Page 330 - Three Score Years & Ten
P. 330
“THREE SCORE YEARS AND TEN” MISSIONARY WORK IN CHINA
Amy Moore
he could and his jokes in Chinese. An apology when pressed by his hostess at a feast to eat more -
“It is not that your food is not good, but that the skin of my stomach is too small.” That always raised a
laugh and to this day my children can quote it in Chinese when they remember little else! He had a
way with coolies when travelling and could jolly them out of their worst moods by making them laugh
at some joke. In their church it was not only his sermons they remembered, but his physical strength
and the force with which on one occasion he thumped the pulpit so hard to emphasize a point in his
sermon that he broke the pulpit! Not only the missionaries and specially us younger ones who had
learned and grown up under his leadership, but even the older ones who had at first resented having a
‘superintendent’ thrust upon them, had come to love and appreciate as well as respect them. So it
was not only us his family, but his ‘Mission family’ too who grieved with Esther who was still ‘Mother
Mu’ to us all in Shaanxi.
People in North Toronto where they had made their home, talked of him with affection too. How he
would make friends with shopkeepers and people on the street and then say quietly, “I wonder if you
know my Friend Jesus?” And then go on and tell them what a wonderful Friend He is. His influence in
Melrose Avenue and beyond was quite remarkable. He never ceased to be a missionary at home or
abroad.
When Jess was accepted by the China Inland Mission he wrote to her that she had entered into a
solemn covenant with God Himself.
“It cannot be broken without incalculable loss to ourselves and to the
field He has called us to work in together with Him. It will have its ups
and downs, its joys and sorrows, difficulties and dangers, temptations
and trials, encouragements and discouragements, but in them all you
will have God, and you will find His grace sufficient to carry you
through victorious. The joy of the Lord will be your strength.”
In Hanzhong our life continued. Politically things settled down again and people who had been
staying with us either returned to their own work or continued down to Chongqing and on to furlough.
Ailsa and Betty were working hard towards their first language exam and their future place of service
was beginning to loom large in our minds and in our prayers. Ailsa was a trained teacher and there
was always the possibility that she could be asked to teach the children of missionaries at Guling
(‘Chefoo School’). Betty was a nurse and she startled me one day by saying she felt God wanted her
to work amongst leprosy patients in Guizhou.
In our own minds the thought of furlough was taking a prominent place. The Smiths were due back in
April or May and we would not get away before September of October. That meant Dorothy would be
six and school age. Her school number with which I would need to mark all her clothes and the outfit
list for girls had already been sent to me from Guling. I began to prepare her outfit while all the time
dreading the thought that she would not be going home with us.
Summer 1948 came and Maida Contento and Isobel came to us from Xi’an where she had a teaching
position. Maida had been invited to come to Chenggu for a Student’s Conference and she left Isobel
with us during the time she was away. Isobel was nearly eight, and HQ had written that if she was not
at school by the time she was eight, she would not be able to enter. I felt Chefoo with other Western
children would be wonderful for her and I begged Maida to let me take her with Dorothy. She was
tempted I think, but in the end she felt she could not part with her, and Isobel never did get to Chefoo
School.
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Contents
Amy Moore
he could and his jokes in Chinese. An apology when pressed by his hostess at a feast to eat more -
“It is not that your food is not good, but that the skin of my stomach is too small.” That always raised a
laugh and to this day my children can quote it in Chinese when they remember little else! He had a
way with coolies when travelling and could jolly them out of their worst moods by making them laugh
at some joke. In their church it was not only his sermons they remembered, but his physical strength
and the force with which on one occasion he thumped the pulpit so hard to emphasize a point in his
sermon that he broke the pulpit! Not only the missionaries and specially us younger ones who had
learned and grown up under his leadership, but even the older ones who had at first resented having a
‘superintendent’ thrust upon them, had come to love and appreciate as well as respect them. So it
was not only us his family, but his ‘Mission family’ too who grieved with Esther who was still ‘Mother
Mu’ to us all in Shaanxi.
People in North Toronto where they had made their home, talked of him with affection too. How he
would make friends with shopkeepers and people on the street and then say quietly, “I wonder if you
know my Friend Jesus?” And then go on and tell them what a wonderful Friend He is. His influence in
Melrose Avenue and beyond was quite remarkable. He never ceased to be a missionary at home or
abroad.
When Jess was accepted by the China Inland Mission he wrote to her that she had entered into a
solemn covenant with God Himself.
“It cannot be broken without incalculable loss to ourselves and to the
field He has called us to work in together with Him. It will have its ups
and downs, its joys and sorrows, difficulties and dangers, temptations
and trials, encouragements and discouragements, but in them all you
will have God, and you will find His grace sufficient to carry you
through victorious. The joy of the Lord will be your strength.”
In Hanzhong our life continued. Politically things settled down again and people who had been
staying with us either returned to their own work or continued down to Chongqing and on to furlough.
Ailsa and Betty were working hard towards their first language exam and their future place of service
was beginning to loom large in our minds and in our prayers. Ailsa was a trained teacher and there
was always the possibility that she could be asked to teach the children of missionaries at Guling
(‘Chefoo School’). Betty was a nurse and she startled me one day by saying she felt God wanted her
to work amongst leprosy patients in Guizhou.
In our own minds the thought of furlough was taking a prominent place. The Smiths were due back in
April or May and we would not get away before September of October. That meant Dorothy would be
six and school age. Her school number with which I would need to mark all her clothes and the outfit
list for girls had already been sent to me from Guling. I began to prepare her outfit while all the time
dreading the thought that she would not be going home with us.
Summer 1948 came and Maida Contento and Isobel came to us from Xi’an where she had a teaching
position. Maida had been invited to come to Chenggu for a Student’s Conference and she left Isobel
with us during the time she was away. Isobel was nearly eight, and HQ had written that if she was not
at school by the time she was eight, she would not be able to enter. I felt Chefoo with other Western
children would be wonderful for her and I begged Maida to let me take her with Dorothy. She was
tempted I think, but in the end she felt she could not part with her, and Isobel never did get to Chefoo
School.
Return to Table of 330
Contents
