Roberts - The Life and Times of Charles A. Roberts

that he received more congratulations at a wedding he had to attend than even the bride! Shortly afterwards they were able to move into a beautiful large home of their own. designed by Charles--2 storied brick with all the modern amenities that included telephone. central heating, plus a large nursery upstairs and guest bedrooms. Later Charles planned and supervised the building of another home in t he Ghi Gung Shan mountains where the family would spend the hot summers with other missionary families. He enjoyed administrative tasks as well as his teaching responsibilities. He planted flower gardens for the campus. as well as vegetable gardens for his own family--lettuce, celery. asparagus, tomatoes. strawberries and beans. In the twenties there was a great political unrest all over China, especially in the south. Sun Yat Sen in 1911 had overthrown the corrupt government in Peking. Now he was working with Chiang Kai Shek to organize the university students to remove foreign domination from their country. In 1926 thousands of students rallied all over the country threatening all foreigners and demanding that they leave the country. Servants of foreigners were forced to leave their employers. Most foreigners in China left to escape the rising turmoil, strikes, and banditry. At the mention of terrorists or bandits, Faith remembered that Grandma Pike immediately slipped off her diamond rings and jewelry and pinned them in her massive hairdo in an instant! Since there were frequent threats, two other missionary couples, who bad come to teach at H.B.1., packed their bags and left. never to return. In September 1926, H.B.I. was temporarily closed because of country-wide student uprisings. By January 1927. the whole Roberts family. including the two grandmothers, along with Bessie and Florence, left for the U.S .. not knowing what the future would hold. However, Grandma Louisa preferred to go to Vancouver. Canada. Charles, Grace and family lived in Glendale, California in one of the missionary houses maintained by Mrs. Jennie Suppes, a remarkable woman who built cottages for missionaries coming home on furlough.

It was a good time for Charles to become acquainted with the Stewart brothers and friends who were the largest financial supporters of Biola and the H.B.I. in China.

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