Rooming in Weihsien brought its own varied issues. Two men who had not gotten along outside of the camp were placed together—and who knew for how long? They found a quick and courteous solution: they hadn’t spoken to each other before Weihsien; they’d simply continue along that same path inside the camp.
When it came to lights out, Cullen found himself in a new and different place. The men in his dorm—once asleep—snored and issued other loud grunts and groans. He found it difficult to fall asleep until he discovered a new method—he got into bed, closed his eyes, and imagined driving down his favorite roads in England.
Young and inexperienced Langdon Gilkey found himself in another quandary. As a member of the housing committee, he was called one evening to deal with a squabble in one of the ladies’ dorms. There he found older missionary women in a standoff with younger British secretaries.
“What seems to be the problem here?” Gilkey asked, noting the cuts and scrapes the women had inflicted on one another.
“We’re tired of hearing of their prayers,” one of the younger women barked.
“And we’re tired of hearing of your previous sexual escapades,” an older woman responded.
The conflict restarted, with Gilkey unsure how to respond. Finally, he raised his hands and said, “I’ll have the committee examine this issue.”
The looks on the women’s faces indicated he would next wear the results of their fury, so he quickly turned and left the premises.
But not everyone found discontent. Those who had had enough foresight to bring flower and vegetable seeds from home shared with those who had not. Soon enough, prison neighbors dug into the earth alongside each other, planting seeds. Over time, with proper watering and tending, the blooms of flowers and vegetables brought color—and food—to Weihsien.
Queries of what—if any—practical purpose religion served rose in different pockets and corridors of the camp. After the behavior of some of the missionaries, the relevance of faith had been the subject of fervent debate.
Not that this was anything new. The value of religion in the secular world had always been a controversial subject. A growing mass within the camp seemed open to the idea that religion in the arduous environment of the camp should remain an afterthought, especially when life-essential work had to be done.
Eric knew the pressure of the situation was building and that certainly faith in Christ was the essential need in life. Instilling heavenly thinking in an earthly context had always been the trick.
After the Chefoo children arrived, Eric stepped into the ministry that would prove to be his last. Although he could not be with his own children, he now supervised the younger children’s dormitory. This required him to move from the room he shared with Bear and Josh into a larger dorm that housed four missionaries, two missionaries’ sons, and six businessmen altogether.
Eric received two notable letters from Florence after he entered Weihsien. The first was long and detailed. In it, Flo described the living room she sat in with all the well-wishers cheering Eric to come home soon and the fun antics and intricacies of living with extended family.
Toward the end of her correspondence, Florence came to the meat of her missive:
Well honey, I suppose you might be interested in hearing about your own family! They are growing like weeds and it gives me a queer feeling to realize they really belong to me. Patricia is quite the young lady and is so pleased with herself because she has learned to swim—roller-skate and ride a bicycle this summer. Heather still likes to keep her toe on the ground when she swims. Tricia’s hair is still short and curly and she has a lovely little figure and she is as quick as ever on her feet. So is Heather. Her hair is as straight as ever. . . . She is far more inquisitive than Tricia and is most interested in the why and wherefore of everything—on the whole they are angelic and are a great help with Maureen.
Maureen is a wee minx and is a great joy to us all. She carries herself very straight and has such a determined walk. She is as happy as ever. I wish you could see her trying to make herself heard above the babel of the older children. . . . The children miss you so and are always talking about when you come home.[92]
Florence concluded with an endearing personal note for her husband:
Oh Eric, my thoughts and prayers are ever with you and I long for the time when we’ll be able to live as a family again. But as I said before, I’m sure we have both learned a great deal and had a lot of experiences that we would not have missed for anything. We will appreciate our life together all the more and in the meantime, we have some wonderful memories to live on. . . . Yours, forever and a day, Florence.[93]
Eric would read and reread the letter as if it were treasured Scripture. Then he would see the bleak camp, which beset him on all sides. He kept Florence’s letter tucked into his pocket, as close to his heart as possible.
Toward the end of 1943, Eric received a twenty-five-word Red Cross note from his wife. “Daddy died peacefully Nov 13th,” it read. “Failing since pneumonia summer. Margaret, Finlay, Louise here. Overwhelmed kindness friends, relatives. Mother magnificent—continuing here—all well. Dearest Love.”[94]
The pain of Flossie’s words gripped him. She’d lost her father; he’d lost his friend.
Worse still, he had not and could not be there to hold and comfort his dearest love.
[86] “The Story of Eric Liddell: Olympic Champion—Man of Courage,” Day of Discovery, season 32, episode 22, aired December 5,
