V-\

_TjiJrA^^i^H33
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^ JUM
After having started the year with being nearly worn out from a hard sixtynine day trip to Yunnanfu and return, then nearly dying of influenza and .

pneumonia^ and continually having underhanded opposition froai the Yea Chi king
and his minions, and then amid the trying climate of last summer having to be
both doctor and ntirse for about five weeks to the .very sick son of the district

magistrate^ with lirs. Morse in frail health too, after all that and much more,
to close the year of lSi32 with a record of ONE HUin3tlbD AIID SIGHTiiJHS oaptisms is

truly to have cause to sing "^Glory to Grod in the highest".

It has been an eventf^

year, but how c&n I tell about it?

I guess the only way is to start at the begin

yV

ning, and write down one event after another until we get it all on paper right
up-to-date.

Our last Newsletter (Fourth) was written in November of 1931, on the very eve

of bb^rinning an emergency trip to Yunnanfu, the capital of' the province#

<"

under

took that>Journey with some tremblings of heart, leaving my fajaily with only the native Christians for companionship, and without medical help from me in case of

sickness. They were anxious for my welfare too, as there had been a downpour of.
rain the very night before X started, and also wondered if I would escape robbers

and other dangers en route# So I and my two native helpers made the trip in record
time# Ey caravan, the ordinary mode of travel, the trip usually takes well over a
\ \

month, but we cut it to

travelling days, or 19 days in all. Almost a

The route was freer of bandits than

week quicker than the postal serviceii

at any time since we first cama to China in 1921. But there were only a few stages

over which the officials did not send militiamen to escort us#

When Just within

ot stages of Yunnar^u we missed rolsljers "by only five minutes or so#

A man ran up

the road toward us, wringing his hands and crying "Two men with a i^ifle have Just
rotted me of $500*00 Please hurry and try to capture them." t

The main reason for the trip to Yunnanfu was to recover ahout $500.00 of
Mission money from the estate of Miss Irma Warniclc, who had been doing all our business and forwarding worli there. Then last April she suddenly died of ""black

smallpox"(very malignant and rapidly fatal)* and was buried in the British Consulate
Cemetery outside the Great North Gate of the city# Lr. Watson of the C* II. S#

Hospital; and two of the nurses, had attended her personally.

The expressions of amazement and delight of my two helpers at the "wonders" of

Yunnanfu would have emused you, --rickshass, a few Ford trucks, the narrow-gauge

railway, several antiq_ue airplanes, tempe^mental electric lights, publicwater pumps,

jerky movies, real foreign-style tlission buildings, a modern bathtub with hot-andcold running water, etc*

From Yunnanfu we brought back a new recruit for our llission, who in the year

since has proven very much worthwhile, a Miss ShudJen Yang, orginally a convert of
the Chinese Home Mission and later a student nurse at the C. LI. S. Hospital. She

has had fairly good Bible training and experience in both teaching and preaching.

At Wei Hsi (4 stages south of Yea Chi), we found that a Mr. lo Tse Chuen had resign
ed from the Assemblies of God Mission and wanted to work with us, so we accepted

him for a support of about $2.50 American'money per month. He is along in years and has no family to help him, but knows the Bible fairly well and is an earnest worker. '.7e are well acquainted with him, as he was baptized in Batang while we were there,
and came out with us when we left the U. C. U. S.

How grateful I was to find all well at Yea Chi after my 69-day absencol .Mr.

and Mrs. Fu had been away on the Tibetan end of the work (around Atuntze) most of the time, but Eugene K Tarn and feisiily had valiantly and capably worked here with
ITrs. !iorse. I had left on November 5th* and returned on January 13th*, thin and

Just able to drag around.

Then, on the night of January 20th. I was taken violently

ill/\influenza, which developed into pneumonia and kept me in bed for over ten days.
Worn out from niy trip, and froni a bad cold which had hung on for nearly 3 we^s,
this "flu" was a knockdown to me from the very first. My lungs burned and my heart

beat came in stabbing short tlirobs, and all my breath could come only in short gasps.
Gertrude's nursing saved my life, for at the most critical time she watched over me

continually for nearly 24 hours,without sleep.//.7e found that "the Spirit helpeth
our infirmities", and that after all the decisive factors in healing are SPIEITlVili.

TV|gi,t sickness and recovery was a spiritual cenovator to me,, and I believe its
solemn lessons are reflected in much of our work for this past year.

Uy sickness was Just the beginning of an epidemic (seems to come each year in January, February, and March), during wMch all other members of our family had "flu"

by turns. Both lies. Horse and Ur* Fu had nearly as serious cases as mine, but the

experience with mine helped in treating theirs. Ihe Tarn fa'^aily was least effected,
and so kept the regular work going and also helped some with nursing the sIcjx.
Then came the Chinese New Year liolidays, vjhen everyone except the Mission

workers lays off work for about 2 weeks. V/e LAID-ON the work by conducting a 12 night's meeting in our little street chapel, besides continuing our usual daily

morning prayer^eetings. Although there were.no conversions, there was hardly a ni^^ht
when there was even standing room. Those who took turns at preaching were Mr. Tarn,

Mr.. Fu, Uiss Yang, and myself, and we were much encouraged. Listeners crowded the one aisle, and the large entrsnoe and the windows, and the attention was much more

respectful and earnest than at our preceding series about eight months before.

Klght away after tliose Yea Chi meetings,

Fa and Drang Wen Da (the

Tousta'bout''" who was converted through our using him as interpreter at evangelistic

meetings in Lisuland^ and who has now developed^nto a very earnest and effective
helper) visited our converts in the Tohalo region across the ilekong Kiver from

Kang Fu.

Due to luy having "been away, and the pressure of the Yea Chi work, they
Our Lisu teacher named Swami Pa had

had lieen neglected for several months*

done much to hold them faithful, tiut the native Ilevj Year season (which is a month or more later than ours), with its heathen festivities of drinking, dancing, and

spirit-worship, had for the time "being been too tempting for several families of
our new converts# So they/backslid* But when our preachers came they attended ther

meetings in <iuite a penitent and devout

spirit*

This TiiiCHilELElTELiS on their part

impressed us with the duty and worthmhileness of SIItiPKERDING these converts# So

for several months thereafter Mr. Fu, Swami Pa, and other workers went ahout build

ing up the converts end feeling out the ground for later advances. They visited
several villages which liad never before heard the Gospel, and the Dratsilo valley
south of the Tobalo valley "began to open for the teaching. But still most of our
ministry was given to the converts already won*

ily ov;n work for several months after the Yea Chi evangelistic meeting was such a hodge-podge'of responsiT:>ilities and calls as comes to a llission Director's lot#

I tried to recuperate my health by working as I could in the vegetable garden (onlj

a very few kinds of vegetables can "be bought locally, and we can never "be sure even

of them) leaving quite a stack of letters go ^onanswered. %xt I found that I couldn't
put off the stream of sick folk who come to our house every day and at altuost all
hours# Also our evangelistic and educational co-workers are continually coming in
for

with protlems, and as the work keeps on growing we find need^almost daily conferences.

Do you wonder that I frequently feel-TMGLKD? Many of our friends think our life is very SIUPLK, out here away from the rush of civilization# But we are the center of
a great Cliristian development, in which "the love of Christ constraineth us" to diverse

tasks*.

Now to go back to the story of our work, which had been preparing for a
harvest at Easter-time* On Easter Sunday (March 27th), at 10 ilM we went

down to the Mekong River and "baptized ITBE as oui' first-fruits of the year. Our
coinuiunion service on taptisniaX days is changed to the' afternoon so that the new
converts can share with us Then on Monday all the meinhers of our Church of

Christ in Yea Chi ate two meals together ("da ping ho" or all pitching in on expenses),
a feast of love and loyalty to Clirist and to each other* Those baptized were Mr*

Lwei Chen-hwa, his relative Iir Wang Kwai-san, Hiss Yang Shu-djen and I^rs. Eugene
K Tarn (these latter two were previously "sprinkled" Christians, hut not satisfied

with anything less than the ITew lestanient pattern), Ida Tarn, Chung Ya-ke a relative

of the Tarns, a Tibetan gitl named Shiu-Ying who had been studying the Gospel for
some months, Li Kwan a student in our Upper Primary day-school, and John Fu the
eldest of the three sons of our Tibetan evangelist.

I believe that you will again hear of most of these, but here I specially
mention l-^r Lwei Chenhma and V/ang Hwaisan* They arrived here in February en-

route to talce high positions in the government of the new province of Esikang to

the north of us, and stopped over with imgene K Tarn, i'roia day to day Ero* Tarn
talked with them about Christ and Christianity, and urged them to read the Kew

Testament, which they did. Consequently both decided to become Christians and also
to give up their work with the Esikang government and to prepai*e tliemselves to

evangelize the Tibetan border peoples. Mr. Lwei is an outstanding character, and
in the very prime of life, being only 42 years of age. He has been magistrate of Eatang district (where we first made his acquaintance) for several years, during
which he won the respect and even effection.of those people. He has good reputa
tion for moral cliaracter, and lias graduated from a Junior College in Szechwan

province. He has had several years valuable experience with the Bureau of Tibetan

and Mongolian Affairs, at Nanlcins and Pelving.

Ilis wife, who later joined him

from Yunnanfu, graduated from a Women*s Normal College in Szecliwgaa, is a convert of the China Inland Mission^ and taught in their Chinese-Iioetan school in Tacliienlu

for severe years.

They have 4 very attractive children, of whom the elder 2 are Up to the present we have Tieen able to

already becoming a help in the Mission*

give T'r.- Lwei only a su'bordinate teacMn^ position, at which the salary though

very small compared to that in government work will te enough to !^eep them supplied
with "bare necessities iJT they are economical* ilx". Vn'ang, v;hD is only 32 years of

age, waa foriuerly an army captain, and has several talents wliich are already useful

in the Ilission* At time of writing, he is living witli the Lweis, st'odying in our
Eihle Institute to he a Christian worker, and directing Fh:,'sical Culture and Student Activities in our school* Both liave inade e^icellent progress in isihle study

and are steadily developing into effective preacners.

i'.e comnend both of tnem to

te adopted as living-lin^s by some of o.ui- friends^ They deserve better support, and
indeed must have it if they are to stay in Mission work*

About a weelc before Easter Sunday, a family at Dzi-li (about

hours north of

here) sent horses for V.r, I-u and I to go there and attend the sick and to preach,
which we did. The villagers had made it up among themselves to ask us to open an

outstation there, with a man who co-ola both teach and preach (but we are Ymt short
of such workers)* One of the leading citizens offered to give a 3-room wing of his

house for that purpose, and they already had about 20 prospective students. As there

is only one school besides ours in all this region, and as it would naturally be hard
to build permanent chm-ches of Christ if the people could not at least read their Kew Testaments, we consider such calls as definite openings for the oospel. Unfor-

tunataiy, our hands were full with other work then, the Yea Chi king has intimidated

the people at Dzi-li, and also at the Di Ku village where for some months we tried
an outstation, and also at the Lisu village of 3i-neh where more than a dozen were

on the verge of becoming Christians. All this year he has tried vax'ious means to
(?K

close our Yea Chi school, "but unsuccessfully.

Other mesna failing, on April 6th.

he started the device of a '^public" school> and word was sent around to ?^1 parents ^
of our students that the cliildren must attend the "puhlio" school or else a heavy fine must he paid. We met his "bluff hy calling a Parent-Teachers meeting immediate So we lost no *

ly and "bringing the whole thing into the light for united action.

students, noB did the iCing dare to fine anyone.

But we have prayed much ahout these

thinr's, for the iin^; surely hates the Gospel light and might oven lilie to have us
assassinated*

Following the ii^aster triumph in Yea Chi, on April 1st. Mr. Fu end Drang Wen Da
went to our lobalo Cliristian community to prepare to commemorate Easter there also.

How very much I wanted to go tooU

I did so want to examine the "enq.uirers" person

ally, for I "believe it is most important that each should iiave a sui-e uasis of

repentance and faith "before being "baptized, else it is not true baptism,

ijut I was

MOUTHS behind with'cdrrespondance and other Mission business, due to my long trip
to Yunnanfu and illness following, so rather unhappily had to stay here. To that

2-day Easter celebration ne&rly 200 tribespeople came from a score or more of

villages, and Jlr. Fu "baptized FOlHTIiEi:. Four were first converts from the Dratsilo valley south of Tobalo, and 7 were from a place nearly 2 days to the south. It is
one of the two places nearest our present field of worlc where the Pentecostal
any

Mission of 'ii'ei Hsi has evangelized or wony^onverts. Over FIVE

AGO q.uite a

number there accepted Christ and were immersed, after wliich none of the "Pentecoetal"
worlcers ever visited them again. Surprising? Well I was surprised too, for to me

every new convert means a new obligation (a new lamb for the shepherd to take care
of for a considerable time). With such neglect, nearly all backslid and went through
various troubles until they heard our preaching and started coming baclc to the Savior.
I liave not visited their village yet, liut Mr. Fu and Miss Yang have preached there to

- ^-

ir"^<iui *'

'i

very earnest audiences*

The good news from Tobalo was "brought "by several of our Lisu converts, who

came to carry my "bedding, etc., urging me to visit the congregation there*

had heen over 5 months since ray last visit to that out station*

It

They have always

given me a heart-warming reception, and this time one of the first things they

said was that, if we wanted to work together on the church building, that (ahout

April loth*) would he the time, as within several weeks they would have to "begin

corn-planting*

I thought, "How appropriate,daytimes we can work on church-huilding.

and every night have preaching", so word was sent out* For the next 4 days oi^ island swarmed with workers preparing the long platform of earth and stone on which
the wooden structure was to he "built* On Saturday night it was finished, and we en-

Joyed a Lord's Day of rest and worship together, after which I returned to Yea Chi*
One sidelight of that trip and most others which I have since taken was the number
of converts who came for me to "bai'her their long and dirty and lousy locks of hair
into a short and neat form which can easily te washed and comhed* Perhaps you

object to Christian womei^ and girls having their hair "bohhed? Well, I dou'bt if you
would if you could see them out here in their primitive state, and if you knew
first-hand what it means to "ce infested with LIC^j* True it is, in many cases else

where, that "if a woiaan has long hair, it is her glory", "but not HEEUi. and in

their present state of development* If you could see and compare the two, you would

say the glory is on the side of the haircut.with liberal use of soap (but they aon't have itJ) and water and a comb. I really believe that such outward attempts to clean
up are evidence of repentence. What do you think about it?

On the afternoon of Apri^ 13th. Dr. and Mrs. Korton H. Bare and four children

oame from Batang (the usuaa short route via Taohlenlu teing hlocked ty fighting at the time), and we enjoyed a glorious 2-day visit with them. They had arrived in Batang several months before our departure in 1926, and had no left in accordance

with the U, C, M, S order to abandon the station.

There was much sadness mixed

with the happiness of our meeting.

Gertrude had not seen a fofiiKlgn woman (escept

for a "brief visit from aji old and eccentric Mrs* Gruhh who passed through here

last year) for nearly TWO Yii/iilS, and our "boys had not seen other foreign cliildren
in all that time* Our little Hussel LaVerne hardly knew what to think of them at

first, as his only playmates had always "been the Tibetaii and other native children#

However, we have noticed tiiat following that visit he has really tried to use the American language when talking with us, instead of Ti'betan almost entirely as he
did "before*

For ahout 2 months after the Eares* visit, I stayed in Yea Chi trying to

catch up with correspondence, attending to "business matters which constantly arise, and directing the work in general* lir* Xwei Chen-hma v/as sent to Wei Hsi nearly a

month on Uission "business, and his kinsman V/ang Hwai-san escorted the Bare family
down to Yunnanfu and then brought Mrs. Ivjei anci her 4 cliildi'en up to Yea Chi.

On May 14th. and 15th. our village, for the first time in its history, was

visited hy a Provincial Inspector of Education*

You cannot imagine how important

that was to us, tmless you remem'ber that aside from "Jei Hsi 4 days to the south ^
our Christian school is the only serious attempt, at education in all these border

regions, and that the Yea Chi king has made frequent attempts to stop it. What if the Inspector should tak.e a "brihe from the Yea Chi iing, and use his strong influence
to have our school closed? Well,, we prayed,.for the school is very vital to all

our work, so tliat the people can lecirn to read well enough to study at least the Bihle, so that superstitions arising from ignorance may be dispelled, so that Christian leaders may "be trained, so that at least the children of our Uission work ers and converts may have a Christian education, and so tliat an increasing number

of the people might acquire the knowled^ie which is necessary to make a deaxicrucy

possl"ble and safe. (As the king and his relatives constantly oppose religious

10
w

lioerty so far as Christianity is concerned, we aiust lay the foundations of democracy

so that religious liberty can finally he realized^

Also, the lejaa-priests and wizards

desire to lieep the comnioi^eople in ignorance, as it helps to perpetuate their priestly

class and prestige.).

ViTell, what the Inspector did for us surpassed our heat hopes, viz., (1) Repriaanded.the king for oppressing the people, keeping them in ignorance, and mal-:ing him

self rich yet not using any of his wealth for public education, (2) addressed the
students of our school saying, "Aiaid the darkness of the local king*s oppression you have a ray of light, in that the American missionaries have oome and established this

school with its capable teachers.

Halce the most of your opportunity,, by studying As for belierlng in Christianity, you

hard and becoming good citizens of the Republic.

have your freedom either to believe or to disbelieve.""

(3) Assured us that our school

is the best managed and taught this side of Likiang, a city of about 40,000 population

about ten days to the southeast, despite our lack of proper rooms and eq^uipment. (4)
Commended our work to the Provincial Department of Education, and helped us secure
better recognition.

Such a boost put us on our feet once more, and we have been going strong ever since.
We soon started an Intermediate C. E. Society (in which work we are strong belivers), wi
with 9 active members, 2 associate, and 16 fairly regular "listeners". It went along

fairly well for several months, but we found our youngsters hardly prepared for it and the older leaders too taken up with more urgent lines of work, so we dropj)ed it until

next year. Then our Lisu teacher naiued Swami-Pa brought in some news tliat tlirilled us.

On May 29th. he had baptized FOUR newly penitent belifcvers of Wubalo village in Tobalo

valley, and on June 5th liad baptized FCUb.lii.EN in the newly-opened Dratsilo valley.
Yet he had never been "ordained" and officially is only a "teacher" or "elder" in the

Church. He said that the converts wanted to be baptized without delay, so he had not

waited until they could be ex:.mined by Ur. ^u or me in the regular way as to their

--

.....

t-

11

'

repentance and faith* But ^ didn't reprove him or tell him not to do it again,
for I saw the spirit of New Testament evangelism duplicated in the situation, and

rejoiced in it

We want our churches to teoome self-supporting, self-go^rning,

and SSLF-PKOPAGAilllG^ not dependent for long decades on the foreign missionary

nursing-bottle*

Of course they will malce aistei^es, and "experience is a dear

teacher"v hut, after all, abilities acquired tiirough practice are more effective
tlian the textbook learning*

Then,, on June ISth., two militiamen came with an urgent request from the

Chinese magistrate of V/ei Hsi (who governs all this district, including the tribal

Icings), saying that his son was very siclc and all other help had failed* Would I
please go at once ajid see what X could do to save his life? I started the next day

tald-ng Sugene for compeny, and by forced travelling reached V/ei Hsi after 2 days
and tliree hours* (Even the postal runners take 2 days fo it*) V/e had rainy nights,

but clear days* In Wei Hsi we put up at the magistracy, so I could see after the

boy both night and day* His malady had followed a violent beating by the father, and
had been made worse by Chinese drugs* Also, the quarters were damp and ill-ventilated. (returned to ^ea Chi with him) a.,, x */* I had been on that case over 5 weelcs^ and it took me nearly 2 months to get my
'

-7

heart and strength back tc where it was on June ISth*

"While the cat*s away, the inice will play." Upon returning to Yea Chi I found

that the Tempter on one hand and the Tea CM king on the other hand had-^sccomplished the seeming ruin of one of our converts, named Yu Isai* He had never seemed very

spiritual minded anyway, and his home conditions were miserable. After his father's death, according to the custom of the country liis mother had gotten a wife for him,
and one child was born to them* But such a dull-witted, incompetent, unattractive

helpmatel And the child, though now over 5 years old, can neither walk nor talk,
and is a sad mental defective. For a long time he liad wished to get rid of them

both, and to start life over with a new wife of his own choosing- Much though I

12

pitied him (and there are many such oases), all tliat we know of Chrifc^anity forhids such action, and we told him.so* But his mind had not attained to very ideals

istio concepts, and through inward conflict and confusion he fell, with a crash that surprised ^1 of us*. He bargained for another man's wife, and they went off together.

ITow, these trilDe-l kini^s are always on the lookout for an excuse to make a pu'blic
example of any of our Christians, and thus frighten the comiiion people away from us

So Yu xsai was pounced upon ai:d ,_iven several times as heavy punisliaent as is usually
given others* It was made a pu'blic occasion and was done with relish, was sus- -

pended "by the arms "behind his "back, taken down and spai^od with a heavy wooden

paddle until the flesh was raw and bleeding, and then fined heavily.

Vhen his

village headman pled for a lighter fine for him, the king's eldest son said, "Ko, he has "become a foreign slave, let THSM help him pay." Of course we were powerless

to help liim, and also under necessity of making a pu"blic statement.

Yu Tsai cam
Ue

to us seemingly very penitent, wanting to 'be reinstated as a church member.

took the stand that pu'blic sins reciuire a public confession and statement of re

pentance, before the offender can again receive fellowsiiip.

It was hard for him to

do, but just the Sunday before Christmas he did so before the church membership ^
preceding the communion service, c;i:d then again on Sunday night cefort; the audience
which included many non-Christians of the village. I tell you these things so you

can visualize some of our problems and the way we deal with trhem.

On July ISth our school closed for the summer vacation, with gracuating exer

cises ii'i wlxLch the townspeople took much interest, as it was the first time that
such had ever been held in these regions

T/ith vacation irom school work, on August 3rd we started a campaign of wide

spread evangelism, dividing into 4 different expeditions. One went up the Mekong
Hiver Valley 2 days journey, another down 2 days journey, another across the
eastern pass to specialize on Lisu villages high above the Yangtze l^iver, and the

13

other also into the Yangtze viilley 'out with a wider sweep and aimir.g more o.t the

Tihetar villages.

Among the large niuulier of villages preached to, TiiiTTY-TWO

..The people prostrated them

VILLAGES HilARD THE GOSPKL FCR IIS FIKST TILIE

selves worshipfully "before the organ, perhaps believing it possessed of some

heavenly voice. lience the preachers were honored with a full audij^ence, and the
natives brought an offering of enough roasting ears to last several days (food was
very scarce)* . .

V.'hil/e the evangelistic expeditions were away, LIrs. liorse and I "held the fort" at Yea Chi. On August 4th V.'eJig HwcJ.-san returned fro.-n Yuiinanfu with I.Irs. Lwei and

the 4 children, 2 of wlioa were beginning to have whooping-cough but we didn*t

realize it until later when the contagion had spread tc others. Then, on August

l2th about 9:30 A.LI., we were shocked by the unexpected death of Yun^ Je, one of
our Christian Tibetan girls from Eatang (but not one of the 2 small orphan girls

we have adopted). This las"t "sumer^saw~mucih" sictoaess in" our nie^hborhood,

diarrheas, something like influenze, a q.ueer kind of epidemic cough, and of course a

background of malaria all the time

Our mission now has four graves in its

b'orial plot overlooking the Mekong. "Blessed are they who die in the Lord."

By the time our evangelistic expeditions had returned and Llr.-Tarn was preparing
to start the school, I was sorely febling the need of getting away for a vacation. For months I had gotten very little restful sleep at night,all tne PUoK had

been sapped out of me. Uy Joints ached and ray limbs got numb and my head dizzy.

My heartbeats were slow and weak, and sometimes jumpy. So, despite the stack of
letters waiting to be answered, I decided to get away. The summers in this valley

are life-sapping. Perhaps the pace at which we work lias something to do with it

too, but the calls of evangelization and teaching and healing keep increasing, ana we love the work so that we caiit tliinlc of cutting down on it. (Please send Vernon and

KonaEewlacd to help us.) Unfortunately, tHere are no summer resorts where a family
with children oan go for a month or so of quiet and convenient comfort, nor had we

14

yet completed even one of our outstetion C.*Dins among the converts in the mountain
valleys. Also it seems that one of us must always stay here to the house,

which contains all our supplies of food, clothing, evangelistic and ir.edical equip-

meet, and ^Iver money. This is important hecause there gre no stores, pharmacies,

Ueanwhile, several urgent retjuests for medical aid had come from the military

commander at Atuntze, 5 stages north along the border. Althou^ fliaST^ow?^'^

notoriously wild and sinful, it is one of the most important trade centers cetween

(piina and Tihet and has a definite place in our Llission plans for the future. Con
verts are 2iuch harder to win in a mart of trade lii;e Atuntze than in agricultural

regions like Yea Chi or Kang Pu, "but lilce our Master we have come "not to call the righteous, out sinners to repentance", and we must invade the very strongholds of

sin with the light of Christ, regardless of how few choose to walk in it.

So the story of my "vacation" is^ this. trip. to...Atuntze4_ I tlpi^t ",w^t a fi^e opportunity for an evaiigelistic tour", so asiied lir. Fu to go along to help with the

preaching. After much persuasion Llrs. I^orse consented to Eugene (12 years old next

April 13th) and Eotert (10 years old next April 8th) going too

Then it

started in to rain, - d-izzle night and day. So oui' muleteers didn't come with the

. animals, as they lived across the llekong River and would have to slide the mules
across in leathern slings on paiaboo cables. But we held to our pui'pose, and the
expedition started on September 6th.

We were happily surprised "by the hospitality given us and by the sincere
interest in the preaching, except at Ri-tsi village where, as we were having a fine audience, suddenly a lama-priest appeared and scared them all away# But he had.

nothing to say to us, and promptly disappeared. Vie could spend only a week in

Atuntze, but it was cra::i...ed full of happy interesting work from early morning until
about midnight every day. We Jiad good audiences every night, besides thi'ongs of
people visiting all day long. ^so had visits from many Tibetans of outlying

15

vil^cges, and several tines were surprised at the unusually receptive way they heard
the gospel, and some even legged us to tell them more. LIr Pu and I left there

qtiite exhausted and nearly sici:, tut with no regrets,

I personally got a renewed

vision of the greatness and possibilities of our field, which restored my soul. Luring that vacation trip, besides the medical work which is always my portion,

I took turns at preaching, in hoth Chinese and Tibetan.

a language teacher since my leaving Batang in 1926^

Yet I haven't studied.with

Perhaps the two things that

have saved and even oonsideracly increased my aLility with the native spoken lan
guages is that I am a good listener, and that I love people. However, if we can

ever get Vernon and Mona irewland out here to help, I want to take more time for

language study and direct evangelism.

I'd lots rather get into purely evangelistic

work than remain Mission Director with these many business cares and odd joes.
Eugene and Robert did Just fine on that Atuntze trip. While for us i t was a

campaign, for them it was a picnic.

Although both are so young, they have a vision

of the Lord's great hervest-field (perhaps rather EATTLEfield) out here, and an

increasing mastery of both Chinese and Tibetan languaj/e (now also a bit of Lisu),
which may be a valuable part of preparation as future missionaries. Biglit noWf no

one would call them "little saints" (we wouldn't, who know them best), but I must

say that they are ^ust"Healthy, clean-minded, very active, normal boys.

I'm sorry

to say that Robert has teeth very badly in need of dental work, and not even a
native dentist any nearer tlian a :nonth's caravan Journey

Perhaps you recall tliat, having arrived here in May of 1930, that Autumn we

baptizeo our first T'.VO converts.

Then in 1931 we were overjoyed that a total of

V?ell, ccja you begin to i;nagine how

SLVEIvTY-TTO more obeyed the Lord in baptism.

happy we are nov/ tc report that iii tliis year of 1922 a total of 0JI3
EIGHTEEN other penitent believers have likewise put on Clu'ist thi-ough baptism?

^
This

makes a grand total of 01!E HroTH-iiiii; A2JD ^:i!TI:.TY-TV/0 already baptized into His church
I" out here(besides those previously baptized elsewhere) WHERE FOiJIESLY TI5BRE Y/AG V.O^ ^

Can't you almost hear the angels in heaven singing about the sinners who have
1/

16

repented and entered the heavenward way?

UiOst of our former converts have remained faithful despite temptetions and per

secution.

There has leen much wealiness and some actual haclcsliding, "but God has

worked with us and proved Himself the prayer-answering Father, to these children. In

all their shortcomings, we realize that they laclc the supporti!^ spiritual "baolcground
of a well-estaolislied Chi'istian social order such as American Christians have. The

num'oers given aoove fall far sliort oi" showing the influence upon the region in

general, where hundeeds laore have "been started thinlcing seriously upon their relation^
to The True and Holy God. The Gospel has "been preaohed in LLMTY SCOK^S of villages
Such where it had KEVER "been known before, and where we do not yet have any converts.

seed-sowing IjIUST hear fruit in due season.

The 118 who were "oaptized tliis year were added like this; -

(1). Easter Sunday, at Yea Chi

- The converts have "been won at

(2). Sunday after blaster, at Tohalo 14

different times and'various places,

(3). Llay 29th, at 'Juhalo, valley of

(4). June 5th, at Tra-silo -

4
14

coming from a great m^'mbre vlll^es v

than indicated here. It has not heen a

(5). Oct. 9th, at Yea Chi

"mass movement". It is the fruition of

(6). " 23rd, at Aiwalo

50

successive weeks and months of personal

(7). " 2Sth, at Tohalo

(S). Deo. Sth, at Dratsilo

12
-_9
118

evangelism and teaching and praying with

individuals and groups, hy various ones

of our faithful native co-workers, especially Eugene K. Tarn and family, Clifford

K. Fu, Swami-Pa, and Miss Yang Shu-djen. While they dug, planted, watered, culti vated, and guarded the ripening grain, we reinforced thea with prayerful counsel and material equipment and medical aid (besides our freguently taking turns at preaching),
- then when evidences of repentance and faith seemed to warrant it we came in with a

special series of ev'angelistic and doctrinal meetings and a devoutly planned and pre

pared for baptismal service as the ever-to-he-remembered climax. V/ith us and our converts baptism and il.urch membership are sacred matters not to be lightly undertaken.
Two of the grown men CLi Chi-ciaang and I'u Kai-di) were former professing

17

Christians from Eatang, who had served in the church there these recent years with out iriiinersion after the example and coui;r;and of our Lord and Kis apostles, OUR prac

tice is not only to iimnerse the irav converts (if truly penitent "believers), l5ut also
to "re-baptize" (I trust you understand my use of the term) hy the Scriptural
pattern of iimnersion those who have received only the man-su"bstituted form of

sprinlcling or pouriug. We thus "re-haptized" also Ur. and M^. Eutsene K. Tarn and
Miss Yang Shu-djen at their request* The conversion of the IS-year-old hoy named Li Chao Hsuan speciclly impressed us. He had attended preaching services ever since Qur cominti here, and we had noted

special changes in his life since the Tarn family joined the Mission and toolc up the

Christian Education worlc.

He graduated from our Upper Primary this spring, then en

An intelligent hoy of

rolled in the Eihle Institute which we hegan last September

strong natural character, he is not given to much talking, hut evidently does a lot of

thinking*

V/lien he told his father that he was goiiig to "be baptized and follow only

Jesus it was like an earthquake.

""bring the hoy to his senses'',

The astounded, father took forj(c6ful measures to

Threats failing, ho beat him sevei'ely. As the hoy

still refused to renounce Christ, the father drove him from the house saying that he would disown him* The son spent the night in the home of a friend, and next morning

came with the others to be baptized.

Afterward Mr. Tarn and several other leading

workers visited the father and brought about a partial reconciliation.

Many such events vivify the otherwise monotonous routine of our work, but of re
cent months I have become so increasingly absorbed in the general development of the

work that I fail to notice and write about them as much as I did before,
ojj

(really,

most of the work consists of plain uiaromantio PLOLDEJCr, such^teaching cls-sses, visit
ing in homes, treatir.g the sick, correspondence and other business, and cultivating
the morale of our workers.) V/e also lead this coiEmunity in some activities which,

while TiOt directly evangelistic, undoubtedly reinforce our evangelism.

For instance,

October lOth was the 21st anniversary of the Chinese Kepullic, end considering the

I'lf W -I

i:7

IS

attitude of these tr.il)al I:iugs as ijqjlaiiied "before, we decided to ma]co i t a celebra

tion of great puolic interest.

The students coad teachers prepared

aiaaziugly in

teresting progrePi of speeches and e:cercisesi climaxed "by a 5-act play (the only one
ever seen in these regions), and the parents and friends contributed hy slaughtering

a pig and serving a series of six aeals at which all the Uission woriiers were guests
of honor. It went over EIG, and we were so happy to feel that, upon a "basis of ever-

increasing mutual understanding and good-will, vjq ai'e gaining an ever more considerate hearing for the Gospel. Through the speeches, v;e euipliasized the need for CiailoTI/iIT
llct mere aca.uisition of cook-

education as a firm loundation for any democracy*

learning, - hut character-huilding tlirough knowledge of ana conforiiiity to God's laws

and with God's help*

On October 15th we started out on what, to me, was the most blessed evangelistic

campaign of the yeej.... .That to^or lasted 15 days, during which we held an evangelis
tic campaign in tli Aiwalo valley and baptized FIFTY converts (the theme of our
sermon series was ^^rnat it means to become and remain a true Christian"), preached

3 nights at Tobalo and baptized Twi^LViil converts, had four nignts meetings with oar
Christians in the Lratsilo valley, and 2 nights with our Pastor Li at uhe new Kang

Pu outstation which is our first outpost south of and about 14 miles from Yea Cloi. Due to snow storms on the western mountain pass we postponed the trip to the Salwin

until a week'after our return to Yea Chi, when Mr. Fu with an interpreter and o lisu

Christians as carriers made the trip, ^^falwin villages .which they visited listened
eagerly and wanted them to stay much longer and teach them, but danger of more snow-

storms sent them liurryinij^aok to the home side of the mountain range after 4days.
Could you hlaae thea, when the mountains are irapassahle for ahout 4 months each year? (Perhaps we should get some SKOTOnOKS.) Their retreat was premature lay ahout 3 weeks, dui-in which a delegation of 3 Salwin Valley trihesmen visited us at the Tohalo outstation. tegging us to sell them a supply of teginr.er's hooks (they must first
be taught to read) and to send a teacher over for the winter. One of our last year?s\

19

converts named Adzu-Pa, a tall lank C3an who has Doen specially zealous,' volunteered to
go and teach what little he has learned. I'ext spring, when the snows liave Lnelted

enough to maJce the mountain passable (ahout May 1st), we who are more experienced in Christian work will go over and ezaciine his " enciuirers", hold a series of evangelistic
meetings, and baptize those who seem to be truly penitent believers*
About the"first of December I went on my last tour of this year, preaching and

advising for 11 days with our native co-workers in the outstations of Dratsilo,

Tobalo, and Kan^ Pu,

As a result oX e. 6-days meeting in a small and squalid room at

Dratsilo (the theme of our sermon series was "An Understanding of Jesus Christ as

pictured in the Four Gospels", and the room was overflowing with eager listeners each night.) , IvIlIS more were "baptized, thus bringing the local meinrjersliip up to 2S. The
water was an ice~cold pool of a swift mountain stream^ but the new converts entered
it with an ardor which would have done your heart good. A gray-haired man about 70

years of age insisted upon going in first, and shouted "Praise Jesus" as he came up
out of the water. He had been studying the new and strange Lisu written language,

too, and it made our hearts glad that night to hear him joining in the hymn-singingFor several months we have been gradually building the log-cabin Mission House

at Tobalo, and expect it to be ready for dedication service the latter part of

February.

local Cliristians have done

j .^

a bit on it themselves, and v/ould

have gladly done much more, but were conscripted to work on the new road over the mountain range into the Salwin V::.lley, even having to leave their grain 'onharveated
meanwhile

In^^ "Third Newsletter" we told of .laaving gotten a 20-year lease on a choice

site including an old house at Kang Pu, the/tribal chief of which district made
considerable trouble both for our coiwerts and us. We are having the "old wreck"

made over into a serviceable building, and Pastor Li (Li Chi-chang) and wife located

\V-v

there August 29th, preaching and also teaching a fe^Jay-students

We are trying to lin3c our worlc together into a unity, and to build the new
converts into churches that will he "strong in the Lord and in the power of His might",

self-supporting, self-governing, and self-propagating through His indwelling grace,

"before we extend our efforts gi'eatly into new fields. 7(e want the fc^ith and training

of all our converts to te so solid that, should we have to leave for some years or

even permanently and no new ciissionaries he sent (which may God forhidl) , the churches

already established would he permanent and evenahle to continue our carrying out of
the Great Commission. ;7e hope to have modest serviceable chapels finished and in use

at each of the five centers ngimed above, also at Atuntze, within the next three years,

and to open definite worlc in several new districts using as fax- as possible workers
from among these new converts, who are to be specially prepared for it

From the very first we liave felt the importance of a Eible Institute for training
Christian leaders. I'ow, under the direction of Lugene K. Tarn (supported as living-

link by the Uizpah Class of First Clxristian Church, Long Beach, Cal.) we have started
Eible Institute work in addition to the program of Christian Education already imder-

taken. Although there are only FOURTEEN students (all except one at least *teen age)
in the beginning classes, we are determined that from this seemingly small beginning

it shall grow as the Lord provides. There are about FIFTY other students in our dayschool. 3ro. Tarn and family continue to prove VERY satisfactory, and are a genuine

comfort amid our perplexities. Also their children, four in all, are quite a commenda
tion for Christianity..

Heanwhile our own children must be carefully guarded and taught, that the ills

of this heathen environment (physical, mental, and moral) may not mar their growth.
For now over a year we have practically adopted three children besides our own three,
and they live in the same house with us under Gertrude's daily care

21

We hwi a great Christmas celebration in Yea Chi, happy in spite of rain end
wind and snow and cold. Although no snow fell in the valley, all the mountains

around are still white with it, wliile the valley had the first heavy rainfall of the

wi::t6r.

It "began on Friday afternoon when our students and teachers were playing

The Prodigal Son" in puTslic for the first tiae......-It was given on a temporary

stage out-of-doors "beside oui' sc1k3o1 "building# Eugene K Tarn played the part of
the prodigal son so realistically that many- in the audience were in tears, - even

his little girls hrolce right out weeping grievously when they saw hia as a ragged
swinehend lamenting his misfortunes. Our stage properties and costumes were

wretched, "but we hope to get "better eq.uipinent. On Sunday night the younger students
dramatised "The Eirth of Chi'ist" in four acts, - the Wise Men, their visit to King

Herod, the shepherds, end their visit to Bethlehem. Tliis progra-'ii was given in the
>

courtyard adjcining 3ur little ohapel, to^ a paolceti audience w!m were deoideuly in
terested and sympathetic, despite several of the young draaatists heing dumt and

oluasy. By such presentations the scenes and teachings of the Eihle are made to
LIT hoth in the minds of the actors and those who see thea. IVe feel that a moaerate
aniount of it, reverently atte-.i|)ted, is very much worth wliile

During the Christinas season all the Christians here, having made up a fund of contrihutions for that purpose, had 5 raealg together. Cjuite a few guests were invited
from those ho ai-e not yet Christians hut either attend our services frequently or

have children in cur, school. Altogether there were 6 tables of S persms each, he-

sides the helpers who ate at "second' tahle" . About 60 altoge-tKSr. Such things .lean a great deal to Orientals, and we oelieve that the cultivation of understanding and
ft.-andship is specially important when enemies of the Church
In, , resent us aiid to underinine our wor^.

trying to misrep-

Friday, in the ^nidst of seeing "The Prodigal Son", I had-to leave on en eaer-

genoy call to a hamlet called Uali-ping, ahout 7 miles south of here. The people
had sent a man with a horse for me, so I set out with the man, carrying my medicine

22

pl

eases, while a snowstorm was racing on the mountains ahove and the valley along

the Mekong was swept "by gusts of wind sprinted with raindrops.

By the time I had

reached our destination and ^iven treatment to the injured men, it was "black night

and pouring rain.

..As there are no "beds in this country, I slej^ on top of a

I must have shivered Tor

grain-'Din with all my clothes on and wishing for more.

an hour before the "bedding got warm enough to let me sleep.

me steamed rice, fat pork, "beancurd, and hot pepper.

For food they gave

But all such things are

commonplace with me, and I tell them only so you can see the picture.

Our main

concern was for the Sl-year~old grandfather who had wandered out at night and

fallen into a canyon, where he was discovered after a night of exposure to cold and

light rain, with the left front of his head terribly injured.

Careful cleansing

with antiseptic solution did not show a. y part of the skull definitely crushed in,
and as the patient was conscious I took several stitches in the f^apin^ scalp '.vounds.
But there must have "been sever siloed and concussion of the "brain, for he died "be

fore da'^ight. I was awakened "by the hideous mourning of the women, loud hysteri
cal wailing with a rigamerole of petitions to the deceased which is q.uite the cus
tom in the Orient# How glad I am that Christ has freed us from all that. iVhile

thersj I took advantage of several opportunities to tell ox Him.

The U. C, M. S, has recalled all their missionaries from Batang (ahout 18

stages north of us elong the "border), and they have now gone to America, leaving
all the mission "buildings except two in ruins (hospital, school, orphanage, and
two residences wrec::ed) from the recent warfare "between Clainese and Tihetan troops.

A few formerly employed mis^jion woikers (natives) are in charge of the rather piti
ful "remains." They need and desei-ve our prayers. Ihe /unnan-'^-ihetan Curistian

Mission, supported hy local churches of Clirist and scattered ropehclders in America,

is now the leading (or should we say OirLY) representative on the "roof of the

world" of the grand old plea of the undenominational Churches of Christ ("disciples
of C-j-ist") according to the ITew Testament pattern. \1e "belive we deserve and should

1/

23

henceforth receive increased support from the great iDrotherhood which is interested

in continuing the work so nohly 'cegun hy Hr, Susie C, ^ihnhart, Dr# Albert L,
Shelton, and Pastor Li Gway Gv;ang, and which was mismanaged eJicl lietrayed "by unfaithful stewards* .

Soiiio friends have proposed.that we leave our present field and take ovcr the

Batang work now abandoned by the U. C,

S*

'.Ve do not "believe that to be God*s

will for us. V/hile Yea Chi and Atuntze are not such large towns as Batang, the

district itself is much more populous and frtiitful for evangelistic work.

It is

well worth the lifetime efforts of several of the best missionary families that

America can supply.

While on the I'ibetan border of China, we are not in the "war

Some of '
s

area" and so the results of our work are more likely to be permanent.

our friends have been needlessly alarined and witheld contributions, thinking th

China-^'ibet border disputes night force us to leave here,

^ut coth China and

Tibet are having intemai troubles which inake large scale fighting very unlikely. Although there seems no prospect of early peace for China we belive that our pres

ent field of labor will be least disturbed by her domestic broils (they are LtiGIOiT)
and by her q.uarrels with other nations.

Although Yea Chi district is not so Tibetgjay as Eatang (but Atuntze 16), the
Tibetans here are more open to Christianity, and I rather believe that lor that

very reason it may be a better "demonstration center" of Christianity than Batang..

v;e also believe that this region is at least as satisfactory a base for later

working across into the "closed land" of Inner Tibet. But why be in such a hurry
to enter a closed land when we already liave one that is both OfSK FRUITFuX? At the end of two and a half years we can number twice as many converts as

the Batang Mission could at the end of two and a half LiJCAmS. .. .ii^ViiilY OIU of our
converts is able to give soun&-reasbns for his faith, but all ai-e still so young

in the faith that it might be disastrous to leave them unshepherded now. However,

if we ever LIU3T leave this work, we won't have a lot of expensive buildings to be abai:doned to the'^ats and owls, 'ffe aim to put what little funds we have into th6

24

'

iVOEK ajQd WQEUffiRS*, to achieve iuvisitle "but eternal spiritual results*

After having convincingly demonstrated the power and saviiit^- grace of Christ

HERE^ we can readily enough extend the work into ether unevaiigelized re,gi^s
Eut if we fail here, certainly we could not make a success there. And "before our

arrival THESE regions were juat as truly unevangelized as Inner Ti"bet still is, and

in these regions where the Gospel CAIC be preached there are still many hundreds (yes,
thousands, I "believe) of villages where it has never been heard. So we feel that our

present duty before God. and those who support this Mission is to faithfully GARKY ON IN THIS PRESi^JT FIELD, until the work here has progressed to such an extent and new missionaries have come from America (please send Vernon and Mona Newland) so we can
hope to move pei'manently into and effectively occupy the Atuntze end of our present
field and also definitely extend our efforts into Inner Tibet.

Our having "baptized 118 converts this year doesn't mean tliat the persecutors of our Christians liave stopped their persecuting^ Ve have "been "up against it" all

this past year, in various ways, and even now the opponents of the aospel are hatching
new plots. However we KJIOW that we have made liiany new friends this past year, and

have won the set^ret good-will of others who do not yet dare join with us puolicly.

Many more of the common people have come nearer to an understanding of the Gospel this

year than before, -people who have listened to our preaching in 1930 and 1931 "but who
only dimly grasped its significance then. To sum it up in the words of the Apostle

Paul, we have here "an open door. ai:id many adversaries'^.

Friends, we need your pr^ers.

Nearly every letter we receive tells of the hard times caused "by the economic de

pression in America.

I'y heart aches for feeble followers of the Lord who either "have

not much root in themselves" or have "been "sown among tiiorns", and I tiiink you must

surely have a very vital ministry these days, to meet all the neecs that call to you.
I suspect that there is more hungering and. thiristing after righteousness, and more
seriousness about eternal things, than "before. Even away out here we have felt the

drawing of the Holy Spirit upon people's hearts more than "before. Feeling that "the.

25

comiug of the Lord draweth nigh", we have felt compelled to put even more time

and effort into this work than "before, even ciuite neglecting corresj>onderiCe and
"promotional" work so seemingly necessary in times of economic distress. While such

a number of converts liave "been won that thett further teajhi..g and training has per
plexed our minds and taxed our strength, "scattered rope-holders" contrilrfVLtions" to the General Expense have decreased gi*eatly However, the living-link supporters of

-Mrs. Morse "Westside Church of Springfield, 111.) and niyself (Hollenheck Heights

Church, Los Angeles) and J^lugene K. Tarn (Mizpah Class of First Christian Church,
Long Eeach) have all heen admirably steady, and this has "been an inestimable blessing

to our Mission.
V -1 -

Several ropeholders have even rallied with DOUBLED offerings. (Ko

f ^

refleotlQ-n whatever upon those many who-:^^^ UMABLE to do so, and were compelled even
to drop out entirely). This faithful su|port in times of adversity, together with our

having Kept out of iebts such as all the ^big" societies have, has enabled us to con

tinue steadily when other enterprises have YaSed"or be^ greatly cut down#
One of the greatest gains of the year is the enlisting of Vernon and Mona
land for service on the Tibetan battlefront.
few of the Christians about it.

We have told our native helpers and a

Their response seems to be, "Reinforcements are com

ing,isoon we can pull some stumps and roll away some stones that have resisted our
efforts so far. Wow we are assured of American leaders while the Morse family goes

on furlough#." It has given new-heai't-to all of ub

must all work to SiJOT THE

KEWLAKI/ TO TIBET KEXT SEPTELffiER. Vernon a33d Mona Newiand are personally kno^ to Ine,
and have our most hearty approval. We believe that-as they visit various congregatio&s,

many can write like this friend did recently, saying, "Mr. and %s. Newland were with
us at ^igueroa Church for our last Month's Mission Study Kight, and we enjoyed them so
much and feel they will be a great help to you. They seem to consecrated and earnest,

and our people fell in love with-them." My mother writes that "they improve with ac

quaintance.The chief burden on our hearts is that living-link support might be

26

found for them, and we "believe this will iDe more eeadily accomplished when the

general pulDlic sees that their Outfit and Travel-to-Ii^bet expenses are already "being
raised.

Crratefully yours for continuing steadfastly until the Great Comniission is

jorapleted,
J* Hussell ^rse and Gertrude E. Horse*
0-

443
April

5YtIi St f 1*0^ -/ingoliis, Cal

1933

Dear Friends in ^hrist:

Bro. and ^ister Morse, of course, did not toaow at the time of the writing of

this Kewftletter that the Figueroa Blvd. "Christian church here in Los Angeles has
"beoome a "living-link" church for one of us.
realize that uiuch remains to te done,

"iffe rejoice with you in tliis, tut

-'e will liave completed our special medical

trainir-g of nine-months, and will "be ready to sail in Ssptemoer, "but another "liv

ing-linlc church, or churches, must l^e found, and also the money raised for the

much larger item of transportation and travel expense. I'his will ret^uire approxi

mately ipljOOO. for each of us. We have divided this total of $2,000. into 200 units
or $10. each and pray that individuals, church groups and churches tliEou^hout the

country will rally to supply t/ds amount. Write and tell us v.hat you or your church
will see to it that hy Sept. 1, the money for one or more units will Tae ready to help

us in our Journey to the other side of the world. It will te easy if uiany help. We
need not remind you that the time is hh9rt.
Sincerely in His service,
l^'ernon and Mona ITewlesna.

(^53
"GOOD I-iEniiLfEE PRKi^ED DOim ..NJ BUNKING OVER" , ^

Thue mif^ht be described the way in wriich God has prospered the Yunnan-Tibetan Chri
tian Mission. Many looked with fear upon the proposal to send Mr. and Mrs. Newland

assist the already overworked Morses. But, with intrepid faith, peoole prayed, planned,yS^
#nd worked toward their sailing. Apparent unsurmountable difficulties presented them

selves, but one by one the Hand of the Almighty overcame.

The need of a Doctor was appalling.

The Morses and Nevlands had grasped every bit But a well prepared

of knowledge they could in the limited time they had to study.

M. D, was indispensable in this land of filth and disease.

In a letter to Bro. Clif

ford L. Carey, Bro. Morse vrrote on Oct. 9, 1933, "we have been increasingly impressed
that the Bares, as well as the Newlands, should be on the field before our fnrlough is

due, about two years hence."

Bro. Morse did not appear to believe then that it would

be possible for the Bares to go at the same time with the Newlands, for he says in this

same letter, "Now, unless the Bares quite surprise us by getting their support before
this winter and come out with the Newlands, we believe thttt we snould "^et behind them

and push for their sailing "abput August, 1934." What a thrill Bro. Morse will have
when he gets word, just a few days before their arrival that the Bares are coming. In

fact, the Bares may get there as quickly as the mail that announces their com.ing.

But,

this joyful news will be matched by a worthy faith, for he said in a letter to the New-

lands, speaking of the possiblilities of an enlarged staff "--we have already seen so
much of God's Providence that we can trust Him for whatever is a vital necessity."
The latest word from the Newlands and Bares was written on Jan. 29, 1934,'just an 'hour before they were to leave on the three-day rail trip to Yunnan Fu, where they
leave the last- semblance of civilization. They had completed their equipment and had

passed from boat to boat and thru custom's office after custom's office and seemed
happy to be on the last leg of the journey.

MORSES BUSi' TOO

During all the busy days of preparation by the Newlands and Bares, the Morses were

just as busy in their Mission work on the border of Tibet.

A quotation fro"! the above-

II

mentioned letter opens the curtain on a scene with Bro. Morse on the stage of action,

"l am due to leave next Saturday (Oct 1) on a preaching and chapel-building trip over
to our new Salwim River Valley converts, and expect to be away about three weeks.

Then, after about a week here attending to a few of the most important matters, I should

go on tour of our other congregations, Aiwalo, Dratsilo, Tobalo, and Kang-pu.

On all of

these trips I have to hike over rough trails and climb up and down mountains, with all

, my outfit carried on the backs of men, and the food is often far from palatable.

But

I am trying to shepherd all these scattered flocks as best I can and to hold the fort

until reinforcements come.

Please comtinue to be patient with me when I fail to write,

for you can know that I am at work out here instead of loafinq; on the job."
SORROW HAS COIvIE

Bro. Morse writes his feeling about the passing of his father and brother who both

fell asleep" in 1933. "Being so very far away, I didn't get to visit with either my
father or my brother before they went, but praise od I have been redeemed by Christ's
grace and look forward to reunion in Heaven."
GREATER RESULTS

On Nov. 29, 1933, Bro. Morse wrote to Bro. and Sister Bare telling of astounding victories. "Now I am due to leave on another trip to the out stations tomorrow if I
Autumn is the prime season of the year, specially fitted for evangel

can get away.

istic meetings, and we try to put aside everything else as best v/e can to take advan

tage of it.

Already having five congregations to attend to, besides the Kang Pu out-

station and Yea Chi, keeps us on the jump. But we're happy to be giving our lives
where we have much fruitage for our labors.. . . .We,'; this year, baptized 181 peni
tent believers, as compared to 118 for last year, 72 the year before, and 2 for our

first year."
MRS. RUSSELL MORSE SPE^iKS

A touching scene is pictured in a )a\irrled postscript added to a letter to Bro,

Carey, "The responsibilities of the work have been too much for us after our sick-

Ill

ness last summer.

We can't let

of the work. We have to keep on with it but we are

Oh do wite to us more of

not eble to do it quit so well with our limited strength#

ten.

We are starving for Christian companionship of our friends.

Yesterday was Thanks

giving Day, but we could not keep it except in our hearts.

after all.

Perhaps that is the best

One hundred and

Christ has certainly been very, very good to us this year.

eighty-one converts have been baptized this year with many more wanting the teaching
of the Gospel. Russell left yesterday for a trip to the out-stationa, so I" am trying

to keep things going here.

Vfe are having an exceedingly hard time to buy food as there

has been a drought around here.

The people are all afraid of a famine.

We can't buy po

tatoes, our cows are dry, the chickens have died.

Once in several weeks or perhaps a

How

month and a half, we have an opportunity to buy a little pork, but no beef, ever.

ever, we have flour, rice, turnips, a vegetable a little like cauliflower, and sane
canned fruit, and a few other foods. We are really thankful to have what we have in

these times.

We have so very much to be thankful for."

This is an appealing picture

America

of the enduring and daring faith of this little missionary wife and mother.

will have to go a long way to equal this sacrifice.

THE luvST WORD FROM MORSE

A^-iiurried postscript add^d to the above-mentioned letter to Dr. Bare, written at

"10 A. M. Tues. Dec. 5, 1933" bears the heartbreaking news and soul-stirring appeal as follows; "After I wrote the following letter and Gertrude wrote her postscript to

it, I went to our Kang Pu and Tobalo outstations expecting to be away ten days or more.
But when I had been away only five days, a messenger was sent posthaste to call me
back to Yea Chi. The entire family of Eugene K. Tarn had been poisoned, also a woman-

servant, and even the dog got it.

or both, are the guilty ones.

All of us are very sure thgt either Lwei or Wang,

It was done Sunday A. M. while the family was up here

at church and the servant left in cere of the house had Q;one out to feed the pigs.

When I got back here last night, all had practically recovered except Mr. Tarn and
he was in a very critical condition. His health lately had been a bit frail, and he

got more of the poison than he could overcome.

Although I,,with. otheris.:helpihg",.

IV

watched over him all last nigiit, this morning his heart collapsed and he died ahout
i

5P. M

Belie-ve me, the grief of this is more than I can stand with human strength, for

h-Q was far more to us than just one of our "workers," he was a wonderful Christian and
cherished friend. The whole neighborhood is shocked ond indignant. Somehow we must

carry on the Lord's work, including provision for Mrs. Tarn and the four children,
who are a lovely family and so very worthy of better things.
come to our rescue despite all hindrances.

Now, you MUST HURRY and

We shall pray much and work hard on the

financial and other problems of your support, etc.

We need you IMI4EDIATELY,.

,If\iyou

had been here, quite likely Bro. Tarn's life might have been saved, also Delia Pu*8
life, and perhaps NEXT YEaR our own lives, too. . .Pray for u's, and we for you.
Yours in the fellowship of His sufferings,

(Signed) J. Russell Morse."

--Written by J. Merle Appelgate at the request of l&rs,: Ruth Morse,

(Mother of J. Russell Morse.)