原件为纸的，现在打出，分享给大家，season‘s greeting
Dear Friends，
As I here tonight thinking of you，you seem very near. You have stood by loyally through our long silences,giving continued
assurance you are with us,praying for us.how can I thank God enough for you,our friends? I have failed so in writing you. Even this
letter will not reach you on Christmas,I crave your forgiveness. If only you could know how much you have lived with me through these silent months !Could it help bridge the gulf of distance and time?
some of you may not know that we did not carry out last June's plans to spend the summer on the plain. Heat,wilted bodies and spirits drove us to the "hills from whence cometh my help".And help did come.Refreshment in body and soul. In a little time we felt like
different persons.our children revelled once more in the joy of speaking in English to friends of their age.They were fairly intoxicated
with the fun of hikes,swims,tennis and evening get-togethers of the group of fifteen young folks.Many of the mountain cottages were
destroyed or unfit for use.The glass was out of the windows of practically every house on the hill，furniture mostly gone.Families
packed in together and folks took turns occupying the few rooms there were.But it was good to be there to enjoy the Christian fellowship of friends,to drink in the inspiration of those beautiful hills.
September sixth found me down in Foochow , seeing Edward off to Shanghai American school.That was a day I will live over
many times.At nine-thirty that morning it was one hundred years since Judson Collins with Mr. and Mrs.moses white. our first methodist
missionaries to East Asis. arrived in Foochow,our Chinese leaders commemorated the hour by giving a tea to all the missionaries who
could attend. There were speeches telling of the dauntless,consecrated spirit of those early leaders and of what has happened in
China because of that beginning.As we stood by the grave of Mrs.White who laid down her life after only eight months of work there,as
we saw the graves of early missionaries,especially of women and small children,we felt that truly a great price had been paid and that
we today know nothing of hardship or sacrifice.Through them what riches have come to these people!How blessed are we who have
been permitted to follow in their train !There is only one answer to the call to follow and that is to do so with renewed comsecration,
praying that we may keep the light held high.
The pageant,written by Mary Brewster Hollister of Hinghwa,given at the Centennial celebration in Foochow last month,helped
us to see more of the "Planting"more of the roots and fruits of work done here.Beside me sat three Chinese sisiters,breathlessly intent
as they watched the one portraying the part of a military man,thinking,almost yielding,balting,finally accepting Christ's challenge to
follow Him,later becoming the first pastor of the little church still standing in Foochow，the oldest in East Asia.the man portrayed was
their great,great grandfather. After a scene in which he and his family decided to burn their idols and establish Christian prayers
at the family altar,these three sisters burst forth in sincerest applause.How proud,proud they were of this ancestor and family!On
the following Sunday a small baby,the sixth generation in this family,was baptized and the grandfather of these girls,still an enthusiastic
pastor,did an excellent job of translating the sermon of Bishop Kuang of North China.After that afternoon meeting in that "Oldest
Church"the outside steps were completely filled with members of this family getting their picture taken.One of these sisters has been
acting president of H wa Nan College while Dr.Lucy,Wang,president,was on duty for the church in South America.Others of the family,
are also in active church work, Quite a few photographs have been collected of fifth and sixth generation Christians.
November was completely filled with conferences. We were happy to be entertaining many lovely guests both here and in Foochow,
where more than a hundred Americans and several hundred Chinese delegates were gathered. How interesting to meet folks from
most anywhere,knowing friends or relatives of ours. For example,Rev.John Wilkins,pastor of the church where Charles'brother
attends in Burlingame,California,visited our Edward in Shanghai,then after the Foochow meeting,came down to be our house guest
and speaker at a student conference. He and twenty others,Americans and Chinese,had Thanksgiving dinner at our house,with
canned U.S.army turkey and other army foods prominant on the table.
and now the air is full of preparations for Christmas-several weeks of celebrations in country and city groups.It is very difficult to know
where to begin,where to stop,and what to count on in our attempt to spread Christmas cheer. Our August gift list has just come today,
showing two gifts for the Christmas fund. Others will be coming later,we hope. We will have to begin earlier to reckon with these slow-
moving mails.It would be grand to drop a Christmas dinner into some homes for a dollar or two a family.It would be nice to sprinkle
some oranges around among the children. Today they cost too much for them to buy.Envelopes are being distributed for the White
Christmas Offering for the especially needy ones in our midst.It has been generous in past years.At any rate,weare looking forward to
a happy Christmas.
And now in about two weeks Edward will be coming home for vacation,This is our very biggest gift of all,just recently planned and we
are delirously happy about it. In another year and a half he will be in America for study, Charles plans to meet him to take the last thirty
miles by bicycle.Weather,travel and communication diffculties make it almost impossible to plan a scheduled trip. We will leave the
whole tangle to our Father Who cares for us.
I will leave space for Charles to add a few words.My very sincerest greetings to all of you.
Just a line to add Virginia's greetings. The church choir has just met at our house for a rehearsal of a Christmas piece. It sounded quite good to me.also it seemed so to our dog,"Ebony",who helped out the tenors and basses at appropriate times. Ebony does not
expect to appear at the final performance.
This is examination week in the various high schools in the city. I have 49 papers of my English class which have been crying for
two days to be graded.I am teaching only seven hours a week but it takes about twice that time to prepare and correct papers.as some
of you who are teachers know.I am also still the mission bookkeeper but will be relieved-and I mean relieved-of that job on January first
when Mr.Cole takes over that work. The Coles are here,but are not settled in their own home yet. Meanwhile they are living with us.
The cold north winds are blowing now. The winter is closing in on us.I am wearing my heavy clothes. Yet I still see boys and girls
in our schools going barefoot. We received two big casses(about 400 pairs) of relief shoes.but they are all small sizes.for children
under eight or nine years of age. They will go to the children of our church workers. The relief clothing has long been distributed.All
the teachers and preachers and most members of their families are wearing some article of this American relief clothing. With prices
of cloth so high I don't see how they could have got along without this big lift.
The last rice crop was only about sixty or seventy per cent of the expectation and with money depreciating in value each hour rice
is now over $6,000 Chinese money a pound.Although this is only ten cents U.S. money,before the war rice was only two or three cents
a pound in U.S. currency.
You will get my general letter written a few days ago and sent to New York for copying.So I'll sign off with blessings upon you all
and best wishes and prayers for happiness in the year ahead.
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发表于 2013-9-24 10:28
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