Brussells
Dec. 8,1920
Dear Mother and Daddy:
This is not likely to be a very long letter as we are getting ready to leave. Dot has written you that we have packed up and sent away our trunks today. And now we are leaving tomorrow about 2:00 P.M. for Antwerp. Our boat does not sail until Saturday at 1:00 P. M. but we want to spend one day there looking around.
You should have seen Dot when your letter came last week. She began to jump up and down and sideways and other ways. We were both considerably glad to get this letter, for it has been two months since we had your last letter in London (addressed to White's Bible Training School.)
Leaving Antwerp the 11 th we should reach Matadi (our Congo port) about the first of January. Then allowing ten days in the lower Congo, and two weeks to reach Luebo from Kinshassa (on what is called "Stanley Pool," it will be nearly the first of February before we reach Luebo. Of course, we shall write you along the way and no doubt have opportunity to mail letters at places where we stop. This boat on which we are going, the "Anversville," is the same boat on which I came back from the Congo; it is a right nice boat and the accommodations are good. She is not as large as the "Caronia," so of course there will be more motion. The "Caronia" was almost as smooth as a house on land. The food on the ".Anversville" while not as fancy as that on the "Caronia” will be first class.
Sunday night we met a Miss Karlsson who was out on our field, in fact we were on the same station together, so you may know that I was glad to see her. She is Swedish, but has been working on our field until her Society gets located. Then Mr. and Mrs. Karlsson (but not related to Miss Karlsson), also Swedes but with another Mission Society, whom I also knew in the Congo." They are also going out on the "Anversville." Miss Karlsson is going to work on our field for a while at least. She is a fine character and I'm sure Dot will like her. It's good to meet some of my Congo acquaintances, and to be with someone we know on the boat.
We have gotten just about everything we feel we need (and of course some things we don't need.) I'm afraid if we stay here much longer we will get a good deal that we do not need. We now have the following baggage; Dot's wardrobe trunk, my steamer trunk, the big black trunk we bought in New York (just a little larger than Dot's big trunk), a small trunk I had, and another smaller trunk we had to buy here, and a box containing our dishes, then of course our hand baggage (and pocketbooks.)
We are sending you in another envelope some pictures taken on our trip to Ypres, which we trust will reach you with this letter. They are not all good, but they are interesting.
It's time to retire as we have had a big day ahead of us in getting off to Antwerp. There are of course a number of things to do, so I'll say good night.
With much love,
B.M.
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