Page 244 - Three Score Years & Ten
P. 244
“THREE SCORE YEARS AND TEN” MISSIONARY WORK IN CHINA
Amy Moore
HANZHONG AT LAST
So we reached Hanzhong three months after leaving Shanghai. Arthur and Esther were still in
Canada and Norman and Amy McIntosh were in charge at Hanzhong till they returned. The girls had
their first taste of conditions in war time China that very first morning, when the air alarm sounded and
they had to take the children (five others as well as our two) down to the dugout. It was about an hour
and a half later, after they had dropped their bombs somewhere not too close to us, that the ‘all clear’
sounded.
Alan had caught a chill on the trip over the mountains and was quite ill for a few days, so we could not
go on immediately to Xixiang. Percy went on ahead again with the luggage and to try and get the
house into some semblance of order before our arrival. It had not been occupied for some time, and I
was concerned about buying stores to feed my large family. Also there was the question of milk which
we could no longer expect to get in powdered form from the coast. We would need to keep a herd of
goats to supply our increased needs, but Chinese goats give so little milk that it would have to be a
pretty big herd.
While we were still in Baoji, Percy was reading his Bible one morning and came to me laughing over
what he had just read in Proverbs. The last verse in chapter 27 said,
“There will be enough goats milk for your food, for the food of your
household and for the maintenance of your maidens.”
Seeing that we were taking seven ‘maidens’ back with us and needed milk for them as well as for
ourselves, it seemed a promise just for us at that time. So it proved to be. When Percy arrived in
Xixiang he found a man waiting for him who had travelled right across country from Henan with a herd
of beautiful goats. He had been goatman for a missionary of another Mission and when they had to
evacuate, he gave the whole herd to his man to help support him in the future. Hearing that we might
need goats, he waited for our arrival. Percy was able to buy three or four nannies in full milk as well
as a billy. Swiss goats give an abundant supply, and for the rest of our time in China, we had an
ample milk supply for ourselves and for our :’maidens’ while they were with us.
Mail had been mounting up in Hanzhong for us and to our great joy there were letters from Raymond
and Jess. There was also one from Doris Williams predating theirs, and telling about Raymond on the
ship to Chefoo after he left us in Shanghai. She said,
“You’ll be happy to know that he has quite adopted Miss Carr and she
him. She thinks he is such a sensible little chap. It was lovely seeing
her getting him ready for bed last night. He was so good and so
bright and not at all strained, perfectly at ease with Miss Carr. She
suggested I might like to hear his prayers and then left him with me.
He suggested we sing a hymn, but I didn’t know the one he chose, so
we sang ‘Jesus loves me’ and we talked for awhile about you all. He
thought Alan might wonder where he was and whether he would
remember that he had gone on the ship. Then it was prayer time. He
prayed all round the family and asked the Lord to keep our boat and
all the other boats from sinking, and then that certain other boats
might sink! Very clearly and decidedly too! I tucked him up in bed
and kissed him goodnight and he said he would give Miss Carr a kiss
goodnight too, so you see she has won his heart. She is so nice with
him and yesterday, when we left, she had a game all ready for him
244
Amy Moore
HANZHONG AT LAST
So we reached Hanzhong three months after leaving Shanghai. Arthur and Esther were still in
Canada and Norman and Amy McIntosh were in charge at Hanzhong till they returned. The girls had
their first taste of conditions in war time China that very first morning, when the air alarm sounded and
they had to take the children (five others as well as our two) down to the dugout. It was about an hour
and a half later, after they had dropped their bombs somewhere not too close to us, that the ‘all clear’
sounded.
Alan had caught a chill on the trip over the mountains and was quite ill for a few days, so we could not
go on immediately to Xixiang. Percy went on ahead again with the luggage and to try and get the
house into some semblance of order before our arrival. It had not been occupied for some time, and I
was concerned about buying stores to feed my large family. Also there was the question of milk which
we could no longer expect to get in powdered form from the coast. We would need to keep a herd of
goats to supply our increased needs, but Chinese goats give so little milk that it would have to be a
pretty big herd.
While we were still in Baoji, Percy was reading his Bible one morning and came to me laughing over
what he had just read in Proverbs. The last verse in chapter 27 said,
“There will be enough goats milk for your food, for the food of your
household and for the maintenance of your maidens.”
Seeing that we were taking seven ‘maidens’ back with us and needed milk for them as well as for
ourselves, it seemed a promise just for us at that time. So it proved to be. When Percy arrived in
Xixiang he found a man waiting for him who had travelled right across country from Henan with a herd
of beautiful goats. He had been goatman for a missionary of another Mission and when they had to
evacuate, he gave the whole herd to his man to help support him in the future. Hearing that we might
need goats, he waited for our arrival. Percy was able to buy three or four nannies in full milk as well
as a billy. Swiss goats give an abundant supply, and for the rest of our time in China, we had an
ample milk supply for ourselves and for our :’maidens’ while they were with us.
Mail had been mounting up in Hanzhong for us and to our great joy there were letters from Raymond
and Jess. There was also one from Doris Williams predating theirs, and telling about Raymond on the
ship to Chefoo after he left us in Shanghai. She said,
“You’ll be happy to know that he has quite adopted Miss Carr and she
him. She thinks he is such a sensible little chap. It was lovely seeing
her getting him ready for bed last night. He was so good and so
bright and not at all strained, perfectly at ease with Miss Carr. She
suggested I might like to hear his prayers and then left him with me.
He suggested we sing a hymn, but I didn’t know the one he chose, so
we sang ‘Jesus loves me’ and we talked for awhile about you all. He
thought Alan might wonder where he was and whether he would
remember that he had gone on the ship. Then it was prayer time. He
prayed all round the family and asked the Lord to keep our boat and
all the other boats from sinking, and then that certain other boats
might sink! Very clearly and decidedly too! I tucked him up in bed
and kissed him goodnight and he said he would give Miss Carr a kiss
goodnight too, so you see she has won his heart. She is so nice with
him and yesterday, when we left, she had a game all ready for him
244
