Page 54 - moondani kyema
P. 54
ndani kyema, My Story - Ray Moore 54
Percy was the Superintendent of the Mission's work in the area, and this involved
preaching and keeping the books as well as oversight and development of the work.
My efforts to get his attention were almost always met with disinterest, covered up by
a seeming concentration on his work. I accompanied Percy when he went to fix the
generator which supplied their electricity; I tried to help mend punctures on the
bicycle Percy used, but could only watch; I sat in Percy's study while he was working
and I remained in the big armchair watching him without speaking or being spoken to.
The little church for which Percy was responsible was at the front of the Mission
compound inside the front gate.
Mission residence Church
see close ups on right
Amy meanwhile was trying to take care of two very unsettled boys who had come
back from boarding school and who had both had firsthand experience of the War in
some way. The CIM Boarding School did not reopen until the end of 1946 so she had
to shoulder this burden for almost a year. There were times when I saw Amy in tears
of frustration when both Alan and I ignored her or rebelled against her discipline.
She knew she had to take on the task of schooling us for a few months, but this was
almost impossible with all her other tasks as well. She did manage to get us into the
dining room one day and sat us down with a Bible each, and said that we could not
leave the room until we had learnt Psalm 90. Any other efforts at educating me while
I was home for that free ranging year have been forgotten.
The cook produced very acceptable western style meals, and every now and then he
would make a Chinese meal, usually mien (noodles). Mien was the staple diet in this
area rather than rice, and he would make the mien himself. Rolling a large sheet of
pastry out on the big kitchen table, he would then fold it over and over and slice it into
strings of pasta, not unlike the Italian fettuccine. We loved this meal and the mien
was always served up on a table at the side of the dining room in a large basin where
we helped ourselves. Alan and I would compete for the record of number of bowls of
mien consumed in one meal. We tied at six bowls each.
For me it was a year of wonderful freedom to roam where I wished. Most of my
excursions were accomplished alone, in keeping with the practice I had built up in the
boarding school. The Mission Compound was situated within the city wall that
surrounded the older part of Hanzhong, but there was a significant population living
outside the city wall. Many of my solo excursions took me to the wall itself which was
wide enough at the top to drive a large truck along it. Inside the wall, between it and
the Mission Compound there was in fact quite a lot of land that was not built on but
used for farming. This allowed me to stop and watch the farmers at work with their
centuries old implements.
Percy was the Superintendent of the Mission's work in the area, and this involved
preaching and keeping the books as well as oversight and development of the work.
My efforts to get his attention were almost always met with disinterest, covered up by
a seeming concentration on his work. I accompanied Percy when he went to fix the
generator which supplied their electricity; I tried to help mend punctures on the
bicycle Percy used, but could only watch; I sat in Percy's study while he was working
and I remained in the big armchair watching him without speaking or being spoken to.
The little church for which Percy was responsible was at the front of the Mission
compound inside the front gate.
Mission residence Church
see close ups on right
Amy meanwhile was trying to take care of two very unsettled boys who had come
back from boarding school and who had both had firsthand experience of the War in
some way. The CIM Boarding School did not reopen until the end of 1946 so she had
to shoulder this burden for almost a year. There were times when I saw Amy in tears
of frustration when both Alan and I ignored her or rebelled against her discipline.
She knew she had to take on the task of schooling us for a few months, but this was
almost impossible with all her other tasks as well. She did manage to get us into the
dining room one day and sat us down with a Bible each, and said that we could not
leave the room until we had learnt Psalm 90. Any other efforts at educating me while
I was home for that free ranging year have been forgotten.
The cook produced very acceptable western style meals, and every now and then he
would make a Chinese meal, usually mien (noodles). Mien was the staple diet in this
area rather than rice, and he would make the mien himself. Rolling a large sheet of
pastry out on the big kitchen table, he would then fold it over and over and slice it into
strings of pasta, not unlike the Italian fettuccine. We loved this meal and the mien
was always served up on a table at the side of the dining room in a large basin where
we helped ourselves. Alan and I would compete for the record of number of bowls of
mien consumed in one meal. We tied at six bowls each.
For me it was a year of wonderful freedom to roam where I wished. Most of my
excursions were accomplished alone, in keeping with the practice I had built up in the
boarding school. The Mission Compound was situated within the city wall that
surrounded the older part of Hanzhong, but there was a significant population living
outside the city wall. Many of my solo excursions took me to the wall itself which was
wide enough at the top to drive a large truck along it. Inside the wall, between it and
the Mission Compound there was in fact quite a lot of land that was not built on but
used for farming. This allowed me to stop and watch the farmers at work with their
centuries old implements.
