Sajikkol, Seoul, Korea,
November 19, 1929.
Dear father and mother:
vesterday I received two letters fro^ you. which seemed
unusually interesting. And when we came 'back' from +he Worker^'
Prayer Retreat last Thursday the package of books was. here,
and it was qui+e a thrill to see them.  I am greatly pleased
with them in every way.  But I think I will have to'ask you
for a few more.  I ^m sorry to trouble you, but I am thinking
that if we have a Christmas gathering at the Swinney's as we
had last year at Chulwon, these books will come in very handy
to give out as presents there. That will exhaus4- this supply,
and there are a few others to whom I should give copies who
will not be included in that group.  If I do^not give these
books there, I shall have to buy some inconsequential toys that
will be just a waste of mone^.
vu Chung Chul came in a day or two ago, and I greeted
him wi+h one of the books. He was quite pleased and we read
his story through, while I explained difficult pferases. Then
J he told me how he was netting up every morning at five o'clock
j and going into the Seminary building to pray-- pray for his
j father and mother and wife, the Korean church, and himself and
the work of he day. He said before he came here he asked that
God would guide the conversation and grant some special blessing.
And behold, here was this'book which n~od had ^e^e- waiting for him'.
"It's a miracle'.'1 he sQid.
He brought with him father's letter and read It to me.
He particularly liked +he paragraph about 0-od' s surely providing
for his needs and the one about the persecution of Christ and
the early Christians. He also showed me a cop,r of the picture
which he sent you; said it was taken while he was physically
run down from his hard work last summer.  It was fairly good,
except that I never saw him with such a sad expression. He is
always bright and smiling. He snid he was going to send you another
better picture.  It was srood of you to have prints made of your
pictures for him, and I want *o thank you.
It is a little after nine now in the evening, and I want
to break in here with a word about the cries of the hot bread
merchant on the street which I hear passing just now. Every
\  evening he goes by  about this time, with his same musical call.
* I say he hits hot bread to sell, but that doesn't convey the idea
at all; "noodles" would come closer +o describing Korean bread.
; And these cold winter evenings many people like to buy and eat
! this warming food,  ^ut there is a pathetic sadness in "he sound
as I hear it, because, as Pyung vong told me, it often meant a
poor student out in the bitter wind and snow earning mo.ne,T for
school.  Oriental life is so full of sadness.
Just as I was about ready to ea t supper +his evening a
i boy called at the door and brought the two boxes you sent, and
their long journey from America was at last finished.  I made my
fourth trip down to -the offices yesterday morning to see about
them.  The" first time I got them* sent from Chemulpo to Seoul, the
next time I made a declaration of their contents and asked to have
' them sent here right away, the third time I had to go and see them
opened and write the name of every book and the author and price,
the number and value of the Jars, etc The fourth time I went to