Page 266 - Three Score Years & Ten
P. 266
“THREE SCORE YEARS AND TEN” MISSIONARY WORK IN CHINA
Amy Moore
Percy and Pastor Guo led most of the classes each week and I was made treasurer of the Team. By
this time I knew I was pregnant again, and because I felt so different this time form all my other
pregnancies, I began to hope that this time it really would be ‘Dorothy Margaret’ at last. When I told
the Chinese women I was hoping for a little girl, they informed me that in China one should have six
boys before thinking of a girl! I felt that was more than I could cope with. After feeling so well most of
the time I was carrying the boys, it was a surprise to me to find myself feeling nauseated and
miserable most of that long summer.
THE TEAM
The team work kept us busy through that summer of 1942. From October 1941 to the end of January
1942 the time had been taken up with meetings in some of the Churches, holding Bible classes,
encouraging Chinese fellow workers and generally trying to revive the spiritual life in all of our South
Shaanxi Churches. In that period eleven different Churches were visited and there was much
blessing. Mr. Guo was a very powerful speaker and as I listened to him I felt he could be acceptable
on any Keswick platform. His expositions of the Word of God emphasised the need for deeper
spiritual life, the recognition of and putting away of sin with repentance towards God, and a committal
of lives to Him.
With our move to Hanzhong, preparations were made for the other aspect of the team life, the setting
up of a centre which the team could look on as their spiritual home to which they could return for
spiritual refreshment in the midst of their work. Also it would give an opportunity for young Christians
to receive training and Bible teaching in preparation for serving the Lord. Everybody connected with
the Team, whether students or staff was expected to live a life of faith in dependence on God.
When the school commenced in Hanzhong we had nineteen in attendance, and of these half were
deacons from various Churches or else Church workers. The educational standard was fairly good,
though not as good as we hoped it would eventually be, and ten lived on the compound with ourselves
and Pastor Guo. Most of the students were able to pay for their food, but those who could not
guarantee being able to pay a regular amount were accepted if considered suitable, on the
understanding that they would pay as God supplied. There was never any suggestion of asking the
Mission for money. It was a truly indigenous movement, and as each one found that God was
supplying their needs, for many it was a real spiritual uplift. Two weeks before the end of the term, I
as treasurer, had to tell them that the funds in hand were not sufficient to see us through the term.
Students and teachers all met to pray about this and I was impressed that there was no spirit of
grumbling or talk of bad management, but by each giving what they could, the deficit was met and
there was sufficient to see us through.
Halfway through the term Mr. Guo developed pneumonia with a touch of pleurisy, and for the last half
of the term he was not able to teach. With the beginning of the two months holidays and the
scattering of the students, he took a holiday in Xi’an and rested completely, and we looked forward to
his being well again at the beginning of the September term. However another medical inspection in
Xi’an brought out the further complication of advanced TB and he had to return to his home in Shanxi.
It was with much regret that we felt the Team work could not go on without him or some equally
qualified Chinese Christian leader to take his place. So after one very effective term of work which
showed us all what was possible, given the right leaders, we had reluctantly to close the school and
advise students that there would be no second term until further notice.
266
Amy Moore
Percy and Pastor Guo led most of the classes each week and I was made treasurer of the Team. By
this time I knew I was pregnant again, and because I felt so different this time form all my other
pregnancies, I began to hope that this time it really would be ‘Dorothy Margaret’ at last. When I told
the Chinese women I was hoping for a little girl, they informed me that in China one should have six
boys before thinking of a girl! I felt that was more than I could cope with. After feeling so well most of
the time I was carrying the boys, it was a surprise to me to find myself feeling nauseated and
miserable most of that long summer.
THE TEAM
The team work kept us busy through that summer of 1942. From October 1941 to the end of January
1942 the time had been taken up with meetings in some of the Churches, holding Bible classes,
encouraging Chinese fellow workers and generally trying to revive the spiritual life in all of our South
Shaanxi Churches. In that period eleven different Churches were visited and there was much
blessing. Mr. Guo was a very powerful speaker and as I listened to him I felt he could be acceptable
on any Keswick platform. His expositions of the Word of God emphasised the need for deeper
spiritual life, the recognition of and putting away of sin with repentance towards God, and a committal
of lives to Him.
With our move to Hanzhong, preparations were made for the other aspect of the team life, the setting
up of a centre which the team could look on as their spiritual home to which they could return for
spiritual refreshment in the midst of their work. Also it would give an opportunity for young Christians
to receive training and Bible teaching in preparation for serving the Lord. Everybody connected with
the Team, whether students or staff was expected to live a life of faith in dependence on God.
When the school commenced in Hanzhong we had nineteen in attendance, and of these half were
deacons from various Churches or else Church workers. The educational standard was fairly good,
though not as good as we hoped it would eventually be, and ten lived on the compound with ourselves
and Pastor Guo. Most of the students were able to pay for their food, but those who could not
guarantee being able to pay a regular amount were accepted if considered suitable, on the
understanding that they would pay as God supplied. There was never any suggestion of asking the
Mission for money. It was a truly indigenous movement, and as each one found that God was
supplying their needs, for many it was a real spiritual uplift. Two weeks before the end of the term, I
as treasurer, had to tell them that the funds in hand were not sufficient to see us through the term.
Students and teachers all met to pray about this and I was impressed that there was no spirit of
grumbling or talk of bad management, but by each giving what they could, the deficit was met and
there was sufficient to see us through.
Halfway through the term Mr. Guo developed pneumonia with a touch of pleurisy, and for the last half
of the term he was not able to teach. With the beginning of the two months holidays and the
scattering of the students, he took a holiday in Xi’an and rested completely, and we looked forward to
his being well again at the beginning of the September term. However another medical inspection in
Xi’an brought out the further complication of advanced TB and he had to return to his home in Shanxi.
It was with much regret that we felt the Team work could not go on without him or some equally
qualified Chinese Christian leader to take his place. So after one very effective term of work which
showed us all what was possible, given the right leaders, we had reluctantly to close the school and
advise students that there would be no second term until further notice.
266
