Page 163 - Three Score Years & Ten
P. 163
“THREE SCORE YEARS AND TEN” MISSIONARY WORK IN CHINA
Amy Moore
God my Father to choose for me so that I could be sure of no mistakes being made. Then I began to
think of children I might have. How terrible if I should bring children into the world who would turn their
backs on God, live completely for themselves and their own pleasure, and be of no use to God in
making this world a better, happier place. I prayed fervently that if He ever gave me children they
would be under His control, fulfilling His purpose for their lives on this earth.
As I knelt there in a dimly lit boxroom in one of the most anti-foreign, anti-Christian cities in China, I felt
a great sense of destiny: God’s plan for a world that had gone wrong, and the part He had in it for me,
my still unknown husband, and the children He would give us. I felt awed in the presence of
something greater than myself, and knew that faintly and dimly I had caught a glimpse of God’s love
for this world.
With the beginning of April 1932 came ‘designation day’. Mr. Hoste and Mr. Lewis had already been
from Shanghai to the Men’s Language School in Anqing further up the Chang Jiang and of course, the
engaged girls had already heard from their fiancés there where they had been appointed to work.
Dorothy heard from Wilfred that he was appointed to Guizhou in South West China, the same province
as Allison and her mother were in, so she knew that that is where she would be going. Then the
Directors arrived in Yangzhou, the teaching staff were all given two days off, and the Directors were
installed in a sitting room downstairs to meet each of us one by one during the next two days. It was
all very exciting as one after another emerged from their interviews, some looking delighted, others as
if they had had a shock. When my turn came, I was asked if I had any reason why I should not go to
where the Directors would like to send me, that was to South Shaanxi for pioneer work under the
leadership of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Moore. I had prayed so much that God would take me to the right
place that I felt sure this must be it and I agreed at once.
It was not long before I discovered that Myrie Wood was to go to South Shaanxi too, and also one of
the Canadian girls, Bertha Silversides. Indeed the idea was that when we had a little more language,
Bertha and I should go together to do pioneer work at a place called Ding Yuanting in the southern
mountains of Shaanxi. None of us knew much about Shaanxi so tried to find out a bit more during our
remaining time at Yangzhou.
The end came quicker than expected. One Thursday night I had gone to bed early when Mrs.
McFarlane came upstairs with a telegram saying that we three Shaanxi-ites were to leave next
morning for Shanghai where we would meet the lady who was to escort us to Shaanxi. I was out of
bed in a flash and spent the rest of the night sorting and packing. Faith and I had both been hoping
we would be able to do our oral exam at least before leaving Yangzhou as we would probably have to
change tones when we went north. She had been appointed to Gansu in the far north west, and had
left a few days earlier, being able to do her exam the afternoon before she left, to her great relief.
With the hurry I had been landed in, I felt I must put all thoughts of the oral out of my mind till I reached
Shaanxi.
Next morning we were to leave at nine and I got up at five to finish off a few things I had not done
during the night. At seven Miss Griffith knocked at our door and asked me if I would like to take the
oral before I left! I felt in such a whirl that I was sure I would not be able to remember a word, but she
encouraged me and I followed her downstairs to where one of the teachers, not my own, was waiting.
I had to do some reading, recite some Scriptures, and answer ten questions put to me by the teacher,
all in Chinese of course. I have no idea how I got through, but I did and went upstairs again feeling
thankful that that was behind me anyway. The written would have to be done in Shaanxi.
163
Amy Moore
God my Father to choose for me so that I could be sure of no mistakes being made. Then I began to
think of children I might have. How terrible if I should bring children into the world who would turn their
backs on God, live completely for themselves and their own pleasure, and be of no use to God in
making this world a better, happier place. I prayed fervently that if He ever gave me children they
would be under His control, fulfilling His purpose for their lives on this earth.
As I knelt there in a dimly lit boxroom in one of the most anti-foreign, anti-Christian cities in China, I felt
a great sense of destiny: God’s plan for a world that had gone wrong, and the part He had in it for me,
my still unknown husband, and the children He would give us. I felt awed in the presence of
something greater than myself, and knew that faintly and dimly I had caught a glimpse of God’s love
for this world.
With the beginning of April 1932 came ‘designation day’. Mr. Hoste and Mr. Lewis had already been
from Shanghai to the Men’s Language School in Anqing further up the Chang Jiang and of course, the
engaged girls had already heard from their fiancés there where they had been appointed to work.
Dorothy heard from Wilfred that he was appointed to Guizhou in South West China, the same province
as Allison and her mother were in, so she knew that that is where she would be going. Then the
Directors arrived in Yangzhou, the teaching staff were all given two days off, and the Directors were
installed in a sitting room downstairs to meet each of us one by one during the next two days. It was
all very exciting as one after another emerged from their interviews, some looking delighted, others as
if they had had a shock. When my turn came, I was asked if I had any reason why I should not go to
where the Directors would like to send me, that was to South Shaanxi for pioneer work under the
leadership of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Moore. I had prayed so much that God would take me to the right
place that I felt sure this must be it and I agreed at once.
It was not long before I discovered that Myrie Wood was to go to South Shaanxi too, and also one of
the Canadian girls, Bertha Silversides. Indeed the idea was that when we had a little more language,
Bertha and I should go together to do pioneer work at a place called Ding Yuanting in the southern
mountains of Shaanxi. None of us knew much about Shaanxi so tried to find out a bit more during our
remaining time at Yangzhou.
The end came quicker than expected. One Thursday night I had gone to bed early when Mrs.
McFarlane came upstairs with a telegram saying that we three Shaanxi-ites were to leave next
morning for Shanghai where we would meet the lady who was to escort us to Shaanxi. I was out of
bed in a flash and spent the rest of the night sorting and packing. Faith and I had both been hoping
we would be able to do our oral exam at least before leaving Yangzhou as we would probably have to
change tones when we went north. She had been appointed to Gansu in the far north west, and had
left a few days earlier, being able to do her exam the afternoon before she left, to her great relief.
With the hurry I had been landed in, I felt I must put all thoughts of the oral out of my mind till I reached
Shaanxi.
Next morning we were to leave at nine and I got up at five to finish off a few things I had not done
during the night. At seven Miss Griffith knocked at our door and asked me if I would like to take the
oral before I left! I felt in such a whirl that I was sure I would not be able to remember a word, but she
encouraged me and I followed her downstairs to where one of the teachers, not my own, was waiting.
I had to do some reading, recite some Scriptures, and answer ten questions put to me by the teacher,
all in Chinese of course. I have no idea how I got through, but I did and went upstairs again feeling
thankful that that was behind me anyway. The written would have to be done in Shaanxi.
163
