The Death of Helga Johansen (October, 1944)

As we mentioned in our post about Dr. Marie Nielsen, there was a typhoid outbreak in Manchuria in 1944 and the Japanese required Siuyen Hospital to admit typhoid patients from a nearby forced-labor camp despite the risk to the other patients and hospital staff. Dr. Marie, head nurse Anna Busch, and nurse Helga Johansen all contracted the disease. Dr. Marie and Anna Busch survived. Sadly, Helga Johansen did not.

In her 1937 book on the D.M.S. missions in Manchuria, Gullach-Jensen wrote this entry about Helga Johansen, who was a brand-new missionary at that time:

"During her childhood and youth, she heard about God and respected him, but only about the age of 19 did she learn to know Jesus Christ as her Savior, and shortly after that she realized that her future work should be in the missionary field.

"With this as her goal, she started training to be a nurse. After finishing her training at Skive Hospital, Miss Johansen addressed herself to D.M.S. with a request to be sent out as a missionary, but at that time it was not possible.

"During the wait, Miss Johansen worked as a community nurse and as a trainee at 'Marthabo' and finally she went to a Bible school in Glasgow. In October 1936, D.M.S. sent her to Manchuria. After a short stay in our mission field, she went to the language school in Peking, from where she sent her first letter to the Dansk Missionsblad (Bl. 1937, pages 176-177).

"The intention is that Miss Johansen shall start working shortly, first at the missionary hospital in Suihuafu and thereafter in Siuyen."

In her first letter home to the D.M.S., written in 1937 while she was in language school in Peking, Helga Johansen wrote about Chinese Christian art. We began our post on that topic with her discussion. In the same letter, she spoke about her early experiences in China and her growing love for the Chinese people:

"In this my first greeting from China, I want to send a heartfelt thanks both to the D.M.S. Board and to the Friends all over the country. Thank you for sending me out as your envoy. These first months have been rich in experiences and encouragements. It was a great pleasure to be received and welcomed by the Danish missionaries in Manchuria. The first three weeks I stayed with Miss [Karen] Gormsen. But greatest thing of all is being permitted to discover how God's love towards this country and its people grew in my heart and thus confirmed me in my missionary vocation.

"Language study is very interesting. It is like going on a voyage of discovery trying to find out what those mysterious signs and squiggles mean. It requires hard work, but it also brings joy when what first seems hopeless and unintelligible gradually becomes clear. We are about 150 language students, of which about 80 live at the school; 15 nations are represented. I am the only one from Denmark."

She continued the letter with her discussion of Chinese Christian art which we already posted, and then signed the letter, "Affectionate greetings, Your joyful envoy, Helga Johansen."

Anna Bøg's accounting letter to Axel Christensen of October 25, 1944, contained the following entry about the death of this enthusiastic and "joyful envoy" after only seven years of missionary service:

"You probably have heard that H. Johansen died October 16, at 2:00 p.m. Mr. and Mrs. Willer* came in the 20th, and she was buried on Sunday the 22nd. A very beautiful funeral. First a Danish service in her room, then a Chinese service in the Hospital yard. All the nurses, men and girls, carried her to the cemetery, her casket covered with Dannebrog [the Danish flag], and all the nurses clad in white . . . In the evening, we had a Danish Communion. . . ."

Sources:
Bøg-Madsen, Anna; accounting letter to Axel Christensen; October 25, 1944, from the D.M.S. archives in the Rigsarkivet. Courtesy of Kirsten Berggreen Buch. Original in English.
Gullach-Jensen, Thyra; D.M.S. i Manchuriet (D.M.S., Copenhagen, 1937), pp. 125-126. Translated by Preben Jørgensen.
Johansen, Helga; "En Hilsen fra Peking," Dansk Missionsblad; Vol. 104, Nr. 12, 1937 (exact date unknown); pp. 176-177. Translated by Preben Jørgensen
All D.M.S. items used with permission.

Image:
Photograph of Helga Johansen from the Dansk Missionsblad; Vol. 110, Nr. 44, November 26, 1943, p. 626
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*"Mr. and Mrs. Willer" - This refers to Rev. and Mrs. Ludvig Willer. Rev. Willer was born on October 7, 1900. He was the son of the pastor in Aulum. He obtained his theology degree in 1924, was the secretary for K.F.U.M. in Horsens until 1927, then a pastor until 1933. D.M.S. sent him to Manchuria in 1934. He was based in Dairen. (Jensen, D.M.S. i Manchuriet, pp. 22-23.)

The Nielsens Return; Reverend Ch'eng Visits (Late 1936)

In an article published in the Danish missionary newspaper in late 1936, Anna Bøg related that the long-anticipated government-sponsored long-distance motor coach line had finally opened. It connected Siuyen with Ta-shih-chiao [Dashiqiao], a stop on the main line of the South Manchurian Railway 25 kilometers southwest of Haicheng (the closest passenger station to Siuyen). As a result, the missionaries in Siuyen were no longer as isolated as we described in our post Landlocked (Early 1936).

Missionaries from other locations in Manchuria had taken the new bus to Siuyen and some of the missionaries had by then discovered Sorai Beach in Korea as a vacation spot. Although they now had the means to join them, Anna Bøg and Elise Bahnson had concluded it was God's will for them to remain in Siuyen that year.

The high points of the latter part of the year had both occurred in October. Dr. and Mrs. Nielsen had returned to Siuyen after the three-year furlough that followed Dr. Nielsen's release from captivity by the bandits. And, Reverend Ch'eng Chan Yuan, a Lutheran minister ordained in 1934, had traveled by bicycle to Siuyen all the way from Lin-chiang, northeast of Siuyen on the Manchurian side of the Yalu River that divides Manchuria from Korea:

"It was a great joy when the new bus route opened July 2 between Ta-shih-ch'iao and Siuyen. It is a stretch of 150 kilometers. There are eight villages along the route where the bus stops. It costs five cents per kilometer and $5.25 for the entire trip. Those who have tried it are all very excited about the wonderful nature scenery, especially about one of the mountain passes, which is very beautiful. Now we no longer feel as confined as we have during recent years.

"Miss Bahnson and I talked about also trying out the route and taking off for summer holidays to be with our colleagues at the beautiful beach in Korea. We prayed for God's guidance and saw several reasons why we should stay home. The same day we made that decision, we, together with all our co-workers, the evangelists and Bible Women, began to study Japanese with a very nice young Manchurian as a teacher. He is an interpreter. We studied five times a week.

"Several times, our co-workers wanted to give up as they were not accustomed to studying languages other than their own, but now they have come so far as to enjoy it. Some of them are really adept. And we find it very amusing when we get visits [from Japanese officials] because we can understand a little of what they say.

"One afternoon a senior official was here on a visit. As it was approaching the time when we were going to study, I asked him if he wanted to teach us. 'Yes,' he was more than willing. Another day, the dean of the Japanese school listened to us and corrected us. The same young man has come to our worship service several times and on Sunday morning comes into my Bible class to sing for the women.

"The Manchurians have been able to come and go, but for several years no missionaries have visited here. Rev. Witt was the first to try the bus route. . . . After that, Miss Bech-Andersen was here. And now it is ten days since we had the very great pleasure of welcoming Dr. and Mrs. Nielsen home. We were eating our midday meal when old Yang stuck his head in the door and said, 'Dr. Nielsen has arrived!' We got up from the table, got on our bicycles, and minutes later were at the bus station where the two oldsters, as we call them here, were standing happy and excited among all the suitcases. The news traveled rapidly all over town, and a group of Christians was on the way over to welcome them home. It was exactly three years previously that Dr. Nielsen came home from the mountains, and almost three years since they left Siuyen. In God's time, doors open and what God unlocks, no one can lock in.

"At the same time, we were also visited by the young Reverend Ch'eng from Lin-chiang. It had been about two and a half years since we'd had a visit from any outside minister and we had not expected that he would be the first to come. We had received a card, "Reverend Ch'eng will come the 15th of October," but not from where he would come, or how he could come. The evangelists arrived by bus, but no minister. A little later, he came by bicycle from Takushan. He had cycled the entire way from Lin-chiang to Siuyen, approximately 67 Danish miles, on unlevel roads through mountain passes and across rivers, sometimes in Korea and sometimes on the Manchurian side, stopping at outstations and Christian homes along the way and the entire time testifying about his Master and Lord. Spontaneously, people said, 'I wish there were many like Reverend Ch'eng.' . . .

"Reverend Ch'eng immediately put himself at our service. 'I will work for you all, so you can rest a little,' he said. He was with us for ten days, held seventeen meetings, two large Communion services, a baptism, and a wedding. One morning, he cycled out to Hsing-lung-kuo, where he spoke to the Christians. The last two days he was at the hospital, where he held four meetings and took old Mrs. Fu to Communion.

"We had meetings for the women every morning and for the men every afternoon. For reasons of space, we limited our invitations to the Christians and catechumens. Every morning, we were overcrowded, so we put extra benches out in the sunny yard and with the windows open one could hear well. He was used by the Lord for blessing. He clarified many issues that we all have to face in these uncertain times. Some of the catechumens received so much help that they were very sad when the meetings were over and we could no longer keep the minister here.

"One day he asked about the outstations and we understood that the minister was also willing to travel to the only place open in our district in these times, Shao-tzu-ho. When a Christian from there, Mr. Liu, who had come here to attend the meetings, heard this, he immediately went back to tell the Christians about this unexpected joy. They are all rural residents and had to arrange their work so they could attend. Tuesday a small cart drove off with two men and two Bible Women. Most of the approximately four Danish miles of the road [to Shao-tzu-ho] consist of four long mountain passes. Wednesday morning, Reverend Ch'eng and evangelist Chang left by bicycle.

"They had four days of meetings with Communion services. We were very pleased about the glorious autumn weather, which helped everyone to attend. Also, we were glad that all the Christians could assemble in their own little outstation for Communion. It has been many years since they could do that. All those who were baptized from Shao-Tzu-ho last Christmas and Pentecost said, 'We are the fruit of Mr. Liu'. . . How glad we were when this little band came at Pentecost and asked for baptism.

"Here at home in Siuyen we are all very busy. There are 63 women on the catechumens' list and 25 schoolgirls. With all the weekly Bible studies, devotions, prayer meetings, Sunday school and home visits, we can say that we are fully occupied.

"And in all circumstances, we can attest to experiencing Jesus' promise, 'Behold, I am with you all days.' "

Source for article:
Bøg-Madsen, Anna; "Siuyen," Dansk Missionsblad, Vol. 103, No. 50, 1936 (exact date unknown), pp. 741-744. Translation by Marie-Jacqueline.

Source for additional information regarding Rev. Ch'eng:
Jensen, Anne Hviid; I Lys Og Skygge (Unitas Forlag, Copenhagen, 2005), p. 111.

Image:
Photograph of Rev. Ch'eng during his 1936 visit to Siuyen, from Bøg-Madsen, Anna; "Smaabreve fra Siuyen, Bogsælgeren," Dansk Missionsblad, Vol. 104, No. 9, 1937 (exact date unknown); p. 128.
All D.M.S. items used with permission.

A Wealth of Flowers

Anna Bøg was an avid gardener and there were many admirers of her garden at the women's mission station in Siuyen.

In a 1937 publication, the Young Women's Christian Association wrote that the women's station's "delightful garden with its wealth of flowers is a pleasure and encouragement after long, exhausting work days."

Anna Bøg sent the above picture of her potted lotus plant (center back, with the big pad-like leaves) to her sister Elizabeth in Iowa. The building appears to be the old women missionaries' residence, which dates the picture to sometime prior to 1932. Anna Bøg wrote on the back, "Here you see the lotus flower. The man to the right is the cook and the other man is the gatekeeper." Since a lotus with leaves like this is a Nelumbo, which is an aquatic plant like a water lily, one supposes it must have been growing in a tub of water.

Later, during World War II -- when there was a serious shortage of food -- Anna Bøg grew fruit, vegetables, and grain to help feed herself and the few women she still had in her care. The various foods that she grew were a great blessing since many of the missionaries in other parts of Manchuria developed beri-beri during this period of time for want of vitamin B.

During World War II, the Germans occupied Denmark and Japan occupied Manchuria. D.M.S. had difficulty in getting funds to the missionaries in Manchuria. Rev. Niels Buch, the chairman of D.M.S.'s Manchurian missions, transferred whatever funds could be made available for the few remaining missionaries in Siuyen to Anna Bøg who then disbursed the monies and reported on the disbursements by letter to Rev. Axel Christensen in Dairen, who was the treasurer.

By this time, Anna Bøg was the only remaining missionary at the mission station (both the men's and women's stations), although a missionary physician -- Dr. Marie Nielsen -- and several missionary nurses were still at Siuyen Hospital, which was some distance from the mission station.

In these accounting letters, Anna Bøg included bits of news and often spoke of her garden. Here are some of the comments she made about her gardening in these letters. The sister-in-law of Axel Christensen to whom she refers was Mrs. Helga Christensen:

June 11, 1943 - "Now it is really wonderful summertime here in the mountain valley. We are in the middle of the strawberry season. You can eat them without sugar and we do -- three times a day. In a patch of soil in my garden, I have rye. It is interesting to see how fast it grows. It was sown after Ching-ming, April 5, and now you find ears on the straw. They say, 'It will ripen before the rainy season.' I have also so many beautiful flowers. How summer is a marvelous time."

July 2, 1943 - "Now it is real summer weather, intense heat and rather dry. We had a whole month with strawberries."

August 10, 1943 - "Everything around here is so vigorous it promises to be a good harvest. Our gardens are also luxuriant: All May I had strawberries, July raspberries and blackberries, red currants and black currants, and at present ripe gooseberries and before long the grapes will be ready. I have four sorts. Last year I dried them and had lovely raisins. Many ripe figs are on their way. 'My little garden is like a hothouse,' as your sister-in-law says. Often visitors come to see the flowers."

May 4, 1944 - "Wish you could see how pretty my little yard is full of blooming trees. It is admired by everyone. Now I am both housekeeper and gardener. I had to let my good servant go because the wages raised so high."

June 18, 1944 - "The garden takes all my spare time, but gives me lots of joy, not to speak of all the good things: fruit and vegetables for my table. A lot of my strawberries [were] stolen. Although I am behind a tall wall, they climbed over the wall."

July 28, 1944 - "I am busy weeding my garden, but enjoy the work in the sun and fresh air. My tomatoes are just wonderful."

April 21, 1945 - "I am busy with garden work. To hire a man a day costs 40.00 or more."

The letter of April 21, 1945 was the last accounting letter. A reporter for the Cedar Falls Record who interviewed Anna Bøg in October, 1947, however, wrote about an incident involving Anna Bøg's garden in Siuyen during World War II:

"She spent the long hours in the summer working in her flower and vegetable garden, for she depended on what she could raise to vary her extremely meager rations. She [raised] lovely flowers . . .

"Once she had a particularly beautiful lily blooming on her verandah. One of the Japanese [officials] whom she learned had a particular love for flowers happened around at that time. He sat quietly on her verandah for a long time, and then asked if he might have the lily.

" 'I shall send it to you by my servant,' Miss Madsen told him . . ."

One wonders if the "particularly beautiful lily" was a lotus. In any event, at that time, Anna Bøg was having difficulty keeping the Japanese from commandeering the mission station. She had no servants. Rather, she was doing all the gardening and maintenance work herself, while providing a home for an elderly Bible Woman, Mrs. Kuo, a blind Bible Woman, and a deaf girl. It seems likely that this was a clever maneuver by Anna Bøg to distance this Japanese official and very doubtful that she ever delivered the lily . . .

Sources:
Bøg-Madsen, Anna; letters to Axel Christensen, 1940s, from the D.M.S. archives at the Rigsarkivet (Danish National Archives).
Turnbull, A.B.; "Anna Madsen Survives under [Japanese] Rule, to Return to Manchuria Soon," Cedar Falls Record; October 25,1947; pp. 1, 5. Courtesy of C. Welch.
Young Women's Christian Association, Vest-Øst, 1910-1935, (Kristelig Forening for Unge Kvinder, 1935), p. 64.

Image:
Anna Bøg's lotus flower. Courtesy of C. Welch.