translation

You can trust me. Here I solemnly pledge to you that I have never pursued this assignment. Instead, I took pain to make every effort to avoid it. Not only because I don’t want to separate from you and the family, but also because I know the responsibility is so big that that is out of my ability to fulfill. Besides, the far-reached happiness from decade of seeking on the road would never match the real happiness I get by spending time together with you at home. Nevertheless, since fate has given me this mission, I hope, I can achieve something by taking on this task.

I will trust my fate in my God who has been protecting and blessing me, and I truly believe that I will return to you safe and sound this fall. I won’t have any complaints to the dangers and hardships of the expedition, but I do feel sad knowing you must be worrying about me when you are home alone. Therefore, I beg you to gather all your courage and live happily as much as you can. There will be nothing more comforting to me than knowing that you are happy, and learning your happiness from your own writing.