Page 328 - Three Score Years & Ten
P. 328
“THREE SCORE YEARS AND TEN” MISSIONARY WORK IN CHINA
Amy Moore
We were there all night, but it was morning before the little one was born. Then she came so quickly
that Betty did not have time to wash her hands or put on a gown, but just had to catch it quickly. Mrs.
Chen had had five babies in six years so it was hardly surprising that it was quick.
Ilma’s baby was due fairly soon too, but before that happened we had word from the Lutheran folk in
Ankang that the communists were getting close and they were all evacuating up to us. So we had to
prepare accommodation for whenever they should arrive. Some of them did not come this far, but
stayed with Miss Kreik at Xixiang, but the Johansens who are in charge of Ankang came on to us. We
kept watching the Ankang news as any move of the communists there would make the Xixiang folk
come in to us and would make us wonder about our own safety too, though Ankang is a good way
from Hanzhong. Ilma’s baby was so near that I took charge of meals for both houses. However
Geoff’s birthday came before the baby did and Ilma insisted we should all have a birthday tea in their
house. We all tried to help of course, but she got very tired and early next morning her little son was
born.
Two days later Percy had a wire from Mrs. Fisher in Fengxiang that the communists were invading
from the north. It was hard to know how urgent the situation was, but Percy had the jeep and decided
to leave for Baoji straight away. He arrived in the evening to find all our northern workers gathered
there, each with a small bundle of personal belongings, as much as they could carry in their hands.
Apparently the communists had advanced much quicker than anybody had thought possible and
people were getting out of Baoji as quickly as they could. Every means of transport had been taken
and our folks had no way of coming south except by walking. As I remembered our first trip to
Hanzhong from Baoji, it took us nine days to walk over those mountains. They stood there praying for
God to direct them when Percy drove up in the jeep. They almost hugged him and he was able to
pack ladies in to the jeep and start straight back, driving all night till they reached Shuangshipu, half
way back to Hanzhong. He slept there till daylight and then went back to Baoji to collect the others.
When he got them all to Shuangshipu he began to
drive them in relays on to Hanzhong.
On the Saturday morning of that long tiring week,
Percy was at last able to head for home bringing
two of the older workers, Misses Mohler and Cobb
with him and also one of the Methodist Mission
ladies. Just before he arrived, I received a
telegram from Shanghai to say that his father,
Arthur Moore had died in Toronto. I felt so badly to
have to give him this news when he was so tired
and with so many responsibilities on his mind.
Grandad Moore’s death was completely
Percy was given the Henan’s jeep just in unexpected and must have been a great shock to
time to evacuate some of the northern Percy’s mother as well. They had hoped to have a
workers. 1948. good many quiet years of retirement together, but
this was not to be. He had just had his 70th birthday and he died of a heart attack.
Perhaps it was just as well that we were too busy to have much time to think or to grieve, though the
Chinese grieved too and were full of sympathy and questions about how it happened - was he ill? But
it was only as letters came through later that we knew the full details.
In the meantime on Sunday afternoon, Percy set off again in the jeep for Baoji to find the Fishers as
we had no word of them and he was afraid they might have been caught somewhere. It was Monday
afternoon before he returned bringing not only the Fishers but two of the single young men as well as
328
Amy Moore
We were there all night, but it was morning before the little one was born. Then she came so quickly
that Betty did not have time to wash her hands or put on a gown, but just had to catch it quickly. Mrs.
Chen had had five babies in six years so it was hardly surprising that it was quick.
Ilma’s baby was due fairly soon too, but before that happened we had word from the Lutheran folk in
Ankang that the communists were getting close and they were all evacuating up to us. So we had to
prepare accommodation for whenever they should arrive. Some of them did not come this far, but
stayed with Miss Kreik at Xixiang, but the Johansens who are in charge of Ankang came on to us. We
kept watching the Ankang news as any move of the communists there would make the Xixiang folk
come in to us and would make us wonder about our own safety too, though Ankang is a good way
from Hanzhong. Ilma’s baby was so near that I took charge of meals for both houses. However
Geoff’s birthday came before the baby did and Ilma insisted we should all have a birthday tea in their
house. We all tried to help of course, but she got very tired and early next morning her little son was
born.
Two days later Percy had a wire from Mrs. Fisher in Fengxiang that the communists were invading
from the north. It was hard to know how urgent the situation was, but Percy had the jeep and decided
to leave for Baoji straight away. He arrived in the evening to find all our northern workers gathered
there, each with a small bundle of personal belongings, as much as they could carry in their hands.
Apparently the communists had advanced much quicker than anybody had thought possible and
people were getting out of Baoji as quickly as they could. Every means of transport had been taken
and our folks had no way of coming south except by walking. As I remembered our first trip to
Hanzhong from Baoji, it took us nine days to walk over those mountains. They stood there praying for
God to direct them when Percy drove up in the jeep. They almost hugged him and he was able to
pack ladies in to the jeep and start straight back, driving all night till they reached Shuangshipu, half
way back to Hanzhong. He slept there till daylight and then went back to Baoji to collect the others.
When he got them all to Shuangshipu he began to
drive them in relays on to Hanzhong.
On the Saturday morning of that long tiring week,
Percy was at last able to head for home bringing
two of the older workers, Misses Mohler and Cobb
with him and also one of the Methodist Mission
ladies. Just before he arrived, I received a
telegram from Shanghai to say that his father,
Arthur Moore had died in Toronto. I felt so badly to
have to give him this news when he was so tired
and with so many responsibilities on his mind.
Grandad Moore’s death was completely
Percy was given the Henan’s jeep just in unexpected and must have been a great shock to
time to evacuate some of the northern Percy’s mother as well. They had hoped to have a
workers. 1948. good many quiet years of retirement together, but
this was not to be. He had just had his 70th birthday and he died of a heart attack.
Perhaps it was just as well that we were too busy to have much time to think or to grieve, though the
Chinese grieved too and were full of sympathy and questions about how it happened - was he ill? But
it was only as letters came through later that we knew the full details.
In the meantime on Sunday afternoon, Percy set off again in the jeep for Baoji to find the Fishers as
we had no word of them and he was afraid they might have been caught somewhere. It was Monday
afternoon before he returned bringing not only the Fishers but two of the single young men as well as
328
