(1938) Japanese Take Tsingtao
Returning to China
"A new year! What's going to come of it? It's still anunwritten page for us, but everything is already in God's hand. May this beenough for us." Hedvig's for entry in her diary for 1938 was a note of uncertainty.Like many a good Christians of the time she put into God's and providence whatshe could not control. Still the uncertainty and insecurity lingered.
New Year's dinner [would this have been held on New Year'sEve or day?] was held in Nankoaw (sp?). Conversation for the evening was mostlyabout the war. Later Miss Stracker (sp?) came for coffee on New Year's day.
January 2, Sunday:
Johan Alfred and Hedvig traveled to Long gia [Mom, where isthis?] around 9:00 in the morning for a new year meeting. The roads were fullof soldiers with their equipment bound for the interior. Shantung wasapparently being evacuated before the arrival of the Japanese forces. Themeeting in Long gia went well. Jin t'ing (sp?) was selected to be chairman.["But the victims from the members side was particularly bad."Translator was not sure what was meant here].
January 3, Monday.
Egron, Gerda and Johan Alfred traveled to Tsingtao. The carwouldn't start at first, so they had a late start. Edith had traveled toShanghai. Bertil and a [pracklëda - some kind of box perhaps] came home.Strutze would like to come on Thursday. A good prayer meeting was held at 2 PM.Wang did a good job holding the meeting.
January 4, Tuesday.
By 2:00 [or at 2:00?] PM from the direction of Kaomi theyheard bombs exploding coming . Another prayer meeting.
January 5, Wednesday.
The first bombs [perhaps the first bombs for Kiaohsien] weredropped close to the city east of the big main road at 9:00 AM. At Fa gia miao(sp?) one could hear machine guns. Though no one was killed or hurt from themachine gun, a man was hurt badly in the leg from one of the bombs. He was nowin a room at Chong hsuoa (sp?).
Ki S.S. spoke at the meeting and did well.
Gerda visited Long so djeng (sp?). She [Long so djeng?] feltmuch better.
January 6, Thursday.
The man wounded by the bomb the previous day died of hisinjuries in the evening. Despite the recent bombing the Strutzes wanted to comehome so Egron and Gerda drove to get them.
Stutzes arrived while the meeting was going on between 2 and3PM.
January 7, Friday.
Ki held the meeting on Friday.
Alarming news came via the Mandarins about a Mr. Chang.Likely a ???? was on its way from Chucheng (sp?). Each new rumor made everyonea bit more nervous. Planes flew over the city twice but did not drop any bombs.The weather was cold. A strong sandstorm made it even more uncomfortable.
January 8, Saturday.
The cold weather continued. On Saturday it was 12 degrees.The meeting was held nonetheless and lead by Wang. The Chinese at the prayermeeting were most concerned about their people and country. "May God hearthe warm prayers that rise from sad hearts for their native country andpeople," Hedvig writes.
Alarming news came from L-g in Chucheng. They seem to haveMr. Shen (sp?) there and they expect war. Mathilda sent the four oldest girlswith Mr. Goa to his farm. The telephone and telegraph were no longer working.