Roberts - The Life and Times of Charles A. Roberts

conferences, speaking in Mandarin with interpreters for Cantonese speakers. There was much opportunity for Christian service, and many missionaries came to minister to these also. He was twice honored to preach at St. John's Cathedral on two special occasions. He smiled when he once remarked, "I've returned to my Episcopalian roots!" In 1949, Mrs. Cheng-Ghi-Kwei brought her 2 daughters an son to Hong Kong as refugees to continue the Bible Correspondence Course there, leaving the 2 older daughters behind to enter college and medical school under the care of a local Christian Chinese doctor. However, she was persuaded to change her mind, and against Charles' counsel she returned with her son to Changsha. He then offered to care for An Ting, 14 years old, while the youngest daughter An Shuen, 12, was left in the care of some friends. Under the Communist government in Changsha, a C.l.M. American missionary, Mr. Ebeling, had elected to stay to cany on H.B.I. work while sending wife and family to Hong Kong for safety. Now the Communists refused his departure until Mrs. Chen Ghi-Kwei returned her 2 daughters to Changsha. Tremendous pressure was put on both Charles and An Ting for her return. He and the Chinese Church were adamant--NO! Mrs. Ebeling, now pregnant with the 4th child, was pressing Charles to gain the release. He now arranged with An Ting to meet her mother at the Hong Kong border. Her mother had been sent to the border to pick up the girls. In sign language at the border, Mrs. Chen indicated to An Ting not to come. In God's good grace and much prayer, the missionary was finally released after a year. The two bright young Cheng daughters lived with Charles and Grace in Hong Kong. Now Charles was responsible for seven daughters! An Ting would later go to England for nursing while An Shuen would complete 2 years of college and many and become a teacher in Emmanuel Primary School, which had become a government "show case" school for Hong Kong government visitors. In 1951, Charles' three younger daughters, Jean, Janet and Joyce, had completed their college education, and in the summer following graduation, he and his daughters were able to meet in Paris for a few days, after which he went on to a World Church Council in Holland. (The girls would travel in Europe with 3 daughters of missionary friends for 2 months).

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