June, 1939
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portunity of withdrawing for their own safety, but they Had deliberately chosen to remain, despite the dangers, discomforts, and hardships involved, and to give them selves unstintingly to the work of caring for the sick and wounded, comforting the dying and bereaved, feeding the hungry, and sheltering the homeless and destitute. And this sacrificial ministry of love and mercy has served as a practical demonstra tion of the gospel and has done more than any amount of mere preaching to convince the Chinese of the genuineness and power of Christianity. Multitudes have been pro foundly impressed, and their distrust and prejudice toward the missionary and his message have given place to esteem, confi dence, and even affection. The bearing of this attitude upon future missionary oppor tunity and results cannot well be overesti mated. 2. 1 saw and heard evidences o f God’s protecting hand. Throughout these twenty- one months of fierce fighting, hundreds of missionaries of the China Inland Mission have been exposed to imminent danger from bombs, shells, and bullets which have wrought fearful destruction and death all around them. And yet not a single mission ary has been killed, or even wounded, or has contracted any of the diseases—small pox, dysentery, typhus, and others—which have been so prevalent in the refugee camps and elsewhere. I heard thrilling recitals of hairbreadth escapes and wonderful deliver ances from dangers and desperate situa tions of various kinds, and for these there can be no satisfactory explanation except the direct and miraculous intervention of God in behalf of His servants. What an impressive and God-glorifying testimony such a record furnishes! 3. I saw and heard o f the mighty work ing o f God’s grace in the Chinese Christians. They have had their full share of the awful afflictions and losses which this cruel war has brought upon the nation. Very many of them have been rendered homeless and destitute, have been bereft of loved ones, have gone through sufferings and trials such as Christians in Western lands have never known. Yet their faith has not failed, but on the contrary has been purified and strengthened. Driven to God as never be fore for comfort and succor, they have found Him their "refuge and strength, a
very present help in trouble.” He has re vealed Himself to them in the fiery furnace, and their spirits have been sustained and en riched. Wrote one missionary after visiting the little flock of believers at an outstation where their chapel had been destroyed, their Bibles and hymn books seized and burned, and they themselves cruelly har assed by depraved soldiers and exposed to dangers from marauding bands of outlaws: “All these troubles and fears seemed quite forgotten while we gathered for worship. The singing of the hymns was joyous, and attention to the mes sage W eis perfect, while the prayers lift ed one into the very Holy of Holies. Eighteen months had passed since this group of believers, fifty in number, had last sat at the Table of the Lord. To worship with such dear, simple-hearted people was a benediction." Reports came from many places of how Christians had carried on the church serv ices without any interruption, in the face of threats and opposition and at no little risk to their personal safety. Missionary after missionary told of all-day gatherings for prayer, arranged and held by Chinese churches or groups, where not a word of bitterness or hatred toward the ruthless op pressors was heard, but there was an out pouring of hearts in humble confession of personal and national sins, and in fervent pleading for God’s forgiveness and for His help and deliverance for their afflicted country. Truly a new and noble chapter of church history is being unconsciously con tributed by the saints of the Lord in China at this time of sore tribulation, and I came away with a stronger assurance than ever before that if every missionary should be driven out of China never to return, the church of the living God would still remain there, firmly planted and established, and destined to grow intensively and extensive ly- 4. 1 saw much o f the work o f relief for war refugees. In Shanghai I visited camp after camp, aggregating even at that time •—more than a year after the fall of the sur rounding area to the Japanese—upwards of 100,000 refugees wholly dependent upon public relief. Many forms of relief work were in evidence. Besides the huge general
refugee camps, there were special hospitals for tubercular patients, lepers, crippled sol diers, and maternity cases. There were also Homes for orphan boys and girls, for babies and wee tots, industrial camps for teaching useful crafts and trades, and so on. Never have I witnessed a finer exhibition of true Christian philanthropy than during my stay in that great, Congested metropolis of Shanghai. The Christian world has good reason to be proud of the missionaries, Chinese Christians, and other public-spirit ed and generous souls who organized and have carried on efficiently and fruitfully this noble work, and on this gigantic scale. Nor has relief work of this kind been con fined to Shanghai; it has been duplicated on a smaller scale in many other large centers, while practically every mission station throughout the war area has been converted for the time into a refugee and relief center for war victims. 5. / saw a wonderful new gospel oppor tunity. The relief work just mentioned had not only material but also spiritual ends in view. Every Christian-controlled refugee camp had a large and attractive chapel where several times a day the gospel was preached to attentive crowds. This preach ing was supplemented by personal work, gospel posters, and Scripture and tract dis tribution. Thus great numbers of Chinese have had the opportunity of hearing the Message of Salvation under the most fa vorable conditions, some of them for the first time in their lives. Moreover, the suf ferings and sorrows of this war period have chastened and humbled many hearts, and have made them more open to the gospel than ever before, with the happy result that thousands have accepted the Saviour. It is a glorious fact that more souls have been won to Christ in China during the past year of war than in any previous year since missionary work was begun. Reports of baptisms in the China Inland Mission during 1938 are not yet all in hand, but there are indications that the total number may be the largest of all the years of the Mission’s long history. What a glory to the Lord and a cause for thanksgiving is this! 6. I saw the brave spirit o f a great na tion. I wonder whether any other nation in [Continued on page 246]
The ruins of Henghsien, Chekiang. (Left) Remains of a Christian hospital. (Center) Three little tots rescued from fire and sword. (Right) All that is left of the China Inland Mission chapel at Hanghsien. Courtesy, "China's Millions."
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