Sadly I do not have any letters telling of Mummy’s first adventures and
cultural adjustment in India. I can imagine a little farm young lady from Wisconsin being thrown into
Calcutta’s big city life had many!
The next letter is May 1, 1939 from a lady that Mummy lived with in India, maybe the lady in the bottom picture?
My dear Mrs. Scott, (Mummy’s Mother)
Greetings in the Name of Jesus. I know that you will be glad to
have a little letter from me. I have the joy of knowing your dear
daughter Eunice and felt that I would like to assure you she is alright and
that God is leading her step by step in this large city of Calcutta.
Perhaps you will have heard that Dorothy Whitner is far from well and has
really not been fit since her arrival in India. It may be essential for
her to return to the USA and in that case be assured that Eunice will not be
left desolate and until the Council make definite plans, I will do all I can to
assist her. I am a missionary and have been in Calcutta since 1934
and so have a little insight into things as they are in this needy land of
India.
My work is in connection with HOMELESS and FRIENDLESS INDIAN WOMEN AND
GIRLS… such needy ones. Will you uphold them in prayer and
ask that by LOVE they may be lead to Jesus Christ. May God bless
you and keep you in HIS OWN PEACE.
Yours in His Great love,
Janet B. Leach (Miss)
Mummy speaks of being at Mulvany House. This is what we find on the internet about Mulvany House now.
Mulvany House |
|
  The Mulvany House was established in 1899 by the Calcutta Women's Missionary
Association, an interdenominational Society for Lady
Missionaries. The Home was opened for homeless and friendless Indian Women and girls and had a
three-fold purpose - a Home for aged widows, a preventive Home for those in
moral danger and a Rescue Home for those who had fallen. It is a charitable
and non-profit making organisation. In 1970, the House became part of the Church of North
India under the Diocese of Calcutta.
It is located at 11, Dr. Kartick Bose Road, Calcutta - 700 009.
 
Today the Mulvany House has become a safe heaven for the aged
and desolate woman of our society. There are plans to better the place and
provide a much wider array of facilities to the woman residents in future. We
need all of your prayer and support to better this home to serve the mothers
of our society in a much better way in the coming years.
For monthly rental and other queries contact:
Mulvany House, C/o., Mr. P. Mukhuty,
Bishop's House, 51, Chowringhee Road, Kolkata - 700 071.
 Ph.: +91-9831481294/ 9830713176 |
|
Letter from Mummy…..
11 Corries Church Lane, Off Amherst Street
Calcutta, Monday PM, Sept 4, 1939
Dear Mother and all,
Your letter dated Aug 18 reached me today and how very welcome it was
because I don’t think I’ve been getting your others, as this was the first one
for almost 2 months. Janet just heard today that some planes (mail)
had gone down so evidently your letters were on that. You of course have
the sad news of war by this time. We get it direct by Radio from
London out here ( that is when someone who has a Radio comes and takes us
in to listen.) We went last night to Mr. Weisses (one of the men who go
to the Russell St. Meeting) and heard N. Chamberlan and the King speak.
English people out here are feeling it very much, naturally. Many of them
will have loved ones right in London where the Air raids will be carried on
again, and many of them have been through the last war and know what it is
like. I hope the States won’t get in, but we do not know how long
they will be able to stay out. But this much we know, “our God is still
on the throne And He remembers His own.”
Do you have the Radio going now so that you get the news? Prices of
everything out here went up over-night.
Janet’s father and mother and her sister and husband live right in the
heart of London, but they will very likely be moved out. She has not
heard so does not know for sure. All the children have been moved out of
London.
The Air Mails going out are down to one or two a week and the rates put sky
high, so that means no more letters via England. Better send yours by
regular mail, too; as I’ll be more sure to get them. I wonder if
you will get my last ones which I sent via England. This one of yours
that came this morning came through alright that way, but we cannot be sure of
it at all now.
I was glad to hear you had a telephone call from John. I’m sorry you
didn’t get to talk with him, after he got the call through. I wonder how
he ever found out where to call. I suppose he just gave the address he
had. I haven’t heard since he called. Had a letter while he
was in Wheaton in school this summer. Dorothy DuVall was there, too, did
I tell you and she wrote about him being there. He was evidently on his
way back to Dallas when he called you. It is very precious to me to
know it is all in God’s loving hands, and His very best He will give, I know
that, for He has proven it to me before. Dorothy said he talked much this
summer about Canada and she had a feeling that that was where he would work,
but I know he is seeking God’s voice in the matter, and He never makes a
mistake in His guidance does He? We need to pray much about it… I
have told Janet and she is praying, too. I hope it is still a
secret just for the home circle however, because I wouldn’t like everyone to
know.
His last letter was very good. His Dallas address is 3909 Swiss
Ave, Dallas Texas. I wish you would write him a letter and tell him you received
the call, because it was very thoughtful of him, wasn’t it?
Tuesday 5th
Yesterday was a red-letter day for me. Your last letter came first in
the morning. Then when Janet and I came home from prayer-meeting there
were the other two letters, with Dottie’s too. I was so thrilled.
The pictures are so good. My how baby has grown. He must weigh a
lot as he looks so solid. I suppose the “Big Man” is going to school by
this time. He surely does look to be all boy in the pictures where his
hair is cut. I just wanted to eat him up and so did Janet. We
were looking……(no more to that letter :( Shari)
There are some of Mummy’s comments about this time in the Grandkids book….
While I was in India for three years he (Daddy) kept writing every few
months and then one day a letter came in which he asked me if I thought we
might work together in India. I wasn’t sure if that was a proposal or
not, but I wrote back and told him how when we were in Moody together that
summer the Lord had spoken to me one night that I was to go to India to work
with Jews and that he would come too, and we would be married. In less
that a year, he was on his way out.
I have an excerpts… one paragraph from a letter to her sister Marjorie….
“How I wish you could see some of the lovely little Indian babies here
- you would just love them. I made one a little sun suit the
other day and am making a little dress for another. I’m going to
see a brand new one in the Hospital today. They are so wee when they are
born – not nearly so big as an American baby.”
Next time we will see what Daddy is doing through these years and then hit
1942 when Daddy and Mummy were married. Shari
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