Page 134 - Three Score Years & Ten
P. 134
“THREE SCORE YEARS AND TEN” MISSIONARY WORK IN CHINA
Amy Moore
friendship. In spite of well meaning friends, Percy looked back on those first years of his time in
Toronto as a time of spiritual barrenness when the world and the things of the world offered him many
attractions he was keen to try out. He tried smoking and found himself much more interested in a
pipe than in cigarettes.
He began to date Barbara a lot and found her attractive. She was an expert ice skater and had had
her own skates since she was very small. Percy, who was not nearly so proficient, often enjoyed just
watching her in her black velvet outfit as she darted back and forth across the rink doing some of the
most intricate ice skating figures. She had also had ballet lessons and often made her friends hold
their breath as she fell from the top of the staircase to the bottom. She had learned to so relax and
control her body that when she reached the bottom, she could get up unhurt and unmarked.
GOD’S CALL
It was at the end of 1928 that a crisis came in Percy’s life. The CIM was holding a farewell meeting
for newly accepted young missionaries before they left for China. Among them was Dr. Warren
Knight, an ex-Chefoo boy, who had been a few years ahead of Percy in the Boys School. Mrs. Beal
suggested he should go to the meeting, but he made an excuse that he had something else on that
night. Then he had to go home and try to justify himself by finding something else he could do (he
was never a good liar!). He rang several girls, but they all had prior engagements. He tried to plan
something with his flatmates, but they all had dates that night! In the end, rather than condemn
himself to a boring evening at home alone, he decided he would go after all. He was late, the
meeting had already started and he was very embarrassed to find himself led to the very front seat.
There was no escape and God’s timing had come for the Holy Spirit to use Warren Knight’s testimony
to stir Percy’s heart with a sense of his own need to know God’s purpose in life for him.
He went home to an empty flat and as he knelt by his bedside and confessed his sinfulness and
handed his life over to God, he knew that inevitably it must be back to China for him. From then on
there was never any doubt in his mind that this was what God had been planning for him from the
beginning. His letter to his parents told them what had happened:
“Mrs. Beal, Barbara and I went to the last meeting of the CIM conference where the
new members spoke, and after hearing Warren Knight and Marie Barham, both of
whom I knew pretty well, I just felt like getting up and saying, ‘I want to go too’. I feel
that on Wednesday night I received my call for this work, but it will be quite a while
before I can go, and in the meantime I must save enough money so I can go to
Toronto Bible College. I wish I could go back to China right away before I forget the
language. I have reached a time now when I don’t want to just read the Bible as I
was satisfied in doing before, but I want to study it and make it a real Living Word. At
present I am going slowly, and any words or phrases that suggest any line of thought,
I underline. I find this a good idea because you notice things you never noticed
before,”
Percy’s first thought after his new commitment to God was that he must get some Bible training and,
by September 1929 he was registered as a student at the Toronto Bible College. Before that
however, he had to hand in his resignation to the bank. He never forgot the embarrassment of being
made a laughing stock when he went in to see the Manager. Asked why he wanted to resign when he
was doing so well and due for further promotion soon, he said simply, “I am going to be a missionary,
Sir.” The man looked at him in blank amazement, then threw back his head and roared with laughter.
Then he pushed open the intervening door and shouted to the rest of the staff, “Have you ever heard
134
Amy Moore
friendship. In spite of well meaning friends, Percy looked back on those first years of his time in
Toronto as a time of spiritual barrenness when the world and the things of the world offered him many
attractions he was keen to try out. He tried smoking and found himself much more interested in a
pipe than in cigarettes.
He began to date Barbara a lot and found her attractive. She was an expert ice skater and had had
her own skates since she was very small. Percy, who was not nearly so proficient, often enjoyed just
watching her in her black velvet outfit as she darted back and forth across the rink doing some of the
most intricate ice skating figures. She had also had ballet lessons and often made her friends hold
their breath as she fell from the top of the staircase to the bottom. She had learned to so relax and
control her body that when she reached the bottom, she could get up unhurt and unmarked.
GOD’S CALL
It was at the end of 1928 that a crisis came in Percy’s life. The CIM was holding a farewell meeting
for newly accepted young missionaries before they left for China. Among them was Dr. Warren
Knight, an ex-Chefoo boy, who had been a few years ahead of Percy in the Boys School. Mrs. Beal
suggested he should go to the meeting, but he made an excuse that he had something else on that
night. Then he had to go home and try to justify himself by finding something else he could do (he
was never a good liar!). He rang several girls, but they all had prior engagements. He tried to plan
something with his flatmates, but they all had dates that night! In the end, rather than condemn
himself to a boring evening at home alone, he decided he would go after all. He was late, the
meeting had already started and he was very embarrassed to find himself led to the very front seat.
There was no escape and God’s timing had come for the Holy Spirit to use Warren Knight’s testimony
to stir Percy’s heart with a sense of his own need to know God’s purpose in life for him.
He went home to an empty flat and as he knelt by his bedside and confessed his sinfulness and
handed his life over to God, he knew that inevitably it must be back to China for him. From then on
there was never any doubt in his mind that this was what God had been planning for him from the
beginning. His letter to his parents told them what had happened:
“Mrs. Beal, Barbara and I went to the last meeting of the CIM conference where the
new members spoke, and after hearing Warren Knight and Marie Barham, both of
whom I knew pretty well, I just felt like getting up and saying, ‘I want to go too’. I feel
that on Wednesday night I received my call for this work, but it will be quite a while
before I can go, and in the meantime I must save enough money so I can go to
Toronto Bible College. I wish I could go back to China right away before I forget the
language. I have reached a time now when I don’t want to just read the Bible as I
was satisfied in doing before, but I want to study it and make it a real Living Word. At
present I am going slowly, and any words or phrases that suggest any line of thought,
I underline. I find this a good idea because you notice things you never noticed
before,”
Percy’s first thought after his new commitment to God was that he must get some Bible training and,
by September 1929 he was registered as a student at the Toronto Bible College. Before that
however, he had to hand in his resignation to the bank. He never forgot the embarrassment of being
made a laughing stock when he went in to see the Manager. Asked why he wanted to resign when he
was doing so well and due for further promotion soon, he said simply, “I am going to be a missionary,
Sir.” The man looked at him in blank amazement, then threw back his head and roared with laughter.
Then he pushed open the intervening door and shouted to the rest of the staff, “Have you ever heard
134
