I was thrilled when I arrived at the Mission Home because I have always loved “old” things. It was the greatest house I’d ever seen. I loved the way the rooms were so cozy with old furniture, just like in my grandparent’s home. I also loved the dining room where everyone came together to eat their meals and share the days events. I thought, “This must have been what it was like in times past, families sitting together and sharing.” I was delighted beyond belief.
Darwin and I and our daughter, Jeanette, were given the third floor apartment, the one facing Clifton Avenue. We were tired after the long car trip from Washington and a bit overwhelmed by the fact that in the morning a group of men and women would decide our future at the directorate meeting. I remember sitting in a rocking chair in the bedroom thinking of all the missionaries that had sat in that very chair before me and a sense of awe came over me that I will never forget.
The next morning we woke up at 6:14am. We were due next door in the Map Room at 6:30am. How could we have overslept? No time to think, just throw on clothes and go! Maybe it was better that way.
I don’t remember anything that happened during the interview, only that we were accepted. We were on our way. How excited we were! We were officially part of the WMPL family. However, we had two years of studies before leaving for Mexico.
One of those years we spent in an apartment in the Coach House. We home schooled Jeanette who was in 11th grade. She found her first job on Nicolet Avenue at Bruegger’s Bagels. The Paul Hagen’s were in the Mission Home for a year as well so Jeanette became friends with their children. Darwin and I attended the seminary and Bible School in Plymouth with the Association of Free Lutherans and we assisted St. Paul’s Lutheran at 1901 Portland Avenue. What a year it was for all of us! Friends, work, a great church family, living at the mission and helping in the office, briefing course, and Hunky Dory.
During this time we were privileged to get to know so many members of the WMPL family. We were given lots of good counsel. One that sticks in my mind came from a chat we had in the livingroom of the Mission Home with Joyce Ruohomiemi who was hostess at that time. She told us that when you get to the mission field all the crud floats to the top. If you have any problems that aren’t worked out before you go, be assured that they will surface after your arrival on foreign ground. We prayed that the Lord would bring the crud to the surface before we left and He answered that prayer. It was a hard time for us but we had the WMPL family and many helped us through it. We give thanks to God for being a part of his family and for being a part of the WMPL family.