Page 63 - Malayan Story
P. 63
MALAYAN STORY
Not far from Kuala Lumpur was a big leprosarium where Sonny Ong lived for quite a long time.
He became a Christian while there and later was discharged as cured. He married and had a child
and was able to work as a rubber tapper on one of the big plantations near Kuala Lumpur. He went
one day to the Pastor of the Methodist Church in Kuala Lumpur saying he was becoming more
aware of what was going on around him - latex being stolen and food being smuggled out to the
guerrillas. He didn’t kknow what his attitude as a Christian should be. The Pastor told him not to
give any appearance of spying or sneaking about, but to make it clear that as a Christian he would
not have anything to do with anything underhand.
Not long after that, the police made one of their regular check-ups on the plantation where Sonny
Ong worked, and a day or two later Sonny disappeared and was never seen again. It was feared
that he was blamed for the police visit and so had been removed.
In another village which Percy was visiting to see if it would be worthwhile placing two
missionaries there, he met a man who said he was a Christian. He told Percy that his wife and son
had both disappeared. The son had been collecting money for the guerrillas unknown to his parents,
but one day his mother had found some of it and asked him where he got it. The boy looked
frightened and told her to keep quiet about it or they would both be in trouble. It was not long after
that that they both disappeared and have not been heard of since.
In one village a neighbour set her dog against the missionaries and any friends who visited them
when they first moved in. In most villages the children were an encouragement at first as most of
them were learning Mandarin at school, so when the missionary could not communicate with the
adults, they could still teach the children. But when the parents discovered that their children were
beginning to believe the Gospel, their opposition became open and aggressive. One teenage boy
who loved to come to the meetings and was putting his trust in the Lord, was dragged out of the
meeting one night by a very angry father, and was never allowed to attend again.
Kluang was another village in which the Presbyterians had an interest. The Pastor in Kluang was
very evangelical and the church not only had services in Hokkien but also a Sunday School in
Mandarin. They also held two other services in nearby villages on Sunday afternoons and cottage
meetings in some Christian homes. The Pastor’s time was fully taken up with preaching and
teaching. The CIM was asked to move in because not only were there a number of new villages
within easy reach of Kluang, but there was also a nearby detention camp with about 2,000 people
in it who were to be sent back to China. A Mandarin speaking school for the Chinese children was
opened for our missionaries to work in and before long 100 children were enrolled. The problem
was that the population of the detention camp changed so often that it was difficult to follow up any
child who showed an interest in the Gospel.
At the end of each week a Gospel tract in Mandarin was given to each senior child to take home to
their parents in the camp, and every two months a Gospel was given as well. As time went on the
children became friendlier but the parents remained unresponsive and antagonistic partly because
of the language barrier as few of them spoke Mandarin.
63
Not far from Kuala Lumpur was a big leprosarium where Sonny Ong lived for quite a long time.
He became a Christian while there and later was discharged as cured. He married and had a child
and was able to work as a rubber tapper on one of the big plantations near Kuala Lumpur. He went
one day to the Pastor of the Methodist Church in Kuala Lumpur saying he was becoming more
aware of what was going on around him - latex being stolen and food being smuggled out to the
guerrillas. He didn’t kknow what his attitude as a Christian should be. The Pastor told him not to
give any appearance of spying or sneaking about, but to make it clear that as a Christian he would
not have anything to do with anything underhand.
Not long after that, the police made one of their regular check-ups on the plantation where Sonny
Ong worked, and a day or two later Sonny disappeared and was never seen again. It was feared
that he was blamed for the police visit and so had been removed.
In another village which Percy was visiting to see if it would be worthwhile placing two
missionaries there, he met a man who said he was a Christian. He told Percy that his wife and son
had both disappeared. The son had been collecting money for the guerrillas unknown to his parents,
but one day his mother had found some of it and asked him where he got it. The boy looked
frightened and told her to keep quiet about it or they would both be in trouble. It was not long after
that that they both disappeared and have not been heard of since.
In one village a neighbour set her dog against the missionaries and any friends who visited them
when they first moved in. In most villages the children were an encouragement at first as most of
them were learning Mandarin at school, so when the missionary could not communicate with the
adults, they could still teach the children. But when the parents discovered that their children were
beginning to believe the Gospel, their opposition became open and aggressive. One teenage boy
who loved to come to the meetings and was putting his trust in the Lord, was dragged out of the
meeting one night by a very angry father, and was never allowed to attend again.
Kluang was another village in which the Presbyterians had an interest. The Pastor in Kluang was
very evangelical and the church not only had services in Hokkien but also a Sunday School in
Mandarin. They also held two other services in nearby villages on Sunday afternoons and cottage
meetings in some Christian homes. The Pastor’s time was fully taken up with preaching and
teaching. The CIM was asked to move in because not only were there a number of new villages
within easy reach of Kluang, but there was also a nearby detention camp with about 2,000 people
in it who were to be sent back to China. A Mandarin speaking school for the Chinese children was
opened for our missionaries to work in and before long 100 children were enrolled. The problem
was that the population of the detention camp changed so often that it was difficult to follow up any
child who showed an interest in the Gospel.
At the end of each week a Gospel tract in Mandarin was given to each senior child to take home to
their parents in the camp, and every two months a Gospel was given as well. As time went on the
children became friendlier but the parents remained unresponsive and antagonistic partly because
of the language barrier as few of them spoke Mandarin.
63
