And Then There was One (Late 1939)

At the end of 1939, architect Elise Bahnson was once again due to return to Denmark on home leave (furlough) as she had done in December, 1932. Meanwhile, although the articles from Siuyen did not speak of it, during the intervening years, Japan had engaged in considerable aggression in the Far East, including attacks on Peking, Shanghai, and Nanking in 1937.

In 1939, the Japanese aggression continued. There were significant border hostilities between Japan/ Manchukuo and the Soviets in Siberia that resulted in a cease-fire signed September 15. Because of the Soviet superiority in this conflict, some war analysts believe the outcome made a significant difference in how World War II developed. That is, the strength of the Soviets made it clear to Japan and Germany that they would not be able to link up their geographic areas of control via Russia. This might have made a difference in the Japanese decision to attack the United States at Pearl Harbor.

There were oblique references to the Japanese-Russian conflicts in the D.M.S. newspaper as it reported on whether Elise Bahnson would be able to make the trip home. In the October 20, 1939, D.M.S. wrote that it was doubtful whether Elise Bahnson and another woman missionary, Katherine Thomsen (who was based in the Manchurian capital city of Hsinking/ Changchun), would be able to travel via Siberia and Russia in early November as planned.

In the issue of November 17, 1939, the D.M.S. reported that it had been arranged for Bahnson, Thomsen, and also woman missionary Petra Nielsen to travel from Harbin on November 1. There was concern about the trip, however, and the article noted, "We will keep this return in our prayers."

Then on November 24, 1939, the D.M.S. reported, "We have received a telegram that the three women missionaries, Misses E. Bahnson, K. Thomsen, and P. Nielsen, can be expected in twelve days. They have departed from Harbin. We can now hope to have them here around November 26." The women must have traveled via the Trans-Siberian Railway, to which there was a connection from Harbin.

The parting between the close friends and collaborators, Anna Bøg and Elise Bahnson, must have been a sad one. And, it would have been even sadder if the two had known that -- except for a very brief time in late 1946 -- they would not see one another again until they retired from the D.M.S. nearly twelve years later. Moreover, as far as we can determine, Rev. and Mrs. Bjergaarde had already left Siuyen by the time Elise Bahnson departed, so at that point Anna Bøg was the only missionary left at the mission station. She would remain so throughout World War II.

Elise Bahnson, Katherine Thomsen, and Petra Nielsen did reach Denmark safely. In an article published in the D.M.S. newspaper on April 19, 1940 -- just 10 days after the German invasion and occupation of Denmark -- Elise Bahnson referred to the trip before giving an account of the work with the women in Siuyen that had gone on after her departure, based on letters she had received from Anna Bøg:

"Three female missionaries sat in Harbin for 11 days, waiting for passports for transit through Russia and Finland. Authorization came, so we departed November 12 from Harbin and arrived by God's will and your intercession safely home just a week before the disturbances began.*

"It was hyggeligt and homey to come in to D.M.S. where everything had been arranged for us so beautifully and conveniently. For this, we owe a big debt of gratitude to the many who so kindly thought of us.

"In the work [in Siuyen] it is good for there to be two working together. When one is on home leave, the other feels the solitude more deeply but it also has the great advantage that there is no discontinuity in the development of the work out there.

"Miss Budtz Christensen from the Danish school in Antung spent 14 days in Siuyen during the Christmas holidays. She flew in,** helped Miss Bøg Madsen, and experienced Christmas at an inland station.

"At the Sunday School Christmas festivities in the church, there were approximately 1,100 to 1,200 children. The Sunday School workers prepared a Christmas cantata for the celebration. There was a fine Christmas snowfall.

"On the morning of the 24th, 34 were baptized, as can be seen in the accompanying picture, and 20 in Sao-tzu-ho.

"Mrs. Shun, who stands holding the Bible, was baptized shortly before I had to leave. She is from a village between Sao-tzu-ho and Chien-shan-yao. During the difficult years, the entire family sought shelter with some relatives in the village of Hung Ch'i 3-4 miles north of Siuyen on the north side of the River Yang. A group of women there received regular instruction once a week for a year.

"Now Mrs. Shun had to go back. During the final days before baptism, she came in to live at the mission station in order to study in peace and be well prepared. In a letter, Miss Bøg Madsen wrote about her, 'Mrs. Shun departed one of the first days. She can now read the first four chapters of St. Mark's Gospel. She says, "When I cannot sleep, I read." She starts at 5:00 in the morning and reads all day until bedtime. She does not see or hear what is going on around her.' It will open up new opportunities for us in her village, when we can work from such a home.

"In the large picture, there are also some rural residents. Mrs. Ch'en, third from the left with the child in her arms, is from Lohr Ch'uän Kou. Her husband has been a Christian for many years.

"Mrs. Chou (No. 1 seated) is the mother of Ch'en Pou En (far right) who is bringing her son to be baptized. Mrs. Li (No. 3 seated) is the mother of Li SSii Ch'üan who is a farmer (No. 3 from the right). All are from Pei-Wa-Kou, 30 kilometers to the northwest.

"Lawyer Chao (in front of the right window), whose wife is a member of the church council and whose daughter is our Bible Woman, Chao Chu Lin, has been a particular pleasure to see among the baptized. His daughter and wife have fought for him in prayer.

"Old Mrs. Feng (second from the right, seated), Reverend Shun's mother-in-law, is a sweet old woman. She spent 1 - 1/2 years in the minister's home, did not advance much, but was always punctual for instruction, could not learn to read but was not difficult to engage in conversation, and walked slowly but willingly forward until she came to baptism. Now she has left her son-in-law to return to kinsmen somewhat north of Peking where none of the others are Christians. -- Reverend Shun will now have his final year at the seminary in Pitsaikou while his wife and children stay in Siuyen.

"It would take too long to tell about them all. Each has his history with his difficulties and his way to the Savior. Newly baptized persons need special intercession so that now after finishing instruction they do not stand still but remain awakened and continue to move forward. They must really take charge of their lives and renew them daily.

"Thank you to any of you who will remember them before the Throne of Grace."

Sources:
Bahnson, Elise; "Vær stille for Herren og vent paa ham!", Dansk Missionsblad; Vol. 107, Nr. 16, April 19, 1940; pp. 206-208.
Christoffersen, Ragnhild; "Noter", Dansk Missionsblad; Vol. 106, Nr. 46, November 17, 1939; p. 689.
Holt, Axel; "Fra Markerne meldes," Dansk Missionsblad, Vol. 106, Nr. 42, October 20, 1939; p. 627.
R., J.; "Noter", Dansk Missionsblad; Vol. 106, Nr. 47, November 24, 1939; p. 704.

Images:
Top: Mrs. Shun from Hung Ch'i. Photograph from the article by Elise Bahnson cited above.
Bottom: New Christians baptized in Siuyen during Christmas 1939, from the same article. We do not know for sure, but we think the man in the back row on the far left might be the Rev. Shun referred to in Elise Bahnson's article and that he performed the baptisms during Christmas, 1939.
All D.M.S. items used with permission.
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*We do not know to which disturbances Elise Bahnson is referring, since she was home a few months before the German invasion and supposedly the Japanese-Russian conflict had ended.
**The Danish phrase used is "kom flyvende derind" ("came flying in there"). We do not know if this was meant literally (i.e. by airplane) or as a figure of speech. Given the limited transportation facilities, it seems rather unlikely -- although not impossible -- that Miss Christensen traveled to Siuyen by airplane.

Teacher Wang's Home and the Christians at Sao-tzu-ho (Early 1939)

This week's post is a continuation of architect Elise Bahnson's account of the 16-day cycle tour she and two Bible women made in March, 1939, around the countryside south of Siuyen. Due to the travel restrictions, it was her first such trip in many years.

Elise Bahnson's description of the visit to Teacher Wang's home requires a little explanation. This was not the same Teacher Wang referred to in last week's post who was 89 years of age. This one was a Christian who had taught at the mission school for a time. Apparently his son, who was not a Christian, had recently married a Christian girl named Feng Ch'un who had lived at the women's mission station and worked in the mission Sunday School for many years. Her husband, Teacher Wang's son, was a postal employee in the area north of Siuyen, so the couple by then lived in the northern part of the district.

As for Sao-tzu-ho, our readers may remember previous mentions of the mission outstation there, such as in our post Invited Everywhere (1932) and the one about the pastoral visit that Rev. Ch'eng made to the Christians in that village when he was in Siuyen during October, 1936.

Teacher Wang's Home

"Up over a high mountain road we went, where there was the glorious view of the landscape. The road went past 'Front Mountain Village', up past a very fine new brick temple to the 'fox goddess', over a small ridge, and then we came into a large mountain village.

"[Teacher Wang's] oldest son is employed by the postal service to the north. He had been home for the wedding in the autumn. At that time, two of our Bible women were there to attend the young Christian bride, Feng Ch'un. When she was motherless and the only Christian in her home, she stayed with us and worked in the Sunday School for many years. Her father-in-law was a teacher in our school during the troubled years and had been baptized. The rest of the family had heard some [of the Gospel] here in town but they are still in the inquiring stage.

"Unfortunately, Feng Ch'un had just traveled northward, having visited us [in Siuyen] on her way. Up there, there is no congregation so she is the only one. [Her] young man is not a Christian, but he is willing to listen. In this home, one realizes that Feng Ch'un was a blessing to her mother-in-law and sister-in-law during the short time she was there.

"Teacher Wang is a very busy man, the inspector for seven schools in the area. He is the only Christian in the place. He said that he sorely lacked a Christian man in the vicinity to share with. Mrs. Wang is a busy housewife, so for her the evenings were the best. Then we sat on the kang and talked until late about the things of God's kingdom.

"Right beside the school lives Shu Ch'ing, a girl of eighteen years. During the turbulent years, she too lived in town and went to our school. She had also been at the hospital because of a bad foot. Finally, it was amputated and she received a wooden foot in its place. Recently, she had been to Mukden to a specialist and gotten a rubber foot. She could now walk freely without a cane, and stand a little on the leg. But best of all was that she had not forgotten what she had heard, either at school or during that half a year in the hospital. She prayed constantly and was aware to whom she belonged, and whom she would serve. How pleased she was to see us, and when she was invited over to the Wang family to stay as long as we were there, it was her joy to be together with us, touching us.

"We had the opportunity to talk both to the women from the neighboring homes and to the school girls, two and three times.

"We parted ways. The Bible Women went directly to Sao-tzu-ho. I cycled back to town [Suiyen] for a whole day in the city, and then went down to where they were in Sao-tzu-ho.

Sao-tzu-ho

"The River Yang meanders down towards the south from Siuyen and at its termination in Sao-tzu-ho (ho means River) lies the town of the same name: Sao-tzu-ho. The road to there runs along the other side of a ridge and over four high mountain ranges, four Danish miles.

"The Bible Women had come there from La-tzu-kuo, where we had parted. They had begun work on spreading the Gospel. Here in Siuyen we have an older couple who tend the church. They lived before in Sao-tzu-ho and took care of the chapel there. Now it has passed over to a younger brother. These two families, and Mr. Chang No. 4, were the only Christians when I was in Sao-tzu-ho seven years ago. [At that time] Mr. Chang No. 4 had just been released from his opium habit at a revival meeting in Nabo Town. His wife was a Christian, but far away from God because of his opium smoking. She had in her time been baptized at the hospital here. How completely different it is now.

"There is a congregation there of 64 Christians. It was truly a feast to meet with them and go around to their homes and get to know them in their surroundings.

"We had to go out to see the new lot with a three-room house that the congregation has recently purchased. When I went and looked at it, Mr. Chang No. 4 came along and told me how they had imagined it: they would now build four rooms that could be used as church halls. Later, when they could build a large church, this could be used to feed the Christians who came in from more distant places.

" [']We have a stonemason, a builder and a carpenter in the congregation and when we have finished sowing [our crops] we will start work. Then you will have to come down and see us and give us good advice.['] Later, he told me, 'Yes, when I've got everything in order, I can depart in peace.'

"I could not help but compare this visit to his home to the first time. Now the spirit in the home was quite different. All three sons and two daughters-in-law were Christians, together with their children. The oldest daughter-in-law's mother also lived there on the farm and had recently been baptized. I was permitted to teach his grandson's wife and daughter.

"In the village where Mrs. Wang, an assistant in our work, is from, I looked in at four different Christian homes.

"Across the other side of the River Yang, we went to the home of an 82-year-old Christian woman who was severely ill and fighting to live. We were allowed to sing to her and talk and pray with her. Two days later we heard that the Lord had taken her. Now her son was the only Christian left in the village.

"Not very far from there in a small village we went in the three Christian homes where there are in all ten Christians. Liu Ch'ing Wen and his brother, who is a carpenter, had built the houses himself. They were very new and not quite finished. On account of the bandits, they had been forced to move out of the mountain valley they had lived in.

"Over a high mountain in a completely different direction, I was in two Christian homes. On the way there, I saw a house I had visited when I first went down there. Very few of the walls were standing. The house had been completely demolished. During those years, all who lived near one of the mountains or in between the mountains had moved out of their villages.

"In the village that was now our goal, there was a Christian home. A daughter from the home is a [nursing] student at the hospital here. Her parents and grandmother are Christians. The old grandmother, who is 80 years old, lay on the kang. Her hearing is bad and it was hard for me to communicate with her. It is difficult for a woman so old to understand a foreigner, especially when her hearing is not so good. Another Christian daughter was home visiting and they have a Christian son and daughter-in-law in Dairen. In that home, the oldest Christian was the husband. One could feel it.

"On the way back, we visited another home with three Christians -- the husband and his parents. The old man was over 70 years. He could not get around but sat on the kang. His wife was a good deal younger. She got off the kang and sat to the side so that we could pray together.

"During one of the other trips and during this last trip, a church woman from Siuyen came with me. We had an opportunity to talk about the difference. I said to her, 'The old woman in this last home, she was a light. How is it with you?' She replied, 'I have for many years not taken my Christianity seriously, but now it is entirely different. I came down here to my old neighborhood because I wanted to follow you around and quietly do a little work for the Lord.'

". . . Now I have been on this little rush tour and seen a little of the inside of these Christians' homes. Then there is even a large group in a home where the son is an evangelist. They live on the other side of the Sao-tzu-ho River. I did not reach there. But is it not wonderful what the Lord has done during these years? They were feast days when I was allowed to speak to them and visit them."

Sources:
Bahnson, Elise; "Endelig paa Landtur igen"; Dansk Missionsblad; Vol. 106, Nr. 17, April 26, 1939; pp. 249-252. Translation by Marie-Jacqueline.
Bahnson, Elise; "Besøg i Sao-tzu-ho", Dansk Missionsblad; Vol. 106, Nr. 20, May 17, 1939; pp. 292-293. Translation by Marie-Jacqueline.

Image:
Teacher Wang and Family (1939), from the first article cited above.
All D.M.S. items used with permission.

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.

Landlocked (Early 1936)

In 1936, the editor of the D.M.S. missionary newspaper wrote, "The way out from Siuyen seems still not passable, so none of the Siuyen missionaries have been out on vacation in the last few years."

It was not just that the Siuyen missionaries were not able to take vacations, however, but that they were basically imprisoned in Siuyen because of the bandit activity. Thus, neither Anna Bøg nor Elise Bahnson was able to make the kind of missionary journey to outlying areas described in our post Invited Everywhere (1932).

Nevertheless, Anna Bøg and Elise Bahnson carried on their work within the city limits of Siuyen, making home visits, teaching catechumens, giving Bible courses, leading prayer circles, organizing and presenting New Year's meetings, and participating in devotions at Siuyen Hospital. Both were also active in the Sunday School, which had a large attendance.

In a 1935 publication, the Y.W.C.A. said about Anna Bøg and Elise Bahnson, “Young, clever and warm-hearted collaborators, they are a good support for the work done among women and children.” They were also a good support for one another. In late February, 1936, Anna Bøg wrote, "It is good that we are two during this very difficult, tense time."

Anna Bøg related that besides being unable to travel they had been oppressed by cold and illness. "The entire month of January was very cold. There was hardly any snow. Despite the extreme cold, we had sunshine every day. Much illness followed. At our house, Miss Bahnson was ill with a high fever, influenza. She got better twice but then relapsed, and she was very tired when she began to recover."

Because of the travel restrictions, Elise Bahnson was not able to bring her architectural skills to the other missions where they were needed. Her design skills did not entirely lie dormant, however. Dr. and Mrs. Bertelsen wrote, "The congregation here has received a baldachin designed by Miss Bahnson -- it is very beautiful. . . . Earlier the pagans frequently said, "We don't understand you Christians; you do not do anything for your deceased!" But even the pagans say that the baldachin is beautiful." (The baldachin was an ornamental canopy to be used in funerals.)

In the February, 1936 account, Anna Bøg described the recent activities at the women's station, which we summarize here:

During Chinese New Year, they held a week long Bible course for the Christian women and catechumens, along with special meetings for the children. In spite of the very cold weather, there was a full house every day. Although the Chinese ate special meals during the New Year's celebrations, there were only two such meals and so the Chinese women were nevertheless able attend the Bible course. It was held from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. daily, not counting recreational time.

There were fifteen local speakers plus two young male evangelists who had just graduated from the evangelist school and brought a breath of fresh air from the outside. The women read John's letters, Jesus' parables, practiced new songs, and heard and saw special New Year's texts and pictures.

On the last day, several women attested to the deeper conversion they had experienced as a result of the meetings. One woman said, "The image of the snake that winds about people and holds them, has spoken to me about that sin that binds me." Another intended to go home and speak to the brother-in-law who lived on the same farm but whom she had not spoken to for a year.

About 30 children participated and the children were observed to pray very devoutly. At the end of the meetings both the women and the children asked, "Isn't there more?"

The missionaries and Bible women had planned meetings for the pagan women that were to take place the following week but shortly before the meetings something occurred that upset the pagan woman and as a result the attendance was less than had been anticipated.

Currently, many women were attending the Bible studies on Friday afternoons and about 50 were being prepared for baptism.

In the D.M.S. Annual Report for the fiscal year 1935-1936, Anna Bøg noted, "For the weekly work, we have three devotions in school, one to two devotions in the hospital, three Bible classes in town, and ten prayer groups. On the catechumens list, including both adults and youth, in the fall we had 110. Most were studying twice a week. There were countless visits in homes, intensive work among the pagans, Sunday school work, and so forth."

And, even though the missionaries could not leave town, the Bible Women could. In the article written in late February 1936 summarized above, Anna Bøg related, "Our nice young Bible Women who have learned to cycle, have been out to several villages and held meetings. We Danes cannot leave town [but] we hear about places where it is peaceful, and then they cycle there."

In the same annual report for 1935-1936, Elise Bahnson wrote about the specifics of the work in the outlying areas, apparently all of it accomplished by the Bible Women:

"Hsing-lung-kou was visited twice a week in the spring. The young Bible Women had a baptism class there. Before the six woman and six children were baptized, they came here for a short time for education. A young girl from there was confirmed.

Shao-tzu-ho was visited twice and two women were baptized at Christmas.

Lohr-chüan-kou - From the Pang's home, daughter-in-law No. 4, a widow with a small son, was baptized. They are now in Antung in the children's home. Daughter-in-law No. 1, also a widow, had her daughter-in-law baptised.

Su-Tzu-kuo - From the Li home, a young girl was confirmed and shortly after that she went back to the pagan home that she had been given to as a small child.

Chien-shan-yao - The Christian Mrs. Shen brought her adult daughter in for education. As many in the countryside, she had for some time been under Tao-te-hui's influence.* [In that religion] after a year of study, young girls can proclaim the teaching and earn their living. This tempts many young persons."

Sources:
Bahnson, Elise; "Frk. Bahnsons Beretning," D.M.S. Aarsberetning for 1935-1936, pp. 137-138.
Bertelsen, Peter and Dorthe; "Hospitalet i Siuyen," Dansk Missionsblad, Vol. 103, Nr. 49, 1936 (exact date unknown).
Bøg-Madsen, Anna; "Siuyen," Dansk Missionsblad, Vol. 103, No. 16, April 15, 1936, pp. 230-232.
Bøg-Madsen, Anna; "Frk. Bøg Madsen skriver," D.M.S. Aarsberetning for 1935-1936, pp. 136-137.
"Fra Redaktionen", Dansk Missionsblad, Vol. 103, Nr. 26, 1936 (exact date unknown).
Young Women's Christian Association; Vest-Øst, 1910-1935, (Kristelig Forening for Unge Kvinder, 1935), p. 64.
All D.M.S. items used with permission.

Image:
Photograph of Elise Bahnson (left) and Anna Bøg in front of the old women missionary's residence in Siuyen, May, 1931. Courtesy of H.B. Petersen.
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*This was not the only reference to the influence of Tao-te-hui during this period. Dr. Bertelsen also mentioned it in the 1936 article quoted above when he wrote about the baldachin designed by Elise Bahnson.

Invited Everywhere (1932)

In 1931, the political tension in Manchuria described earlier culminated in the so-called "Manchurian" or "Mukden Incident”. What happened was this: After the Japanese assassinated Manchurian warlord Chang Tso-lin in 1928, his son, Chang Hsueh-liang, succeeded him. Chang Hsueh-liang refused to stop construction of a competing Chinese railway network. On September 18, 1931, a section of the Japanese South Manchuria Railway near Mukden was dynamited and Japan alleged that the Chinese had sabotaged the railroad. The Japanese army then invaded Manchuria, took control of Mukden, and began a Manchurian campaign. In 1932, the Japanese took Harbin. On February 18, 1932, the Japanese set up a puppet government based in Changchun, installed the last Qing emperor, Pu Yi, as the ruler, and renamed Manchuria "Manchukuo". Japan went on to occupy all of Manchuria until the end of World War II. Moreover, the Japanese used Manchuria as a base for Japanese aggression against all of China. In 1937, Japan attacked Peking, Shanghai, and Nanking. By 1938, the Japanese occupied the main Chinese ports.

Since the Japanese aggressors focused first on the major cities of Manchuria, it took some time before they extended their actual rule to the outlying regions. Here, we present an account by Anna Bøg of her work in early 1932. Although it was several months after the Mukden incident, the only hint of the political situation in her story is the mention that when she entered the valley in the remote mountain area where she and the Bible Women had gone at the invitation of a Mrs. P'ang, they encountered a regiment of "village soldiers". The use of the term "village soldiers" very likely means that the men were Chinese and not Japanese. There is no way of telling from Anna Bøg's article whether the soldiers were protecting the area from bandits or whether they intended to put up a resistance against the Japanese. It does seem, however, that the Japanese had not yet taken de facto control of the area.

Here is Anna Bøg's description of her missionary journey to the home of Mrs. P'ang and the missionary work with women in the area surrounding Siuyen in early 1932:

"It is a great time to be a missionary. Jesus is moving here and glorifying his Name. It is as if all the doors are open, both here in town and out in the countryside. It is a rich and blessed time of growth for God's Kingdom. . .

"One of the first days of the Chinese New Year, a young man arrived from Lo-ch'üan-kou with greetings from his old grandmother: 'Aren't you coming this month, when the women have plenty of time?' We accepted the invitation. Two young Bible Women and I stayed a week in Mrs. P'ang’s home. She is 63 years old and was baptized at Christmas time in 1930. She is a widow, and lives in the midst of her big family, 6 sons with wives, 15 grandsons, and 5 granddaughters. They own the biggest farm in the village. It is beautifully situated in a valley with mountains in the background, in front of a large river, and the rice fields are fertile. This was our third visit.

"Right at the entrance to the valley, we met a regiment of village soldiers, with guns on their shoulders. They were going to stay in the temple yard at the start of the valley. We rode past one little hyggelige village after another. The families in these villages are almost all related to Mrs. P'ang. By nightfall, we reached Mrs. P'ang's home, the farthest into the valley. When the children sighted the cart, they came running out to greet us, and all the young women came out bearing their babies in their arms. The old lady was happy to see us and said, 'I have so longed for you; I am all alone as a Christian here.' 'Yes,' we answered, 'That is the reason we are here; we have come to help you.' 'You shall stay here in my room. All that there is my room is yours while you are here,' she said. She was so lively.

"By evening prayer we had two rooms full of people. We felt the Lord's presence during all our meetings, which was not so strange, since at home in Siuyen there were people praying daily for these meetings. When the children slept, or work was finished, they came and asked for help. Many of the young men could already read, but the young women progressed during this visit.

"At the time of our first visit last spring, the village women did not dare take us into their homes. This time they came out and spoke to us, and invited us in. Some came to the meetings at Mrs. P'ang's home and began to learn to read. God's word has free rein these days.

"When we visited last autumn two [male] evangelists accompanied us. The sons arranged meetings in the temple and school. They are well disposed toward Christianity. Their mother is solid in her relationship with God and all the pagan idols have been removed from the home.

"In a village a 2 - 1/2 hour walk from there lives a young Christian woman who definitely stands out from her surroundings. In her home too, we gathered many people to meetings. They were so happy when they saw us coming. In a shop in the mountains where we bought cakes, there came so many women that we held a meeting in the shop. There we were again invited by a neighborhood woman to visit her.

"Old Mrs. P'ang is well known in this vicinity. Without even realizing it, she is a living witness of Christian virtue. Before [Chinese] New Year, she was ill. Then she prayed, 'Dear Jesus, Make me well by New Year's Eve. Otherwise, who will lead my children?' And she became well.

"While all the neighbors worshiped ancestors, sang and played music the entire evening, at the turn of the year the old mother knelt down with all her sons and the whole family and led them in a prayer of thanksgiving. Every evening the old woman observes evening prayer in her home.

"While we were there, we received a letter from old Mrs. Pai, who lives 70 li [Chinese mile] north of Siuyen. She wrote, 'Aren't you coming soon? I have two rooms ready for you.'

"On the way home from Lo-ch'üan-kou we stopped to eat our packed lunch in a [private] home. Immediately, the kang was filled with persons large and small, and we talked with them a full hour. An old woman said, 'Come again,' and a young woman said, 'Can't a Bible Woman come and stay with us a few days?'

"Out in Hsing-lung-kou, a mile north of Siuyen, to which we cycle once a week, there are a few Christians and some that can read. It takes a long time for those who must first learn to read, but there are more young people who are able to read.

"Out in Sao-tzu-ho, where the Christians last year even opened an out-station and built a small House of God, there are many women who are ready to be baptized. There is plenty of work, and many centers that could be opened, if we had the right workers.

"Here in the town of Siuyen, besides school children, there are more than 60 women that are being prepared for baptism. To help with the work, we have one older and three younger Bible women, including a young blind girl from the home for the blind in Mukden [who will remain here]. The other two will return in September to the Bible Women’s school to complete their studies.

"All about there is growth and progress in our work. It is Jesus who does the work, and with His blessing upon the funds from the mother church we go confidently forward in faith, even though the enemy of the soul creates difficulties that in our eyes can sometimes look insurmountable. . . ."

Source:
Bøg Madsen, Anna; "Kommer I Ikke Snart", Dansk Missionsblad, Vol. 99, Nr. 17; April 27, 1932; pp. 243-246. Translation by Betty Christensen.

Image:
Photograph of women baptized in Siuyen, Christmas 1931, from"Kommer I Ikke Snart", Dansk Missionsblad, Vol. 99, Nr. 17, April 27, 1932, p. 245.

All D.M.S. materials used with permission.