[58] Ibid., 138.
[59] David McCasland, Eric Liddell: Pure Gold: A New Biography of the Olympic Champion Who Inspired Chariots of Fire (Grand Rapids, MI: Discovery House, 2001), 183.
[60] Ibid.
[61] Ibid.
CHAPTER 16
A PROPHET IN HIS HOMETOWN
In your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.
1 Peter 3:15, NIV
Late 1930s
He missed his family. But the longer Eric spent on the mission field in Siaochang, the more he knew that he and Florence had made the right choice when they’d decided he would go it alone.
Months had passed. Months of work.
But every chance he could, he returned to Tientsin to Flossie and his little girls. Often when he returned, he managed to make it early enough to put them to bed but not always. On this particular night, when the moon had risen hours earlier and now shone down full and brilliant on their home, Eric paused in front of the house, looking up, scanning the windows for any sign of life. Seeing none, he tapped on the door. Seconds later, it creaked open to reveal Yu Kwan, the houseman who had worked for Eric’s mother since his birth and who had continued to serve Eric and Florence since their wedding. “Mister Eric,” he whispered.
Eric put a finger to his lips and shushed as he walked through the door. “Has Mrs. Liddell gone to bed?”
“Just now,” Yu Kwan said. “Probably still awake.”
Eric rushed to the bedroom he shared with his wife to find her sitting at her dressing table, pulling a brush through her auburn hair. “Hey, Flossie.”
She spun around gasping, then stood and crossed the room, rushing into his arms.
The next morning, as the sun’s light replaced the moon’s glow, a tiny Heather crawled into her parents’ bed, waking them. Eric blinked as he reached to stroke her soft, dark hair, willing himself to wake fully.
Heather jumped, then looked at her mother. “Who’s this?” she asked, her large eyes staring at Eric. “The cook?”
Eric raised himself up on his elbows and gaped at his wife. “I knew we were friendly with the cook, but I didn’t know it had come to this!” Then he wrapped his arms around them both and drew them to his chest, which rumbled with laughter.
THE WEEDS OF THE WORLD had grown tall and unpruned, casting a vast shade of darkness not seen around the globe for a long time. Japan, among other notorious powers, had lurked in the shadow of these stalks for years with the poise and patience of a cat, ready to pounce on its victim. In July of 1937, Japan finally seized its moment and lunged toward its chosen prey—China.
China, weakened by drought, regional floods, and the distractions of its own civil and political strife, was at its most vulnerable point. The people of the Middle Kingdom had been more than ready for a hopeful ray of light to burst through and bring new joy over their dim horizon. But the Land of the Rising Sun was not what they had in mind.
A unified Japan had in relative ease sacked the major Chinese cities of the east coast and taken control of all the shipping ports. On July 30, 1937, while Florence and the girls were in Pei Tai Ho, Eric watched Tientsin fall to the Japanese. Only days earlier, when the fighting had begun, Eric—along with Carl Longman and Dr. E. J. Stuckey—had gone to the roof of MacKenzie Hospital to observe. The sounds of gunfire and the cries of the people, as well as the feelings of panic and desperation, reminded Eric of what he had experienced as a child in England as World War I took place in his backyard.
Daily, Eric busied himself helping the Chinese refugees who poured into the school and hospital seeking safety. Within a couple of weeks, however, the Chinese returned to their homes, and Eric found that—especially for foreigners—life returned to as normal as possible under Japanese control.
For two months—September and October—Eric returned to teaching by day and enjoying his family at night and on weekends. But in November, a desperate letter arrived in Tientsin from Will Rowlands, changing everything.
Siaochang, he reported, had been cut off from the missionaries in Tientsin by the flooding, leaving him isolated as the lone missionary at the outpost. Information came at a minimum. Nearly everything there had been destroyed. He needed help, most especially from Dr. Rob Liddell.
The LMS decided that Eric and Rob would venture to Siaochang to assist and restart their service, although they were uncertain of what to fully expect. After a rough start and restart, the brothers left Tientsin on November 29 and journeyed mostly by way of riverboat through the perilous countryside.
Eric and Rob had to keep their wits about them, navigating through Japanese invaders, the Communist troops, and the national armies, as well as guerilla forces and thieving bandits who took advantage of the country’s volatility. Eric learned the hard way that he should keep his money hidden in his shoes.
After walking the final ten miles of the journey, the Liddell brothers arrived at Siaochang to find Will Rowlands in reasonable condition and thoroughly appreciative to see his colleagues. Among their first duties was to reassess the quaint Siaochang mission, which consisted of four houses, a hospital, a women’s dorm, a church, and a boarding school.
The flooding had indeed taken its toll. Repairs were needed. The three men discussed and evaluated a strategy for future mission work. Roughly eighty people lived in the compound. Some were strong, confessing Christians. Others, not so much. For the people’s spiritual rebuilding, Eric, Rob, and Will aimed the gospel at the center of their group and slowly worked their way out.
The consensus was that their mission work would be conducted with the understanding that China would win
