Lung-si, Chi-na
Friday, March 21, 2014
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A Girls' Class in West Chi-na
Here is an article from the Alliance Weekly dated January 25, 1941 by my great aunt Ruth Ruhl about a girls' school in West Chi-na where she ministered as a full-time missionary. I was able to spend some time with my Aunt Ruth before she passed away many years ago. I even was blessed to have her lay hands on me and pray for me to receive the anointing as a missionary.
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THE ALLIANCE WEEKLY
January 25, 1941
A GIRLS’ CLASS IN WEST CHI-NA
By Miss Ruth Ruhl, Lung-si, Kan-su, Chi-na
A rare privilege it is indeed to have a class of such lovely girls in this backward part of northwest Chi-na. From ten to twenty attend the services each Sunday. They represent varied circumstances. Most of them come from homes where from childhood they have been taught to worship a living God, but a few represent homes where their ancestors and idols are altars of worship.
If you could only see them—surely you would be interested in their modest ways of charming appearance. Girls of their age, in this unusually idolatrous city, are seldom if ever allowed out of their homes. Even the few married women of the class dare not venture on the streets unless accompanied by an older woman—never by their husbands. For that reason it is an unusual privilege to have a class of just such girls attend a Bible class so regularly.
Plum Fragrance comes accompanied by her mother. She leans heavily upon an umbrella for a cane, as she suffers with arthritis. We are praying God to truly save her and her parents. They seem to attend services only with the healing of the girl in view.
Everyone looks on as Ruth, the recent bride comes in. She is not a bit bashful about showing off her beautiful scarlet, velvet gown, which sweeps over her daintily embroidered shoe tops. Her Christian parents said they would never give her to a heathen home (i.e. allow her to marry an unbeliever). But because Ruth was 21 years old and still unmarried, they became impatient and married her into a very idolatrous home against the approval of the church. To have girls of twenty still unmarried is a great worry to Christian parents. Almost all heathen girls are married at, or before the age of eighteen. Christian young men are as scarce proportionally in Chi-na as in the United States, so a grave problem faces the parents of our lovely young girls. The parents, of course, make all arrangements for the marriage of the young people.
Rose was married into a Christian home. We are always so glad to see her coming into our meetings with her beautiful baby, David, whose fat, golden brown cheeks are ever being pinched by so many admirers.
But Cinnamon Flower doesn’t care much for her wee baby because it is only a girl.
Jade Bell—I wish you could see her—is such a beautiful girl that several Christian parents of our church here and of churches in other stations have asked for her for their sons. We continually pray for just such girls that the parents will not yield to the temptation of marrying them into wealthy heathen homes. Scores of heathen men send their “middle men” to Jade Bell’s home continually, asking for her, with appealing promises of many new garments, silks, cupboards, boxes, and jewelry. She is a third generation Christian; and although her grandfather is over a hundred years old, he still preaches the gospel upon every possible occasion.
Happy Sister usually looks so sad. Today when we asked her about her troubles, tears came upon her swollen eyes. As she raised her hand to wipe away the tears we could see on her arm a large bruise—just one of the many caused by beatings given by her mother-in-law. Yesterday, in a fit of anger, the mother-in-law put her out of her home. Mrs. Cart has often been exhorted by church members and others to be kinder to Happy Sister, but her heart is very hard. The girl’s husband is a soldier, and his being away from home gives the mother opportunity to treat his wife as a slave. When the father becomes demon-possessed or sick, they are glad to come ask for prayer; but otherwise they choose to live in sin, and at times almost kill the girl. Last night after being thrown out of the home, Happy Sister stayed at Rose’s home; tonight she will stay in Little Sister’s home. She was bought for a small sum of money when only a little girl, and married into the Cart home when she was fourteen. What is her future?
Little Sister with several other Christian girls has gone away to school. We trust and pray they will not be influenced to forget the gospel.
Week after week we inquire after the health of Little Grace. Three weeks ago she was baptized when several others were. That day after walking home from the stream, she was annoyed by sharp pains in her limbs. They have increased and her whole body suffer from pain that keeps her helpless and bedridden, and she seems to get no better. We have been to her home and prayed with her. It is a severe test for a young girl of only fourteen.
These girls, and many others whom I have not mentioned, love to study the Word. Please pray for several others who would love to come regularly but whose parents forbid them. Especially pray for Happy Sister; she is so sad.
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