a n d
J. BrasWamp Christina
This is the story of Miss fVang of China, a Bible woman evangelist.
and refused to see her, but as she had already entered the yard I went out to receive her. I told her my difficulties. She said, “You ask God for guidance, and what He tells you to do, do it. Don’t fear.” After much prayerful considera tion, I decided to run away and seek my missionary friend at Hangchow. Then came my struggle with Satan. How could f leave my father and mother, and what about my reputa tion? The fight was hard. God strengthened me through His Word and gave me courage to overcome obstacles. I removed all jewels and expen sive clothing, taking only money sufficient for the railroad fare. With my Bible I ventured forth. I wrote a letter, leaving it in my room, stat ing my destination. To my disap pointment, my mother was up next morning as soon as I. How to evade her I did not know. If I put on my skirt, my mother would know I was going out, as that is worn only when one is dressed for the public. So I decided to put my skirt with my Bible, leave the house, and dress at the back door. To my distress, I met one of the servant wopien at the back door. She proved to be God’s messenger for me, for without her I could not have escaped. She was responsible for my movements, so I told her my plans. I said: “You know I am not allowed to worship here; I am going out to worship my God.” She as sented to my plans without remon strance, opened the back door, and to my consternation, three soldiers stood on guard. She told one of them to accompany me as I was going to worship. He took me to the station, bought my ticket, and put me on the train. I reached my missionary friend’s home to find I had been missed. A telegram had come from father and the next train brought a servant woman to take me home. I returned
with her. My home reception was cold, and stormy indeed were the words used. Finally, my father said: “Tell us, what is the trouble? What are you trying to do? Even my reputation as an official you are ruining. People will say, when I can’t manage one small girl, how can I manage an army.” I showed him my Bible, saying, “I want to study this Book, and to do this I must go to Nanking.” But I was again imprisoned. “Man’s extremity is God’s oppor tunity." I gave myself to prayer. I remembered fasting was also in cluded in prayer, so I began to fast. When my parents saw me fasting, they thought I was attempting sui cide, so finally agreed to my enter ing the Women’s Bible School at Nanking. A soldier and servant wo man were to accompany me. As I departed, all came to see me off. My mother said: “Remember, you have no home, no father or mother, you can never return. If you come back, we will break your legs.” I wrote regularly to them, but not once did they reply. At the end of the term when other girls were pre paring to return home, I decided to go too. I said to myself: “Jf they cripple me, I will be crippled.” No one welcomed me. Even the serv ants were allowed to curse me, but I was not beaten or abused. When I had completed the course, and was ready to graduate, I re ceived a letter from my father de manding my return home—that I was too young and could not be an evangelist, roaming about the country. I knew that meant im prisonment and no church privileges, so I refused to return. As I was dis cussing with myself what to do, I received a letter from Hangchow ask ing me to help with an evangelistic movement. I went to Shanghai to make con nection for Sangchow, which meant passing my home at Kahsing. As T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
HEN I was about fourteen, the desire came into my heart to study. I had been taught at home, but I wanted to really enter a school. My father was a military official at Hangchow, so I could not go as a day pupil, for every time I went out I had to ride in a chair and have an escort. Since the gov ernment schools do not receive boarders, it had to be a Christian school. My mother was a devout Bud dhist. She had a small temple. in our home and worshiped at the idol’s shrine many times daily. She consented to my going if I would promise not to become con taminated with the foreigner’s re ligion. This I could easily do, for at that time I knew nothing of Christianity. After a term in the Christian school, I became convinced that the Gospel was true, though I had not yet been baptized. I returned home and refused to kow-tow to ancestral tablets and to images. This produced great con sternation in my family. My mother censured me and fa ther blamed my mother for having sent me to a Christian school. They made me a prisoner in my own home. I was not permitted to attend school, or church, or allowed to see a Christian. But my Bible was left in my possession. Truly this was God’s providence. I read it from cover to cover. It was my daily food. In praying for guidance, and read ing, I came upon the text in Acts, sixth chapter, “We will give our selves to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.’’ As I read this I received a message in my heart that God was calling me to be an evangelist. I wrote to a pastor in the city and asked him to pray for me. He gave my letter to a missionary lady, who had the courage to call at the ya- men. My mother was very angry P*gc 10
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