My great great uncle—Missionary to China

(Part 2)

by Patrick Miles

In this last two issues of China Insight, our guest contributor Patrick Miles tells us about the life of Rev. Harry French Ridley. The first issue described the years from 1862 to 1905. In this issue, Patrick concludes his account of the life of Rev. Harry French Ridley. This article covers the years from 1905 to his death in 1944. — Tony Lambert

In 1905 HFR reported the first baptisms in Sining [now Xining, capital of Qinghai province in Northwest China] since he had arrived there ten years before. There was general optimism that this would prove a turning point in his ministry there, and so it was to prove. Statistics provide a tantalizing glimpse of the time of reaping that was now beginning. China’s Millions reports nine baptisms in February 1906, six in March 1907, and another 15 in December 1907. This list is clearly far from comprehensive, since an early convert called Mr. Wang is later described as the seventh to be baptized in 1904, and a Mr. Chin—who was miraculously healed of rheumatism—was the 23rd in 1906. A chapel was built in 1907.

Inventive evangelist

An extended article written at this time indicates the climate of openness that was starting to be evident. While HFR would have been the first to give glory to God for this, he was also an inventive evangelist who put considerable thought into practical strategies for reaching people. For instance, Sining in the winter was too cold for open air preaching to be effective, so he invited people to a show of slides—a great novelty at the time. He started with slides of a secular character, then showed some which illustrated biblical truths. Fourteen hundred people saw these slides, and this also proved an effective way of reaching the upper classes, who up till now had shown little interest.

He devised other strategies for reaching Tibetans. An unsuccessful rebellion against the Chinese had had a humbling effect on the lamas, Tibet’s religious leaders, and this resulted in greater freedom for missionaries to enter their territory. Kumbum monastery [Taersi in Chinese], close to the border with Tibet, had a butter festival, to which thousands gathered. HFR took the opportunity to preach to the crowds. Only eternity will tell to what extent seed sown there was taken into the Tibetan heartland. It was in Kumbum that he met, and presented copies of the gospels, to the Dalai Lama. Hudson Taylor had always insisted that CIM missionaries wear Chinese dress—a controversial strategy at first, which was later amply vindicated by the greater acceptance CIM missionaries found. HFR took this principle one stage further, and wore Tibetan dress when he was in this area. He also had a deep personal friendship with a living Buddha over a number of years. The latter had a genuine respect for Christianity, and accepted a Tibetan New Testament in 1910.

HFR was also able to help with the practical needs of Sining. Early in 1910 the inhabitants were alarmed by the appearance of Haley’s comet. He restored calm by putting up big posters assuring them that this occurrence had a scientific explanation.

In 1923, after a year of poor crops, the missionaries fed 600 people with rice.

Second furlough

In November 1910 the Ridleys left Sining for a second furlough. An article written at the time contrasts the warmth of their local people’s farewell greeting with their hostile initial reception. They also took their two surviving children, Dora and Eddie with them—probably picking up the latter from Chefoo School on the way to the coast. Both were to live in Scotland when the Ridleys returned. Eddie was still completing his education. Dora married a Canadian and eventually settled in Canada.

Another rebellion

In June 1911, while the Ridleys were still in England, there was another rebellion in Sining. The whole of China was affected as it was the year the Republicans led by Sun Yat-sen destroyed the decrepit Qing dynasty. Despite the success of the gospel, or maybe even because of it, there was still considerable anti-foreign feeling. Arthur Moore, who relieved the Ridleys in Sining at this time, mentions placards saying “Kill foreigners.” The prefect of the town assured him he was in no danger, but as late as April 1912 Mr. Moore wrote from nearby Lanchowfu [Lanzhou]: “It is impossible to do much work these days.” However, growth was evident among the Chinese Christians, so they clearly benefited from an enforced lack of dependence on missionaries.

Sarah Ridley dies

It was probably because of the unstable political situation that the Ridleys took an unusually long furlough, not returning until October 1912. Within a year, another tragedy had struck—the death of Sarah Ridley. Zealous in her medical work to the last, in August 1913 she went to nurse a woman with typhus, caught the disease herself, and died within two weeks. Clearly devastated, HFR wrote “The only effectual way to bury my sorrow is to get into harness and seek to lead others into the glorious hope of the resurrection.” These were very lonely months for HFR, as he was the only missionary in Sining. They were also very busy times, since he had to take over the women’s work. Relief came in April 1914, when Mr. and Mrs. Learner arrived. They became HFR’s colleagues in Sining for the next twelve years.

Amazing growth

The phenomenal growth of the Sining church was to continue. In 1914 it was reported that there had been seventy baptisms since the start of the work. This had risen to 84 by 1916, and nearly 100 by 1918. The first outstation (what we would call a church plant) was made in 1916, and was a source of considerable joy to HFR—he referred to the members there as his spiritual grandchildren.

There are many notable stories of converts who discovered there was a considerable cost to discipleship. A 22-year old man was evicted by his wealthy father when he became a Christian. Throwing out the household idols was a major step, which often provoked much hostility from an unconverted husband or wife. Christians unprepared to pay money towards local temple worship often faced difficult times. Yet there is also the story of a demon cast out of a woman through the prayers of her Christian son, and her joyful testimony of God’s goodness to her.

In 1918 350 women attended a mission held for them by a woman evangelist, and 44 said that they desired to serve the Lord. By 1924 several outstations had been established, and there were over 200 Christians associated with the Sining church. Yet in spite of all this, there was no complacency, and a profound awareness of the large number of surrounding towns with no gospel witness.

Reaching different ethnic groups

As has been mentioned in the previous article, Sining was an ethnically diverse area, containing Chinese, Muslims, Tibetans, etc. This undoubtedly contributed to the civil unrest which frequently troubled the town, and it also meant that the problems of reaching the different ethnic groups with the gospel were very diverse. Nearly all the early converts seem to have been Chinese, but HFR and his colleagues were clearly burdened for other ethnic groups. Earlier efforts with Tibetans were taken a stage further when a Tibetan gospel inn was built in 1923. Tibetans traveling to Sining could, and did, spend the night in a Christian environment, where people spoke their language, and many heard the gospel through this. A local evangelist who was fluent in Tibetan was a considerable help. The first Tibetan was baptized in 1923. One sign of considerable progress was the fact that Tibetans were now buying gospels, which they had previously not accepted even as gifts. There was a real hope that Tibet would no longer be the great closed land.

Muslims, who themselves were from three different ethnic groups, presented different problems again, and a Mr. Harris was appointed to specialize in reaching them. There was amazingly little opposition, at least until the first signs of interest in the gospel. The first former Muslim was baptized in 1918. HFR and Mr. Learner also traveled to witness to the aborigines, and there is mention of a Mr. Li, who died in 1923, two years after his conversion. He is described as “a light shining brightly.”

Tiwahfu

However, in 1926 there was to be another major change in HFR’s life. He was asked to travel to Tiwahfu [or Urumqi] in the vast Sinkiang [Xinjiang] province, even further inland, to relieve a Mr. Mather, who had gone on furlough. By now he was 63, but he said, “I see no bravery.... I have always had a desire to travel, and though never robust, I have learned by experience not to overtax my strength.” Privately, though, he expressed his disappointment that no younger men were prepared to volunteer. It must have been a major wrench leaving Sining, where he had spent thirty-two years of his missionary life apart from furloughs. His speech always contained some of the distinctive dialect of Sining, a consequence of early difficulties with learning Chinese, so his links with Sining were recognizable wherever he went.

Nor should we underestimate how difficult it must have been to leave a growing church to go to a place where he would have to start the whole process again of building up the church from virtually nothing. Sinkiang province also had many ethnic groups, mainly Muslim, and its people tended to travel round a lot. There was therefore little point in staying in one place to establish a church. A very old friend of his, Mr. George Hunter, was already a missionary there, and HFR stayed there even when Mr. Mather returned from furlough. Long journeys are recorded by all three men, one of which took HFR into the Great Depression at Turfan, 500 feet below sea level. HFR encountered considerable opposition when he preached among the Muslims—much of it organized by the ahongs [the Muslim elders]. Mud was thrown at him, and tracts were burned. Attempts were also made to reach Russians living in the province—as a result of the Communist Revolution, missionary opportunities back in Russia were virtually non-existent. The influence of communism was behind much of the civil unrest in China at this time. Sinkiang was to some extent spared, but Sining suffered considerably. The 200 Christians there faced a stern test of their faith—most seem to have remained faithful—although one visitor heard rumors that all was not well in the outstations.

The Taklamakan desert

Late in 1929 HFR embarked on his longest evangelistic journey—through the Taklamakan Desert to Kashgar. He was the first white man to cross this desert. A detailed account of this journey survives in an extract from his diary, which has passed through the family. He went along the southern arm of the Silk Road, and returned along the northern arm. The journey took more than six months. He left a gospel and a copy of Pilgrim’s Progress wherever he went. Towards the end of the journey he commented: “I accomplished what I set out for, viz., to visit this little known region...and deposit the world’s richest Treasure, which was gladly received wherever I went.”

Retirement

This journey must have exhausted him. In December 1931 he was back in Tiwahfu, and is described as needing rest and change. His retirement was planned for 1933, but was actually brought forward to 1932. As soon as he could get a visa, he returned to England via Siberia, arriving back on August 22nd. He spent his retirement back at Allenheads, living with his youngest sister. My mother remembers a kindly man of wiry build, with the characteristic family ginger hair. He continued to serve the Lord as a Sunday school superintendent until his death in 1944. He left all his young relatives, including my mother, a copy of Pilgrim’s Progress in his will.

Lessons for us

Quite apart from a fascinating insight into our family history, I believe that the life of Harry French Ridley contains a number of important spiritual lessons for us. His willingness to endure hardship for the sake of the gospel, and his stickability in spite of little immediate success are a challenge to us. I fear many of us today have lost those qualities. His willingness to help people in practical ways, and his thoughtfulness about the best strategies for reaching people also serve as important reminders to us.

And Sining? In 1997 the church had grown to 6,780 baptized believers. (Amity News Service August 1997) The total number of believers in Qinghai province is at least 30,000. (Tianfeng February 1997) Compared with some parts of China, this represents modest growth. But if Harry French Ridley had known this would happen as he labored in Sining for ten years without a single conversion, it would surely have gladdened his heart.

Copyright OMF International