1890-1891
South Africa, Tasmania, Australia, New Zealand
June 3rd, 1891
Christchurch, New Zealand
My Beloved Angee,
The regular mails from here are only once a fortnight but I see there is a mail being made up for Europe via Naples so hasten to write a short note hoping you may receive it as I suppose about a week after my last. Your welcome budget of April 16 came to hand last night with one from dear Arundel which was a cheer to my heart to hear that you were in good health and I hope Arundel's cold is better. I always tremble for him when I hear of any extra strain as his trip to London must have been with the dear children. All has been going on happily since my arrival here – a time of much blessing among the saints and their children and my business has been wonderfully prospered. I am trying to get finished to go by tomorrow's steamer to Wellington but hardly know if I shall be able to get all the work done. I have been out in the suburbs two evenings during the past week not returning until the early morning.
The cold is intense in some parts and all the ranges around are covered with snow. One evening I went up about 20 miles in a lonely country place where there was a brother and sister keeping a school for all the farmer's children for a large district and was surprised when I got into the school room about 7pm to find it well filled with about 50 or 60 who had come from all quarters and were much interested in the gospel. The interest in the gospel here is very marked both among people and their children – last Lord's day evening the Matron of the hospital came to the gospel, invited by a brother a chimney sweep who was there at work. A day or two after a message was brought to me that one of the nurses who is breaking bread with us would be glad if I would call at the hospital. This I did and found the matron desired that I would come and preach the gospel to all the nurses and kindly invited me to take tea with her before. So I went up this evening and received a cordial welcome and nice tea which I was glad to get and afterward most of the nurses came in and I spoke to them of the Lord Jesus and His precious blood as that which the love and mercy and compassion of God had provided for us as sinners. We had a nice time from 7 to a few minutes before 8 and then I got to the regular reading at the room only a little late. They knew where I had purposed to go. I had a deeply interesting time with the dear children again last Lord's day afternoon – never in my life did I so enjoy speaking to their dear young hearts. At the close I suggested that I would be glad to know how much they had remembered of the address and asked any who would like to write me an account and I would give a few prizes for the best. Twenty nine papers have been sent to me which have astonished me and a good many more and I think considering the ages one by a little girl only 9 years old is the best. It would do your heart strings good to read them. The subject was the ant – the conie[sic], the locust and the spider and their great wisdom.
Our birthdays have rolled round once more and we are still preserved in the great mercy and love of our gracious Father and God – the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. We know better than any words can express it, the love of each other's heart, I know yours and you know mine and where love is we can trust and delight in every thought and desire it would have for each other for love could only wish for good. The Lord bless you my dearly beloved Angee – He has done it, it is true and He will continue to do it and we do not want to keep all the good things to ourselves and so we love that our dear children may be kept little enough and empty enough to be filled with good things too. If God fills me Christ is magnified – if any other power fills me I am magnified and Christ is obscured. The Lord keep us in blessing that Christ may be all and in all. Once more with much love to your dear self, dear Arundel and Harry and Emma and all the dear children and dear friends believe me my beloved Angee.
Being very affectionate Husband
Please send the enclosed to Albert.