The study of the Chinese language in Taiwan in the early ’70s involved learning Mandarin with a heavy dose of “Pekingese.” The influence of the once-official language on the mainland of China was understandable because some of the teachers or their families had come from there. Characteristically, some of the words in Mandarin that ended with a vowel sound ended with a “burr” in the Peking dialect. Of course, this dialect was rarely heard on the street, if ever. Conversely, some of the local inhabitants had their own accents when speaking Mandarin, and would often modify an “sh” sound to an “s” sound in initial consonants. An example would be the Mandarin word for yes, or “shr” with a curled tongue. People from the Southern part of the US in speaking English often drop the final consonant “g” in words like “going” and “doing.” If we spent much time around these local Chinese, we would naturally begin to imitate them by dropping the “h” sound also, to the horror of our teachers when we returned to class.
Somewhere I had been introduced to a principle of learning a new language. The rule was that when you heard a new word, if you used it in a sentence three times, it would be yours. This technique proved to be very valuable to me as I encountered many young people who were becoming quite creative in the use of their native language.
As I progressed in language learning, opportunities begin to open up for me to begin ministering in the Chinese churches. I had expected to be asked to participate in worship by singing a solo or two, since that was a forte of mine. To my surprise, I was informed that solos were rare in the Chinese worship services. When I asked why, I was informed that they preferred a choir, so that no one person would stand out and perhaps become proud. In my state of innocence, I asked “then why do you only have one sermon?” I received no answer, but the look I got told me that this conversation would go no further.
But to my surprise, I was asked to preach in various churches. Prior to leaving the US I had been ordained at Mt Zion Baptist Church, near Many, La., my home church, so it would be expected that preaching would be a part of my ministry. It took many hours of preparation, and most of my preaching was simply reading what I had prepared with the aid of a Chinese tutor. I am sure that the congregation endured my sermons rather than being inspired by them, but they were kind. It was not long however, before I was invited to attend the rehearsals of numerous choirs to provide vocal and choral training. The choirs that provided music for the worship services in most of the Baptist churches in Taiwan were composed of college students. Some of the members participated in Summer Music Camps held at the Baptist Seminary. It was my privilege to serve on the faculty of the Camps, and thus get a feel for the music level of the churches.
Nannette was also on the faculty of these music camps and clinics, sharing about children’s choirs.
Here are some photos from these training sessions
As previously mentioned, the Studio choir sang some of the traditional Chinese hymns, one of which became a favorite of mine. “Golden Breaks the Dawn” sung here by a church choir in Hong Kong
(Click to play)
Golden Breaks the Dawn
Here is the English text to the first verse
“Golden breaks the dawn,
Comes the eastern sun,
Over lake and lawn
Set his course to run.
Birds above us fly,
Flowers bloom below,
Through the earth and sky
God’s great mercies flow.”
(Full text can be found here: Golden Breaks the Dawn)
The response to these hymns was very encouraging, so I made sure that when I selected the music some of these treasures were included.
The Scripture verse for today is a promise from the lips of Jesus Himself. Little did I know when I was studying about missions and missionaries as a Royal Ambassador in our little country church at Mt Zion that one day I would be serving the Lord as a missionary in a Chinese setting. Here is the promise, and I pray that it will inspire you to great or greater service for the Master:
Matthew 19:26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.