Elise Bahnson Comes Home; the Two Women Retire (1951)

After being sent back out to China in late 1946, Elise Bahnson first spent several years continuing the missionary work with the women in Siuyen. Then, in 1950, she took charge of the Home for the Blind in Mukden, where she had served from 1927 to 1929 while also doing architectural work.

In December, 1950, however, Elise Bahnson was forced to leave China because of the political situation. As Kirsten Berggreen Buch put it, "After a long and tough haul as a missionary to women in Siuyen, she also came home."

Elise Bahnson returned on the East Asiatic Company's ship "Kina" (the Danish word for China). The missionary newspaper reported on her homecoming as well as that of two other women in an article, the title of which in translation is "The 'China' Arrived with Three 'Chinese'":

"In the early morning on April 19, Ø.K. 's 'Kina' came to berth in Copenhagen's free port with three China missionaries: Karen Gormsen and Petra Nielsen, who came home from Antung; and Elise Bahnson, who came from Mukden. The journey home lasted four months, went well in every way, and served as much-needed recreation [for the three women]."

After discussing the work of Karen Gormsen in Antung and Petra Nielsen in Fenghuangcheng, the article quotes this from Elise Bahnson:

"'In Siuyen, I worked as evangelistic missionary with a blind Chinese Bible woman. She was part of the whole Christian work in Siuyen from the beginning.

"I went to Mukden to take charge of the large home for the blind following [the departure of] Rev. Johannes Rasmussen. Now the home is being led by a Christian Chinese matron for whose work the authorities have the greatest respect.

"The blind are not considered valuable people in China. But the home for the blind, which is self-supporting with some contributions from a large institution for the blind in Shanghai, trains the blind in useful occupations, and in these years more blind persons are managing well. There is a need for their skills, and several have married, something that was unthinkable before."

The article then goes on to conclude:

"The three female missionaries returned home after it was indicated to them that they had to evacuate their workplaces and that it was not possible for them to take up missionary work at a new location.

"We are grateful for their ministry and to have them well home with us once again, but surely a long rest awaits them all, so it is very desirable that all requests for these missionaries to assist at meetings be held for a while and then sent to the meeting secretariat."

Meanwhile, since her return from her 1947-1948 sojourn in the United States, Anna Bøg had worked full time as a home missionary. As we noted in our post Fear Not, Only Believe, this entailed strenuous fundraising tours for the D.M.S. during which Anna Bøg sometimes spoke at as many as 15 meetings in a week.

Early in 1951, Anna Bøg purchased a home on Amundsensvej, in Kgs. Lyngby, a suburb of Copenhagen, which she was to share with Elise Bahnson.

Then, just two months after Elise Bahnson's homecoming, Anna Bøg applied to D.M.S. for retirement. In her own words, the application was made, "After 32 years of rich and happy service."

D.M.S. granted the request and Anna Bøg officially retired on July 1, 1951.

During their retirement years, Anna Bøg and Elise Bahnson remained active in church and missionary activities. Missionary daughter Kirsten Bertelsen, who was born in Siuyen where her father, Dr. Peter Bertelsen, was a medical missionary related:

" . . . I have spoken to several other 'missionary children' who knew Anna Bøg Madsen, among others Anna Odgaard, daughter of [Rev. Jens] Bjergaarde, who also worked in Siuyen . . .

"Both Anna Bøg and Elise Bahnson were steadfast members of the Kinakredsen [The China Circle] and in this way kept in contact with the friends from the time in China. They also followed us missionary children with great interest and warmth.

"They both continued giving talks about China around the country and helped in this way to collect money for DMS."

After her visit to America in 1947-1948, Anna Bøg never again returned to the United States. She did, however, receive visits from various family members. One of them was her brother Peter's grandson, Roger Lais, who visited Anna Bøg and Elise Bahnson in 1967 at their home in Kgs. Lyngby.

Roger Lais wrote in his travel journal that Anna Bøg "lives in a peaceful neighborhood of tidy older homes with pretty little gardens". He described the room he was given to stay in as a "side porch-room, bright with plants and flowers . . . lined with windows that look out to the yard's garden scenery". Roger Lais was impressed with the food, "The dinner is very good and includes fresh potatoes, vegetables and fruits -- all home-grown from the garden . . " When he left he wrote, "They . . . have been so good about showing me around. And I will certainly miss those delicious home-cooked meals . . . "

A neighbor of the two women told us that during her retirement Elise Bahnson performed a few small architectural projects, including apparently for the D.M.S. Elise Bahnson's design skills can be seen in the lovely arrangement of gladiolas in the photograph above.

According to Kirsten Bertelsen, however, "Elise Bahnson was ill during the last years of her life. She had one leg amputated." She died in 1969.

Roger Lais visited Anna Bøg again in 1971 in the same home in Kgs. Lyngby, where she now lived alone. Roger Lais noted that Anna Bøg was still gardening and, "Although her health and energy [were] failing, there remained a strong will."

Sources:
Bertelsen, Kirsten; letter to the authors; dated May 24, 2005.
Bøg-Madsen, Anna; retirement application; dated June 20, 1951. From the D.M.S. archives in the Rigsarkivet. Courtesy of Kirsten Berggreen Buch.
Buch, Kirsten Berggreen; letter to the authors; dated February 6, 2005.
J., O.; "'Kina' kom med tre 'Kinesere'"; Dansk Missionsblad; Vol. 118, Nr. 9, April 27, 1951; pp. 131-132. Translated by Marie-Jacqueline.
Lais, Roger; travel journals; 1967 and 1971.
Olsgaard, Susanne (Danmission); letter to the authors; dated February 27, 1997.

Image:
Photograph of Anna Bøg and Elise Bahnson at their home in Kgs. Lyngby, probably during the 1960s. Courtesy of Haldor Dueholm.
All D.M.S. items used with permission.