Page 234 - Three Score Years & Ten
P. 234
“THREE SCORE YEARS AND TEN” MISSIONARY WORK IN CHINA
Amy Moore
The Rowes had two children, Christopher, about five and Faith, some two years younger. Apart from
them and our two, the only other children were the Terry’s teenage son and daughter. Frank, at just
over a year, was everybody’s pet and the girls all made a fuss of him. Alan took Faith under his wing
and, as she was at a rather weepy stage, he became very protective of her. I was amused to see him
one day putting his arm around her and saying, “Don’t cry Faify, I’ll take care of you.”
That left Christopher very much to his own devices and, because he was bored, he managed to get
into all sorts of scrapes. His father chastised him one day for something outrageous he had done and
we heard him saying, “You asked God for a little boy and this is what you do to it.” Norah and Stanley
both had a strong sense of humour and there were times when their amusement was too much for
their sense of duty. But one day Norah’s watch disappeared, and that really was a bit too much. It
could not have been anybody but Christopher, and after much scolding they finally got it out of him
that he had thrown it down the well. Stanley promptly prepared to scramble down the well to see if it
could be rescued, while Norah went inside to get something to help him. While there, she went over
to her bed to get a hankie from under her pillow, and there safe and sound was her watch just where
she had left it the night before! “Why did you say you put it down the well?” they asked Christopher,
feeling anything but happy at having falsely accused him. “Well, you asked me and I thought that was
a good place”, was the answer. What a boy!
Every day the four men, Percy, Stanley, Ernie Davis and Mr. Terry all made their way to the local
office where the Japanese in charge of the area had their headquarters. Every day they asked for
permission to go forward and every day they were refused and told they had better return to Shanghai.
While they were there, the rest of us gathered together to pray that God would direct our paths and
open the door for us. This went on for a week and we had already been almost two weeks in Bengbu.
One evening near the end of that fruitless week, the men came back depressed and feeling they were
at the end of their resources, didn’t know what to do next. They came in through the big entrance
gates to the Mission compound and stood together just inside to talk it over. They began to feel there
was nothing for it but to return to Shanghai, and yet they hated the thought of having to tell us that was
their decision. As they stood there, the gate was quietly pushed open and a Chinese man slipped in
and approached them. As he came closer they could see he was not Chinese but Korean.
He quickly produced a small New Testament from his pocket and said, “Im your brother.” He went
on to say that he was the interpreter who had been interpreting for the Japanese at their headquarters
every day when they made their requests for permits to travel. He commended them for the polite
way they had approached the Japanese officers, not causing any offence in any way. “I want to help
you,” he said.
He went on to explain that the Japanese officers changed over every hour and nobody ever knew
what the other was doing or had done. “Don’t just go once a day and leave when you are refused” he
said. “Sooner or later you will find a man who will give you what you want, but you must keep going
every hour and see every officer as he comes on duty.” In the darkness he slipped out as quietly as
he had come, followed by many heartfelt thanks from our four men who felt that God had truly
intervened when they were literally at their wits’ end.
They came inside to tell us what had happened, and we all met together to give thanks and praise to
our great God and to pray for His guidance for the next day as they carried out the advice of their new
friend and brother in the Lord.
The following day the men set off early to be at the offices as soon as they opened, and began their
hourly visits and requests. Their Korean friend was there as usual, but gave no sign of recognition.
234
Amy Moore
The Rowes had two children, Christopher, about five and Faith, some two years younger. Apart from
them and our two, the only other children were the Terry’s teenage son and daughter. Frank, at just
over a year, was everybody’s pet and the girls all made a fuss of him. Alan took Faith under his wing
and, as she was at a rather weepy stage, he became very protective of her. I was amused to see him
one day putting his arm around her and saying, “Don’t cry Faify, I’ll take care of you.”
That left Christopher very much to his own devices and, because he was bored, he managed to get
into all sorts of scrapes. His father chastised him one day for something outrageous he had done and
we heard him saying, “You asked God for a little boy and this is what you do to it.” Norah and Stanley
both had a strong sense of humour and there were times when their amusement was too much for
their sense of duty. But one day Norah’s watch disappeared, and that really was a bit too much. It
could not have been anybody but Christopher, and after much scolding they finally got it out of him
that he had thrown it down the well. Stanley promptly prepared to scramble down the well to see if it
could be rescued, while Norah went inside to get something to help him. While there, she went over
to her bed to get a hankie from under her pillow, and there safe and sound was her watch just where
she had left it the night before! “Why did you say you put it down the well?” they asked Christopher,
feeling anything but happy at having falsely accused him. “Well, you asked me and I thought that was
a good place”, was the answer. What a boy!
Every day the four men, Percy, Stanley, Ernie Davis and Mr. Terry all made their way to the local
office where the Japanese in charge of the area had their headquarters. Every day they asked for
permission to go forward and every day they were refused and told they had better return to Shanghai.
While they were there, the rest of us gathered together to pray that God would direct our paths and
open the door for us. This went on for a week and we had already been almost two weeks in Bengbu.
One evening near the end of that fruitless week, the men came back depressed and feeling they were
at the end of their resources, didn’t know what to do next. They came in through the big entrance
gates to the Mission compound and stood together just inside to talk it over. They began to feel there
was nothing for it but to return to Shanghai, and yet they hated the thought of having to tell us that was
their decision. As they stood there, the gate was quietly pushed open and a Chinese man slipped in
and approached them. As he came closer they could see he was not Chinese but Korean.
He quickly produced a small New Testament from his pocket and said, “Im your brother.” He went
on to say that he was the interpreter who had been interpreting for the Japanese at their headquarters
every day when they made their requests for permits to travel. He commended them for the polite
way they had approached the Japanese officers, not causing any offence in any way. “I want to help
you,” he said.
He went on to explain that the Japanese officers changed over every hour and nobody ever knew
what the other was doing or had done. “Don’t just go once a day and leave when you are refused” he
said. “Sooner or later you will find a man who will give you what you want, but you must keep going
every hour and see every officer as he comes on duty.” In the darkness he slipped out as quietly as
he had come, followed by many heartfelt thanks from our four men who felt that God had truly
intervened when they were literally at their wits’ end.
They came inside to tell us what had happened, and we all met together to give thanks and praise to
our great God and to pray for His guidance for the next day as they carried out the advice of their new
friend and brother in the Lord.
The following day the men set off early to be at the offices as soon as they opened, and began their
hourly visits and requests. Their Korean friend was there as usual, but gave no sign of recognition.
234
