Page 195 - Three Score Years & Ten
P. 195
“THREE SCORE YEARS AND TEN” MISSIONARY WORK IN CHINA
Amy Moore
She was moved over to the quietness of the Mission Home to the same room as I had been in where
all Raymond’s bedding and first clothes, nappies, bath, bassinet etc. were still as we had left them.
Under Dr. and Mrs. Xiao’s care, little Grace Joy arrived safely. When she was a month old, and as
soon as Ruth was fit to travel, they all went up to Xi’an with Ruth and the baby in a mule litter for the
mountain trip. Arthur Moore was in Xi’an when they arrived and told them they were to go to Chefoo
on the coast for the summer so that Ruth could recuperate and little Grace Joy could gain some
weight as she was very tiny. Their future would be discussed after that.
Percy and Fred had been held up by rain for a week in Xi’an on their way back to Hanzhong, but then
moved on to Fengxiang where they still were when the Frenchams arrived from the south. They
needed to hire mules for the mountain trip and, although the Michells were living there at that time and
knew the people to go to, it was almost impossible to find mules, as soldiers going south had
commandeered most of them. Any that were left were costing up to ¥40 instead of the usual ¥18 for
the trip. When the Frenchams arrived, Percy immediately spoke for their mules and got them, though
still as high as ¥33 for the trip. They were glad to be there to see Charlie and Ruth and hear their
story. Percy said they kept off the subject of the Reds when Ruth was present though she seems
very bright except for a sad look which comes over her face sometimes.
JIGONG SHAN SUMMER RESORT
My letters at this time were full of Raymond and his antics. Before Percy left for Xi’an I wrote,
“Percy is as funny as anything with Raymond. He loves to carry him
round and makes the excuse that he is too heavy for me, but I laugh
at that because he is as proud of Raymond as he can be, and jumps
at every chance of playing with him and picking him up.”
In another letter I wrote,
“Can you imagine Raymond lying flat on his tummy in the middle of
our big bed, waving his legs vigorously in mid air, shouting at the top
of his voice to attract my attention and giving me such a bright smile
when I look up. He looks a real boy, full of life and mischief. He has
just discovered his toes and likes to lie on his back and catch them
with his fingers. He isn’t at all shy with people and smiles happily at
them all as they stop to talk to him,”
The summer heat was increasing all the time and before the end of June, Marj and Myrie and I with
Raymond, were sent off to Jigong Shan. Winnie Strange and her two little girls soon joined us there
and were thankful to get away from the heat in Xi’an and to have the hot, dusty train journey over. We
were all in the same house and with us also was Mrs. Don Grant from Gansu with her baby Paul, who
was a little older than Raymond. Jigong is a beautiful place high up in the mountains of Western
Henan. We could stand up on one of the heights and watch massive clouds rolling up the deep
valleys and gorges towards us. It often rained, but after the heat of the plains, the coolness was a real
life saver.
Jigong was not a general tourist resort, but was mainly used by missionary societies as a summer
resort for their workers. So we met missionaries from many other Missions and often gathered
together with them for social or spiritual occasions. A highlight for me was meeting and getting to
know Mr. JO Fraser from Lisuland (Yunnan) not only because of the deep spiritual teaching he
195
Amy Moore
She was moved over to the quietness of the Mission Home to the same room as I had been in where
all Raymond’s bedding and first clothes, nappies, bath, bassinet etc. were still as we had left them.
Under Dr. and Mrs. Xiao’s care, little Grace Joy arrived safely. When she was a month old, and as
soon as Ruth was fit to travel, they all went up to Xi’an with Ruth and the baby in a mule litter for the
mountain trip. Arthur Moore was in Xi’an when they arrived and told them they were to go to Chefoo
on the coast for the summer so that Ruth could recuperate and little Grace Joy could gain some
weight as she was very tiny. Their future would be discussed after that.
Percy and Fred had been held up by rain for a week in Xi’an on their way back to Hanzhong, but then
moved on to Fengxiang where they still were when the Frenchams arrived from the south. They
needed to hire mules for the mountain trip and, although the Michells were living there at that time and
knew the people to go to, it was almost impossible to find mules, as soldiers going south had
commandeered most of them. Any that were left were costing up to ¥40 instead of the usual ¥18 for
the trip. When the Frenchams arrived, Percy immediately spoke for their mules and got them, though
still as high as ¥33 for the trip. They were glad to be there to see Charlie and Ruth and hear their
story. Percy said they kept off the subject of the Reds when Ruth was present though she seems
very bright except for a sad look which comes over her face sometimes.
JIGONG SHAN SUMMER RESORT
My letters at this time were full of Raymond and his antics. Before Percy left for Xi’an I wrote,
“Percy is as funny as anything with Raymond. He loves to carry him
round and makes the excuse that he is too heavy for me, but I laugh
at that because he is as proud of Raymond as he can be, and jumps
at every chance of playing with him and picking him up.”
In another letter I wrote,
“Can you imagine Raymond lying flat on his tummy in the middle of
our big bed, waving his legs vigorously in mid air, shouting at the top
of his voice to attract my attention and giving me such a bright smile
when I look up. He looks a real boy, full of life and mischief. He has
just discovered his toes and likes to lie on his back and catch them
with his fingers. He isn’t at all shy with people and smiles happily at
them all as they stop to talk to him,”
The summer heat was increasing all the time and before the end of June, Marj and Myrie and I with
Raymond, were sent off to Jigong Shan. Winnie Strange and her two little girls soon joined us there
and were thankful to get away from the heat in Xi’an and to have the hot, dusty train journey over. We
were all in the same house and with us also was Mrs. Don Grant from Gansu with her baby Paul, who
was a little older than Raymond. Jigong is a beautiful place high up in the mountains of Western
Henan. We could stand up on one of the heights and watch massive clouds rolling up the deep
valleys and gorges towards us. It often rained, but after the heat of the plains, the coolness was a real
life saver.
Jigong was not a general tourist resort, but was mainly used by missionary societies as a summer
resort for their workers. So we met missionaries from many other Missions and often gathered
together with them for social or spiritual occasions. A highlight for me was meeting and getting to
know Mr. JO Fraser from Lisuland (Yunnan) not only because of the deep spiritual teaching he
195
