Глава 4
The Inn of the Sixth Happiness: Finding Purpose Among the Mules
Yangcheng was a beautiful little Chinese town nestled in a valley between high, bare mountains, encircled by a wall with narrow winding streets and ancient temples. It sat on the old mule track from Hopeh to Honan, with no proper roads, only muddy tracks where mule trains passed daily. Our inn became known throughout the region for its cleanliness, good food, and the free Bible stories told each night.
While Mrs. Lawson and Mr. Lu shared these stories, I found my initial role caring for the mules, scraping mud off them so their owners could listen comfortably. We also visited villages on Sundays, where crowds would gather to stare at us foreigners before Mrs. Lawson would begin speaking. The villagers would ask questions, feel our clothes, and express fascination with our unbound feet - a stark contrast to their own painful tradition.
After several months of language struggle, I could finally understand most conversations and make myself understood. When Mrs. Lawson became seriously ill, she told me God had called me to continue her work. After her death, I maintained the inn, held services, provided basic medical aid, and preached in market places with Mr. Lu, though I struggled financially and felt isolated as the only European in the region.
One morning, my cook suggested I should bow to the mandarin, the powerful local magistrate who could "order your head to be cut off." Before I could determine the proper protocol, the mandarin himself arrived at my courtyard with three sword-bearing soldiers. To my surprise, he requested my help rather than threatening me. A new government decree had banned foot-binding throughout China, and the mandarin needed someone to enforce it. Since I was the only woman with unbound feet in the district, he appointed me as the official foot inspector, providing a mule, two soldiers, and modest payment.
I accepted on condition that I could preach in the villages I visited. In this remarkable way, doors opened for ministry throughout the province. When visiting villages, my soldiers would announce the new law while I examined women's feet, insisting that girls unbind their feet or face imprisonment. I'd first engage villagers with stories and songs before explaining that God made boys' and girls' feet alike. Over months and years, I became known as "The Storyteller," welcomed in every village, with small groups of converts forming in each place.
Глава 5
Ninepence: Building a Family One Child at a Time
Despite my growing friendships with the Chinese, I often felt isolated and longed for fellowship with someone of my own kind. One day, feeling utterly depressed, I encountered a woman with a desperately ill child sitting by the roadside. The child was thin, dirty, and covered with sores, lying exposed to the merciless sun. When I expressed concern, the woman callously replied she could "get another to take her place tomorrow" if the child died.
Horrified, I realized the stories of children being bought and sold were true. The woman offered to sell me the child for half a crown, then two shillings, but I had no money. After visiting the mandarin, who sadly noted only new government laws could address such trafficking, I returned to find the woman still there. She lowered her price to a shilling, and I offered all I had-five Chinese coins worth about ninepence. The woman accepted, pushed the child into my arms, and "Ninepence" became mine.
Within days of washing and feeding her, Ninepence was transformed. Soon she brought in a street boy, who brought in two more, until I had about twenty children dependent on me. Though resources were often scarce, we never went without, and my loneliness was replaced by a home filled with children who needed me.
My family grew even larger when I confronted a household hiding children with bound feet. After persistent demands, I discovered five little girls with painfully bound feet. Their caretaker, Mrs. Ching, was terrified of her master who had purchased both her and the children to sell for profit once their feet were properly bound. After sharing the gospel with this frightened woman, I took her and all five girls back to my inn. There, surrounded by my twenty-four other children and the kindly old cook Chang, Mrs. Ching witnessed our loving community and surrendered her life to Christ. We eventually purchased her freedom, and she began telling other women how Jesus had freed her heart "bound up tight with sin, like I bound up the feet of the little girls."
Глава 6
War and Revival: When Heaven Touches Earth
The peaceful rhythm of our lives was shattered in 1937 with the outbreak of the Chinese-Japanese War. As waves of wounded soldiers began arriving in our town, their numbers growing daily, I recognized the urgent need for medical assistance and applied for help from a Christian aid unit operating in neighboring provinces. Despite the looming threat of invasion and the sound of distant artillery, we made the bold decision to proceed with our annual Christian convention, traditionally a gathering of believers from across the region.
To our amazement, over a thousand believers made treacherous journeys from surrounding villages, many walking for days through Japanese-patrolled territories. They slept in barns, courtyards, and wherever space could be found, their presence transforming our small town into a hub of faithful anticipation. The atmosphere was electric with both fear and faith.
When word arrived that our scheduled guest speaker couldn't attend due to military blockades, I retreated to my study in distress, wondering how to proceed with such a large gathering. It was then that a dust-covered soldier appeared at my door regarding my medical request. In my preoccupation with prayer, I initially dismissed him, but divine providence revealed him as Jonathan Wen, a Christian doctor from the aid unit. This seemingly chance encounter proved to be orchestrated by higher powers.
Wen led our convention with extraordinary spiritual authority for five consecutive days. His messages, delivered with both military precision and spiritual sensitivity, sparked a remarkable revival. Dozens came forward daily to accept Christ, including hardened soldiers, local merchants, and curious townspeople who had never before shown interest in Christianity. The meetings often extended late into the night, with spontaneous prayer groups forming throughout the town.
On the final morning, an extraordinary event occurred. Before dawn, hundreds of believers gathered spontaneously in the courtyard, praying in various languages and dialects. The scene strongly resembled the Day of Pentecost, with waves of prayer rising like thunder and tears flowing freely. The presence of the Holy Spirit was palpable, transcending the fear of war that surrounded us.
Just two days after the convention concluded, Japanese forces entered our region. Yet our guests had already safely returned to their mountain villages, carrying with them what many described as "heaven's glory." This timing could only be attributed to divine protection.
During this tumultuous period, I witnessed numerous remarkable conversions, none more striking than that of a Chinese general who had previously led a notorious bandit troop. Standing before his assembled men, he made an unprecedented declaration: "Up to this time we have been a bandit troop, living by violence and fear. Now we will cease to be bandits and become honorable soldiers because last night I took Jesus Christ as my God." He held up a Bible, proclaiming it stood against all dishonesty and wickedness, challenging every man willing to follow him to pledge to cease killing or looting for personal gain and instead serve the true God.
Two years later, word reached me that this same general had been captured and tortured for his faith by his own former comrades who had rejected his transformation. When he eventually made his way back to our village, his body was broken from torture, but his spirit remained undiminished. The local children, who knew him only as "Lao Dah" (Big Brother), would gather around him to hear stories, unaware they were sitting at the feet of a former general. He lived among us for just one year before passing away, and I arranged for him to be buried with honor as Wong-wei-deh, my brother in faith who had demonstrated unwavering faithfulness in the face of persecution.
Глава 7
The Children's Long March: A Journey of Faith and Courage
As the war intensified, orphaned children continued coming to me - some brought by villagers or soldiers, others arriving on their own. With their numbers growing beyond a hundred, I struggled to feed, teach, and care for them in our ruined mission. When I learned of Madame Chiang Kai-shek's government-funded orphanages in Free China, I wrote to her and received an offer to care for our children if we could bring them to Shensi province.
The war situation worsened daily. The Chinese general's wife warned me of their imminent retreat and urged me to join them. "Christians never retreat," I replied, though I allowed some children to go with them. Two nights later, a soldier brought shocking news - the Japanese had posted rewards for certain people's capture, and I was on their wanted list.
After consulting with church elders and praying for guidance, I opened my Bible to the words "Flee ye into the mountains" and decided to leave. But by morning, Japanese soldiers had surrounded the city. I escaped through the Gate of the Dead as bullets riddled my abandoned coat. After a harrowing day of running and hiding, I reached a friendly village and eventually made it to Cheng Tsuen where many of my children were waiting.
Despite friends' objections that the journey was impossible, I resolved to take the hundred children to Shensi myself. "The Lord will provide," I insisted, explaining the children weren't safe from bombing where they were. The mayor reluctantly provided grain for the first leg of our journey and two men to carry it.
Our group of children aged three to sixteen set off across mountain ranges, following mule tracks where no proper roads existed. We slept under the open sky in tight clusters for warmth, begging food along the way but often having only thin gruel for supper. To keep their spirits up during the arduous trek, I led them in singing hymns and reciting Bible verses.
After twelve weary days, we reached the Yellow River, only to find Yuen Chu deserted, with no food and no ferry boats running. In despair, I prayed through the night until thirteen-year-old Sualan reminded me of Moses crossing the Red Sea: "Jehovah is still God!" A Chinese officer appeared and arranged a boat to take us across.
We continued by train until forced to cross treacherous mountains on foot where the railway was under Japanese fire. At Tungkwan, we secretly boarded coal trucks before dawn, hiding the sleeping children among coal lumps to avoid Japanese gunfire. After twenty-seven days of travel, we reached Sian and eventually delivered the children safely to one of Madame Chiang's orphanages at Fu-Feng before I collapsed with pneumonia and typhus.
Глава 8
New Frontiers: Prisons, Lamaseries, and Unexplored Territories
After recovering from my illness, I continued working with refugees in various capacities. While attending a youth conference, I discovered students who prayed for various northwestern towns they couldn't visit themselves. Feeling God's call to explore this unknown territory, I set off despite warnings that "there is nothing" beyond Tsin Tsui.
The journey began pleasantly through beautiful countryside, though I knew language would become difficult. Dr. Huang, a Christian doctor curious about lands beyond his district, offered to accompany me. We traveled through areas where no one had heard of Jesus Christ, eventually finding ourselves in barren mountains without shelter.
After praying - I selfishly for food and lodging, while Dr. Huang prayed for someone to witness to - we spotted a Tibetan lama who invited us to his lamasery. Despite my fears about entering this sacred place as a woman, we followed him up the mountain to find a beautiful monastery where we were treated with extraordinary hospitality and given opportunities to share our faith.
Later, I found myself working with prisoners in China's second largest prison. When I encountered four chained murderers being thrown to the ground, I felt compelled to speak with them despite guards refusing my request. Three were executed, leaving only Mr. Shan - a young, handsome, arrogant man whose evil presence repelled me.
One day while watching prisoners file past, I heard God clearly tell me to speak to Mr. Shan. Despite my reluctance, I impulsively touched his shoulder and asked if he was miserable. He cursed and rejected me, but this forbidden touch - a woman touching a man in public - became the catalyst for his transformation. Later, other prisoners witnessed his shock: "She touched me as if she loved me!" This simple act of compassion, followed by testimony that God loved him despite his crimes, led to Mr. Shan's conversion.
His transformation sparked a revival throughout the prison. Men spent hours listening to God's Word and praying. Baptisms lasted three days, testimonies were printed in the prison press, and even the governor himself converted, acknowledging that what he couldn't accomplish in five years, the gospel had achieved in one.
Глава 9
Martyrdom and Return: The Final Chapter
As the Communist regime took control of China, persecution of Christians intensified. While working with the Methodist church as an evangelist for refugees, I witnessed both revival and tragedy. After thorough cleaning and prayer, we held special gospel campaigns with Youth for Christ, bringing revival to hundreds, including many university students. This spiritual strengthening prepared them for the terrible trials ahead.
When Communists took control of the university, they forced students to declare political allegiance. Remarkably, 200 of 500 students marked "X" indicating opposition to the government. Despite persecution and forced isolation, these young Christians gathered for early morning prayer, rising earlier and earlier to avoid disruption. After three months of constant indoctrination, all 200 were brought to the market square. The first to testify, a seventeen-year-old girl, declared firmly: "Now I know Jesus Christ is real, I know this Book is true!" All 200 maintained their faith and were beheaded that day, following Christ even unto death.
After twenty years in China, I began feeling I should return to England, though I considered myself Chinese in name, dress, and thought. During a prayer meeting, a young Chinese Christian expressed concern for England, showing me newspapers that portrayed England as worshipping "other gods" - sports, film stars, wealth, and amusement. I realized England needed spiritual revival as much as China.
Returning to Britain after twenty years felt almost foreign to me. Though English by birth, I was Chinese in nationality, dress, food, and thought patterns. I found post-war Britain morally careless and spiritually apathetic, with churches more concerned with fashion and social events than prayer.
I began speaking to Christian groups across the country and reaching out to Chinese people in England. We formed a small Chinese church in London and ministered to Chinese sailors, through whom I received news of my children in China. I also helped rescue a Chinese woman named Wong Kwai who had been wrongfully confined in a mental asylum, leading her to faith in Christ.
Concerned about Chinese refugees who had practically nothing to wear, my friend Rosemary Brisco and I began collecting secondhand garments to send abroad. Just before Christmas, we sent fifteen parcels to a Norwegian missionary working in a refugee camp. One parcel went with a Chinese merchant to Macao, where he encountered a once-prominent Chinese man wearing only a sleeveless waistcoat and ladies' panties. Miraculously, the parcel contained a complete man's suit - something we rarely collected.
Eventually, I felt called to leave England's safety and return to minister in Formosa and Hong Kong where many of my loved ones had escaped. After being welcomed warmly by my grown children and even Madame Chiang Kai-shek, I established a mission in Hong Kong and an orphanage near Taipeh. Eventually, I traveled to America seeking support, where World Vision Incorporated provided funding for our work.
My heart overflows with praise that someone so ordinary could be used for His glory among China's persecuted people. Through all the dangers, sorrows, and joys, I have found that God never fails those who trust Him completely.
