Page 17 - Malayan Story
P. 17
MALAYAN STORY
As Percy paid his first visit to a village which had been “cleared” to us by the Co-ordinating
Committee, he not only had to find a house for our missionaries to live in, but he also had to find out
the main dialect used and, if possible, get a house in an area where they would be hearing that dialect
as much as possible as they tried to learn it. He then had to find someone suitable to teach the
dialect. Obviously not everyone who could speak the dialect was able to teach it to others. In China
the missionaries had a long history of language study behind them and their study books were tried
and tested and their teachers had been teaching for many years. Malaya was different. The Mission
was starting from scratch and Percy had to make contact with members of other Missions, and with
the assistance of Dr. Canfield in Singapore, try and find enough text books to get a course started as
new workers arrived and wanted to get on with language study. Through Gospel Recordings they
were able to get a limited number of records in most of the dialects spoken in the villages, and these
were a great help in the first stumbling efforts to learn the language and preach the Gospel.
The question of holidays for new village workers had come up while Percy was still in Singapore.
The tropical climate and the tension of living under new village conditions, made it almost essential
that every two months or so workers should be able to get a complete change away from the village.
But where could they go? The ideal place was up to Fraser’s Hill or to the Cameron Highlands away
from the heat of the plains, but with the danger from guerrillas ever present and the necessity of
having to travel under Government convoy to there, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore seemed to be the
only answer for the present.
Mission policy of not building church buildings or paying church workers and evangelists, but rather
looking to the church members to do this themselves, was re-emphasized at this Conference, the aim
being to build strong indigenous churches, not dependent on western money in any way. So when
they began to see the first converst, where were they to meet and worship the Lord? It was agreed
that in unevangelised villages meetings might first be held in the home of the missionaries, but as
soon as possible, converts should take the responsibility of renting or building a place of worship
Return to Table of Contents
17
As Percy paid his first visit to a village which had been “cleared” to us by the Co-ordinating
Committee, he not only had to find a house for our missionaries to live in, but he also had to find out
the main dialect used and, if possible, get a house in an area where they would be hearing that dialect
as much as possible as they tried to learn it. He then had to find someone suitable to teach the
dialect. Obviously not everyone who could speak the dialect was able to teach it to others. In China
the missionaries had a long history of language study behind them and their study books were tried
and tested and their teachers had been teaching for many years. Malaya was different. The Mission
was starting from scratch and Percy had to make contact with members of other Missions, and with
the assistance of Dr. Canfield in Singapore, try and find enough text books to get a course started as
new workers arrived and wanted to get on with language study. Through Gospel Recordings they
were able to get a limited number of records in most of the dialects spoken in the villages, and these
were a great help in the first stumbling efforts to learn the language and preach the Gospel.
The question of holidays for new village workers had come up while Percy was still in Singapore.
The tropical climate and the tension of living under new village conditions, made it almost essential
that every two months or so workers should be able to get a complete change away from the village.
But where could they go? The ideal place was up to Fraser’s Hill or to the Cameron Highlands away
from the heat of the plains, but with the danger from guerrillas ever present and the necessity of
having to travel under Government convoy to there, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore seemed to be the
only answer for the present.
Mission policy of not building church buildings or paying church workers and evangelists, but rather
looking to the church members to do this themselves, was re-emphasized at this Conference, the aim
being to build strong indigenous churches, not dependent on western money in any way. So when
they began to see the first converst, where were they to meet and worship the Lord? It was agreed
that in unevangelised villages meetings might first be held in the home of the missionaries, but as
soon as possible, converts should take the responsibility of renting or building a place of worship
Return to Table of Contents
17
