Page 224 - Three Score Years & Ten
P. 224
“THREE SCORE YEARS AND TEN” MISSIONARY WORK IN CHINA
Amy Moore
oppressive. Back in Australia where I was not aware of demon possession (if there was any at the
time) and where the whole atmosphere seemed more open to Heaven and to God at that time, I felt a
lightening of my own spirit. It was a tremendous relief to be able to leave my children with my mother
or my sisters and go off without any fears for them, whereas in China I never left them even with
Chinese whom I really trusted, because their ways are so different and some of the things they taught
their children I didn’t want mine exposed to.
One of our deputation trips took us to all the main country centres on the Great Southern Railway line
to Albany and then back to Perth along the west coast. We left Raymond and Alan with my parents
and took only the baby with us. We were very dependent on public transport, so had to transport the
pram for Frank to sleep in at nights and be carried round in during the day. Besides that, we had a
case of books for sale, slides and pictures and our own luggage, so it was not an easy job. That was
all made up for by the warm welcome we received all the way along, and I found to my delight that
most of the young ministers we were working with in each place were people of my own age group,
many of whom I had known in my Christian Endeavour days.
In most of those big country towns, the Ministers’ Fraternal worked together, so our meetings were
usually united ones of all denominations. That suited us with our interdenominational mission
background. One of the highlights of that trip was at Busselton where we stayed with two girls who
were the leaders of the local Salvation Army. They were ‘Cappie’ and ‘Leffie’ to everybody (Captain
and Lieutenant) and they were full of love for the Lord and enthusiasm to witness for Him everywhere,
in hotels and on the streets, it didn’t matter where, and they dragged us along with them
Before we were to return to China, we were able to have another short holiday. Mr. Strickson was the
minister who had baptised me and he and Mrs. Strickson had been at the Bayswater Baptist Church
before Mr. Hogg came. By this time they were at Mosman’s Bay with their home situated very near
the beach, so we were delighted when they offered it to us while they were away for a couple of weeks
somewhere else. We took Mother with us and it was a lovely
relaxing time which gave the children their first real touch with
the beach and the sea. They loved it and we spent long hours
on the beach with books to read or just playing in the sand with
the little boys while Frank slept in his pram nearby. Running in
and out of waves as they broke on the beach was tremendous
fun for them and they never tired of it.
At home in Bayswater the boys quickly got to know all the
tradespeople who in those days called at the door with the milk
or bread or fresh fruit and vegetables. When they saw them
coming they called to Grandma that “the Uncle who brings the
bread (or the milk) is here”. They liked to pretend that they
were the tradespeople and knock loudly at the back door.
When Grandma appeared, they would ask how much she
wanted of this or that. Sometimes she would give them her
purse with some money and a note in it and send them round
the corner to the little general store, to get something she
needed. That was great fun too.
Something that happened between Frank’s birth that year and
Christmas was the death of my Grandpa Mercer, my mother’s father. After Grandma died he had
stayed in the old home out along the Beechboro Road. Since Auntie Elsie and Uncle Percy Tassell
were living at the other end of the same block, they were able to keep an eye on him and help him if
224
Amy Moore
oppressive. Back in Australia where I was not aware of demon possession (if there was any at the
time) and where the whole atmosphere seemed more open to Heaven and to God at that time, I felt a
lightening of my own spirit. It was a tremendous relief to be able to leave my children with my mother
or my sisters and go off without any fears for them, whereas in China I never left them even with
Chinese whom I really trusted, because their ways are so different and some of the things they taught
their children I didn’t want mine exposed to.
One of our deputation trips took us to all the main country centres on the Great Southern Railway line
to Albany and then back to Perth along the west coast. We left Raymond and Alan with my parents
and took only the baby with us. We were very dependent on public transport, so had to transport the
pram for Frank to sleep in at nights and be carried round in during the day. Besides that, we had a
case of books for sale, slides and pictures and our own luggage, so it was not an easy job. That was
all made up for by the warm welcome we received all the way along, and I found to my delight that
most of the young ministers we were working with in each place were people of my own age group,
many of whom I had known in my Christian Endeavour days.
In most of those big country towns, the Ministers’ Fraternal worked together, so our meetings were
usually united ones of all denominations. That suited us with our interdenominational mission
background. One of the highlights of that trip was at Busselton where we stayed with two girls who
were the leaders of the local Salvation Army. They were ‘Cappie’ and ‘Leffie’ to everybody (Captain
and Lieutenant) and they were full of love for the Lord and enthusiasm to witness for Him everywhere,
in hotels and on the streets, it didn’t matter where, and they dragged us along with them
Before we were to return to China, we were able to have another short holiday. Mr. Strickson was the
minister who had baptised me and he and Mrs. Strickson had been at the Bayswater Baptist Church
before Mr. Hogg came. By this time they were at Mosman’s Bay with their home situated very near
the beach, so we were delighted when they offered it to us while they were away for a couple of weeks
somewhere else. We took Mother with us and it was a lovely
relaxing time which gave the children their first real touch with
the beach and the sea. They loved it and we spent long hours
on the beach with books to read or just playing in the sand with
the little boys while Frank slept in his pram nearby. Running in
and out of waves as they broke on the beach was tremendous
fun for them and they never tired of it.
At home in Bayswater the boys quickly got to know all the
tradespeople who in those days called at the door with the milk
or bread or fresh fruit and vegetables. When they saw them
coming they called to Grandma that “the Uncle who brings the
bread (or the milk) is here”. They liked to pretend that they
were the tradespeople and knock loudly at the back door.
When Grandma appeared, they would ask how much she
wanted of this or that. Sometimes she would give them her
purse with some money and a note in it and send them round
the corner to the little general store, to get something she
needed. That was great fun too.
Something that happened between Frank’s birth that year and
Christmas was the death of my Grandpa Mercer, my mother’s father. After Grandma died he had
stayed in the old home out along the Beechboro Road. Since Auntie Elsie and Uncle Percy Tassell
were living at the other end of the same block, they were able to keep an eye on him and help him if
224
