It was voted by the China mission committee that I should locate a station in the Shanghai district, so in February I started out to seek a suitable place for our work. Traveling in jinrikishas and on trains and boats, none of them heated, I felt the cold keenly, after living in Southern California. I found a promising location in the growing city of Kashing, in the Chekiang province, with good railroad service. Kashing has a population of about 150,000.
We fully believe that God directed in obtaining the present location, as it is in the best part of the city, and on the main street. The Chinese house is new, no one ever having lived in it before. This is a great consideration in China, as many of the old houses have been the shelter for almost innumerable diseases. The rent is very reasonable. The house is what is called a five-rafter house, and has ten rooms, five up-stairs and five below. The accompanying picture will give an idea of its outside appearance. Even though the house was new, I spent many days getting it ready to live in.
THE NEW CHEKIANG MISSION STATION, CHINA
Repairs, which were made by the crude methods of the Chinese, took time, as the green timber must first be converted into lumber. After a month and a half we were able to move in.
The workers assigned to this station were Sister B. Miller, who is a nurse, my wife and myself, and a native colporteur.
Moving from the boat outside the city wall, to our house, which is inside the wall, was surely an interesting sight. All our furniture was carried on bamboo poles by coolies. After getting settled, the next thing was to entertain the guests who flocked to us by the hundreds, or to know if we were the new gods, who came to heal and teach men to be good. From the first day we have never felt that we made a mistake in locating here.
We have opened a dispensary, and this work occupies much of Sister Miller’s time. God has blessed in the work. A number of serious cases have recovered, and some of these are now our best friends. They are so grateful that they wish to worship us; and thus we have opportunity to point them to the true God. I have spent some time in the dispensary, and find that there are many honest souls among these people. I do enjoy laboring for them, and have learned to love them. We are happy to be here and have a part in this work.
The people are eager to hear the truth, and have so earnestly requested us to hold meetings that we felt the necessity of opening a chapel where we could invite them to come and hear the truth. Our first service was well attended by a fine class of people.
One man has already come out of heathenism, and is worshiping the true God. We have morning worship for the Chinese in our chapel, and he attends regularly.
There is a great work to be done in China, which will call for more means and more workers. We have but three laborers in the Shanghai district, two of whom are spending their time largely in studying the language; and there are thirty millions of people speaking the Shanghai dialect to be warned. The Lord is blessing my wife and myself in our study of the language, but we wish we could do more in warning the people. When one sees the amount of work to be done in this generation, it fills the heart with an intense desire to do more.
We are of good courage, and are in better health than when we came, and can say that we are glad to be here in the Master’s service. Pray for the speedy advancement of the message in this needy field.
