Page 265 - Three Score Years & Ten
P. 265
“THREE SCORE YEARS AND TEN” MISSIONARY WORK IN CHINA
Amy Moore
baked currant bun and a banana each. Elizabeth felt she hadn’t room
for the bun, but was quite game for the banana. Little Ray sitting on
my knee said sweetly that “she might pop”, but he was quite game for
all that was going. They had cocoa to drink and it has been such a
cool day that it wasn’t too hot for them and I think they all had
seconds. Raymond is so like his grandfather that of course one likes
him straight away. He is a pet, so boyish and healthy looking and I
hear from Bea Stark that he is doing quite well at school too.”
It was actually the end of February before we moved to Hanzhong. We felt sorry to leave a place that
had been our home since we married, but it was obvious Hanzhong was going to be more central for
the kind of work Percy was now going to be involved in. It was thought that Xixiang might be a good
place for the Becks after they returned from furlough. In the meantime Fred and Marj Smith were
going to move there to help the Church and also to look after Ina and Esther while they were still doing
language study. I was pleased too that they would be able to keep on the Longs, he to help in the
garden, and she in the house. They would keep on my old Cook too.
The weather had suddenly turned very cold and one night we had a very heavy fall of snow, all of
which made washing and drying clothes very difficult. The children flourished in the cold weather and
looked the picture of health with their rosy cheeks and abounding energy. There was still no word
from Raymond and all we had had since the Japs bombed Pearl Harbour was a broadcast message
that “the Chefoo children are well and happy and send love to their parents”. Alan was still looking
forward to going to school to be with Raymond, but that was beginning to look like a very uncertain
hope. Frankie kept us amused with his antics. One night he fell over and cut his head on a sharp
stone. It was quite a nasty gash which bled profusely, but I cleaned it up and bandaged it and tried to
make him sit still for while as he was looking very white. Instead he stopped crying, got down and
began to stagger round the room until he got dizzy again. He came back then to be cuddled till he felt
better, but then he repeated the whole performance again. He looked such a pathetic little fellow as
he tried to play in spite of his white face and bandaged head.
THE HANZHONG MOVE
By the end of March we were well settled into our new way of life. The Church in Hanzhong had given
over some of their guest rooms for the use of the team, so Percy and I were allotted two small rooms
near the front entrance to the big Church compound. One we used as a kitchenette and the other
was a bedroom for the four of us. It was rather cramped quarters after the abundance of room we had
enjoyed at Xixiang, but after I had made up beds and put up a few pictures and hung curtains, it began
to look like ‘home’ and I was pleased with it. I will never forget Percy’s mother’s classic remark after
she had come to see our rooms before and after we had moved in: “Well, some people can live in a
palace and make it a pigsty. Others can live in a pigsty and make it a palace!” I took that as a
compliment and was pleased that she obviously approved of what I had done.
Percy and I had all our meals with the Team which of course meant eating Chinese all the time. The
children loved to eat Chinese but because they were used to milk and eggs, we decided (with
approval of our Chinese colleagues) that I would give them breakfast and an evening meal separately,
but they would have the midday meal with the rest of us. As Percy and I got no milk or eggs either,
and meat only once a week if then, I sometimes made a snack for ourselves when I made the
children’s meal so that we would not feel the change of diet too much.
265
Amy Moore
baked currant bun and a banana each. Elizabeth felt she hadn’t room
for the bun, but was quite game for the banana. Little Ray sitting on
my knee said sweetly that “she might pop”, but he was quite game for
all that was going. They had cocoa to drink and it has been such a
cool day that it wasn’t too hot for them and I think they all had
seconds. Raymond is so like his grandfather that of course one likes
him straight away. He is a pet, so boyish and healthy looking and I
hear from Bea Stark that he is doing quite well at school too.”
It was actually the end of February before we moved to Hanzhong. We felt sorry to leave a place that
had been our home since we married, but it was obvious Hanzhong was going to be more central for
the kind of work Percy was now going to be involved in. It was thought that Xixiang might be a good
place for the Becks after they returned from furlough. In the meantime Fred and Marj Smith were
going to move there to help the Church and also to look after Ina and Esther while they were still doing
language study. I was pleased too that they would be able to keep on the Longs, he to help in the
garden, and she in the house. They would keep on my old Cook too.
The weather had suddenly turned very cold and one night we had a very heavy fall of snow, all of
which made washing and drying clothes very difficult. The children flourished in the cold weather and
looked the picture of health with their rosy cheeks and abounding energy. There was still no word
from Raymond and all we had had since the Japs bombed Pearl Harbour was a broadcast message
that “the Chefoo children are well and happy and send love to their parents”. Alan was still looking
forward to going to school to be with Raymond, but that was beginning to look like a very uncertain
hope. Frankie kept us amused with his antics. One night he fell over and cut his head on a sharp
stone. It was quite a nasty gash which bled profusely, but I cleaned it up and bandaged it and tried to
make him sit still for while as he was looking very white. Instead he stopped crying, got down and
began to stagger round the room until he got dizzy again. He came back then to be cuddled till he felt
better, but then he repeated the whole performance again. He looked such a pathetic little fellow as
he tried to play in spite of his white face and bandaged head.
THE HANZHONG MOVE
By the end of March we were well settled into our new way of life. The Church in Hanzhong had given
over some of their guest rooms for the use of the team, so Percy and I were allotted two small rooms
near the front entrance to the big Church compound. One we used as a kitchenette and the other
was a bedroom for the four of us. It was rather cramped quarters after the abundance of room we had
enjoyed at Xixiang, but after I had made up beds and put up a few pictures and hung curtains, it began
to look like ‘home’ and I was pleased with it. I will never forget Percy’s mother’s classic remark after
she had come to see our rooms before and after we had moved in: “Well, some people can live in a
palace and make it a pigsty. Others can live in a pigsty and make it a palace!” I took that as a
compliment and was pleased that she obviously approved of what I had done.
Percy and I had all our meals with the Team which of course meant eating Chinese all the time. The
children loved to eat Chinese but because they were used to milk and eggs, we decided (with
approval of our Chinese colleagues) that I would give them breakfast and an evening meal separately,
but they would have the midday meal with the rest of us. As Percy and I got no milk or eggs either,
and meat only once a week if then, I sometimes made a snack for ourselves when I made the
children’s meal so that we would not feel the change of diet too much.
265
