Yeung Kong, South China.
My dear young Friends: I WANT to write a letter, to thank each one who has been kind enough to send cards and tickets for the little Chinese children. I cannot tell you with what pleasure we have opened the various parcels and boxes, containing such lovely packages of cards; and it would be harder still to describe the pleasure with which they are received by the little brown children.
Such funny little children, with their bright, black eyes, and dark skins. Most of the little boys have their heads shaved; though some have a little tuft of hair left in front, or on the top. As to clothes, they do not wear very many, just a little pair of trousers, tied round their waists with a string, and indeed some little fellows of four or five have nothing but a silver chain round their necks, or a silver anklet on their ankles. The little girls however are always dressed in trousers and shaam, (or coat), and their hair always neatly plaited.
I think it would make you quite sad to see how many children have boils and sore places on their heads, caused often by the heat, and the dirt, and the unsuitable food they have to eat. When a baby is three months old, they call it his “ten dish day,” and after that he is supposed to have a taste of everything his parents eat.
Now I must tell you some more about the cards. We have two wooden stamps; on one is “Jesus forgives sins,” and on the other, “Jesus gives eternal life.” We try to stamp one of these, on the back of each of the larger cards; the very little ones, we use for the very little children, who of course do not like to be left out, on the side of the boat, in which we are now living, Mr. Willis has a large text in Chinese. I dare say you can almost all guess what it is, “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
While we were stopping at a certain place on the river, a number of little boys used to come down to the river bank every morning, and Mr. Willis promised each boy who learned the verse, a nice card, and quite a number learned it perfectly.
I wonder how you would like to live on a boat? Hundreds of children live on boats in this country. Not large boats, like you sometimes go for trips on, with comfortable cabins, and large decks where you can run about, but small narrow boats, with a “pong,” or covering of bamboo over the middle, very often too low, for even a child to stand upright, but it does to sleep under, and to hold the little pottery stove, (looking like a flower pot), on which the rice is cooked, and the bowls and chopsticks to eat it with, and in cold weather, the warm quilt or “min-toy” to cover the family up. There is generally a little shrine too, where incense sticks are burned to the false god. Sometimes a little pig lives in the boat and when the family stop near the shore, piggie is put in the water, and tied to the boat.
As for the children, they almost remind one of frogs, as much at home in the water as on land. The very small ones are tied to the boat, or wear a float in case they fall overboard. The men do not often row with oars, as we do, but use poles to push the boats along, for the rivers are very shallow, sometimes a man will walk in the water, and push his craft in front of him. Another way is to tie a long rope to the boat, and walk along on the shore pulling it along. I saw two children doing this yesterday, and such wild little creatures they looked.
Our boat is larger than many of those around us, and we are not at all uncomfortable on it. The country, as you go up and down the rivers, is very beautiful; you see high hills in the distance and lovely plains with bamboos, and other wonderful trees, and sugar cane, and hemp, and little fields of rice, covered with water, and of the very greenest color.
Hidden away behind the trees, you see heathen temples, and shrines, and you know that the people who live in those pretty villages you are passing, are all, heathen, knowing nothing of God, and His love to them.
We went into a nice little village the other day, and the women and children crowded round, asking questions, and making remarks about our clothes and hair and eyes. At last one woman said, “Sit down a little while, and tell us about the heavenly Father.” So the children brought out some wooden stools, and we sat down, and did our best to tell them of Jesus and what He has done for us. But I am afraid my letter is growing too long, so I must say goodbye; again thanking you all for your kindness and love.
I remain, your sincere friend,
F. Willis.
ML-11/14/1920