Anna V. Blough letter to dear ones at home, Oct. 23, 1915

              Pint Ting Hsien, Shansi, China
Oct. 23,1915.

Dear Ones at Home,

This is Saturday eve, nine oclock. The Wamplers were down for a little while this eve. How 
quickly this week has gone. Did not get much done for myself this week. Mrs. Crumpacker was 
not well and so I went down every day to help care for the little English-Chinese child. Mrs. 
Wang is doing nicely, and baby too. I staid [sic] there several nights, but Mr. Wang came back so 
that he cared for them at night.

This last week and next week we are having special classes for those who will be baptized. From 
one Out Station there are eight and from another five or six. We feel ver [sic] happy over the 
results of the year. Next Saturday will be baptism and then a Communion service. We do not 
know yet how many will really be ready this time for baptism. Our cook, Lai Hsi is one. They are 
having three classes a day now and when not in class e [sic] can see them around with their 
songbooks and Bibles. It is a contrast from usual sights. The new church will not be done yet for 
some time. We expect to dedicate it the second Sunday in December. We expect Dr. Brubaker 
from Liao next Saturday. After that he and some of the men are going to make a trip to look over 
our territory.

Sunday--Did not get this finished last eve. When it was bedtime it seemed to me that I had 
gotten very little done, yet when I counted up the things they were not small in number. Before 
breakfast I went to see how the folks at Crumpackers were getting along. Then after breakfast 
and worship with the servants here I went out for a horseback ride. Had not been out for along 
time and needed the fresh air. Went out the east gate of the city, south to the corner over the big 
city ash pile, and then followed the river bed west for a long distance. The horse was feeling 
pretty good, and I had satisfaction of a good fast ride. Came back feeling fine over it. Then we 
went out to the compound bought for the hospital outside the east city wall. They are walling it 
in and it is hoped that we may put up a part of the hospital next summer. We were trying to plan 
for the arrangement of buildings. Then I came home, studied my Sunday School lesson and went 
to noon day Prayer meeting. After dinner I wrote a business letter to Liao Chou, wrote the 
minutes of the last Station business meeting, attended a Committee meeting, washed the rose 
plants with soap suds for lice, bot [sic] two little stuffed hand made cats from a woman who 
came in, washed my hair did some other washing, and numerous other little things Seems 
Saturday is always a busy day, tho things do not count for so much.

We are having a problem in our Sunday School now. Until we get into the new church we can 
not have Sunday School together, so have had the girls at the school, the boys at their school, the 
women at the Opium Refuge, and the men at the chapel. In the girls department Minerva has one 
class, the most advanced, I have a class in the primary, tho there are all sizes, one a married 
woman who has just begun school and in her school work is with those of ten years old. Then 
Mrs. Vaniman has the smallest ones. She has nine regular school girls. But our proble is the extra 
ones that come in off the street. Out in front of our gate there are usually about a half dozen 
children from three to six years old. They live close by us here. Ever time we go on the street they 
wanted us to give them a card. Used to give them a car d occassionally, but found there was no 
special use in that, so we told them if