June, 1941
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Trapped b y e v e n t s o v e r which they have no control, China’s r e f u g e e mas s e s , young and old, look to their national leaders for escape.
T AO-LIAG"' Arrived! Standing- on the banks of the mighty Yang tze River, you gaze at the city with its streets in tiers—stadium-like— and you wonder whether there has been any essential change in „the soul and moods of this part of the world since the dim past of the Chow and Han dynasties. But climb to the topmost street of this hillside city and get a panorama of the river and the mountains on the op posite side. You see foreign gunboats lying at anchor all bottled up; you pick out flags flying in the distance identify ing the embassies, and overhead, you see the mighty airships, coming and go ing in a great hurry, from Hongkong, from Hami in the northwest, and from Rangoon in southern Burma. Then you feel the thrill of being in the wartime capital of a grand old nation. And you realize its spirit, graphically expressed
dreamed of when I started for Chung king from the school in Hunan which is the China Department of the Bible In stitute of Los Angeles. Foremost on this trip were the opportunities to witness to official and military men of China. There were invitations to preach the Word in the newly built homes, many of modern bungalow style, nestled away in pine-covered hills which surround the capital. There were many personal interviews often lasting into the late hours of the evening, when we gathered around the Word. These will never be forgotten. But most precious of all was the consciousness of the Holy Spirit’s regenerating work in our midst. Each Sunday morning a meeting was held in the home of an official who, like others of this class, had moved his family from the city to a country sanc-
by huge c h a r a c t e r s written on two tall pillars, all that remains of a once modern and magnificent building in the heart of the business section of the city: “Bomb! You can’t destroy our spirit of resistance. Burn!. You can’t quench our determination to win.” How ever, the interest of our visit is not carnal, but spiritual. Among China’ s Officialdom My visit to Chungking was' by invita tion, and my Chinese host, a devout brother in the Lord and an official jn the Ministry of Finance, had made all arrangements for my comfort. The lu nar New Year season, or Spring Festi val, gave the needed lull in the work in Changsha for such a trip to be made, and the weather proved excellent. To seek first the kingdom of God was our motive from the first, and my stay of three weeks was altogether too brief for all the opportunities g i v e n us — un
of Chungking rising toward the sky
[ Continued on Page 222] China s Leaders Eager For The Gospel By CHARLES A . ROBERTS Superintendent, Hunan Bible Institute Changsha, Hunan, China
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