Page 332 - Three Score Years & Ten
P. 332
“THREE SCORE YEARS AND TEN” MISSIONARY WORK IN CHINA
Amy Moore
meal times to sit at our own family table and, as we looked around the spacious dining room, we
recognised other families at their tables. The Kitchens were there and the Edwards, the Krafts and
others whom we may not have seen since we were in Language School, but whose children were now
growing up in this beautiful place with ours.
I spent time going through the boys clothes to make sure they would be in good condition till we
came back next year. But the boys loved Guling and they took us for long walks to see their favourite
places - Monkey Ridge and Lions Leap, the water falls streaming down to make pools where they
could swim, and beautiful views that were breath taking whichever way we looked. It was a wonderful
summer and a time of happy family life which we all enjoyed.
Raymond had wanted early that year to be baptised, but when he knew we were coming to Guling, he
decided to wait till we were there. So one lovely summer day he was baptised in the swimming pool
near the school.
One day the wife of the Generalissimo, Madame Jiang was visiting Guling where they often took their
own holiday, and invited herself to visit the school. So the children were all lined up on each side of
the path which she would take, and she stopped to speak to one or another before being escorted into
the Fairy Glen dining room where a special afternoon tea had been prepared.
The school Principal and his wife and one of the CIM Directors with his wife welcomed Madame Jiang
to the table where they were sitting and did the honours of entertaining her. To our surprise Percy and
I were asked to look after the only other lady who came with her and who was her American
Secretary. I supposed because Percy was a district Superintendent we came next to the Directors. I
felt rather nervous as this was quite unexpected and I felt quite unprepared to act as hostess to the
‘First Lady’s’ secretary who was also her close friend. However, she was very nice and I found myself
asking questions like, “What are they like in private life? Are they really true Christians?” She said she
thought they were. They had devotions together every morning and he prayed often for his country
which he loved very much. I was encouraged as this confirmed my own opinion of them both, though I
felt that with corruption in high places and the expectations of a large family circle, they must have
been treading a very fine line between what they felt was right and what Chinese culture expected of
them for their family members. I prayed even more for them after that. It was an interesting interlude
in our holiday.
My birthday was 4 September, but we needed to leave Guling before then if we were to be ready for
our ship in Shanghai to take us via America to Canada, so as the children wanted a family picnic we
planned one for a few days before we were to leave. I asked the housekeeper to order a birthday
cake for us and I bought some packets of jelly crystals and made a huge bowl of jelly which they all
loved. Then we bought sausages to have a barbecue and we set out down the side of the stream to a
place where we could light a fire and have a picnic. The fire lit easily and we got the sausages in the
frypan and beginning to sizzle. Then it happened!! Without any warning the skies opened and down
came the rain, great heavy drops that seemed to get heavier every moment. Somebody grabbed the
cake, Percy snatched the frying pan and sausages off the now almost extinguished fire, I picked up
the big bowl of jelly. Everybody grabbed something and we fled to the shelter of a little cave nearby.
It did not last long, but when we looked at each other we all burst out laughing! We were all soaked to
the skin, the sausages were floating in a pan full of water, the jelly had completely melted, the icing on
the cake was melting, and nothing looked eatable. But we drank the jelly, dried out the frypan and
finished cooking the sausages and enjoyed the parts of the cake which were not sodden. The boys
declared it was the best picnic they had ever had!
332
Amy Moore
meal times to sit at our own family table and, as we looked around the spacious dining room, we
recognised other families at their tables. The Kitchens were there and the Edwards, the Krafts and
others whom we may not have seen since we were in Language School, but whose children were now
growing up in this beautiful place with ours.
I spent time going through the boys clothes to make sure they would be in good condition till we
came back next year. But the boys loved Guling and they took us for long walks to see their favourite
places - Monkey Ridge and Lions Leap, the water falls streaming down to make pools where they
could swim, and beautiful views that were breath taking whichever way we looked. It was a wonderful
summer and a time of happy family life which we all enjoyed.
Raymond had wanted early that year to be baptised, but when he knew we were coming to Guling, he
decided to wait till we were there. So one lovely summer day he was baptised in the swimming pool
near the school.
One day the wife of the Generalissimo, Madame Jiang was visiting Guling where they often took their
own holiday, and invited herself to visit the school. So the children were all lined up on each side of
the path which she would take, and she stopped to speak to one or another before being escorted into
the Fairy Glen dining room where a special afternoon tea had been prepared.
The school Principal and his wife and one of the CIM Directors with his wife welcomed Madame Jiang
to the table where they were sitting and did the honours of entertaining her. To our surprise Percy and
I were asked to look after the only other lady who came with her and who was her American
Secretary. I supposed because Percy was a district Superintendent we came next to the Directors. I
felt rather nervous as this was quite unexpected and I felt quite unprepared to act as hostess to the
‘First Lady’s’ secretary who was also her close friend. However, she was very nice and I found myself
asking questions like, “What are they like in private life? Are they really true Christians?” She said she
thought they were. They had devotions together every morning and he prayed often for his country
which he loved very much. I was encouraged as this confirmed my own opinion of them both, though I
felt that with corruption in high places and the expectations of a large family circle, they must have
been treading a very fine line between what they felt was right and what Chinese culture expected of
them for their family members. I prayed even more for them after that. It was an interesting interlude
in our holiday.
My birthday was 4 September, but we needed to leave Guling before then if we were to be ready for
our ship in Shanghai to take us via America to Canada, so as the children wanted a family picnic we
planned one for a few days before we were to leave. I asked the housekeeper to order a birthday
cake for us and I bought some packets of jelly crystals and made a huge bowl of jelly which they all
loved. Then we bought sausages to have a barbecue and we set out down the side of the stream to a
place where we could light a fire and have a picnic. The fire lit easily and we got the sausages in the
frypan and beginning to sizzle. Then it happened!! Without any warning the skies opened and down
came the rain, great heavy drops that seemed to get heavier every moment. Somebody grabbed the
cake, Percy snatched the frying pan and sausages off the now almost extinguished fire, I picked up
the big bowl of jelly. Everybody grabbed something and we fled to the shelter of a little cave nearby.
It did not last long, but when we looked at each other we all burst out laughing! We were all soaked to
the skin, the sausages were floating in a pan full of water, the jelly had completely melted, the icing on
the cake was melting, and nothing looked eatable. But we drank the jelly, dried out the frypan and
finished cooking the sausages and enjoyed the parts of the cake which were not sodden. The boys
declared it was the best picnic they had ever had!
332
