Thurs. Jan. 15/42

By ten o’clock there were close to 150 of us in front of the main building ready to go. We waited. We waited. We waited. It was hot. It got hotter. Finally we were told to go across the driveway and wait under the trees. We were very grateful for that. Then Ernest came out and told me something privately. He had been in the main office and heard that we were to be released to go to our own homes, a sort of voluntary confinement. We were finally called into the building and a Japanese officer gave us a nice little talk in his own language. Another official translated it. It was to the effect that the of the Japanese forces was arranging our release. We were to go home and continue our work as nearly as possible like we were before, but to bear in mind that no undue moving about the city would be allowed, and our services must be strictly religious and not political. We filled out little papers, appeared before the officer for questioning, one by one, and then were given temporary passes, which permitted us to go home. Some had transportation, but I went to the main gate to engage a carromata. While there, Leo came and called me as Ernest had finally got one of the soldiers with a truck to take us home. We arrived about six with our little luggage, thanked the soldiers and they returned. It would be hard to describe the welcome we received. Yes, there were tears of joy shed by our friends. We had a great time sitting around our own table that
evening, eating warm food and trying to tell some of the experiences which befell us in the nine days we spent in the concentration camp. When we looked back on it from a few days later it seemed as nothing. Most of our suffering came from mental anxiety and worry.