Page 140 - Three Score Years & Ten
P. 140
“THREE SCORE YEARS AND TEN” MISSIONARY WORK IN CHINA
Amy Moore
MEANWHILE
What was happening to the rest of the family all this time? Jessie finished at Chefoo in 1928 aged 17.
and for one year taught in Qingdao on the south side of the Shandong promontory. In 1930 her
parents left for furlough and Jessie travelled with them leaving only Marj and Doug at school. True to
her early desire to be a nurse, she began her training at St. Johns Hospital in Toronto, and when she
was free to attend church, went, after trying a few other places, to the Calvary Church in Pape
Avenue, a connection that has continued to this day.
By this time Percy was at the Bible Training College in Glasgow, so Arthur and Esther spent the final
months of their furlough in the UK. On their return to China in July 1931, they took the long train trip
across Siberia to Shanghai. Expecting to return to Shunde or Linmingguan, they were surprised when
Arthur was asked to become the Field Superintendent for South Shaanxi. After some thought and
prayer, they accepted this new position and were delighted when they knew that Percy had been
designated to work in the same province.
FIRST APPOINTMENT
Designation days in the two language centres were very exciting when two of the Directors came to
stay and to discuss with each new missionary what they felt about their future sphere of service.
Where would they like to go? Did they feel any direct leading from God to any particular place? How
would they feel if the Directorate felt they would like them to go somewhere else? And so on.
Sometimes the decisions and the desires dovetailed together, at other times there was a brief sense
of disappointment, at others excitement over an unexpected but hoped for designation.
Percy had a secret hope that he would go back to the province where he was born, perhaps to fulfill
his father’s old longing to go to the far distant parts of Xinjiang. A group of young men were being
sent up to Mr. Hunter in Ürümchi where, with his age and experience, he could train them to carry on
where he would eventually leave off, but Percy’s name was not among them. His disappointment
was only brief as he was delighted to
know of his father’s new appointment
and thrilled to be able to work under
him. Four other young men were
also to go to Shaanxi under Arthur’s
leadership. As all new workers that
year were part of the ‘Two Hundred’
specially set aside for pioneer work,
it was hoped they would open up
some of the untouched villages and
towns in Shaanxi.
By June 1932 they were all gathered
in Shanghai to meet Percy’s parents
and to travel with them on the long treck to the West. They had to travel first by river steamer as far as
Nanjing, 205 miles up the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang) from Shanghai. They then went by train to
the borders of Shaanxi, Shanxi and Henan to Tongguan which was as far as the railway went at that
time. From there to the capital, Xi’an, which Percy had not seen since he was a small six year old
leaving Lanzhou for Xinjiang by truck over dusty, unpaved roads. At Xi’an they changed to other
trucks for a further journey to Fengxiang and Baoji.
Return to Table of 140
Contents
Amy Moore
MEANWHILE
What was happening to the rest of the family all this time? Jessie finished at Chefoo in 1928 aged 17.
and for one year taught in Qingdao on the south side of the Shandong promontory. In 1930 her
parents left for furlough and Jessie travelled with them leaving only Marj and Doug at school. True to
her early desire to be a nurse, she began her training at St. Johns Hospital in Toronto, and when she
was free to attend church, went, after trying a few other places, to the Calvary Church in Pape
Avenue, a connection that has continued to this day.
By this time Percy was at the Bible Training College in Glasgow, so Arthur and Esther spent the final
months of their furlough in the UK. On their return to China in July 1931, they took the long train trip
across Siberia to Shanghai. Expecting to return to Shunde or Linmingguan, they were surprised when
Arthur was asked to become the Field Superintendent for South Shaanxi. After some thought and
prayer, they accepted this new position and were delighted when they knew that Percy had been
designated to work in the same province.
FIRST APPOINTMENT
Designation days in the two language centres were very exciting when two of the Directors came to
stay and to discuss with each new missionary what they felt about their future sphere of service.
Where would they like to go? Did they feel any direct leading from God to any particular place? How
would they feel if the Directorate felt they would like them to go somewhere else? And so on.
Sometimes the decisions and the desires dovetailed together, at other times there was a brief sense
of disappointment, at others excitement over an unexpected but hoped for designation.
Percy had a secret hope that he would go back to the province where he was born, perhaps to fulfill
his father’s old longing to go to the far distant parts of Xinjiang. A group of young men were being
sent up to Mr. Hunter in Ürümchi where, with his age and experience, he could train them to carry on
where he would eventually leave off, but Percy’s name was not among them. His disappointment
was only brief as he was delighted to
know of his father’s new appointment
and thrilled to be able to work under
him. Four other young men were
also to go to Shaanxi under Arthur’s
leadership. As all new workers that
year were part of the ‘Two Hundred’
specially set aside for pioneer work,
it was hoped they would open up
some of the untouched villages and
towns in Shaanxi.
By June 1932 they were all gathered
in Shanghai to meet Percy’s parents
and to travel with them on the long treck to the West. They had to travel first by river steamer as far as
Nanjing, 205 miles up the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang) from Shanghai. They then went by train to
the borders of Shaanxi, Shanxi and Henan to Tongguan which was as far as the railway went at that
time. From there to the capital, Xi’an, which Percy had not seen since he was a small six year old
leaving Lanzhou for Xinjiang by truck over dusty, unpaved roads. At Xi’an they changed to other
trucks for a further journey to Fengxiang and Baoji.
Return to Table of 140
Contents
