GREEN GLORY

A Missionary Life:
Rev. J. Wesley Day
China, Malaysia, Indonesia

Side Trip: Green Glory

Before motorcars, missionaries in China travfelled by mule litter through the Nankow pass; on horseback, via railroad, via oxcart, and bicycle.

Missionary Horace Williams was on a cart that overturned in a snow storm. He saw a new motor road nearby, and dreamed of a car to use it.

In the US, missionary supporters for $1 sold tickets called a "ride to China" and raised money to buy the car.

The car would have to be adaptable. Roads were rough, boys unafraid -- they would jump on the car when it went through a village.

We got a truck chassis with a 7-passenger body on it for gospel teams and baggage. We first called it the "Gospel Car," but it quickly became "Green Glory" to the children -- and all. It made work easier. Churches were nearer, regular visiting was possible.

Green Glory

One adventure was crossing the river near Hua Sho Ying. There was no bridge. Green Glory stopped in the river.

With the coming of war in 1937, Green Glory carried missionary refugees hundreds of miles to safety. Green Glory then carried us.

From near Tatung we watched bombs drop on the city we had just left and later learned some dropped on our temporary home there.

We left Green Glory with an English Baptist missionary. He hid it between two buildings and invading armies didn't see it. In August 1937 he wrote, we still have your car. We responded: keep it if you can.

In February 1938 I got a Japanese pass to go for Green Glory, with our Chinese School Principal. There followed days of travel behind Japanese lines. Sometimes soldiers on our train fired on guerrilas in the mountains.

At Taiyuan Green Glory was loaded with missionaries to go gack to station. We waited, then with other refugees returning, set out.

Each day in the morning we prayed for safety that day. Each evening we thanked God that we had arrived.

One day shots passed us. We stopped. No shots. Started. More shots. Stopped. No chots. Started. No more shots.

We used the Christian flag on front.

One day we were in the mountains. It was very dangerous. We used the American flag. The Japanese searched our car thoroughly. Later we missed a bag of pears. But we were glad we had ourselves.

The next to the last day, we were in the mountains. We went up on the ice of a river. The ice cracked below us. I turned around -- we sped for our starting point with ice cracking beneath us.

Then we took the cart road. We got stuck in the mountain. We jacked up the car and built up the road for 200 feet.

Then we were back to Kalgan, and its regular visiting of churches. We reported our schedule to the Japanese, and they allowed it.

Once Mr. Wu Wen-Yu was accused down in the country. We got there before the accusers did. The Japanese official was good to us, promised to release Wu. The next day we passed him in the truck, tied with ropes -- to death or life neither he nor we knew. But the official kept his promise and freed him.

I went on furlough in December 1938. Horace Williams continued.

In May 1942 the Japanese came to the mission, gave him a receipt, and took Green Glory. He gave the receipt to me after he went home on the Gripsholm.

Returning to Kalgan on April 1, 1947, I saw on the street Green Glory, old and weary, but still there. I took the receipt to the Chinese authorities and got it back, minus the parts somebody had put on it.

I gave Green Glory to the Williamses, and it went to Sinkiang.

-- J. Wesley Day, November 1, 1959, from sermon notes preached at 7:30 PM, English Protestant Church, Sungei Gerong, Sumatra, Indonesia.