Robert Thomas was a young Welsh missionary in China who became increasingly interested in the “Hermit Kingdom” nearby, and began to learn the language. In 1866 Thomas secured free passage as an interpreter on the voyage of the General Sherman which would seek to establish trade with the country. In August 1866, as the General Sherman proceeded upriver toward the capital, Thomas tossed gospel tracts to folk along the riverbank. Despite official warnings to immediately depart, the American schooner continued upriver until she stuck fast in the muddy river bottom. The local Governor initiated attacks against the grounded ship. Since no crew member survived, the historical account of the General Sherman's fate is incomplete. What is known is that on September 3, 1866 the local forces sent down against the ship their own fire-ship. The crew, in attempting to escape, jumped into the water and were killed as they struggled ashore. Once ashore, Thomas exclaimed, “Jesus, Jesus!” in the local language and offered his translated Bible to a armed man. The man refused it. When Thomas knelt to pray, the man either stabbed him in the chest or decapitated him. Thomas was 26 years old.
But Thomas’ legacy was not over. The man who killed him became convinced that he had killed a good man. He had taken the Bible home and used the pages of the book to wallpaper his guest house. In 1891, a full quarter century later, an American visited the area and asked the proprietor about the unique wallpaper in the guest house. The owner told of how, over the years, people had come from far and wide to “read the walls.” In the years that followed, the killer’s nephew graduated from the local Union Christian College and served as part of a team that revised the national Bible. A church was built near the site of Thomas’ death. But with the coming of a new regime in 1945, all churches across the area were destroyed. Once again, the “Hermit Kingdom” was sealed in isolation.
Two weeks ago, we were at the New Ventures Field Conference and heard about the new Science and Technology University being built close to the capital by a Christian academic (www.pust.or.kr/eng/) The government gave him some land. As the bulldozers moved in they uncovered the ruins of a church. It was the Thomas Memorial Church - now being rebuilt as part of the campus! Thank you for your prayers for Steve’s Bible readings during the conference. The theme was “Jesus meets us at our point of weakness” - each day another chapter from 2 Corinthians, where Paul talks of his suffering in Asia. It seemed entirely appropriate for a small group of courageous believers facing difficulties, sorrows and suffering with hope and faith. Pray for our colleagues as they work and wait for God to continue to open the door to the “Hermit Kingdom.”
A schooling decision for Josh seems closer – the Anglo-Chinese School ( http://www.acsinternational.com.sg ) is willing to take him and with a small bursary from a former pupil of the school we think we can manage it. As he can do the International Baccalaureate there it will help him keep his university options open. He was asked to write an essay about why he wanted to go to ACSI – his closing sentence was “So because ACSI is better academically, sports wise and because it’s a very God orientated school I wish to attend”. We’ll see what they make of that!
Anna has been struggling with her health for the last two months or so. She somehow keeps up full working days but it has left her both drained of energy and feeling a little low. She’s due to see a specialist in the next few days. Pray for a clear diagnosis and for adequate treatment.
We've enjoyed two days break, celebrating the Chinese Lunar New Year - the biggest holiday of the year in this part of the world. We went to visit Swiss colleagues who are running a hostel for eleven children whose parents are working in Thailand, Mongolia, Indonesia and Japan. It was a hoot, sitting down for supper with such a large "family". Good organisational skills are definitely needed! The hostel is located in a massive flat on the top of one of Singapore's tower blocks. After dinner we enjoyed watching a film on the roof in the open air projected onto the water tower, while the fireworks blazed and crackled in the streets below.
With love from us all,
Steve, Anna, Josh and Aimée
PS photos to follow - as soon as we can get the website to accept them again!
