Hidden by the Angels (1934-1935)

Anna Bøg's second furlough was from June, 1934, to August, 1935. Anna Bøg traveled by boat from Dairen in Manchuria to Kobe, Japan, and from there by ship to San Francisco for a stay in America. After that she left by ship from New York for Denmark and after some time there departed from Copenhagen by ship for Manchuria.

Unfortunately, this furlough was beset by difficulties -- not in America or Denmark but rather in leaving from and returning to Siuyen. First, turbulent weather threatened to impede her departure. In June, 1934, Rev. Bjergaarde reported:

“Miss Bøg Madsen was . . . scheduled to leave on June 8 by boat from Dairen to Japan and had hoped to leave here by automobile on Thursday, May 31 but this was hindered by an extraordinarily strong rain causing turbulence in the rivers, making it impossible for an automobile to cross without the risk of being pulled into the violent current. There are no bridges. To obtain a military escort and a Chinese cart would not be easy …Someone even thought of telegraphing to get a plane to pick up Miss Bøg Madsen. Well, that’s the way it is when one is at an inland station. It is no problem to travel around the world if one can manage the 90 kilometers to the railroad station. On Monday, June 4, however, the automobile was able to navigate and she caught the ship in Dairen on time.”

During this second furlough in 1934 and 1935, Anna Bøg spent time with her family on the West Coast and in Iowa. Family members remember this visit with affection. For instance, Anna Bøg's brother Peter's son Stanley tells an anecdote about Anna Bøg's visit to the family farm in Oregon. Anna Bøg wanted to go in to the nearest town. Peter offered to drive her but she did not wish to go by automobile and instead insisted on walking. Peter then sent young Stanley to accompany her, whereupon Anna Bøg (then nearly 47 years of age) set off walking at a pace so fast that Stanley was impressed.

After her stays in America and Denmark, Anna Bøg returned to Manchuria in August, 1935 aboard the Italian steamer the Conte Rosso in the company of the Rev. Buch family and other missionaries. The Buchs could go from Dairen by train directly to their post in Harbin but for Anna Bøg her return to Siuyen was even more difficult than her departure had been. Our readers will recall that there was no passenger train to Siuyen, the nearest passenger station being Haicheng. Moreover, there was still a major risk of being attacked or taken hostage by the ever-present bandits. This was especially the case since at the time the tall crops had not yet been fully harvested. As ever, they provided good cover for the bandits. And, the memory of Dr. Nielsen's long captivity was still fresh in everyone's minds.

Here is Anna Bøg's account of her return:

“A month to the day after my departure from Copenhagen, I landed with my fellow passengers in Dairen, where a letter from Siuyen informed me not to attempt the trip to Siuyen until the harvest was over. Three weeks later, a letter arrived saying that the harvest was now advanced to the point where I could try to come. I went to Haicheng, which was the closest railway station to Siuyen. There I was kindly received by the British missionary, Miss Macintyre, and went with her to the authorities. There I was also kindly received and informed that I could travel by an automobile that was leaving the next day from another station. After thinking it over, I concluded that the automobile was for soldiers, and that I had better go by horse and cart even if it was dangerous. In the meantime, I received a message from Siuyen asking me to wait a couple of days because the Bible Woman, Mrs. Kuo, had left for Haicheng in a freight train.

"[On Mrs. Kuo's arrival,] I learned that at times the freight cars had become stuck in the mud. Mrs. Kuo’s freight car had overturned and thrown her into the mire. Mrs. Kuo brought me my old coat and blanket. She dared not suggest that I return with her. I was at a loss about what to do and wondered if it could be God’s will for me to go with her. If things went awry, not only I but also the missionaries in Siuyen could suffer consequences. I continued praying, 'Turn your path to the Lord and he shall rescue you.' The next morning I still had no light but then I read in Job 5: 19-27, 'He shall deliver thee in six troubles: yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee. … And thou shalt know that thy tabernacle shall be in peace; and thou shalt visit thy habitation …'.

“When I pondered over these words I thought that this was the Lord’s answer to me, and when Mrs. Kuo came to tell me that the train was leaving at 12:00 and she was going with it, the only answer was, 'I will also go.' Mrs. Kuo arranged everything for the trip and had my belongings carefully put away in old sacks, so no one could see what they contained. Then we left with the freight train for Siuyen. My heart was in the beginning uneasy and fearful, especially about the consequences for the D.M.S., but the Word continued sounding, ‘In six anxieties and in seven.’

“The next day, after having been to an inn, the anxiety had disappeared. We passed several villages with me covering my head with my blanket so nobody could see who I was. But all of this would have been of no use if the angels hadn’t hidden me. I sat quietly and enjoyed the trip, seeing the farmers driving the sheaves home to be threshed, and the women gathering cotton in the field or harvesting rice with bowed knives.

“We had several delays, but later I realized that all this was in God’s plan. The village where we stayed overnight the first night was two days later pillaged by 200 bandits. Thirty persons were taken hostage, and several houses burned down. Where we stayed the next night, the neighboring inn had been robbed the same night.

"We came through unharmed and I had one more experience of how the Lord had intervened and brought me home. . .

“… The missionary station is a busy place. The Lord’s rich blessing covers the work and all my dear companions, and with new eyes I see how it is becoming green with growth everywhere; thanks be to God.

"Our old cook, Yang, had for three days been waiting to receive me, and the Chinese said, 'God's Name has been glorified.' . . ."

Sources:
Bjergaarde, Rev. Jens, "Siuyen," Dansk Missionsblad, Vol. 101, Nr. 35, 1934 (exact date unknown), p. 513. Translation by Preben Jørgensen.
Bøg-Madsen, Anna; “Tilbage til Siuyen,” Dansk Missionsblad, Vol. 102, Nr. 49, 1935 (exact date unknown), pp. 759-760.) Translation by Preben Jørgensen.
[This article was condensed by the D.M.S. from personal letters Anna Bøg wrote to friends in Denmark. The D.M.S. changed the language from the first person viewpoint to the third person, i.e. used "she" (hun) rather than "I" (jeg). We have put it back into the first person.]

Image:
Portrait of Anna Bøg taken in Cedar Falls, Iowa, in late 1934 or early 1935. Courtesy of Roger Lais.
All D.M.S. items used with permission.