China

Christian
Mission
Oh. K.weicJijQ4A/-
Volume 1 June 1950
%
No. 5
The Sjodiiis have continued to j?ain new converts in China in
spite of the disruption caused l>y the change in government. Shown
al)Ove is a group gatliere<l at a baptismal in Ho Ping Park, Kweiyang,
at which five new converts were baj>tized. This brought to 34 the
nuinber of New Testament conversions won through the work of the
Sjodins since coming to Kweiyang.
Page 2 China Christian Mission in Kweichow June
Published By
China Christian Mission
of Kweichow
Missionaries:
Mr. and Mrs. Holland L. Sjodin
Recruits:
Mr. and Mrs. Dexter Williams
269 North Cove Street
East Orange, New Jersey
Forwarding Agent:
Mrs. Neilan Dodson
Noti, Oregon
All offerings and designated gifts of money
should be sent to the forwarding agent, list
ed above.
Printed by
Henry Printing Company
Eugene, Oregon
Mission May House
20-Bed Hospitai
The change of government was effected
very quietly and there was no local fighting.
We praise God he spared Kweichow the
ravages of war's desolation. The work of the
churches has continued as usual, and we
have reason to believe that the attitude of
local government officials will be friendly.
The status of foreign mission work is natur
ally unsettled as yet. At present all prop
erty must be held in the name of the Mis
sion, for there is no provision in Chinese
law for vesting ownership of church prop
erty in Chinese hands. Apart from main
taining our private residence and contri
buting to the support of medical and evan
gelistic work, we desire simply an advi.sory
relationship to the Chinese church insofar
as trustworthy leadership can he developed.
Our medical work is important as giving
us standing in the eyes of the government,
as well as being an exemplification of prac
tical Christianity to those around us who
know little or nothing of the gospel. Only a
Medicine Fee is charged. Besides reopening
the dispensary, two rooms on the upper floor
are being used for a maternity ward. The
first maternity case was Mrs. Yi, who with
her husband is a refugee from Hunan now
staying at the Mission. She gave birth to a
baby girl who is doing fine.
We have engaged Miss Lo to assist in the
work of the hospital and study medicine
with Mrs. Sjodin. It is hoped that a Chinese
doctor and one or two nurses can be added
to the staff and a 20-hed hospital set in oper
ation within a few months. We have made
the acquaintance of an interne in the Kweiy-
ang Provincial Hospital who is a Christian
believer, and perhaps he will be interested
in working with us. There is also in the city
a Nurse's School where we held some Bible
Classes at one time.
Communications are a difficult problem
now, so we ask our friends not to be dis
appointed if they do not receive a personal
letter from us. There is no air mail service
to Kweiyang now. Ordinary letters require
six weeks to two months each way, and the
postage is quite high. We were surprised
and delighted to receive a package recently,
especially since we did not have to pay any
duty as the slip of the contents had been
lo.st. The last copy of the Christian Stand
ard which we received several weeks ago
bore the date of May 21, 1949! Having no
radio we have to depend upon friends and
the local Chinese newspapers for all infor
mation from the outside world. We seem to
be remote from many stirring events of the
time, though it may seem to you we are
right in the midst of them. This gives a cer
tain detachment of mind from associations
of the past and perhaps helps us to be rec
onciled to our absence from familiar scenes
and loved ones.
Our typewriter being broken makes it
more difficult to find time to write letters,
but we pray that none of these things will
keep you from remembering China and the
Chinese Christians in this hour of deep
need.
Change of Name
Coming to China without a definite idea
of where the Lord would lead, we saw fit to
use the indefinite title of China Christian
Mission. Now that our location is settled,
we have decided to change the name to
China Christian Mission in Kweichow. The
name of the one congregation we have es
tablished has been known as the Kweiyang
Church of Christ meeting on San Tsai Road.
Now the house at San Tsai Road has been
relinquished and the church is meeting on
our property and will be known as the Great
West Gate Church of Christ. The address
is 96 Shih Hsi Road, but we request that all
communications be directed to our corres
ponding Secretary, Mrs. Neilan Dodson.
China Christian Mission in Kwelchow Page 3
Mr. Sjodin and newly baptized Christians
Many Discourageiiienls Faced
Onr Bible Institute began a year and a
half ago with four full-time and several part-
time students.
We regret to say that our students have
gradually dropi)ed out. One was di.scon-
tinued at tlie end of ti;e first term because
of unsatisfactory grades and conduct. He
continued to leach a class of illiterates three
evenings a week for several months, hut this
was discontinued for tl e summer and has
not been resumed, .\iiotber student was dis-
<-ontinue[ at the dose of tl'c third term for
uii-satisfactory grailes and lack of depend
ability ill his work. He had been ordained a
deacon in tlie cluirch, l)ut at the annual con
gregational meeting at the end of the year
he was replaced by Mr. Chien Ting Kwan.
A third student left just before the opening
of the fall term tt> teach in a grade school
in tlie small city of Kweiting, about forty
miles from Kweiyang. We especially missed
him in tlie Sumlay .Seiiool. for lie served as
.Superintendent ami was an excellent dis-
<-ipliiiarian aiul teaclier of children. At the
time of the eiiange of government he re
turned to Kweiyang. He has l)efn busy try
ing to make a living for liis family, since his
fatiier is too old to work, .so that he cannot
take a very active part in the Chiin-h hut
continues to serve as a deacon.
Mr. Wang Hwa Chang completeil tiie
first lialf u( the fall tenn of scliuul. Since
tlien he has returned to his parent's home
to live but still takes the larger share of
leadership in the church. We hope that the
training of church workers can be resumed
in the future, but there are many problems
in the immaturity of all our church mem
bers and the smallness and newness of our
work difTiculties of transportation and com
munication have prevented any fellowship
with Churches of Christ in other pa rts of
China, the nearest being in the neighboring
province of Yunnan lying to the southwest.
Up to the present no trained Chinese
Christian worker has been found whom we
could accept as a co-worker in harmony
with the views of the New Te.stament
Church. We have had some gue.st preaching
and the church has given remuneration for
such services, but no permanent relation-
.'ihip has been entered into for pastoral
work. We are praying and working earn
estly about this problem and trust that the
Lord will rai.se up laborers for the harvest
around ii.s.
Change of Address
With the closing of this school year (June
9) your forwarding agent's address will
change to:
Mrs. Neilan Dodson
Noti, Oregon
Noti is my husband's preaching point, and
we will be living there on the field during
the remainder of his schooling.
Baptiam at Ho Ping Park
Page 4 China Christian Mission in Kweichow
Property Described
The property we have purchased, com
prising about three quarters of an acre, is
located just outside the Great West Gate.
There is no other church in this suburb of
Kweiyang. It lies about a quarter of a block
back from the main street, surrounded by a
high brick wall, and is approached by a side
street which cuts across a corner of the hill
side on which the property stands to an
other main street. These streets become
quite muddy in wet weather, and it rains a
lot at some seasons of the year, but stores
and shops line the street, witli people com
ing and going all the time in the midst of
a large population.
In the center of the property is a large
two-story house with fourteen rooms, and
two side houses. We plan to remodel the
upper floor into a 20-bed hospital and ii.se
tile lower floor for offices, library, kitchen,
etc. Behind this building will be space for
a large garden for a cow. pigs, chickens, and
the fishpond.
On the front part of the projierty, facing
south, there is on the right hand a store
house which we are using for our church
mttivities. Later we hope to replace it with
a more adequate .structure. On the opposite
side we expect to erect a mission residence
June 1950
Lee Hwa and Lee Ann
for ourselves and other workers.
We thankfully recognize the goodne.ss of
God in making it possible to have a place
of our own from which to carry on the work
of the Kingdom in China. If Christian
friends in the homeland hold up our hands
we hope to begin construction within a few
months.
Sjodin Work Commended in Letter from Advisor
May 11, 1950.
Christian Brethren:
It has been a joy and privilege to serve on the Advisory Committee for
China Christian Mission in Kweichow. The confidence which we have held
in the ability and devotion of the Sjodins has not been misplaced.
Gladys and Holland have served under severe difficulties, but they have
served faithfully. They have held on through the turmoil and danger of
changing governments and economic conditions, brought about by armed
aggression. They are the only missionaries we have left in this immediate
area. With inadequate financial support these, your missionaries, have
made tremendous personal sacrifices that a mission property might be se
cured and the work of the Lord extended.
The reports throughout this publication will give you some idea of the
tremendous amount of work being done in Kweiyang. A look at the record
reveals that there were 11 baptisms in Shanghai, and 34 others since the be
ginning of the work in Kweiyang.
Brother and Sister Sjodin are in need of your prayers and are worthy of
your support.
Sincerely in Christ,
W. W. White
China Christian Mission in Kweichow Page 5
Our Mission Household
Just at present we have staying with us
and helping us in many matters a Middle
School student. Liu Tung Yi. a member of
the church. He is out of school because of
llie temporary disruption of some of the
educational institutions incident to the
change of government. He receives room
and board and some spending money.
There are also a man and wife in very poor
circumstances wiio were occupying a small
room in one of the side houses wiien we
moved into this property. He is a tailor hut
can't keep a j(b i)ecause of an impediment
of speech which prevents him fron> K|)eak-
ing above a h>w whisper. His wife works as
a servant. They are pleasant and good i)eo-
pie. and iiave jitined our household wor
ship.
The other side house we rented out some
time ago. hut the rental period lias now ex
pired and we have asked for the house back
to use for other purposes. There are also
staying with us temporarily some refugees
from Hunan Province, Mr. and Mrs. Yi and
Mr. Kiang. Mr. Yi is making his living by
peddling small articles on the street. There
are thousands of these small business men
who spread out their wares on a mat or
cloth and wait for a passerby to inirchase
small items. Mr. Kiang has temporarily be
come my Chinese teacher. He Is separated
from his family, a wife and two daughters,
and is trying to find out their wherealiouts.
He is an accountant by trade, fifty-five years
old, and has some experience as a preacher.
.So he will help us with our household wor
ship. Bible Classes, and evangelistic ser
vices. We are not expecting him to take a
place of leadership in the church here,
however, since lie is not informed about the
New Testament Church, and also will prob
ably be returning to Hunan where he is
known.
Servants are an absolute necessity in
China. We now have three. The young girl
who takes care of the children and cleans
our room will probably be liaptized soon.
We have an older woman to do the cooking
and washing. She has a l)oy with tubercu
losis of the bone and is now confined to bed
with a cast on his leg. But he is a cheerful
little fellow and doesn't complain. Our man
servant who was baptized left us recently,
and we now have another to work in the
garden, take care of the fishpond and a
heifer we liave just bought to take care of
our future milk supply, sweep the house
and do odd jobs abotit the place. A few
dollars a montli will keep a servant, and
we give them the same food as we eat our
selves. which is an exceptional arrangement
in China. It is difficult to find efficient ser
vants. but we are fairly well satisfied with
those we have now. At least they seem
honest.
Gladys does most of the buying for the
household, going to the open market every
two or three days, so that she has become
quite familiar with what can be purchased.
Everything has to be bargained for (only a
few shops liave fixed prices) and she prides
herself that sometimes she buys more
cheaply than some of our Cliinese friends.
We rarely have Western food, only when
we invite some guests, because many things
are not obtainable at all in Kweiyang or
are very expensive, and our kitchen is not
convenient for preparing such meal.s nor
our cook able to fix them. However we are
fortunate in really liking Chinese food, so
that we are getting along quite well in that
regard.
Rulland Sjodin
Page 6 China Christian Mission in Kweichow June 1950
CieAU#M SUMMARY OF FINANCIAL ACCOUNT IN CHINA
OflOfrfl 1948Dec. 31. 1949
In Financial Report '- ^
To save expense inprinting, this Bulletin SSk'rraoi'en ~ " " 'ifoJoo
carries only a summary of the financial ac- ^4o!oo
count of the Mission from Nov. 1, 1948 to sSeirFe?s7ltc. Z. i:..:;::;: I.:: imIw
Dec. 31, 1949. But a separate detailed re- Toiai $2339.75 $2839.65
port is being sent to each contributor. No
audit of funds is attempted because of the siii6.65
problems involved in keeping accounts in M^ion**" transfer 300.00
fluctuating curency. After the worst infla- 145.00
tion, there came a period ofseveral months SchofOTshl^^"' I J 142 50
in which the free circulation of silver coins Caretaker's'wage
along with paper money was permitted, but M^Scal 96.10
now coins have been prohibited and we are tec^ddflsrsykem ^ isoloo
again entirely restricted to the use of paper "un]d S worife'J 25.00
money. The other day we paid our land tax Miscellaneous ^^.50
of $101,000 Chinese currency, representing Total $2836.80
' . BALANCE. Dec. 31. 1949 $ 2.85
about U. S. $10.60. For some months the
banks would not exchange money and we SUMMARY OF HOME FINANCIAL REPORT
have had to receive our money through
friends or business men with contacts in balance. Dec. 10. 1948 $1534.36
REOdPXS
Hongkong where our checks or drafts Total living link $1320.00
could be used. We now have an agreement Total Mission fund .. 4611.65
with the China Inland Mission whereby our "
forwarding agent can send funds to this - $6931.65 $8466.01
mission in Hongkong. They will in turn EXPENDITURES
.send it to their representatives in Kweivang In China:
f JO Personal checks $ 278.40
lor our use. Bank transfers 1100.00
Money orders 60.00
Many ngures are only approximations 40.oo
because of the fluctuating curency. One Repayment'on^ioan77l.I
itemin the Receipts may want explanation. Home expenses 686.71
Sales and Fees includes the sale of medi- $8253.45
cines, someclothing, and our motor scooter. balance. Dec. 31. 1949 $ 212.56
as well as rent for some oil drums stored on
our property. In regard to expenditures. Churches in Shanghai
salaries represent money paid to Cllinese u jgi 5^ i,est to some of onr
teachers, teachers in the Bible Institute. j . i i . , , , .
and helpers in the work of the Mission. The !" '""""S
wages of our houseliold servants andcontri- Shanghai, after long inquiry, I located the
butions to the church for remuneration of three churches wliich were connected years
guest preachers have been paid out of our ago with the U.C.M.S. I had no opportunity
Living Link. We have tried to live very become acquainted with these churches
simply m order that a small portion of our .i . i . .
still inadequate Living Link might be di- '""P' 'p" """
verted tothe purchase of property. We are "^dependent congregations adhering in
very grateful that The Lord has ble.s.sd us "lost particulars to New Testament Chri.s-
in the raising of the funds, even though it tianity but observing the Lord's Supper
was necessary to borrow athousand dollars, nce a month. I arranged with one of the
as you will see in the Home Financial Re- i u r .1 i i . ,
port. It is our desire that in the handling of '
funds we might be found trustworthy stew- young men who believed on the Lord during
ards of God and worthy of your continued ""y stay in Shanghai,
support, for which we daily praise God. Rolland Sjodin
"Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to the whole creation.": (Mark 16:15)
Rolland and Gladys Sjodin, Missionaries
Kweiycmg, Kweichow, China / Noti,' Oregon
ForwodingAaent: December 13,
SJQDIH mKES PLANS TO RETTBIN HOME
Dear Christian Friends,
Because of adverse conditions in China, the most recent news from the Sjodins is
that she plans, if possible, to bring the adopted girls to this country. Holland will
remain in Kweiyang and carry on the work as long as he can. He wi'ites, "Gladys is pre
paring to return to the States, and is now trying to get passports the two children
...I shall be guided in staying here or leaving by the outloqk and^^lhe needs of the
church." ^
. In order'to secure passports for the children the American Counsel requires letters
from churchs in the U. S. guaranteeing suppoirfc. for the girls. These pledge letters,
Tdiich would become operative only if the Sjodins are unable to provide for the
children, should be sent to Mrs. Neilan Dodson, Noti, Oregon, as soon as possible.
I
However, we are also asking you, the friends of the Sjodins to send your offerings
for their travel expenses. It is urgent that they take advantage of the earliest opp
ortunity for leaving China.
As for the work of the church in Kweichow, Rolland writes, "Just recently it has
l?ecome necessary for every church in China to make a plan to become self-supportix^,
self-governing and self-tpropagating as soon as possible....Thei^e has been formed, as a
general church board, our Workers' Conference, vMch meets weekly and consists of the
rdsjdonaries, the deacons (3, of. which 1 is inactive), and 3 of the i Bible College
stiTlents. Wang Hwa Chang is chairman. Our property will be transfi^red to the church,
and by means of the garden, fishpond, and other productive enterprises, in addition
to free-will offerings^ they hope to become self-supporting soon. A Chinese pastor is
new doing some preaching for^Us. His ideas are very much like ours and he opened a '
Gospel Hall not so far from here a few months ago. He is a very good preacher indeed,
and also has the temperament of a pastor.
"We are living just like one big Chinese family now in the upstairs rooms, which we
were lucky to get refloored and whitewashed, though we only have glass windows in one
rcomo The lower floor will be rented out, if we can find suitable occupants, for a
temporary period. Gladys is busy making clothes for the children, and has a girl to
help her in sewing and in the dispensary. This girl lives at home. Living with us
ax-e one girl and tlu^ee men students, and one man and one woman servant. Our schedule
Gveiy week is classes in Bible Book by Book, Evidences, New Testament Church, Speech,
Ai^t, and services of Sunday worship. There are also two weekly children's meetings,
a fellowship meeting, and two Evangelistic services if thd weather permits.
"We are trusting the Lord for all our needs. Our friends must pray more urgently
for the church these days, and all will be well. Trusting^ the Lord as always.
Love from Holland aihd Gladys." \
Please remember to send your offering for the trSvel expenses of Mrs. Sjodin,
Lee Hwa, and-Leanne Grace. ^ Me service,. ' ^
Ura. Neilah Dodson, Forwarding Agent