Page 21 - Malayan Story
P. 21
MALAYAN STORY
church in Johore Bahru, they can occasionally get help from the young people there. Betty also has a
group of ‘Keenites’ aged 9 – 14 years old and they are being encouraged to learn Scripture for which
they get prizes.”
Although several villages east of the main road had been occupied during the past year, we did not
turn off to visit them because our time was limited, so the next place to stop at was the village of
Cha’ah. Before getting there we passed Yong Peng where the Presbyterians have work, and where
at that time an elderly Presbyterian lady was living alone. Percy spoke very warmly of her and told
me a funny story of one of his visits to her. Communist guerrillas had broken into the village the
previous night and got away with a large supply of food. Sir Gerald Templar was furious and came
down first thing in the morning in his helicopter from Kuala Lumpur to investigate. He called a
meeting of the whole village and, while Percy and the missionary lady were enjoying a quiet cup of
tea together, their peace was suddenly rudely broken by an official “invitation” (command?) from Sir
Gerald to go immediately to the central hall to act as his interpreter.
She obeyed at once and Percy went with her. She was escorted to the platform where Sir Gerald, his
blue eyes flashing fire, lost no time in beginning. His speech in English did not mince matters, and
perhaps forgot the presence of the lady at his side, for it was filled with very forceful military
expletives, promising in no uncertain terms that if somebody did not come forward with information
which would enable him to catch the culprits, the whole village would be put under strict curfew.
The contrast between him and the quiet lady at his side could not have been greater, and suddenly he
seemed to realise it. He stopped abruptly, turned and looked at her and said, “You’re not telling
them everything I’m saying.” She looked at him and quietly but firmly said, “I’m telling them
everything that’s good for them.” He turned back to his audience, but Percy noticed that his
language was not nearly as colourful after that, and later he apologised to her as he thanked her for
the help she had given.
Cha’ah New Village had been worked by the Presbyterian Church also for some years before it was
cleared for CIM workers. Winnie Rand and Edith Cork were the first two to settle there in August
1951, and they found there were already seven Christians there, a small group of interested people.
Within the first few months another twelve came to the Lord, so the girls found much of their time
needed to be given to teaching new believers. By the time I visited this village, Edith had moved on
to Buloh Kasup, and in August 1952, Marjorie Somerville had joined Winnie. Since December of
1952 Dr and Mrs Pearce had also been living in Cha’ah to do medical work, so there were two
homes for us to call at on that warm March morning in 1953.
Winnie and Marjorie were living in a shop house, and perhaps it was in Cha’ah more than in Scudai
that it really hit me what it meant to be a missionary living in a New Village. I knew that Sir Gerald
Templar, replacement for High Commissioner Sir Henry Gurney, after he had been ambushed and
shot by guerrillas on the road to Fraser’s Hill, was taking a firm hand in his determination to put
down these attacks. I knew than many of the people in the villages were relations of the guerrillas
and had to be stopped from passing food and arms to them, but I had not realised how closely our
missionaries had to identify with the people they wanted to win for Christ.
The “shop house” in which Winnie and Marjorie lived was comfortable enough as missionary homes
go, without anything more than was actually necessary for their needs – a place to eat, a place to
sleep, and the shop part open and welcoming for any visitors who might come in and chat, but there
was just that little extra touch which made it different from the normal village home – a touch of
colour here and there, a bright picture on the wall and, in the reception room, Christian posters
adorning the walls to attract the curious and interest the seeker.
21
church in Johore Bahru, they can occasionally get help from the young people there. Betty also has a
group of ‘Keenites’ aged 9 – 14 years old and they are being encouraged to learn Scripture for which
they get prizes.”
Although several villages east of the main road had been occupied during the past year, we did not
turn off to visit them because our time was limited, so the next place to stop at was the village of
Cha’ah. Before getting there we passed Yong Peng where the Presbyterians have work, and where
at that time an elderly Presbyterian lady was living alone. Percy spoke very warmly of her and told
me a funny story of one of his visits to her. Communist guerrillas had broken into the village the
previous night and got away with a large supply of food. Sir Gerald Templar was furious and came
down first thing in the morning in his helicopter from Kuala Lumpur to investigate. He called a
meeting of the whole village and, while Percy and the missionary lady were enjoying a quiet cup of
tea together, their peace was suddenly rudely broken by an official “invitation” (command?) from Sir
Gerald to go immediately to the central hall to act as his interpreter.
She obeyed at once and Percy went with her. She was escorted to the platform where Sir Gerald, his
blue eyes flashing fire, lost no time in beginning. His speech in English did not mince matters, and
perhaps forgot the presence of the lady at his side, for it was filled with very forceful military
expletives, promising in no uncertain terms that if somebody did not come forward with information
which would enable him to catch the culprits, the whole village would be put under strict curfew.
The contrast between him and the quiet lady at his side could not have been greater, and suddenly he
seemed to realise it. He stopped abruptly, turned and looked at her and said, “You’re not telling
them everything I’m saying.” She looked at him and quietly but firmly said, “I’m telling them
everything that’s good for them.” He turned back to his audience, but Percy noticed that his
language was not nearly as colourful after that, and later he apologised to her as he thanked her for
the help she had given.
Cha’ah New Village had been worked by the Presbyterian Church also for some years before it was
cleared for CIM workers. Winnie Rand and Edith Cork were the first two to settle there in August
1951, and they found there were already seven Christians there, a small group of interested people.
Within the first few months another twelve came to the Lord, so the girls found much of their time
needed to be given to teaching new believers. By the time I visited this village, Edith had moved on
to Buloh Kasup, and in August 1952, Marjorie Somerville had joined Winnie. Since December of
1952 Dr and Mrs Pearce had also been living in Cha’ah to do medical work, so there were two
homes for us to call at on that warm March morning in 1953.
Winnie and Marjorie were living in a shop house, and perhaps it was in Cha’ah more than in Scudai
that it really hit me what it meant to be a missionary living in a New Village. I knew that Sir Gerald
Templar, replacement for High Commissioner Sir Henry Gurney, after he had been ambushed and
shot by guerrillas on the road to Fraser’s Hill, was taking a firm hand in his determination to put
down these attacks. I knew than many of the people in the villages were relations of the guerrillas
and had to be stopped from passing food and arms to them, but I had not realised how closely our
missionaries had to identify with the people they wanted to win for Christ.
The “shop house” in which Winnie and Marjorie lived was comfortable enough as missionary homes
go, without anything more than was actually necessary for their needs – a place to eat, a place to
sleep, and the shop part open and welcoming for any visitors who might come in and chat, but there
was just that little extra touch which made it different from the normal village home – a touch of
colour here and there, a bright picture on the wall and, in the reception room, Christian posters
adorning the walls to attract the curious and interest the seeker.
21
