Page 189 - Three Score Years & Ten
P. 189
“THREE SCORE YEARS AND TEN” MISSIONARY WORK IN CHINA
Amy Moore
was any danger at all. We heard later that it was only two days later when the Reds quietly entered
the city and took possession of it. They killed a lot of people and rumours were coming through that
the Frenchams had been killed. Some said their heads had been seen on the city wall. News came
through so slowly and we hardly knew what to believe, but as Ningqiang is only three days journey
from Hanzhong, Grandad began to feel that it might be wise for the women and children in the district
to leave and take refuge in Xi’an until things quietened down.
They were anxious days and we kept hoping to hear some words from the Frenchams that they were
alright. On 8 February (Friday) the two Bethel men joined us from the south and then on 9 February
Grandad received a letter from one of the military officials in the city saying he would be wise to call all
his workers in outlying places in to Hanzhong which was quite safe and would be protected, but they
could not vouch for the smaller villages. He had already told some of the younger workers to come in,
and had sent word to Percy to come back to Hanzhong as he should be with me and Raymond if
anything happened. We went to bed that Saturday night planning that, if Chenggu and Yang Xian folk
got in on Sunday or maybe Monday morning and Percy should arrive on Monday night, then we would
all prepare to leave for Xi’an on Tuesday morning, perhaps leaving Grandad and a couple of other
men behind in case the Frenchams had escaped and could get through to them.
Sunday morning, about 7 am, I was sitting in my room reading my Bible when I heard Grandad
downstairs calling to Grannie that the Stranges were here. She was not dressed, so I ran down to
welcome them. I found that when they got the message to come in the evening before, they had not
waited for the next day, but taken the two little girls out of bed and gone straight away to the sedan
chair shop to get men who would be willing to travel all night to Hanzhong. They had no rugs or
cushions, and the two little girls were still in their nighties and freezing cold. I hurried to get hot drinks
for them all and hot water bottles to warm the cold little hands and toes.
We were almost ready for breakfast, but Winnie Strange would not settle. She had always been
terrified of the communists and, knowing they were in the district, was determined to leave straight
away for Xi’an and wait for nothing and nobody. She came upstairs with me to look at my baby in his
bassinette, and said to me, “If I were you I would pick up that little one and leave immediately.” I said
I didn’t want to leave till Percy came, and that we were thinking of all going together on Tuesday.
With that she went downstairs and I didn’t see her again because, when I got down they had gone.
Without taking any bedding or extra clothing or food, she took the children and left. Mr. Strange
followed, just staying long enough to apologize to Grandad for going in such a hurry, but his wife was
terrified and would wait for nothing. They were planning to get some 35 miles that day, through
Baocheng and up through the Chicken’s Head Pass. They had had no meal the night before, no
breakfast that morning, there was no transport, and they would have to carry the children as well, but
they had seen soldiers fleeing from Hanzhong and hundreds of refugees along the road they had
come, and they felt the Reds must be very near.
The Stranges had hardly gone when we had word through Dr. Xiao that the Reds were only ten miles
from the city, so Grandad said at once, “We must all go together at once.” There were no coolies
available to carry any of us, so we would have to walk, and that meant we could only take what we
could carry in our hands. There was no time to delay, so I went upstairs, picked up our precious baby,
put on him as many warm clothes as I could, and rolled him in two or three warm baby blankets. As I
stood at the door of my room and looked back at so many things which had been given us for
Raymond, and personal possessions of our own, I thought, “Things don’t really matter at all. It is life
that is important.” And as I looked at my baby and thought of my friend Betty Stam, and how she and
John had been killed but their baby’s life preserved, I prayed that whatever happened to Percy and
me, God would take care of our little son and keep him for Him and His service, and that he would
189
Amy Moore
was any danger at all. We heard later that it was only two days later when the Reds quietly entered
the city and took possession of it. They killed a lot of people and rumours were coming through that
the Frenchams had been killed. Some said their heads had been seen on the city wall. News came
through so slowly and we hardly knew what to believe, but as Ningqiang is only three days journey
from Hanzhong, Grandad began to feel that it might be wise for the women and children in the district
to leave and take refuge in Xi’an until things quietened down.
They were anxious days and we kept hoping to hear some words from the Frenchams that they were
alright. On 8 February (Friday) the two Bethel men joined us from the south and then on 9 February
Grandad received a letter from one of the military officials in the city saying he would be wise to call all
his workers in outlying places in to Hanzhong which was quite safe and would be protected, but they
could not vouch for the smaller villages. He had already told some of the younger workers to come in,
and had sent word to Percy to come back to Hanzhong as he should be with me and Raymond if
anything happened. We went to bed that Saturday night planning that, if Chenggu and Yang Xian folk
got in on Sunday or maybe Monday morning and Percy should arrive on Monday night, then we would
all prepare to leave for Xi’an on Tuesday morning, perhaps leaving Grandad and a couple of other
men behind in case the Frenchams had escaped and could get through to them.
Sunday morning, about 7 am, I was sitting in my room reading my Bible when I heard Grandad
downstairs calling to Grannie that the Stranges were here. She was not dressed, so I ran down to
welcome them. I found that when they got the message to come in the evening before, they had not
waited for the next day, but taken the two little girls out of bed and gone straight away to the sedan
chair shop to get men who would be willing to travel all night to Hanzhong. They had no rugs or
cushions, and the two little girls were still in their nighties and freezing cold. I hurried to get hot drinks
for them all and hot water bottles to warm the cold little hands and toes.
We were almost ready for breakfast, but Winnie Strange would not settle. She had always been
terrified of the communists and, knowing they were in the district, was determined to leave straight
away for Xi’an and wait for nothing and nobody. She came upstairs with me to look at my baby in his
bassinette, and said to me, “If I were you I would pick up that little one and leave immediately.” I said
I didn’t want to leave till Percy came, and that we were thinking of all going together on Tuesday.
With that she went downstairs and I didn’t see her again because, when I got down they had gone.
Without taking any bedding or extra clothing or food, she took the children and left. Mr. Strange
followed, just staying long enough to apologize to Grandad for going in such a hurry, but his wife was
terrified and would wait for nothing. They were planning to get some 35 miles that day, through
Baocheng and up through the Chicken’s Head Pass. They had had no meal the night before, no
breakfast that morning, there was no transport, and they would have to carry the children as well, but
they had seen soldiers fleeing from Hanzhong and hundreds of refugees along the road they had
come, and they felt the Reds must be very near.
The Stranges had hardly gone when we had word through Dr. Xiao that the Reds were only ten miles
from the city, so Grandad said at once, “We must all go together at once.” There were no coolies
available to carry any of us, so we would have to walk, and that meant we could only take what we
could carry in our hands. There was no time to delay, so I went upstairs, picked up our precious baby,
put on him as many warm clothes as I could, and rolled him in two or three warm baby blankets. As I
stood at the door of my room and looked back at so many things which had been given us for
Raymond, and personal possessions of our own, I thought, “Things don’t really matter at all. It is life
that is important.” And as I looked at my baby and thought of my friend Betty Stam, and how she and
John had been killed but their baby’s life preserved, I prayed that whatever happened to Percy and
me, God would take care of our little son and keep him for Him and His service, and that he would
189
