land to take their place long enough for them to have a furlough. Many were the precious lessons of faith and love we learned from them for which we praise God.
