Page 135 - Three Score Years & Ten
P. 135
“THREE SCORE YEARS AND TEN” MISSIONARY WORK IN CHINA
Amy Moore
the like? Moore’s going to be a MISSIONARY!” It was a very red faced and uncomfortable young
‘missionary’ who went back to his desk and his work.
BIBLE COLLEGE IN SCOTLAND
During the year he spent at the Toronto Bible College, there was growing in Percy’s heart a deep
desire to be able to go to the same Bible Training Centre in Glasgow as his father, Arthur Moore, had
studied in. With this in mind, he worked on a farm during his holidays to earn enough money to take
him to Scotland. He knew absolutely nothing about farming and, as he said
himself, ‘hardly knew one end of a horse from the other!’ His first experience of
trying to work out how to harness a horse
resulted in the horse treading on his foot.
In spite of his mistakes, the farmer and his
wife became good friends and he earned
enough to pay his passage, steerage to
Scotland.
In the meantime, his friendship with
Barbara was growing, and before he left
Canada, Mrs. Beal had, rather reluctantly, agreed to an
engagement. She was reluctant because, while she was
willing to encourage her daughter’s friendship with a good
looking young bank clerk who had every possibility of
becoming a manager one day, it was quite another thing to encourage an engagement which might
take her daughter away from her for years at a time. Percy bought Barbara a ring before he left and
they parted on the understanding that she too would prepare to go to China, but if for any reason she
was not accepted by the CIM, their engagement would be over. So strongly did Percy feel that his call
to China was of God that nothing must stop him going.
The trip across from Canada to Scotland was rough and he spent the whole of the four or five days on
his bunk wondering why he had come! An old Scottish steward took pity on him and kept him supplied
with dry crackers and fruit drinks, and at last, to his great relief, he could see the coast of Scotland
through his porthole.
His time at the Glasgow Bible Training Institute was an experience which ever after stood out in
Percy’s mind as a highlight in his spiritual life and growth. It was not only the lectures, though he was
always grateful that he had been able to study under a man like Dr. McIntyre. It was even more the
practical things he learned as he met life in the raw in the slums of Glasgow. He learned not to judge
the outward appearances, and to have compassion for people to whom life had dealt many bitter
blows, people hard hit by the economic depression of those years. He learned to live by faith, not only
for finances, but for health and for the fulfilment of God’s purposes in his life. As he rubbed shoulders
with other young men from varying experiences in life, he learned deeper lessons of trust and prayer
and of working together.
He was on the 5th floor with a group of fellows, some of whom were old Chefoo friends, but all of
whom were wanting to know the Lord in a deeper way. Arnold Lea and Henry Guiness were there,
but also John Adamson (Big Jock) and Ray Joyce and Alan Crane, all hoping to go to China. And
then there were men like Ellis Govan of the Faith Mission and Stephenson who later became the
Editor of ‘The Life of Faith’. Most of them were still finding their feet, feeling their way forward to
135
Amy Moore
the like? Moore’s going to be a MISSIONARY!” It was a very red faced and uncomfortable young
‘missionary’ who went back to his desk and his work.
BIBLE COLLEGE IN SCOTLAND
During the year he spent at the Toronto Bible College, there was growing in Percy’s heart a deep
desire to be able to go to the same Bible Training Centre in Glasgow as his father, Arthur Moore, had
studied in. With this in mind, he worked on a farm during his holidays to earn enough money to take
him to Scotland. He knew absolutely nothing about farming and, as he said
himself, ‘hardly knew one end of a horse from the other!’ His first experience of
trying to work out how to harness a horse
resulted in the horse treading on his foot.
In spite of his mistakes, the farmer and his
wife became good friends and he earned
enough to pay his passage, steerage to
Scotland.
In the meantime, his friendship with
Barbara was growing, and before he left
Canada, Mrs. Beal had, rather reluctantly, agreed to an
engagement. She was reluctant because, while she was
willing to encourage her daughter’s friendship with a good
looking young bank clerk who had every possibility of
becoming a manager one day, it was quite another thing to encourage an engagement which might
take her daughter away from her for years at a time. Percy bought Barbara a ring before he left and
they parted on the understanding that she too would prepare to go to China, but if for any reason she
was not accepted by the CIM, their engagement would be over. So strongly did Percy feel that his call
to China was of God that nothing must stop him going.
The trip across from Canada to Scotland was rough and he spent the whole of the four or five days on
his bunk wondering why he had come! An old Scottish steward took pity on him and kept him supplied
with dry crackers and fruit drinks, and at last, to his great relief, he could see the coast of Scotland
through his porthole.
His time at the Glasgow Bible Training Institute was an experience which ever after stood out in
Percy’s mind as a highlight in his spiritual life and growth. It was not only the lectures, though he was
always grateful that he had been able to study under a man like Dr. McIntyre. It was even more the
practical things he learned as he met life in the raw in the slums of Glasgow. He learned not to judge
the outward appearances, and to have compassion for people to whom life had dealt many bitter
blows, people hard hit by the economic depression of those years. He learned to live by faith, not only
for finances, but for health and for the fulfilment of God’s purposes in his life. As he rubbed shoulders
with other young men from varying experiences in life, he learned deeper lessons of trust and prayer
and of working together.
He was on the 5th floor with a group of fellows, some of whom were old Chefoo friends, but all of
whom were wanting to know the Lord in a deeper way. Arnold Lea and Henry Guiness were there,
but also John Adamson (Big Jock) and Ray Joyce and Alan Crane, all hoping to go to China. And
then there were men like Ellis Govan of the Faith Mission and Stephenson who later became the
Editor of ‘The Life of Faith’. Most of them were still finding their feet, feeling their way forward to
135
