Architectural Surprises (Elise Bahnson, Late 1940)

During 1940, missionary architect Elise Bahnson toured Denmark for the D.M.S., giving talks about the Manchurian missions. Although ordinarily her home leave (furlough) would have ended in November, 1940, because of the German occupation of Denmark, she was unable to return to Siuyen to collaborate with Anna Bøg in the work with the women.

In December, 1940, Elise Bahnson wrote an article about her architectural work in Manchuria that D.M.S. published in the missionary newspaper in early 1941. It was a short piece where, among other things, she related some of the difficulties she had in seeing her designs realized in Manchuria because of changes made by the local congregation. This was a common occurrence for Christian architects working in China.

In 1937, Bahnson had written:

"During the year, I have been helping with the design of churches in Feng-Huang-Ch'eng, Antung, Dairen, and Sui-Hua. The drawings were not always followed as made, for example in Feng-Huang-Ch'eng. For D.M.S., I have also helped plan buildings, such as the Danish School, the alterations of the mission station in Antung, and the extension in Hsin-Ching."

The buildings in Siuyen and Pitsaikou, where Elise Bahnson's drawings were implemented without alteration, were cleanly designed structures that very subtly allude to both Asian and Scandinavian architecture. They seem to communicate stability and permanence, which no doubt was Bahnson's wish for the Christians in Manchuria.

We know from Kirsten Berggreen Buch that the women missionary's residence that Elise Bahnson built in Siuyen is still standing. Miss Buch told us, "There is a very little part of the hospital left, but the nice building built by Elise Bahnson . . . is now used by a 'cadre', [a Communist] official. (It is too solid a building to give back to the church. . .)."

Here is what Elise Bahnson had to say in December, 1940:

"It has been a great joy throughout the years that I could assist the congregations and missions. It has been mainly design work. Beyond that, I supervised [the construction] at the Siuyen mission station and the church and evangelist school and seminary in Pitsaikou. [I supervised] at Pitsaikou once a month [while] Rev. Aagaard Poulsen provided daily supervision and accounting.

"Port Arthur Church was the first that approached me about design. I must say, however, that various surprises awaited me when I saw the building constructed. Three important changes had been made. The tower had been designed with a pitched roof and corbiestep gables similar to the wings. Since they wanted a Cross raised high above the church and town -- and idea the Manchurian Christians love -- they had completed the tower with a pyramidal roof. Also, they wanted to use the space in the tower for the congregation council meetings, so they moved the bell onto the roof and placed four small garrets in the sound apertures. An arched roof resting on columns over the door of the main entrance, and other things I heard about, were among the little surprises. Since there are building professionals among the friends of D.M.S. around the country, I wanted to write this little addendum.*

"My final examination at the Academy of Arts twenty-five years ago was a design for a church with a parish house, deaconess residence, and minister's residence. That became a banner over God's plan for the use of my practical training in service in the mission field.

"How delightful it has been during the past year to move around the country and meet with the faithful friends of D.M.S. who support the work before God's Throne.

"There are many old church buildings that have closed. Apparently, people have left them. Where can the Danish people hear the eternal Word, which is everlasting when all else passes away? Would that the bells that call in the New Year would speak of God's goodness towards Denmark.

"'God's goodness leads to repentance.' That saying is not by any means just for us these days. If we, his people, were more completely turned toward him in prayer for all who are baptized to hear him, then we could be better used by him."

Thus, while Elise Bahnson had been building churches in Manchuria, churches had been closing in Denmark. In reading this piece written by Bahnson in December, 1940, one senses the sadness she felt over the growing secularization of Denmark, especially when compared to the growth and excitement in the young church in Manchuria. One wonders what she would have to say now, 70 years later, when the secularization of Scandinavia has become nearly complete.

Sources:
Bahnson, Elise, D.M.S. Arsberetning for 1937, p. 132.
Bahnson, Elise, "En Berigtigelse og en Tilføjelse", Dansk Missionsblad, Vol. 108, Nr. 2; January 10, 1941; pp. 22-23.
Buch, Kirsten Berggreen; letter to the authors, dated August 11, 1999.

Images:
Top: The Evangelist School and Seminary in Pitsaikou.
Bottom: Interior of the Church at Pitsaikou.
Both photographs are from the 1941 article cited above.
All D.M.S. items used with permission.
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*"Addendum" - This article apparently followed an earlier one about architecture in Manchuria published sometime in 1940 that we have not yet accessed. We will try to obtain and post it.

The 'Old Mushih' and the Other Ministers in Siuyen (1898-1939)

In the last two posts, we mentioned pastoral visits to Siuyen by Rev. Ch'eng in October, 1936, and by Rev. Bolwig during Christmas, 1936. These visits were particularly important to the Siuyen congregation because Rev. Bjergaarde had been back in Denmark on leave since June of 1936 and the congregation had been without the sacraments for the entire time, except during those visits.

In the D.M.S. annual report for the fiscal year 1936-1937, Elise Bahnson wrote that during the past year the worship services had been well attended. Since they had not yet been permitted to rebuild the church, they were holding the services at the school. After Rev. Bjergaarde left, however, they had only been able to receive Communion twice -- that is, during the visits by Rev. Ch'eng and Rev. Bolwig. The male evangelists had preached, and Dr. Nielsen had preached once a month after his return in October. And, all of the evangelistic work (Sunday school, Bible studies, hospital devotions, home visits, and so on) had been carried on as usual by the women missionaries, male evangelists, and Bible Women.

In view of the foregoing, this seems a good time to provide some details about the ministers in Siuyen over the years:

Rev. Ole Olesen and Rev. Johannes Vyff, established the mission in Siuyen in 1898. In August, 1898, they purchased a Chinese house and lot enclosed by a tall wall and the two ministers and their wives took up residence there. They opened a street chapel and began holding services that were soon well attended.

There was an interruption during the Boxer Rebellion in 1900 when the Olesens and Vyffs were forced to go to Port Arthur for several months. Apparently, it was after this that Rev. Olesen took sole charge of the work in Siuyen and remained in charge until he left in 1923, the year after he supervised the building of the church.

Rev. Olesen's full name was Ole Peter Svenning Olesen. Altogether, he served in Manchuria from 1896-1927. Rev. Olesen's first wife was Magdalene Sørensen. It was she who began the work with the women in Siuyen that Anna Bøg took over.

On September 25, 1921, there was a big celebration in Siuyen for the Olesens' silver wedding. It was a "triple feast" because they were also commemorating Rev. Olesen's 25th anniversary as a minister and as a missionary to China. Anna Bøg and nurse Anna Busch organized the celebration while the Chinese Christians decorated the yard and chapel as beautifully as they knew how. Not the least of the joy came when Rev. Bolwig arrived. He had cycled all the way from Takushan for the occasion.

Sadly, Magdalene Olesen died only a few months later, on January 13, 1922. In 1923, Rev. Olesen was transferred to Fengcheng and remarried. His second wife, Marie Thomsen, died in 1926, and he returned to Denmark in 1927.

Rev. Hagelskjær succeeded Rev. Olesen in Siuyen, serving there until September, 1929. His full name was Laust Lauridsen Hagelskjær. Altogether, he worked in Manchuria from 1909-1930. He was married to Jacobine C.C. Larsen.

There was no immediate successor to Rev. Hagelskjær in Siuyen. In a short article by Anna Bøg written in early 1930, she related:

"There was a large empty spot in the congregation here when the minister left and no substitute could be found. The congregation very much hopes that the Hagelskjærs will come back. The chairman [of the parish council] said to me the other day, 'Here in Siuyen we cannot do without a missionary minister yet. There should be both a Danish and a Chinese minister. But now there are neither.' The chairman also asked me if I thought the old Mushih could come out for a year's time. He meant Rev. Olesen."

("Mushih" is a term the Chinese used to refer to ordained Christian ministers. It apparently derives from the Hebrew verb for "to anoint", which is "mashach".)

The congregation in Siuyen was without a minister until late 1931. Our readers might remember that in our post entitled Difficulties to Overcome (1931-1932) we quoted from articles by Elise Bahnson where she talked about how the congregation had been without a minister for two years and hoped for one soon. The construction of the women missionary's residence had been delayed so that she could build a home for the minister they expected to come.

In late 1931, Rev. Jens P. Bjergaarde arrived and took up residence in the home Elise Bahnson had prepared for him and his family. Rev. Bjergaarde was married to Maria Kruse. Altogether, Rev. Bjergaarde served in Manchuria from 1912 to 1939 and Maria from 1915 to 1939.

Here is what Gullach-Jensen had to say about the Bjergaardes in her 1937 book on the work of D.M.S. in Manchuria:

"[Rev. Bjergaarde] was born March 14, 1881 in Brovst Parish. His father was a farmer. Until his confirmation, Bjergaarde lived at home, of which he has many good and bright memories.

"He would have liked to study, but it could not be afforded so he was placed in a commercial apprenticeship. As a shop assistant in Vendsyssel, he came into close contact with believing people for the first time and that touched a spiritual longing that had slumbered in him since his school days. He awoke to new life and came into a conscious relationship with Jesus Christ.

"Almost simultaneously, the idea of serving in the mission field presented itself but his obligations to his family prevented him from pursuing it for another five years. In 1907, he began to educate himself with an eye on the mission field, first at Norre Nissum Seminary, next at the Mission School in Hellerup, and finally during a term of study in England. Resources for his training and travel came from believers who were merchants in Vendsyssel and Han Herred. In 1912, D.M.S. sent Rev. Bjergaarde out as a missionary to China. He has worked at various stations and since 1931 he has been in Siuyen.

"In 1920, Bjergaarde married Marie Kruse, who since 1915 had been a D.M.S. Missionary in Chinchou."

As mentioned above, the Bjergaardes went home to Denmark in June, 1936. As far as we can tell, they came back to Siuyen after this home leave and remained in Siuyen until 1939.

From 1939 onward, there was no minister in Siuyen during Anna Bøg's time. In fact, during World War II, Anna Bøg was the only remaining missionary at the mission station, although there were still medical missionaries at Siuyen Hospital outside town.

When Anna Bøg returned to Denmark in late 1946, she carried with her a letter in Chinese from a representative of the Chinese congregation in Siuyen addressed to the congregation in Denmark. It may or may not have been from the same man who years earlier had hoped Rev. Olesen could return. He used the Chinese nicknames for the Danes he referred to. We know from Kirsten Berggreen Buch that "Ma" was the Chinese nickname for Anna Bøg Madsen (based on the similarity in sound to the first syllable of Madsen) and that "Yang" referred to nurse Anna Busch (because of the first syllable of her first name). We do not know whom he meant by "Rev. Shao" but we believe that by "Rev. Yuan" he must have been referring to Rev. Jens Bjergaarde, since as far as we know he was the last Danish minister in Siuyen. (Perhaps "Yuan" sounds like "Jens" to the Chinese.) Here is the letter:

"Since Rev. Yuan left Siuyen . . . We have for years not been able to find a pastor for our flock, God's sheep. Everything has developed into such a difficult situation!

"We now send greetings to everyone in the congregation and to Rev. Yuan at the same time, as the missionaries Ma and Yang are now going back to Denmark.

"Our profound wish is that Rev. Yuan would return to Siuyen. If he cannot come back, we shall certain also wish Rev. Shao a heartfelt welcome. If that minister cannot come here either, then the Lord must help us to find another suitable pastor.

"Missionary Ma will certainly tell you about our situation."

When we reach the year 1946 in these posts, it will become much clearer to our readers what this faithful Chinese Christian meant by the phrase, "Everything has developed into such a difficult situation". That was an understatement. It was a very difficult situation indeed.

Sources:
Bog-Madsen, Anna; "Et Sølvbryllup i Hsiu-yen", Dansk Missionsblad, Vol. 89, Nr. 4, January 25, 1922, pp. 38-40.
Bog-Madsen, Anna; "Fra Missionærerne i China," Dansk Missionsblad, Vol. 97, Nr. 14, April 9, 1930; p. 214. Translated by Marie-Jacqueline.
Bahnson, Elise; "Beretning fra Frkn. Bahnson og Bøg Madsen," D.M.S. Aarsberetning for 1936-1937, p. 131-132.
Gullach-Jensen, Thyra; D.M.S. i Manchuriet (D.M.S., Copenhagen, 1937), pp. 32-33. Translated by Marie-Jacqueline.
Hviid Jensen, Anne; I Lys Og Skygge (Unitas Forlag, Copenhagen, 2005), pp. 159-163.)
Representative of the Siuyen Congregation, letter to the Danish congregation; May 18, 1946. Translated from Chinese to Danish by Kirsten Berggreen Buch and from Danish to English by Preben Jørgensen.
Vyff website, "Ophold i Siu-yen"

Images:
Top - Rev. and Mrs. Olesen visiting Siuyen Hospital in Chinese cart, from D.M.S. Aarsberetning for 1921, p. 141.
Center - Rev. and Mrs. Jens Bjergaarde and family from one of the Danish Missionary Albums
Bottom - Letter from representative of the Siuyen Congregation to the Danish congregation, dated May 18, 1946. (From the D.M.S. archives in the Rigsarkivet.)
All D.M.S. items used with permission.

Summer Paradise (Bei-Dai-He and Sorai)

In order to bear the stresses of their missionary labor, it was essential that missionaries to China have a respite in the form of a summer vacation in addition to the furloughs they were required to take every seven years. One of the collateral consequences of the Mukden incident was that the Danish missionaries were unable to spend their summer vacations at their usual location, Bei-Dai-He.

Bei-Dai-He had long been a vacation spot for Protestant missionaries of all denominations, even before Anna Bøg's time. In August, 1913, the Irish Protestant missionary physician, Dr. Isabel Mitchell, wrote, "'It is the last night in this dear little cottage by the sea, and I am all alone. What a lovely holiday it has been! Five weeks without a worry or cloud of any kind, and I have built up a store of health and a whole mansion of happy memories, and if I don’t go back for a good hard happy healthful year’s work after all this, I shall be an ungrateful wretch.'" Mitchell then went on to describe an interdenominational Communion service she attended that last evening, in which Baptists, Methodists, Episcopalians, Presbyterian and Congregationalists (but not Lutherans) all participated.

Although she was only nine years old at the time, Rev. Niels Buch's daughter, Kirsten Berggreen Buch, remembered well as an adult the impact of the Mukden incident, which occurred while she, her family, and other missionaries were on vacation in Bei-Dai-He in 1931. Here are the memories she described to us in her letters:

“…[M]issionary life is not only hard work but also holiday! We had a wonderful place [Bei-Dai-He, meaning] “North of the river”, a long beach, going riding on donkeys or mules to nice places: The Lotus Hills … The owner ran after the donkey. … [W]e galloped away with the owner running breathless after us. I remember I had a peaceful donkey, whereas my brother sat in state on a mule. As soon as we appeared in the summer time the owner came to wish us welcome and then we could just call them. It was customary that I offered a ride to my guests on my birthday –between 8-14 friends.

“But then came the Japanese occupation of Manchuria and [Bei-Dai-He] was taken over by the new rulers. A lot of summerhouses were … taken over by upper class people, military and others.”

“.. . . just 'south of the wall,' Bei-Dai-He [was] near the town called Qin-huan-dao. But during our last stay there in 1931, we got a telegram from our embassy in [Peking], telling us to return to Manchuria immediately. On September 18, the old city [Mukden] … was bombed by Japanese forces. And in the following months, Japan occupied all Manchuria. ('My' town, Harbin, was in the hands of Japanese forces from February 1932). . . . I do remember the last trip home from 'our summer paradise' Bei-Dai-He, quite well. The wagon had several holes from gun-bullets. We traveled in deep darkness during a long night home to Manchuria. In Bei-Dai-He many Danish missionaries had their most wonderful summer experiences. Now it was 'closed land' for 'us Manchurians'?”

In the late 1930s, however, the missionaries found a new location for their much-needed rest and recreation. It was in Korea which, like Manchukuo, was ruled by Japan:

"Another place was found in the late 30’s: Sorai in Korea. A high peninsula was bought by an American missionary, Dr. Underwood (from the Underwood Typewriter Co.) And he then sold parts of the land to all missionaries interested. Most of them were, of course, Americans, but also some of the Danish missionaries bought a piece of land with a little house with a very important veranda. (My father only rented for two years one of the houses from an American missionary on furlough.) Anna and Elise bought a little house.

"We had some wonderful experiences there: Sunday services, 'point-meetings' out at the very point of the peninsula every Wednesday and Sunday evening with a lot of singing from the 'Fellowship Hymn Book' . . . The youngsters from the boarding school in Pyongyang (Am.) played the trombone or horn, and funny anecdotes were given by different people.

"A special thing every time: Mrs. Underwood – or some other lady -- said . . .: 'I have an announcement!' It was usually about a picnic, or a 'clam chowder dinner' down at the beach, etc. The Americans were fantastic with many ideas. For the youngsters there were: 'tennis and swimming competitions' . . . swimming to an island called 'Star-fish' (about 4 km.) Yes, the days at Sorai Beach were full of charm. And the Danish school children gave a show [with] Danish folk-dances, … gymnastics and a little sketch in English … [At] the end of the summer vacation I remember the American youngsters often had to say goodbye to Korea and go for further high school study in [the] USA. At the 'point-meeting' we then all sang the hymn: 'God be with you, till we meet again!' . . . But with World War Two all the American friends disappeared to [the] USA."

Sources:
Buch, Kirsten Berggreen; letters to authors dated August 11,1999, and November 18, 2005. (Parenthetical comments are by Ms. Buch; our edits are in brackets.)
O'Neill, F.W.S. (Ed.); Dr. Isabel Mitchell of Manchuria (James Clarke & Co., London, 1917), pp. 135-136.

Images:
1 - 1908 postcard of Bei-Dai-He (also called Pei-Tai-Ho), from Wikimedia Commons. In the public domain.
2 - Anna Bøg, second row left; Astrid Buch (wife of Rev. Niels Buch); Kirsten and her brother Børge, July 1931
3 - Elise Bahnson, far left; Anna Bøg far right, entertaining the women missionaries at Sorai Beach
4 - Panoramic view of Sorai Beach
Images 2, 3, and 4 courtesy of Kirsten Berggreen Buch.

Dr. and Mrs. Niels Nielsen, Medical Missionaries

Dr. Niels Nielsen was the head of the medical mission at Siuyen and the founder and director of Siuyen Hospital. Anna Bøg worked with Dr. Nielsen when she filled in for the head nurse, Anna Busch, when Busch was on furlough in 1923. Also, Anna Bøg continued to work with the Bible women at Siuyen Hospital after she founded the women’s mission station.

Gullach-Jensen’s 1937 book on the Danish missions in Manchuria includes this moving description of Dr. Nielsen’s early life:

“Niels Nielsen was born June 29, 1875 in Hodsager Parish, Yllebjerg Mark, Denmark. His parents were poor small landholders who worked from sunrise to sunset and thus had little time to educate their children. Nevertheless, when Nielsen was still a small boy God made him aware of sin . . . In a dream he saw the savior with a crown of thorns and began to love him . . . He was eager to see the larger world and was overjoyed when he reached six years of age and was sent out to tend cattle. . . .

“At twelve years of age, Nielsen read for the first time the ‘Mission Message’ [apparently a book or periodical]. God called him to bring the Gospel message to the pagans, but how to accomplish that was for him a mystery. He wished to become an ordained minister . . . but becoming a minister would require a lot of money and he did not know how to obtain it. He imagined himself a sailor who would become stranded on a desert island where there were pagans. That way he would have an opportunity to tell them about God. These were his childhood dreams of the future. The day he gave his heart to God, he asked for neither position nor reward, but only for God to place him where he could be of greatest benefit.

“Nielsen began his years of education and they were long and rough. He worked for Pastor Torms in Aulum and confided in him. Torms gave him his initial academic training and prepared him for entry to the Seminariet in Norre Nissum. He did his best but was hampered by his lack of early education. Moreover, so as not to ask for money he restricted himself to bread and water, and this produced mental and bodily depression. He wondered, ‘Am I made for this?’ He asked God for a sign as to whether he should continue or abandon his studies. That same day, he received an invitation from the parsonage to dine there for a month. That sign could not be misunderstood.

“During the summer holidays, he worked at the dam works between Thyborøn and Harboøre to obtain money for his studies in the winter. Besides earning money he was a spiritual adviser for many of the workers. At the same time he developed bonds of friendship with the parish at Harboøre, which meant that during the ensuing years the parish helped him toward his goal of becoming a graduate medical doctor.

"To reach this goal as fast as possible, he decided to go to America. He traveled free of charge as a waiter. Throughout many unusual events, step by step, God paved the way for him. Through the subsequent years he had to work hard as a manual laborer to survive but he progressed in his studies. To his great surprise, one day he found himself on the honor’s list … He went to the head of the school and asked him what the fastest route to the mission field would be. The man replied that a watermelon could grow in three months, but an oak tree -- and whatever has the nature of an oak tree -- needed time to develop. He advised Nielsen that he would require about another ten years of study."

In 1895, Niels Nielsen became engaged to Ane Kirstine Jørgensen.* They met while the future physician was in Viborg for obligatory military service. Ane Kirstine Jørgensen was born on March 1, 1873 in Vinding by Holstebro.

The couple had a long engagement, marrying on September 5, 1902. In 1906, Nielsen obtained his medical degree from the University of Minneapolis. Mrs. Nielsen also received her nurse's training in the United States. Both Dr. and Mrs. Nielsen became American citizens.

In 1907, D.M.S. sent Dr. Nielsen to China, and from 1909 onward he served as a medical missionary at Siuyen. The medical mission included Siuyen Hospital, a polyclinic, and a nursing school where both male and female Chinese were trained as nursing professionals. Dr. Nielsen established the polyclinic in 1909 and the hospital in 1913.

Mrs. Nielsen, who went by her middle name, Kirstine, was an active collaborator with her husband throughout the couple’s years in Siuyen. Along with nurse Anna Busch, Kirstine Nielsen headed the nursing school. During their many years in Siuyen, Anna Bøg and Kirstine Nielsen became good friends.

A major event in Dr. Nielsen’s life was his capture by Manchurian bandits on April 11, 1933. He was held hostage by the brigands more than six months during which time he lost 47 pounds. On October 25, 1933, he was finally released. The Danish author, Kirsten Bergreen Buch, who was born to Rev. and Mrs. Niels Buch in Mukden with Anna Bøg in attendance, and grew up in Manchuria, told us, "I remember one of my classmates, Poul Aagaard Poulsen, rushed into the classroom waving a telegram, 'Dr. Nielsen is free. Dr. Nielsen is free!' By 'classroom' I, of course, mean our tiny room in the Danish boarding school in the town of Antung (Dandong)."

Dr. and Mrs. Nielsen served faithfully in Siuyen until 1940 or 1941 when the Japanese ejected them from Manchuria because they were American citizens. According to the California Death Record, Dr. Nielsen died in Los Angeles on November 4, 1945, at the age of 70. And, according to the same source, Mrs. Nielsen died in Los Angeles on Christmas Day, December 25, 1947, at the age of 74.

Sources:
Buch, Kirsten Berggreen; letter to Preben Jørgensen, March 3, 2005.
Gullach-Jensen, Thyra; D.M.S. i Manchuriet (Copenhagen, 1937), pp. 35-38.

Image:
Dr. and Mrs. Niels Nielsen, from the Danish Missionary Society’s Missionary Album for 1934.
All D.M.S. items used with permission.
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*According to various D.M.S. sources, Ane Kirstine's family name was Jørgensen. We have been informed, however, that her father was Niels P. Tingsager of Vinding, Holstebro, Denmark.

Using Her Nursing Skills (1923)

Before applying to the Danish Missionary Society, Anna Bøg had taken considerable initiative in preparing herself to serve as a missionary. Among other things, she had on her own obtained nurse’s training at the Norwegian Deaconess Hospital in Chicago.

In a letter to the Danish Missionary Society dated December 11, 1918, Anna Bøg wrote, “I am studying anatomy, nursing, bacteriology, surgery, wound-dressing, operating room, and childbirth. Tonight we had 16 babies. At this hospital they only train deaconesses and missionaries.” (1)

The first information we have about Anna Bøg using her nursing skills in Manchuria was in 1922 when she assisted at the birth of a daughter to missionary parents on July 18, 1922, in Mukden, the capital of the province in which Siuyen is located. The missionary parents were Rev. Niels Buch and his wife, Astrid.*

The Buchs would have traveled to Mukden for the delivery of their baby because at that time they were serving in the southern port city of Dairen [Dalian]. And, they would have traveled entirely by train from the railway station in Dairen. In order for Anna Bøg to reach Mukden, however, she would have first made a two-day journey by cart over treacherous rough roads to reach the nearest train station, which was at Haicheng. Along the way, she would have stayed one or two nights in an inn and slept on a kang. Then, after the cart had finally brought her to the train station, she would have traveled from there another 150 km. by train to Mukden.

The purpose in going to Mukden was so that a missionary physician, Dr. Anton Ellerbek,** could deliver the Buch’s baby. Since 1912, Dr. Ellerbek had been a professor at Mukden Medical College, a teaching center established there by the Scottish Presbyterian missionary, Dr. Dugald Christie. Adjacent to the medical college, there was a medical center

The baby born with Anna Bøg’s help that day was named Kirsten Berggreen Buch. Kirsten would grow up to become the author of several popular books in Danish -- Blue Eyes and Chinese Hearts, The Land of the Black Dragon River, and Everywhere a Storm.

Kirsten Berggreen Buch later said of Anna Bøg, “She ‘received me’ . . . she cared for my mother in her maternity bed -- and she ironed my baby clothes -- even my diapers, said my mother with a smile. Nothing was too good for the little girl . . . ‘Aunt Anna Bøg’, as we missionary children called her, was a wonderful aunt with her American accent.” (2)

After Anna Bøg’s help was no longer needed, she returned to Siuyen. The next year, however, Anna Bøg was called upon to use her nursing skills in Siuyen, at the medical mission, which consisted of a polyclinic established in 1909, and a hospital established in 1913 by Dr. Niels Nielsen.

The head nurse at the medical mission was Anna Busch, *** who began working in Siuyen in 1915. In 1923, Anna Busch went on furlough in accordance with the policy of the Danish Missionary Society that all missionaries should spend a year back home in Denmark after seven years in the field. Therefore Anna Bøg was assigned to the medical mission in Anna Busch’s absence.

It is likely that Anna Bøg’s temporary nursing assignment was very demanding. In her report for 1921, Anna Busch had explained that the hospital had been crippled during the summer months and entirely closed for the remainder of the year because Dr. Nielsen had been on furlough. A doctor had been sent as a temporary replacement during the summer months but his work had been restricted by his limited command of Chinese, and during the remainder of the year there had been no doctor at all.

Even though the hospital had been closed during the fall and winter, the polyclinic had nevertheless continued to operate in both its men’s and women’s departments. A pharmacist had kept the men’s clinic going while Anna Busch had run the women’s clinic with the help of the bible woman Mrs. Kuo and a nursing student. Anna Busch reported that despite the problems, during the year 1921, the polyclinic had served a total of 18,681 patients -- 9,515 men and 9,166 women, and that even in the absence of a doctor they had been able to save several lives. (3)

Although Anna Bøg’s nursing duties must have been quite strenuous during Anna Busch's absence, she would not have been entirely cut off from the mission’s evangelistic efforts because there were evangelistic programs in the hospital to minister to the Chinese patients who were already Christians, to reach out to those who had not yet been evangelized but had come to the medical mission for treatment, and to help those who wished to become literate.

In her 1921 report, Anna Busch wrote, “The evangelistic work in the hospital has substantially been carried out in the same way as the previous year with daily devotions, reading and conversation. All the patients have generally been glad to hear the Gospel and agreeable to learning to read.”

There were also bible women attached to the hospital. Anna Busch reported that during 1921, in addition to their daily evangelistic activities at the hospital, the hospital bible women had made three missionary journeys to outlying areas and had been out on home visits in the immediate area some 191 times, visiting a total of 232 homes.

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*Astrid Margrethe Julie Berggreen was born in Copenhagen and came to China in 1918. Rev. Buch was from near Vejle in Jutland and came to China in 1921. The two had married in China the same year Rev. Buch arrived. They served in Manchuria until 1949. Rev. Buch would go on to become the head of the entire Danish Lutheran Mission in Manchuria.

** Dr. Søren Anton Ellerbek was born on August 8, 1872 in Ringkøbing. Dr. Ellerbek served in Manchuria from 1904-1940. Prior to coming to Mukden Medical College, Dr. Ellerbek worked in Antung from 1906-1911 and established a hospital there. Dr. Ellerbek’s first wife, Johanne Graversen, died in China in 1920. In 1922, Dr. Ellerbek married another missionary, Dorthea Toft, who served from 1918-1940.

*** Anna Busch was born on December 24, 1882 in Brovst Parish (Jutland). She served at the medical mission in Siuyen from 1915 to 1946.

Referenced sources:
(1) Bøg Madsen, Anna; letter to Danish Missionary Society dated December 22, 1918, in the Danish Missionary Society archives at the Danish National Archives (Rigsarkivet).
(2) Buch, Kirsten Berggreen; letter to Preben Jørgensen dated May 1, 1997.
(3) Anna Busch, “Siuyen Hopsital. - Frk. A. Buschs Beretning”, Det Danske Missionsselskabs Arsberetning for 1921, pp. 145-147.

Other sources:
Gullach-Jensen, Thyra; D.M.S. in Manchuriet (Copenhagen, 1937).
Jensen, Anne Hviid, I Lys Og Skygge: Dansk Mission i Kina (Unitas Forlag, Copenhagen, 2005).

Images:
Top picture: Staff and bible women at the Siuyen medical mission. Anna Busch, front row center; Anna Bøg Madsen, second row right.
Courtesy of Roger Lais.
Bottom picture: Siuyen Hospital from Det Danske Missionsselskabs Arsberetning for 1921, p. 146.
D.M.S. photograph used with permission.