The two brothers helped the missionary straighten things out a little and also strengthened the little tent so the wind couldn't blow it down. They tried to clean the old shack that the Slav had left, but it was impossible to do much with it. It did provide storage area for some of their supplies.
The two brothers had to leave him at last and return to their work in the mines in Potosi. Now the missionary was left alone in Yulo, but he had much to do. He found a quarry where he could get stones to help build a little house for when his wife, Rose, would come. The days were long and lonesome, but his Lord and Savior had promised to never leave him nor forsake him (Heb. 13:55Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. (Hebrews 13:5)). How often he would stop to ask His guidance and thank Him for His blessings.
One day while he was busy, he heard a well-known voice calling, "Hi, Honey!"
Looking up he saw his dear wife, Rose, walking towards him-alone. He ran to her exclaiming, "Honey, however did you get here!"
She looked so weary but she smiled and said, "I came by truck to Vitichi and stayed all night there; then I started very early this morning to walk here-twenty-one miles-following the directions given me by friends in Vitichi. I really couldn't wait for you any longer, Dear, knowing you were alone after the brothers arrived home in Potosi!"
What a joy it was to have her there with him. She did all she could to help build the little home and to find food to eat-a very difficult task since the Indians would not sell food to them.
Little by little the natives came nearer to watch them work. The missionaries did their best to befriend them, especially the children. They discovered the task of getting acquainted with the natives was more difficult than they had expected. The Indians in that district could speak only Quichua. They would not help them or even advise them where to find clean water.
One of the Indians, however, who spoke a little Spanish, responded to them and even offered to bring anything on his donkey whenever he went to Potosi. This was a real blessing to the young missionaries because there were so many things they could not buy in Vitichi.
The tasks of making mud bricks and sawing timber with a handsaw were very hard for the missionary, but the language barrier was the greatest trial of all. How he longed to speak to those who stood watching him work. He longed to tell them about His Lord and Savior-how He loved them and died for them, too.
Gradually they noticed the younger boys were beginning to come nearer and nearer to watch them, and they tried to show all the love and kindness they could to the children. They both prayed that in some way they might be able to reach the children.
One day while shopping in town the missionary noticed some hard candies in a bag and some different-colored marbles. He bought some of these, hoping it would help to encourage the boys to come around more and be friendly.
This really worked, for the boys would stay around to get the candy, one at a time, chattering with all their might. The marbles also helped open up communication with the boys as they taught the boys how to play the game of "shooting marbles." Often quite a war would break out when one of the boys stole a marble from another boy.
All this time the missionary carefully listened to hear certain words, which he jotted down in a little book, using Spanish orthography. After six months of prayerful listening he learned the five vowels -A E I O U. This was just the beginning, but a definite answer to prayer, for he was then able to decline nouns and conjugate verbs.
What a joy to their hearts was this beginning in communication! They praised God for His gracious undertaking thus far and knew they could trust Him to help them eventually become fluent in the Quichua language.