Page 70 - Three Score Years & Ten
P. 70
“THREE SCORE YEARS AND TEN” MISSIONARY WORK IN CHINA
Amy Moore
This had all happened while Arthur and Esther were at the coast or at home in England, but as soon
as Arthur heard the story, he could not wait to go to Ganzhou and meet the young Chinese doctor who
was so obviously a "man after his own heart". By August 1921, he was once again on the now
familiar road that leads on and on to Central Asia. He recalled his first visit to Ganzhou in 1908, when
he was definitely not wanted by the local people, and he went from door to door "like a common
hawker" trying to sell his Gospel portions and sometimes being cursed on the streets until he felt it
wiser to retreat. "Dr. and Mrs. Gao have been able to break down this prejudice", he wrote, "and
today the doors are open and the opportunities are many; far more than these workers can cope with.
It was a delightful experience for me to be met some miles from the city and given a welcome and
made to feel among friends and brethren."
While he was in Ganzhou, Dr. Gao asked him to examine a number of candidates for baptism, and
later to baptise seventeen men and women. Three of the men were aged sixty eight, seventy and
seventy-eight respectively!
"We baptised these three old men and two of the women on the
premises, but took the rest of the believers outside the city to a large
river, so that they could bear an open testimony to all who cared to
follow. We found a deep spot in the river and there we baptised the
twelve younger men, one of whom was a Moslem."
Back in Liangzhou, Arthur and Esther were continually busy trying to reach as many people as
possible with the Gospel, and to reach every home with a copy of the Word of God. On 13 May 1922
Esther gave birth to another little daughter whom they named Dorothy ("gift of God"), and Grierson for
her second name after Dr. Grierson, an old doctor friend from Arthur's old home in the Wirral.
FAREWELL TO GANSU
In 1923 Mr. Hoste asked the Moores to move to Shundefu in Qili to help Esther's parents in the work
there. By this time both George Andrew and Jessie his wife were failing in health, and since their
return from furlough the previous year, they had found the work too much for them, though they hated
to give it up. For Esther and Arthur the far north west had been home to them for so long that they
could not leave it without regret. On the other hand, Qili was only some two hundred miles south
west of Beijing and so much nearer to Chefoo where the children were at school. It was impossible to
have them home for holidays to Gansu where travel took up so much time, but at Shundefu they
would be able to come home for the long holidays, or Arthur and Esther could go to them.
So with mixed feelings the move was made and, for the next seven years Shunde and later
Linmingguan became home to the Moore family. George and Jessie Andrew only managed to
continue there for another year and, in 1924, they retired to Chefoo to live. With George and Fanny
already there, and three Moore children at the school, once more the members of the Andrew clan
were in close proximity.
The sudden and unexpected death of little Dorothy when only two and a half years old, made a lasting
impression on all of her brothers and sisters. Arthur wrote to the three in Chefoo to give them the
details.
"You will have heard long before this of our wee Dorothy's death.
She died last Sunday (19 October 1924) after only being ill for one
and a half days, and we are still not sure what her sickness was. I
Return to Table of 70
Contents
Amy Moore
This had all happened while Arthur and Esther were at the coast or at home in England, but as soon
as Arthur heard the story, he could not wait to go to Ganzhou and meet the young Chinese doctor who
was so obviously a "man after his own heart". By August 1921, he was once again on the now
familiar road that leads on and on to Central Asia. He recalled his first visit to Ganzhou in 1908, when
he was definitely not wanted by the local people, and he went from door to door "like a common
hawker" trying to sell his Gospel portions and sometimes being cursed on the streets until he felt it
wiser to retreat. "Dr. and Mrs. Gao have been able to break down this prejudice", he wrote, "and
today the doors are open and the opportunities are many; far more than these workers can cope with.
It was a delightful experience for me to be met some miles from the city and given a welcome and
made to feel among friends and brethren."
While he was in Ganzhou, Dr. Gao asked him to examine a number of candidates for baptism, and
later to baptise seventeen men and women. Three of the men were aged sixty eight, seventy and
seventy-eight respectively!
"We baptised these three old men and two of the women on the
premises, but took the rest of the believers outside the city to a large
river, so that they could bear an open testimony to all who cared to
follow. We found a deep spot in the river and there we baptised the
twelve younger men, one of whom was a Moslem."
Back in Liangzhou, Arthur and Esther were continually busy trying to reach as many people as
possible with the Gospel, and to reach every home with a copy of the Word of God. On 13 May 1922
Esther gave birth to another little daughter whom they named Dorothy ("gift of God"), and Grierson for
her second name after Dr. Grierson, an old doctor friend from Arthur's old home in the Wirral.
FAREWELL TO GANSU
In 1923 Mr. Hoste asked the Moores to move to Shundefu in Qili to help Esther's parents in the work
there. By this time both George Andrew and Jessie his wife were failing in health, and since their
return from furlough the previous year, they had found the work too much for them, though they hated
to give it up. For Esther and Arthur the far north west had been home to them for so long that they
could not leave it without regret. On the other hand, Qili was only some two hundred miles south
west of Beijing and so much nearer to Chefoo where the children were at school. It was impossible to
have them home for holidays to Gansu where travel took up so much time, but at Shundefu they
would be able to come home for the long holidays, or Arthur and Esther could go to them.
So with mixed feelings the move was made and, for the next seven years Shunde and later
Linmingguan became home to the Moore family. George and Jessie Andrew only managed to
continue there for another year and, in 1924, they retired to Chefoo to live. With George and Fanny
already there, and three Moore children at the school, once more the members of the Andrew clan
were in close proximity.
The sudden and unexpected death of little Dorothy when only two and a half years old, made a lasting
impression on all of her brothers and sisters. Arthur wrote to the three in Chefoo to give them the
details.
"You will have heard long before this of our wee Dorothy's death.
She died last Sunday (19 October 1924) after only being ill for one
and a half days, and we are still not sure what her sickness was. I
Return to Table of 70
Contents
