(1946) Liberation1

Lorem Ipsum Dolor Sic Amet Consectetur

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In January Hellen receive a telegram from her sister, Ester. "Mother, has gone home." Exact wording of telegram is not known. Ida Colldén, had died of January 3 in Sweden. In another few months Hellen would have seen her mother after nine years [confirm]. Hellen cried for days. Telephone conversation between Doris Rinell and Lennart Holmquist, January 2, 2011.

Donations to Support the Mission

Money in support of the mission usually came from churches in Sweden, but others taking an interest in the work gave money also. The U.S. marine Bud Holmquist, only a private first-class not privileged with a large salary himself, forwarded money from where he was stationed in Tsingtao to the mission in Kiaohsien. The Rinells were to use the money as they pleased he said. Hedvig wrote back thanking Bud and telling him where the money was to go.2

"Some of it goes to a very poor old woman belonging to our church. Another part is used for a young girl in school. Her mother is a widow with 3 children. Her two boys have finished school and have now to look out for themselves more or less . . . their mother has to help them out with their clothing etc. The mother has no other income but what she can earn by helping people with washing, grinding their flour etc. She is a nice Christian woman and we love to help her." Hedvig writes.

She also writes of the opening the mission school for "the young folks." "They are many more than we can accommodate. May the Lord grant us peace this term."

Hedvig also mentions having meetings everyday in the church.3

Herman van Rysdale

Around February Dollan's boyfriend, Van and many of his fellow marines were leaving for the United States. She went to the Tsingtao docks to see him off. Marines were already on board ship were hanging over the railing, whistling and screaming. Van gave Dollan a kiss. The marines screamed and whistled even more. Dollan said she would stay right there until she saw him at the railing. Van walked up the gangplank and onto the ship. Dollan waited an hour, but Van did not show up. No doubt he was being processed, shown his bunk, and whatever else. Reluctantly Dollan turned and walked away. The Marines yelled out a collective disappointed, ohhhhhh!

Oscar, Hellen and Dollan in America

On April 1 it was Oscar, Hellen, Dollan's time to sail to the USA. Dollan was not that happy about traveling. This was not long after the end of the war, and she was concerned about mines.

Dollan Rinell
SS Henry Wynkoop
1946
Enlarge

They took the ship first ship that left the harbor, as they were told, since the end of the war, the liberty ship SS Henry Wynkoop, a humble American cargo vessel. The Wynkoop was a fairly new ship having been launched on November 26, 1942 to support the war effort. In 1943 she was heavily damaged after hitting a German U-boat, repaired and set sail again. A sailor on board showed Dollan the seam where the Wynkoop had been welded back together.

Fellow passengers with the Rinell family were Mrs.Gerber and her teenage daughter. Also, present with Mrs. Gerber was her husband in an urn. Previously a businessman, he had died in China.

The freighter carried only five passengers. Mr. Gerber actually made six. The Rinell family stayed in an officers cabin just off the bridge, and not below decks. The journey would be a long one, taking a number of weeks.

On such a long voyage there was not a lot to do. Dollan was madly in love with Herman Van Arsdale and wrote him everyday. However, she had no way to mail the letters, so she piled them up one written letter after another to mail them when she got to a port. Other pasttimes were Monopoly, Snakes and Ladders, Parchessy and dominos as had been the games played on their voyage in 1938. The Rinells also brought their own light navy blue and off-white stripped-canvas deck chairs from their summer cottage at Iltis Huk.. When they did not have a storm they sat in the deck chairs, usually on the cover of the cargo hold, which was a bit elevated, so they could see more of the blue ocean.

Since yarn had been unavailable because of the war while still in China Dollan had taken an old light blue sweater of hers or her mother's, unraveled the yarn, and hung weights from the yarn to stretch out the bends. She then rolled up the yarn into balls, and packed them for the journey to America.

They sailed the Pacific long enough to see two full moons and covered enough miles in their long voyage to add an extra day to their week. To get in sync with the day of the week the captain declared they would have an extra Sunday. Dollan objected.

"Give us two Saturdays rather than two Mondays," Dollan demanded.

"Why do you want two Saturdays?"

"I am not allowed to knit on Sundays, so I want two Mondays."

"No. I have to work on Mondays, so two Sundays it will be."

Dollan lost a day of knitting, but in the end it didn't matter.

One day on deck Dollan sat in her deck chair ready to continue knitting a vest. She had the back and half the front knitted. She took out her blue ball of yarn and was about to attach the yarn to her knitting needles. The yarn, however, rolled off her lap, bounced and rolled off the deck into the ocean. She could see her ball of yarn disappear in the wake of the ship.

She screamed, "Yarn overboard!"

The captain, standing on the bridge, looked down to see what was going on.

"What's wrong?" he said.

"My yarn rolled overboard!"

"What do you want me to do about it?"

"Fish it out!"

The captain laughed, shrugged his shoulders and went about his business.

They sailed into two typhoons [confirm]. Oscar was seasick for weeks whether there was storm or not. Dollan carried his tray two decks up, and all his green face said was, "Dollan, jag kan inte." (Dollan, I can't) and then he wood barf some more.

The amount of food on board was limited.in any case. Including the time before docking in Tsingtao, the Henry Wynkoop had been out at sea three months longer than they were supposd to. Crew and passenger's meals were made up of powedered eggs for breakfast, flapjacks for supper and, fruit cocktail for dessert. A very little meat was packed away, but very little, and just for special events, apparently.

Not a big ship the Henry Wynkoop continued to pitch and roll during the journey. Oscar as usual was seasick. Since he was to celebrate his fiftieth birthday onboard the captain saved steak for his birthday, but when the day arrived Oscar was too sick to join the party. Dollan carried a tray with his steak on a plate from the galley below decks up to his cabin. With the ship rolling heavily back and forth Dollan waited for the ship to roll in the right direction for her to start up the stairs. [Was he able to eat the steak?]

One night the ship came to a complete stop. The time was early and the sun was just rising. After hearing the sound of engines for so long, the sound of silence was deafening. Cussing emerged from the engine room. The first enginer was screaming at the dairk skinned 'cooley'. The cooley had forgotten to put oil in the engine.While all this was going on the 1st Mate standing on the bridge was singing "Oh what a beautiful morning, oh what a beautiful day, oh what a wonderful feeling, everything's going my way."

Dollan yelled out "Why are you singing "Oh, what a beautiful morning" when we were are stuck here in the middle of the ocean with mines everywhere?"

"Well, with the engine broken down I have a day off !"

The ship eventually continued to the Panama Canal. Hellen asked Dollan to iron all their clothes. All the clothes were of cotton or linnen, which meant Dollan had to sprinkle the clothes with water to make them damp, roll them up, press and startch the clothes, and put them on hangers. This took three days.

Land was spotted. The captain's voice barked from the ship's loadspeaker.

"No passengers are allowed to go throught the canal while aboard the ship. All passangers, and their suitcases will be picked up by motor boat, and brought into Panama City for the day. Later a train will take you and your luggage to the other end of the Canal."

All Dollan's ironed clothes were taken off their hangers and thrown into suitcases. Her three days of work ironing the clothes were wasted.

While the ship was still moving the five passengers had to climb down a rope ladder, and climb into a bobbing boat. The boat chugged [or was it rowed?] to the docks of Panama City. The day was horrorendously hot and humid, the city trashy with many wearing "white sheets wrapped around their bodies, and the city full of beggars and kids, and sometimes they were one and the same person.. Maybe a better part of town existed somewhere, but they didn't see it. Slums of unbelieveable squalor it did have. They walked through the streets and found a department store, and walked in. One full floor was devoted to perfumes. The sales women wore normal dresses and not sheets, but their skin was dark , and they wore something like a jewel in the middle of their foreheads.

Oscar though sensitive to spending money on non-essentials did allow Hellen to buy a bottle of perfume.

They left the department store and walked the city streets again. Stopping in one shop they bought fruit, mostly 'lady fingers', long grapes almost the size of one's thumb and so very sweet, for the officers on the ship. They boarded the train, happy to get out of the city. The train was an antique with old wooden benches and square windows. Dollan didn't remember paying a conductor for the ride.

The train slowly followed the length of the Panama Canal, so close to the ship that they were able to waive to the officers. Arriving at the station they made their way to the docks, and climbed aboard a motor boat which took them out to the Henry Wynkoop. Dollan looked up at the officers [men?] leaning over the railing at their returning passengers.

"Hey, we bought fresh fruit for you all !" she yelled up to the men.

However, as the ship and the motor boat were moving, and as Dollan was stepping precariously between the boat and the rope and wood slat ladder, the bottom of the paper bag tore, and the fruit plopped into the ocean. The officers groaned in unison as they saw their ladys fingers sink below the water's surface as if beconing for the men to join them.

[Dollan to provide more info on this trip. At the time she wrote of her experiences to her boyfriend Herman van Rysdale. These letters are probably now lost.]

Four days later they arrived at in Norfolk, Virginia. Mrs. Gerber and her daughter were the off first to leave the ship. The Rinell family would leave some time later.

After Mrs. Gerber and her daughter were gone, the crew discovered to their horror that Mrs. Gerber had forgotten her husbands ashes. The chief engineer to whom the urn of ashes was entrusted had no forwarding address to forward them to

They sailed for forty-five days, and during this whole time on the open ocean did not see another ship. [From China to the Panama Canal or all the way to New York?]

[Dollan celebrated her birthday too on the ship]. As she says,

Yep !!!!!!! I am sweet 16 and had been Kissed !!!!!!!!; 0 )

Oscar, Hellen and Dollan in America

The Henry Wynkoop docked in Brooklyn, Maryland on May 15. Oscar and Hellen and Dollan stayed in Chaplain Shirely's apartment though they were away at the time. Chaplain and Mrs. Shirley returned at which time Dollan and Mrs. Shirley drove to Kansas to see Van, and afterwards drove to Geneseo, Kansas to meet Van's parents on their farm. After ten days they took the train back to Brooklyn where they met up with Oscar and Hellen. Shortly they sailed on to Sweden on the troop transport Marine Pearch from New York to Oslo, Norway where some passengers disembarked. From Oslo they continued to Göteborg arriving [it seems according to Dollan's passport] on July 14. Architect Solberg, a member of their church, had an apartment ready for them.

Dollan Begins Nurses Training in Göteborg

Bojan Weighing Baby
Enlarge

Too young to go into nurses training Dollan went into OBGYN and nursery in Sahlgrenska Shjukhuset, Göteborg, probably in August, where she cared for new born babies as a graduate baby nurse. At the hospital she met and became good friends with a fellow nurses' aid by the name of Bojan Johansson. During that time Dollan saw King Gustav of Sweden who cut the ribbon for a cancer research center next to her building. One day Dollan received in the mail a diamond engagement ring from Van. When she got ring, Oscar gave long speech about eternal relationship when still in bed in his apartment in Limonsgatan.[which spelling is correct]. Barnskorska. Dollan purchased dishes for her household-to-be, and a Swedish wedding crown to wear at her wedding. The custom was also to make red and white linen table cloth with initials of groom, which she did. Embroidered in the linen was the letter 'V'.

In the States Herman Van Rysdale had already gotten an apartment for them in Bethel College and Seminary. He wanted her to come immediately to marry him. Dollan, however, wanted to stay longer to go through nurses training.She did not want to sacrafice her career. A few more months delay would not matter.

Dollan continued on with her training. Life was going well. Dollan was engaged to be married to a wonderful man, and she was on her way to complete nurses training. Before she could complete her training she got another letter from Van. He had changed his mind about the marriage he said. He was calling of the wedding and the engagement. His reasoning, he said, was he was going into seminary and needed to be single. Dollan suspected he had another girl.

Dollan was of course devistated, and no doubt not a little angry with Van. That weekend Dollan was supposed to work at the hospital. Her friend Bojan had the weekend off. Like the good friend she was Bojan worked Dollan's shfit. Dollan went to her room and cried. Later she sent the engagement ring back with missionaries who were traveling through the States, got rid of the dishes but kept the tablecloth with the big letter V.

On to Stockholm

[Some of this below could go into chapter 1947 and even 1948]

After training in Göteborg Dollan wished to go Stockholm to continue her training, now that she was old enough to do so, but she had no money. Four months before Oscar and Hellen left again for China friends in Stockholm Bethel church, a sweet couple, Edvard Axelesson and his wife whom Oscar and Hellen knew [who were not related] who were well to do and without kids, paid nursing tuition on Red School of Nursing in Stockholm. So, Dollan started her nurses training while living in the student dormitory.

Away from her home in China and away from her family Dollan naturally became homesick. Her parents were still in Göteborg, but now on the opposite side of the country. One night Dollan was crying and wanted desperately to see her parents again. The train ride to Stockholm would be a six to seven hour ride, and she did not have money for such a long journey. Feeling sorry for her, Dollan's roommate, Sigrid Tham, gave Dollan the 300 crowns to take the train to Göteborg the next day.

So, she traveled from Stockholm to Göteborg, but did not tell her mother she was coming. This was the first time that Dollan traveled wearing her nursing uniform. [See photo with long black nursing coat] Everyone called her 'Syster' or nurse. [Google translation site says nurse in Swedish is 'sjuksköterska']. She did not tell her mother she was coming. When she got to the Göteborg railroad station she rang her parent's apartment.

"Var ar du unge!?" "Where are you?"

Dollan laughed and said, "Mamma pa Göteborg tågstationen!" "I'm at Göteborg's train station." Dollan's mother was so surprised and delighted.

"Oh, Dolla jag satter pa groten!" "I'll put on the oatmea!l"

At the time the family lived in Johanneberg, which is on top of the hill in Göteborg. If one thinks of Lisseberg one would make a right and drive up the hill. Dollan still had a long bus ride to take after arriving at the train station. By the time she got to the apartment on Lemansgatan, she had traveled all night. She stayed the weekend. The stay was short, but just what she needed. Soon she was back in Stockholm.

Edvard and Elisabet
Axelsson
Enlarge

Dollan was at the Red Cross School of Nursing in Stockholm for about eighteen months, all paid for by Edvard and Mrs. Axelsson. If they had not paid for Dollan's schooling, she probably would not have been able to go to school considering her parents had no money to send her. Besides her schooling she also trained at the hospital, and she started a string band at baptist church in Stockholm called Bethel.Öberg was the pastor at the time. With a humble beginning of about three musicians, they grew to about forty.

When Dollan had a little bit of money, which was rare, she took a street car or her bicycle to Skansen a open air museum on the island of DjurgÎrden within the city limits of Stockholm. Here were brought together beautiful old buildings from all over Sweden, dismantled and reconstructed into what appeared very much like an ancient village.In Skansen Dollan could stroll about the park, check out the handmade Scandinavian crafts sold from small booths, and across from the booths buy a Swedish Vofflor or waffle with rasberry jam served on white napkin, and eat it as she walked. The Vofflor were hot and crisp, and made on the spot. Skansen gave her secrenity and calm in the midst of a city, and an otherwise busy and stressful student life.

Nurses Training Ends Abruptly

After about eighteen months in nurses training Dollan began feeling pain in her stocmache. She was suffering from the sharp pain of kidney stones. If that was not enough one day while in her student lodgings she fell to the ground, with a severe pain in her leg. She was unable to get up from the floor. Her roommates managed to get her to the hospital, where the doctor diagnosed that she had polio in her left leg. Upon being diagnosed she was discharged from the school because could no longer take care of patients who could get her disease.

Earlier her parents had left Sweden and were on their way to China via the United States. Fighting polio, kidney stones, no parents, no home, no job, no place to live in Stockholm. Dollan was in a difficult situation. To make ends meet she took a job as a house maid or "caregiver" for a Lawyers wife that who a hysterectomy. She didn't have to cook though. She had never cooked in her life. The kidney stones kept her from that chore. She would go into the hospital drink one liter camomile tea per hour. She couldn't hang on in Stockholm for long with her physical needs. Perhaps in the Summer of 1948 as an interum solution, Dollan took the train back to Göteborg, and lived with her three aunts, Ebba, Ludde, Ruth, and her grandmother Ida, in Ida's not-so-large apartment at Stockholmsgatan 4.

At this time Bud Holmquist, who Dollan had dated in China, heard that Oscar and Hellen were visiting Bethel Seminary in Minnesota. He went to see them. Perhaps he talked to Van too. In any case Bud knew that Van was out of the picture. Oscar and Hellen suggested Bud might start up a correspondence with Dollan again. Bud did so. Dollan who had been feeling directionless, and with no future, now had someone who was quite interested in her. A trans-Atlantic romance began. After some time Bud wrote, "Let's get engaged.". Dollan agreed and bought the wedding bands, one band for her and one band for him as was Swedish custom. She had already gotten rid of dishes and the Swedish wedding crown she had bought for her marriage to Van, but she kept the silverware. She still had the linen embroidered with the letter "V". In good missionary tradition she recycled the linen by changing the "V" into an "H" for "Holmquist."

Helmut Matzat from Germany started corresponding. 'My Dear Doris' in letter. This was the first time she Helmut had written 'My Dear Doris.' Something could have developed there but by that time she was engaged to Bud.

Growth of the Church in China

The annual report for the past year showed that the mission consisted of 5000 members, and a Chinese staff of four ministers, thirty-nine evangelists, twenty-six Bible women, sixty-two preachers and a number of colporteurs and voluntary preachers. Evangelism was carried on in five head stations, and ninety-five outstations. More than 2000 students attended twenty primary schools during the spring term. Because of the Communists, a number of these schools did not open in the fall. In Kiaohsien the primary school did continue on with an enrollment of over 800 students. The junior middle school had 179 students and the Bible school had twenty-one. A Swedish school had been started for the missionary children in the Swedish Baptist mission and other Swedish missions. Many attended a Bible study week the previous summer by the mission's Chinese co-workers. Christian literature was in short supply because of the war, and the communists. Less literature had been distributed than in previous years. The orphanage in Chucheng had 190 girls.4 Because of limited resources, relief work was cut back.5

The mission was ambitious and progressive in their hopes and plans for the future. The wanted to send two Chinese leaders to the 100th anniversary of Baptists in Sweden, start a new mission station, and a modern hospital, upgraded the bible school to a theological seminary, the junior or middle school raised to a senior middle school,begin publishing a Chinese Christian journal, and finally a reorganize the mission itself where the Chinese church would have greater responsibility.

These aggressive goals depended upon more missionaries coming to China. Because of the war furloughs of most of the staff were due or past due. However, nine missionaries were allowed to take leave back in Sweden. Four senior missionaries were going to retire. Rev. and Mrs. J. E. Lindberg had been in China a total of 100 years together. Esther Wahlin, 40 years, Nina 6 Fredrickson 29 years. The farewell these experience missionaries gave to the conference was emotionally moving. Lindberg said that, "their heart, with its memories, hope, love and respect will always be in China." His son, Sten, was invited by the Swedish-American Baptists to open a new missionary field in China.7

The young marine Pfc, Bernard Holmquist gave $50 the first gift specifically for the the New Mission Church in Tsingtao on April 7. 8

Easter in Kiaohsien

During the Chinese new year,9 earlier in the year,10 meetings were held as they had been done in past years, conducted by the mission's own leaders. The meetings this year were successful, the speakers had important messages to deliver to the people, and it seemed that they believed the Lord would be at work in a special way among the congregation in coming months. This optimism continued throughout the spring.

Easter was approaching. Traditionally meetings would be held during the Easter season. This year though they wondered if it would be possible to have a traditional Easter meeting series. Kiaohsien was almost completely isolated from the outside world. It would be difficult finding a speaker who could make it to the city.11 The Lord provided again it was thought in the person of Dr. C. L. Culpepper, principal of the Southern Baptist Seminary in Hwanghsien who had led an earlier series of meetings at the mission. He had just returned Shantung province and was visiting in Tsingtao.12 Word was sent to him, and he agreed to come to Kiaohsien. Accompanying him was Thomas Tung, a teacher at the seminary who with Dr. Culpepper had led the earlier meetings.

The entire spring time had been spent preparing for these Easter meetings. The fruit was ripe for the harvest. In other words the people were ready for the message and it promised to be a fruitful time, hopefully, in regards to converts and more committed Christians. From the very first meeting the spirit of God seemed to be moving among the congregation. Four meetings of several hours each were held each day. The first was a prayer meeting held at 7:00 in the morning and always well attended. Another meeting later in the morning, one in the afternoon, and a meeting for students at night. Souls were being touched. It seemed that people did not want to leave the church. About a hundred people, mostly students, asked for prayers during the week. Meetings were crowded by townspeople and even a few refugees. Not enough benches or chairs could be found to seat everyone. The doors to the smaller hall was opened to take some of the overflow. A real spirit of revival welled up. "Oh, how we sang at these meetings! Revival gives birth to song, and songs were heard in church, in our schools and out in the streets" Gerda writes. 13

Some brought unconverted family members to the meetings. One girl brought her sister and the sister was became a Christian or in other words was 'saved'. Two school boys prayed for the salvation of their brother. He did attend the meetings, but did not make a decision at that time. One day a girl walked triumphantly into the church leading her grandmother by the hand. The old woman had never been in a church before. She graciously sat through the long meeting. After the meeting the girl led her grandmother into the prayer room where she hoped her grandmother would pray for salvation. They both knelt in prayer. The girl was excited to think that her hold grandmother would experience the same joy that she had found. After some time though the old lady slowly got up and said, "No, I'm going home. I don't understand all of this!" The girl followed her grandmother out the door of the church, but she was not discouraged, "I am going to pray even more for Grandmother. Someday she will understand and accept Jesus."14

At another meeting a Mr. Gih, a man in his fifties, asked for prayer. This was unheard of. Gih's parents, now deceased, had been members of the church. Gih's two brothers and sisters had become Christians. But the elder brother Gih had treated his family very poorly, his mother even being persecuted because of her faith in Jesus. On one occasion he almost killed his youngest brother because he admitted to Gih one day that he was a Christian. Gih's family and friends prayed for him over the years without any change in Gih. Now here he was asking for prayer for himself and asking forgiveness for a long list of sins of which he could not believe at first that God could forgive him. Before he left for home that morning he was thanking God for his forgiveness and an inner peace he was experiencing.15

Return of the Communists

It was Pentecost evening. The weather had been just what Gerda imagined it should be for such a day, like a Swedish midsummer day, sunny and bright with summer flowers blooming. Nature was standing in all its glory.

Gerda and Miss Wahlin who lived a short distance away were the only Swedes in Kiaohsien. Gerda was alone home with three year old Margareta. Egron had gone to the hospital in Tsingtao to visit Hedvig who had broken her hip.16 He had taken little Johnny and Lally with him. Anna and Martin Jansson were also in Tsingtao waiting for their little "crown prince."17

The mission had two meetings in church earlier in the day led by Mr. Tung who had been in Kiaohsien for the Easter meetings. Now the evening had arrived, calm, cool and beautiful. It was as if they had found the calmest part of the world Gerda remembers. She took a short walk in the garden with Margareta. Margareta fell asleep. Gerda feeling sleepy herself put Margareta to bed and laid down also.

Gerda woke suddenly to the sound of bullets. She knew immediately that the Communists were returning. They made good on their promise to return one day. Nothing had been heard from them for quite a while. This attack came as a real surprise. Somehow they had managed to gain entrance to the city without firing a shot. Only later did the people of Kiaohsien find out how.

During the long night of fighting Gerda wandered around the house, Margareta in her arms, trying to find a safe and sheltered corner, waiting and hoping for the sound of rifles and cannon to stop. Thankfully, Margareta fell asleep in Gerda's arms.

The sound of a cannon ball suddenly exploded nearby. A neighbor's house to the east of the Rinell's compound had been destroyed. Another cannon ball destroyed a neighbor's house to the west. A third exploded in the yard.

The Nationalist soldiers of the city retreated to the inner city where they put up a valiant defense under General Chao Pao Yuan. Chao was experienced in warfare. He had fought the Japanese during the last eight years. He had come to Kiaohsien a week earlier to inspect his troops from his headquarters in Laiyang and city northwest of Kiaohsien.

The General's forces were at a disadvantage though. The city's defenses had been weakened when a division of soldiers had been called west, a fact that the Communists were no doubt well aware of. Even his own troops were infiltrated with Communist soldiers. He could not hold his troops together in a cohesive fighting unit.

During the fighting the General was wounded. When he saw that the battle was not going in their favor he shot himself rather than being captured by the Communists. This man who had survived eight years fighting the Japanese would meet his death fighting fellow Chinese.

Not long after the inner city was taken by the Communist forces. The Communists found the General's body, cut of his head, and forced one of the General's officers to take the head to Laiyang where all knew the General, hold the severed head up for all to see and shout, "This is our General's head. This is our General's head."

By morning it was all over. The Communists were in control of the city. Looking over her own property Gerda saw that not one window had been broken despite the explosion of the cannon balls nearby and even within her own yard. In the yard she saw the marks of bullets on tree branches and the holes left by the cannon ball in the ground. Gerda called Miss Wahlin.18 She had sat huddled in a dark closet all night and was thankful to God that she had not been hurt and her home not damaged during the fighting. They then set to cleaning up the yard of debris collecting three kilo of scrap iron from the exploded cannon ball.

Outside the high walls of the mission compound Gerda saw a group of soldiers marching by. Among them she recognized her vegetable vendors whom she had bought vegetables all spring. The vendors had told them that they were refugees from villages that the Communists had take over. Actually they were spies and infiltrators for the Communist army. The previous evening these vegetable vendor spies had finished selling their vegetables for the last time, in this city at least, and opened the water gates in the city walls and their fellow soldiers simply marched into the outer city without firing a shot.19

Gerda kept the gates of the compound closed that morning, but soon she heard loud banging on the gate. Reluctantly she opened the gate and in walked eleven soldiers, all boys of perhaps eighteen or nineteen years of age. They pointed their rifles at her and asked if she had any bandits hidden in the yard. No, she didn't have any bandits hiding in the yard she said. They replied they wanted to search the property anyway.

They made their rounds and returned to her saying that they had seen someone jump over the wall so they were sure that someone was hiding. Upon further investigation the gardener confessed to being so curious to see what was going on that he had climbed the wall for a better view. When he jumped down, possibly after seeing the soldiers approaching, the soldiers assumed this was a bandit trying to get away. The soldiers accepted this and turned to leave. They demanded though that the gate and doors remain open so they could come and go as they pleased. Then they left. Despite the warning Gerda closed the gate carefully after the soldiers were out of sight. She was not afraid to do this she remembers because she felt nothing would happen to her outside of God's will, but still she did not want her gates open all day and all night.

Later Gerda with others then visited the mission house in Nankuan. What greeted them was a miserable sight. Three cannon balls hit that home and had destroyed it.20 Thankfully no one was home at the time. This house was the only thing destroyed during the fighting belonging to the mission or the Chinese Christians. Of the Chinese Christians none had been killed and none of their's or the missions student's houses had been damaged. Other citizens of the city took note of that fact. When Gerda and others took a walk through the city a few days after the fighting they overheard someone say, "It looks like the Christians are protected every time we have trouble in our city."21

Visiting Homes

One of the women teachers Wang Chin-Wen came to the compound and asked Gerda if she would like to have her stay with her.22 Gerda was grateful and relieved. During the troubled days following Gerda had someone to talk to. Wang Chin-Wen and Gerda spent the following days visiting homes. Through their schools they had contact with most homes of the city. And the doors of these homes were always open to them. Through the students they saw how Christianity had started to infiltrate some of the families who some years before were absolutely opposed to the 'teachings of Jesus.' The parents certainly did not send their children to the schools for Christian teaching, but because they trusted the schools discipline and orderliness. Their children had attended the mission schools, had come home and sung the songs, told bible stories and prayed for their families.

In most of the homes visited people were in despair over the condition of the city but many of these also said things like, "If our children had not prayed the night of the war, we would never have lived through it." Another person said, "Now we have seen that God answers prayer. The children have often prayed at home, but we have not paid them too much attention. But now they prayed for us and God looked after us."23

And indeed in some cases praying did seem to have an affect. On of the teachers of the school had gone home to the inner city during the fighting. His extended family was a fairly large one numbering about twenty persons. During the night of the fighting all the family gathered in one of the houses. Like many Chinese houses this house was one among a long row of houses immediately attached to the next one like a long string. The family asked their teacher family member to pray for God's protection. As the fighting for control of the inner city intensified cannon balls hit all the the other houses in their row, but none hit the one they were in.

Just outside the city walls lived a poor family of six. The wife was a Christian. She prayed all night during the fighting. Many mud huts similar to hers were hit and destroyed around her own, but the room she and her family were in was not destroyed.

Everyone who Gerda and Wang Chin-Wen met felt that God had protected them.

Pastor Kung Enyung Shot

[Note: Lally mentioned he was shot late in 1947. Confirm.] In 1946 Tsingtao was under the control of the Nationalists, Kiaohsien under the Communists. A short raid of one or two days duration was made by the Nationalist troops from Tsingtao along the coast from Wangtai down to Wang Be-tung.24 Among the Nationalists was a relative of Pastor Kung.25

The Communists found out that Pastor Kung's relative was fighting for the Nationalists. Communist troops arrived by truck in front of Pastor Kung's house. They piled out, confronted Pastor Kung. Upon no evidence whatsoever they accused Pastor Kung was spying for the Nationalists. 26 They not having anything to do with the spying charge they demanded he give up his Christian faith. He refused. They said they would be back in three days, and by then he had better make the right decision.

On the third day they returned and asked him if he had decided to give up his faith in this foreign god.

"No," he said.

"Come with us!"

"May I first say good-bye to my family?"

"Yes, go ahead."

After a few minutes Pastor Kung returned from his wife and two children, the youngest of whom had just begun to walk. The Communists put him into the back of a truck with other "criminals." They drove the truck away from the church compound, through town, and through the old town gate, and beyond the ancient city wall. The truck stopped and each of the prisoners was given a shovel with which to dig his own grave. A crowd gathered to watch.

After the graves were dug each kneeled in front of their own grave with hands on their heads. One shot was fired into the head of each of the other prisoners and they fell each into their graves like limp rag dolls. The last bullet was for Pastor Kung. He too was shot in the head.

A bystander swore that Pastor Kung did not, however, just drop into his grave like the others. His body slowly descended into the grave as if an unseen hand was gently lowering him into the grave. Seeing this one of the soldiers said, "Truly, he was a man who believed in God,"27 the bystander related.

Pastor Kung's wife was taken to prison for three days and released.28

The Communists were particularly eager in the Wangtain area, and wanted Christians to give up their 'foreign' religion and spread communism instead. Others leaders and members of the Wangtai church were also killed [at another time?]. 90 Lalli Rinell provided the information of Christians killed in Wangtai. She things that one of them may have been an elder by the name of Yang, but is not sure. She does not know the names of other Christians killed other than Pastor Kung. Email from Alice Rinell to Lennart Holmquist, March 25, 2008.

Yes there were more Christians killed in Wangtai - but I do not have their names. I think one must have been an elder by the name of Yang, but don't quote me on that one! The Communists were especially eager in the Wangtai area. and wanted the Christians to join them in propagating communism!
Lally

Life as Usual . . .

The Chinese and the missionaries tried to carry on life as usual in the days following. Just as with their previous "visit," the Communist wanted to use the mission house in Nankuan in which Esther Wahlin lived.29 They wanted to live there. Gerda made many trips to Nankuan to prevent it. Early one evening she was called over to the property. Because it was late in the day she asked two of the mission's teachers to go with her. Also, she wanted to have witnesses as to what she was going to say. When they arrived at Nankuan, she asked them politely not to live in the mission's house. They answered that they would live wherever they wanted to. There was not reason to discuss it anymore they said. It was almost dark by the time this conversation was over and the time was approaching the 9:00 PM curfew. Gerda requested an escort which the soldiers provided.

While Gerda, the soldier, and the teachers were passing a wealthy man's house two soldiers rushed out onto the street. Before they had time to react they heard an enormous noise. They crept as close to the wall as possible. They asked their escort what the loud noise and commotion was all about. Looking a little embarrassed he said, "That's our way of opening gates. This family did not willingly leave their door open, so we blew it up."

Safe back at the mission, Gerda went to bed hoping for a quiet day the following morning. Despite witnessing what may happen to closed gates, they closed and locked the mission's gates for the evening. About 12 midnight they 30 were all awakened by a pounding at the gate. Carrying a kerosene lantern they very quickly went to see who it could be. They didn't want their gate blown up.

Upon opening the gate,31 there stood their "escort."

He politely bowed and said, "We have another place. We don't need the mission's house!"

"Thank you. We are happy about that, but you need not have come in the middle of the night to tell us," Gerda said.

He answered with a polite smile, turned and left. He was a good-natured young man Gerda later thought, even if he had come into the hands of the communist army.

Some days later Gerda went to see Miss Wahlin just as some soldiers had gone through her house. They thought the house would suit their needs well and they stood their discussing this fact among themselves. Gerda butt in and told them that during fifty years of missions in Kiaohsien, no military troops at ever lived in one of the mission's houses. After that they were very accommodating and spoke kindly except for one soldier who was of a different caliber than the rest.

"Are you standing here asking if we can live here? Don't you know that the Communist army lives where it wants to live?" he asked.

One of the other soldiers looked embarrassed, and they talked the matter over. They all decided to leave. With a salute and a friendly smile the polite one, the rude one and the others left. They never returned to ask about this house again.

This sort of thing continued for several days. Gerda and the others found out though that the soldiers had been ordered not to bother the foreigners any more or request to live in mission houses. When the missionaries were able to tell them that they knew of this order, the soldiers did not bother them as much.

The following days were filled with tension for the missionaries and the people of Kiaohsien. It was interesting for Gerda to see how the Chinese Christians reacted to what was happening. Some were so frightened that they looked like dead people. They did not dare do anything. They would come and ask if either of the pastors had come home, no doubt feeling more secure if the men were around. But both Martin Jansson and Egron were still in Tsingtao. Others Christians were calm and seemed fearless and tried to encourage others to trust in God for their protection. In town teachers had fled fearing the Communists and their ideas on education. The Christian teachers, however, did not flee. Principle Wang said, "When the Japanese came we were afraid. Now there are Chinese, our own people, and we must stay at our post. Even if it should cost us our lives we cannot desert our town now." The words of this brave man gave new courage to the dispirited.

The missionaries soon understood that the these particular communist troops had just come to rob and plunder. [The actions of these communist troops were a poor reprentation of other communist troops who were well-disciplined and honest people]. The Communists had taken a lot of weapons when they took over the city. Now they would have rifles to give to their newer draftees. As they had done last time, they destroyed the railway by ripping up the steel rails and wood stretchers on which the rails laid. They stacked stretchers in piles, and set them on fire. The smoke could be seen from the mission station. The communist Chinese troops also destroyed the telephone and telegraph systems, plundered again the Yamen and other official buildings, and many homes of the rich.

They called in people from the countryside, often tenants of wealthy landowners, with their carriages and carts to take everything they could take out of homes. They even stripped some people of the clothes and shoes that they were wearing.

The people of the city did not have much time to do anything but attend required Communist propaganda meetings. Everyone except the foreigners had to attend. The food from the last harvest, the wealthy landowners were to divide with the poor. The poor could not refuse these "gifts." Some of the poorer church members were also offered help, but they refused, saying that they were Christians and could not take things that were taken forcibly from someone else. The Communists didn't like this, but did nothing about it.

The Communists then began destroying the town walls. The outer town wall was not very attractive, "but what is a Chinese city without a city wall!" Gerda wondered.32 The inner, ancient town was surrounded by a beautiful and ancient wall.33 This too was being destroyed. The missionaries and the people witnessed this desecration of their history with sadness. It seemed that the Communist were bent only on tearing down and not on building up.

During the nights grain, cloth, wood, furniture, gold and other expensive items, and even telephone poles and wire were hauled out of the city in carts. The city became poorer and poorer as each day the city was stripped of its material goods.

Destruction of the Rails 34

During the fighting between the Communists and the Nationalists the rail lines were destroyed to make it difficult for either side to move their troops and equipment very fast.35 Later the Communists wanted to repair some of the rail lines for their own use. They combed the area, chopping down any tree of adequate size, and cutting the trees into sleepers on which the metal rails were placed.36

Soldiers came into the Rinell's compound with their axes and began chopping a large cedar, about 2 1/2 feet in diameter, which grew to the left of the big stone in the garden. The tree was so large that it took four kids holding hands to encircle it circumference. Oscar saw what they were doing, approached the soldiers and begged them not to cut the beautiful tree. 'Orders,' they said. They must cut down all trees big enough for their use. The tree crashed to the ground and was taken away.37

Communists Visit the Rinells 38

The Communists troops would come to the Rinell's compound from time to time though unarmed.39 If the front door of the house was locked they banged it so hard it would seem it would break, so the door could not be locked even at night. They would come in groups starting in the early morning, and another group continuing on during the day, and on up to evening walking right into the house without knocking. The soldier who would speak for the group was always the leader though at that time the soldiers wore no patches to show rank. Being most of them were just farmers with no education they would often ask silly questions. Oscar would have to answer the questions weighing his words carefully so he would not say anything that could be used against him and the mission. But many of the questions were inconsequential.

"What do you foreigners eat? Their Chinese cook 40 brought the soldiers to where the food was kept. The cook put a dumb, incredulous look on his face as if saying, "I can't believe you asked such a silly question."

He said, "You can have a look. That's what they eat." The soldiers saw that these foreigners ate much of what they ate, millet, rice and the like.

One soldier continued asking questions, and the others looked everywhere, pulling out drawers, looking in cupboards. They never took anything from the house as far as they knew. In the garden strawberries were ripening. The soldiers picked the ripe ones. Later the Rinells had a little "cage" built by a local carpenter 41 with screen door material. Then they picked the remaining green strawberries, put them in this cage, and placed the cage on the balcony upstairs to ripen in the sun. Hopefully the soldiers would not find them. The screen allowed the sunlight to ripen the strawberries, but kept the flies off. Somebody would go out on the balcony every now and then to turn the strawberries so they would all ripen evenly.

In the beginning the soldiers were always downstairs and Oscar would answer their questions in his study. Hellen and Hedvig would retreat upstairs until the soldiers left. One day, however, troops were marching just by the entrance of the compound when a plane flew around Kiaohsien. Scared, the soldiers ran into the compound with the hope that the enemy plane would not shoot or bomb a foreign residence. They came into the garden and around the house. After the plane left, they opened the door and entered the house. Not stopping on the ground floor they went upstairs too to take a look around. From then on the upstairs was frequently visited. There was more interesting things to see there apparently. Actually many of these soldiers from poor villages in the countryside had never been in a two story house before. They were fascinated by the stairs that went from the first floor to the second floor. Quite an invention this was.

The soldiers would always come in groups except for one instance when an officer came by himself with a pistol. The officer said he wanted to talk to Oscar. Oscar invited him into the house. They entered the study through the door from the yard passing under a trellis of pink climbing roses that arched over the doorway. Walking into the study was like walking into the library of a scholar. The sweet smell of leather bound books hung in the air. Heavy wooden shelves lined tightly with books in English, Swedish and Chinese covered the walls from floor to ceiling opposite the door through which they entered. The wall of books was broken only by a heavy wood door with a brass handle, and a lock from whose mouth protruded and large iron key. The door was always locked at night. More shelves of books to the left of the door, and immediately to the right more books took up the space of the other two walls from floor to ceiling with a nook for a wicker couch. Two windows overlooking the tennis court brought light into the room on the fourth wall.

To the left up against the windows sat a large wooden desk. On top of the desk were piled mounds of books and papers, clausine candle stick holders, inkwell, ink blotter, ink blotter paper with four closenee corners, and a stamp case. Two chairs sat opposite each other at the desk. One for Oscar, and one for Oscar's Chinese language teacher. To the left of Oscar's chair stood a small table supporting a typewriter.

Oscar invited the officer to sit down opposite him. The officer pulled out his pistol and placed it on the desk and sat down. Oscar thought that this could be the end of his own life. But the officer only talked and asked questions.42 He probably had the pistol only to protect himself because it was dark when he arrived and the streets were not always safe.43 Outside the study in the dining room Hellen and Dollan prayed fervently.

These frequent visits and the asking of what amounted to irrelevant questions was perplexing. Principal Rector Wang thought that the soldiers had no contact with foreigners. Since their army's next military objective was Tsingtao where many foreigners lived, the Communist soldiers wanted to find out how foreigners lived and see their homes. Oscar thought that the soldiers objective in frequent visits and many questions was to work on the nerves of foreigners in Kiaohsien, gradually wearing them down so they would leave the interior of China where they were not wanted by the Communists.

Missionary Shot

On Friday, April 26, missionary Erik Thong who was a missionary in Kaomi was asked to drive Dr. Bryon, a missionary doctor, to the city of Weihsien. Another missionary doctor was sick and needed immediate help. Erik never said no to a challenge, was always eager to help, and never did not do what he felt to be right. Driving through the countryside was not the safest thing to do during this time, but somebody needed help.

There had been unrest along these roads before, but no one knew the renewed fighting a begun between Nationalist and Communist forces.

The mission car with three passengers left early in the morning. They came to the first road block which was Communist in this case, explained their purpose, and continued on. A short distance away other soldiers belonging to the Nationalist army saw the car coming down the road. One of the soldiers raised his rifle and shot. The bullet hit the hood of the car, ricocheted and entered Erik's right lung.

Dr. Bryon gave him immediate medical attention and managed to control the bleeding. They drove quickly on to Weihsien where Erik underwent surgery, and the bullet was removed.

Word was sent out to the missionaries that Erik was fine and getting stronger. After some days Erik wrote a letter home to his young wife, Thora, and two-year old son saying how eager he was to start for home. One day though Erik was sitting up in bed when he clutched his chest and fell back dead. He died of a lung embolism on May 12, probably from scar tissue from his wound breaking off into his blood stream and traveling to his lung. China had lost a young and promising missionary. A young missionary wife had lost her husband and a young child his father.44

Thora was expecting Erik home any day. One day the Chinese cook came running up to the house saying something about Erik. Before the cook could say anything else, she ran past the cook to the gate leading into the yard to greet her husband. On a cart pulled by oxen was Erik's casket. The word had not reached her that he had died, and the cook did not have time to warn her. Erik had died several days before and the smell of decomposition was penetrating the heavy wooden casket.

Later the casket was transferred to the foreigners cemetery in Tsingtao.45

Pentecost Sunday

It was impossible to gather for a meeting in the church on Sunday. When the Communists had taken over the city, all were more or less confined to their homes including Pastor Tung confined with those he was staying with. The war had not ended until that afternoon, but some people were able to gather in the school where teachers held some meetings.

On Monday morning people barely dared to go out onto the streets. Surprisingly Gerda could hear singing coming from the church. She walked over to the church to see what was going on. Gathered around the organ46 were some students and teacher Tung singing with enthusiasm, "Safe in the arms of Jesus." They were surrounded by people in the city who were deathly afraid. Some even came to the church seeking safety and were told that they were no more safe there than anywhere else, but they felt secure with the Christians all the same. Now here in the church was a small group of people singing, "Safe in the Arms of Jesus." It was quite a contrast to what was happening outside.

Through the window Gerda asked teacher Tung if he could hold a church service mid-morning.47 The students in the Bible school and the high school boys lived next to the church. They at least would be able to come to the service. Tung was more than willing to hold a meeting. Principle Wang sent a message to all the schools. A few started arriving right away, singly or a few at a time, then larger groups. Most were carrying a Bible tucked under one arm. Within just fifteen minutes the church was filled. How enough people found out about the meeting to fill the church was a mystery. The church bell had not been rung; the word of the meeting had spread like wildfire through the community.

The people sang with their hearts, as well as prayed and praised God. The enthusiasm in Chinese church meetings was usually very high with prayers said out loud and with everyone praying at the same time. It would seem that one would be trying to pray louder than the next one. Testimonies were given on how God had protected them. And indeed it seemed somehow he had. Houses had been destroyed, bullets had been shot across their yards, grenades had destroyed things around them, but not one of the 1105 students nor their relatives had been killed or wounded. The people were thankful for good reason.

That afternoon they had another meeting, and on days following. As these days passed more and more people dared go out on the streets and come to church. The Communists knew of the meetings but did nothing. Classes were suspended though the Communists asked the mission to continue their school. Instead the students poured into the church twice a day. This was actually the best way to keep the students calm and their minds concentrated on other things then the turmoil and uncertainty about them. Gerda writes, "I will never forget the meetings this first week. There was fear and panic over our city, but in our church heaven seemed to be open over us, and we praised God for his security and peace."

Communists did visit the meetings. They showed a scornful attitude toward God and when they came near the missionaries or the Chinese Christians they would mock the name of Jesus. But they were curious nonetheless. Many had never been in a church before or seen an organ. Some would go forward in the church to take a closer look at this dark mahogany colored box, and see how the organist could make the sounds come out.48 Other soldiers climbed up on the wide window sills to get a better view of what was happening in the crowded church. That so many would get together to sing a pray was a mystery to them. One day of the soldiers said, "It's revolting that they should believe in the nonsense. If we are to remain here we will have to tear down their church." This soldier's scorn turned out to be prophetic.

Egron through Enemy Lines

Egron had not returned from Tsingtao. Ten days had passed since Gerda had heard anything from him. She and their Chinese friends were getting worried. "Isn't the pastor coming home?" they would ask.

Gerda knew that Egron was probably just cut off. People were fleeing to Tsingtao and certainly not trying to go in the opposite direction where the danger lay. People would say that if one is on the coast and there is trouble inland in the countryside, one shouldn't travel. Gerda knew that Egron would try to make it home if he was alright.

In the mean time in Tsingtao everyone advised Egron not to travel. But he knew he was needed at home.

A state of war continued even in Tsingtao though on a lesser scale. People were not allowed out at night. One could hear shooting at night within the city. The exits to the city were blocked. Leaving was difficult. Egron couldn't figure out the best way to get back home.

One day an UNNRA49 convoy of forty-five cars was returning in caravan fashion from inland. On their return to Tsingtao they found themselves in the midst of fighting around Kiaohsien and Kaomi. They were able to speak with the communist forces which let them pass through their lines and continue on to Tsingtao.

In the mean time a small convoy of two jeeps and a car carrying three Americans, an Englishman, a Chinese officer and two Chinese interpreters were planning to leave the city. This was Egron's chance to get at least part way to Kiaohsien. Egron asked if he could accompany them. They said he could and they could leave him off at Chengchang about halfway to Kiaohsien.

The caravan left the city and came to the barrier, a barb wire fence stretched across the road and manned by armed guards. The UNNRA personnel showed the proper papers and the group was soon on their way to Chengchang. But as the cars approached Chengchang they were fired upon. The UNNRA officials were able to convince the soldiers to stop firing before any damage was done. The soldiers came out and stood in a circle around the cars. They were Nationalist soldiers and not communist as was expected. The day before Chengchang was in Communist hands. During the night the city had fallen to the Nationalist army.

While the UNNRA, the Chinese and the missionaries were speaking with the Nationalist soldiers the whole group was fired upon by Communist soldiers from nearby villages. The country road became a battleground with Nationalists and Communists firing at one another with the rest taking cover as best they could in nearby ditches.

A message was sent from the city ordering the group to make its way to headquarters in Chengchang. This started a lively discussion between the Americans. One wanted to go immediately to Nationalist military headquarters in the city. The other American wanted to take his chances in the ditches outside the city. The Communists could attack the city during the night just as the Nationalists had taken it from the Communists the night before. Why take the chance of being caught in the crossfire of two armies in the city. "I believe it is safer for us to spend the night in the ditch outside the city, than to be in the city," the one American said. "I was in the war in New Guinea, and I made it through that war. I don't really want to die in China in service of UNNRA."

The debate became heated. Eventually they asked Egron to make the decision for them. He opted for headquarters which he thought would be safer if indeed fighting did break out. Braving Communist bullets they made their way into the city in their cars without mishap. At headquarters they were graciously invited to a meal and had a chance to rest their frayed nerves.

A room was prepared for them for the night in the train station. Grass was spread on the concrete floor for their mattress. All comfortable enough. They didn't feel so very safe however. Train stations and railways were usually the first to be attacked and what was more, the train station was on the outskirts of the city. They definitely felt exposed and didn't get much sleep. They talked most of the night and learned a lot of what was happening in China from the Chinese officer. Shortly before the sun rose on the besieged city, the tired travelers fell asleep to the sound of machine guns. The Communists never gained advantage against the city, and the train station was not attacked.

The larger UNNRA convoy arrived the next morning. One of the engineers who was with the convoy to take care of the bridges was not with the convoy and a car had to be sent to look for him. The rest of the convoy continued on to Tsingtao. Egron got a ride a short distance closer to home with this single car. An interpreter went with them though they really didn't care to considering they were going deeper into Communist territory.

As the car continued deeper into the countryside the interpreter constantly waved an American and and UNNRA flag. Perhaps if they saw the flag the Communists wouldn't shoot. A few kilometers outside the city they had to take a long detour because the road had been destroyed. They continued on at a fast pace for about a half hour when the driver noticed he was getting low on gas. He had to turn around without finding the engineer and head for Tsingtao. Egron decided to get out of the car right there and continue on foot. He thanked the driver for the ride and deep in Communist territory continued on foot toward Kiaohsien.

After some time he rented a mule and rode some miles while the mules owner walked. He then continued walking to the Ta-Ko River. The bridge was for the most part destroyed so no vehicles could cross it, but he was able to walk across the span. While walking he spotted a soldier on the far side of the bridge. The soldier cocked and aimed his rifle. When Egron got close enough to the soldier he could see an intensity of hate on his face and a voice betraying his distrust of this solitary wanderer.

The soldier shouted, "Where do you come from?"

"Tsingtao," Egron replied.

"Where are you going?"

"To Kiaohsien," Egron replied again.

"Are you an American?" he demanded. The Communists hated the Americans for supporting their enemy Chiang Kia-shek.

"No, I'm Swedish."

"Swedish? What is that?"

"Sweden lies to the west of Russia," explained Egron figuring that the soldier would no doubt have heard of Russia at least considering the soldier was a Communist.

"Who are you? No good person would be out walking alone in these times."

"Please, this is my business card," said Egron as he pulled the card out of his pocket and slowly handed it to the soldier.

"I can't read. Read it for me."

The soldier listened carefully as Egron read the card. Upon hearing the Egron's title was "Yuan-Chang" which could be translated principle or director the soldier became very excited. Yuan-Chang was often used as a title for civil service workers and not just for principles of bible schools.

"You are not a good person, and you even come from Tsingtao. Yuan-Chang! You must be engaged the government business. How long have you been in China?"

"I was born here," Egron said.

"Born here! Then you must be working for Chiang Kia-shek."

"No, I am Yuan-Chang for a bible school."

"Bible school. What's that?"

"The Bible is a book that we teach. The Bible teaches us about the true God and we believe in Him. The Bible has been taught in China for much longer than you have been living. Even during the time of the emperors, during the revolution and even now the Bible is being taught." And with the audacity of which missionaries are sometimes known Egron continued, "Even if you Communists gain power in China it will be impossible to destroy the Bible in China. Even one of your great men, Chu-Ren-Lai, had declared freedom of religion in China."

The young soldier had never heard such things. His impression of this tall white man was changing.

"But why are you out in these times?"

"I was in Tsingtao when the war broke out, but my home is in Kiaohsien, and I want to go home," replied Egron.

"Then I must search your clothes and pockets and see what your are carrying with you," the guard said.

As he searched he pulled out what would be a lot of money out of Egron's pocket.

"Why do you have so much money with you?" enquired the soldier.

"I need money for my trip and when I get home my family needs some money."

Continuing his search the soldier came across some letters. Another conversation ensued about the letters and Egron had to translate them from English or Swedish, depending upon the letter, into Chinese.

Fairly satisfied that Egron was not a dangerous man the soldier then said, "Now you go to our headquarters, about ten miles from here and report there."

Considering headquarters was in the opposite direction then where he wanted to go and would mean he would not reach home that day, Egron argued with the soldier. The soldier gave in and said Egron could continue on to Kiaohsien.

"But," said the soldier, "I would suggest that you not carry all your money in one pocket. Bandits could get you and take your money. We Communists would never take your money, but if you meet bandits along the way, you don't know what they will do."

Egron thanked the young and honest soldier for his advice and continued walking relieved that everything had turned out OK for him. But the exchange with the soldier had exhausted Egron. When Egron met a man with a Chinese vehicle similar to a flat bedded wheelbarrow he paid the man for a ride a short distance. The wheelbarrow was built around a central bicycle wheel and could carry two passengers, one on each side of the wheel while the "driver" pushed from behind. But the wheelbarrow was more comfortable for most Chinese than for tall Westerners. With no other passenger the driver threw a large stone onto the wheelbarrow on the opposite side from Egron to balance the load. Long legged Egron rode this "taxi" as comfortably as he could until he could see the gates of Kiaohsien.

At the city gate Egron was subjected to another interrogation. While the guards were discussing what to do with him their chief ordered they Egron be arrested.

He was escorted by a soldier through the city gates and to headquarters. They sent him on to another authority and they passed him on to another. By evening they decided he could remain in the city.

Earlier in the day on Thursday, June 20, little Margareta said, "Mama, Daddy will come home today!" Gerda gently told her that they didn't dare to hope that it would happen.

The evening service at the church was almost over. One of the church members had just finished praying that God would bring Egron safely home. At the same he said "Amen," a whisper went through the congregation,

"The pastor has come! The pastor has come!"

Gerda rushed home with Margaret to meet her husband. Egron was dusty and sunburned, but not the worse for wear. With unmasked joy Margaret said, "I knew Daddy would come home today!" Soon the small room was filled with Chinese friends wanting to hear of Egron's experiences. They all ended the evening with a prayer thanking God for taking care of their pastor and for listening to the prayers of his people, and who leads his children during difficult times.

Continued Occupation

Days and weeks passed. The Communists tried to show that they belonged in Kiaohsien and were in power acting like high and powerful Chinese lords as in feudal times in China. Whether they meant to stay was difficult to say. The missionaries thought the opposite because nightly the Communists were taking out cart loads of items from the city.

The Communists appointed a new educational director for Kiaohsien. He was a nice man and sympathetic. He often came to the mission's schools, speaking to both students and teachers, explaining Communist school politics and how teaching should be done. He was listened to politely and afterwards invited to the teachers' room where friendly conversation continued. After the new director had his say, the teachers would tell him about Christianity, about God, Jesus and salvation from sin. When the director showed signs of leaving he was offered more tea. Conversation continued for hours.

The educational director was not the only person subject to this friendly but persistent treatment. Other Communists coming to the school or mission experienced the same thing. In fact wherever Communists had contact with Christians they were in danger of being "witnessed" to, told about God, and someday possibly being converted. These Communists must have thought Kiaohsien a strange place. After one such conversation the educational director commented, "Just think if even I should become a Christian!"50

Days and weeks passed. The Communist took people for their army. Many fled the city toward Tsingtao, especially those who had some money. The poor who could not easily afford to flee tried to hide. Virtually everyone wore the oldest clothes they had for fear of having their clothes and shoes stolen from them right on the streets by the Communists. One would have normally seen some well dressed people at the mission's meetings. Everyone came in worn out garments looking more like refugees.

The students too became anxious and left the city. At the gates one was stopped and questioned, and could be drafted into the army. Traveling the roads was not easy. The road to Tsingtao were badly damaged and the bridges destroyed or broken down. And the roads could be dangerous, but people were willing to chance it rather than be taken by the Communists. Once the people reaching Tsingtao they were not allowed to enter without having a bailsman.

Not only refugees traveled the roads. Some were people on errands for the Communists going to Tsingtao for goods, especially material. It was difficult that these people buying supplies for the Communists could get through customs in Tsingtao. It would have been obvious who they were buying for.

Seeing the students leave the city was difficult for the missionaries, Chinese mission staff and Chinese Christians. The people of the church prayed consistently for their safety. Soon they began receiving small notes from the students saying they had reached their destination safely, some relating stories of their journeys.

One day four girl students traveled together on two wheelbarrows. One of the girls was not a Christian. Her friends during the journey had read their Bibles aloud, sung and prayed, and told their friend about God. By the time they reaching Tsingtao after two days she too was a Christian. The men pushing the wheelbarrows also considered this new teaching and wondered if this was something for them too. These men asked for prayer for themselves. On the journey, they had to rest occasionally and spend one night between the cities. At these places too the girls spoke to the people about Jesus. The people at the place they stayed did not want them to continue because they wanted to hear more.

Another group of students traveled with a non-Christian woman and she too converted to this new religion along the way. Upon arriving in Tsingtao they shared with friends and relatives on how God had helped them.

The Christians in the church continued to pray for the students. They were "prayed through" enemy lines, so the people of the church thought.

"Our faith and belief was tested during these days, but we found that 'God is our stronghold, a cliff in the midst of storms,' a song that we sang over and over in our meetings."51

Meetings continued twice a day. The Christian life became more real. On Saturday, June 29, and on Sunday twenty people accepted Jesus and asked for baptism. In the middle of war and turmoil the Christian community was growing. Tung gave an inspirational sermon about salvation and baptism. Pastor Han did the baptizing. As those being baptized entered the church they sang, "Take My Life and Let it Be." Among those being baptized were students, a few refugees, and the Gih family, father, mother, two daughters, a niece of Mr. Gih, and a sister. The niece and sister had been Christians for many years, but because of Mr. Gih, had never been baptized. At one time the sister52 had been dressed in white ready to be baptized when her own husband came in and demanded she go home. As she left the church after being baptized she whispered to Gerda, "Pray for me! My husband has promised to come to church. Oh, that he might find salvation!"53

Many people had gathered to see the baptism, most of them being Christians. Communion was held.54 Outside in the city anxiety, fear and unrest held the hearts of the people. In the church was quiet meditation, peace and prayer.

Gerda in her memoirs quotes these lines, "On a sunny day there is no twinkling star, but during the night they sparkle in the sky . . . "55 She continues:

We are living in the middle of wonderful happenings. We have daily contact with hundreds of people, mostly young people, and we often see how they come to belief in God and his peace. We hear about answered prayers and about God's power and help among our Christians. We live in the midst of this, yet perhaps we don't always realize the grandeur of it all. When all is calm and peaceful, when all are 'sunny days' we sometime become blinded. The gray everyday life takes priority and we miss seeing the great things that are happening. The stars are always in the skies, but it has to become dark before we become aware of their light. We have . . . experienced a dark time, but thanks to God we have seen how the light shines in the darkness.56

On July 7 the Communists had been in Kiaohsien a month. It was also the ninth anniversary of the beginning of the Japanese-Chinese War.57 The Communists wanted to celebrate this double anniversary with Chinese theatre. However, they chose the mission school playground for the celebration. The missionaries could say nothing.

The Communists started building their stage, raised flagpoles and gates, and sent dressed-up young girls to gather people for the show. The Rinells and the other Chinese Christians were upset. A Communist celebration on mission property and on Sunday! On Saturday evening Principle Wang asked the young people to pray for rain on Sunday. Sunday morning came with clear skies and beautiful summer sunshine. Those who had prayed for rain look disappointed. After morning services in the church the skies were still clear. By 2:00 the sun still shone. The celebration was to start at 3:30. The Rinells' Chinese friends came to them. What were they to do? So many prayers had been answered during the last several weeks. Would God not answer this prayer? Within an hour thunder could be heard in the distance. Within minutes the clouds rolled in over Kiaohsien and the rain started gently at first and then soon in torrents of water. The people had not seen such a downpour in several years. The stage, the flagpoles and other preparations stood in water.

The Communists were furious. One soldier was heard saying, "Why should it rain just today? The weather was fine until our festivities were to start."

In the church service [that evening?] the congregations thanked God that another prayer had been answered.58

Liberation

Rumor circulated that Nationalist Chinese government troops had arrived in Tsingtao, and with them hope among the Christians that Kiaohsien would be liberated from the Communists. Never before had the people of the city longed to hear the sound of shooting.

The July rains arrived. It was feared that any Nationalist troops marching toward Kiaohsien would be slowed by the deep mud not to mention the fact that many roads had been destroyed along with the rails and all bridges.

On July 11 the sound of guns were heard near the city. The Nationalist army was trying to cross the Ta-Ko River, but the river was deep with the rains. The soldiers had to swim across, and their weapons were pushed across on canvas slings suspended over the water.59 No heavy cannon, cars or tanks could be brought across.

The Communists of course knew that the Nationalist troops would soon arrive. They began to leave the city on the 11th, and on the 12th of July many communist troops had left. In the afternoon the missionaries could hear the sound of cannon come closer and closer possibly firing from across the Ta-Ko.60 Planes began circling the city. Fearing bombs the missionaries raised the Swedish flag to help the pilots identify mission property.

Frightened townspeople came running into the mission compound.61 Most of these were people from the eastern part of the city because it was thought this would be where most fight would take place. The sound of rifle fire became more intense, especially at the easter gate of the city. The planes flying over the city were firing upon government troops.62

Word spread that Nationalist troops had entered the city. The missionaries ran to their gate. Nationalist soldiers were marching past. Now they were not afraid to open their gates. Nationalist Chinese flags were raised quickly from seemingly every gate of the city. People who had kept off the streets as much as possible or in hiding now came out on the doorsteps of their houses, standing under the arches and lintels of the gates and cheered as the soldiers marched by.

The missionaries had to go for a walk. Everywhere on the streets people were smiling. People greeted each other and asked how things had been for them during the last thirty-five days. None held their joy to themselves. The soldiers looked tired. People prepared tea and food and handed them to the soldiers on the streets, but many of the soldiers didn't accept the gifts. They did not dare drink tea, water or eat the food. In other cities they had experienced similar welcomes, but the food or drink had been poisoned.

Soon they heard how liberation had come to the city. The Nationalist troops came from Tsingtao in the east and arrived as expected at the Eastern gate. Here they were fired upon from Communists on top of the city wall. While the fight was going on some Nationalist soldiers went north to a small temple about a kilometer outside the city. They hid in the fields and sent one of their soldiers dressed in a Communist uniform to the north gate of the city to find out what was happening. At the gate, two soldiers were on duty.

"Soldier," said the Nationalist soldier in the Communist uniform, "where are our friends?"

"There are none here. They have all gone to the east gate to fight the government troops."

The Nationalist solider returned to his own troops and reported what he had learned. An officer returned with the soldier to the north gate. The officer asked, "Are you the only two Communist soldiers in this part of the city?" They said they were. The officer took out his pistol and shot them both. He motioned for his troops to enter the city. They marched to the eastern gate, cornered and killed the Communist soldiers and opened the gate to the Nationalist army.

Later many officers visited the missionaries. Many of them spoke English and had been educated in the United States. They were also dressed in American uniforms and carried American weapons. "You don't know how lucky you are in this city," one of the officers said. "We had prepared for a tremendous resistance by the Communists, and had 200 planes and 5000 bombs ready to use on Kiaohsien. These machines were ready to come from Tsingtao as soon as we would give our orders. Had the fighting lasted one more hour this city would have been destroyed."63 Gerda credited the continued existence of the city to the many prayers that had been said by people on its behalf.

Fighting against fellow Chinese was not easy for the Nationalists. One of the young officers said, "It was different fighting against the Japanese. Now we are fighting against our own people. It is difficult to kill you own brother. But we could not give up our land to the communists."64

[The town of Kaomi was also recaptured.]

Days Following

Though the city was liberated, communists, either soldiers in civilian clothes or civilians sympathetic with the communist cause, were taken captive within the city. The people of the city were so bitter against the Communists that when they were captured and being taken away they would come up to the Communists and hit them. Worse treatment was coming. Torture of Communist prisoners was common. Women who were captured went through cruel and ruthless treatment.

Though the Nationalist troops were greeted with joy by the people of the city they didn't know who to trust. In no other provinces had they found so many Communists. They were very cautious about visiting homes of people in the city afraid they would disappear.

The Nationalists not feeling secure, posted guards at all the gates and wrote down names of the inhabitants. They wanted to be able to tell who was a stranger in town. And it was necessary. Daily the Communists tried to get ammunition into the city. No doubt some of the city's residents were sympathetic to the Communist cause. An old woman carrying a basket on her arm and leaning on a cane wanted to come into the city. She stopped at the checkpoint at the city gate as all were required to do. The soldiers looked casually into her basket. The basket was filled with hand grenades under a layer of onions. Another day guards caught a little girl trying to smuggle hand grenades under some vegetables in her basket. At another time seventeen large horse drawn carts came up to the checkpoint of one of the city's entrances. The carts were carrying tea. Searching the carts the guards found rifles. One day a woman was walking out of the city gate. She was searched, but the guards found nothing. As she continued to walk one of the guards became suspicious and pulled down her hair. In her hair they found a piece of paper with a map showing where the military was located of the city. Sometimes Nationalist soldiers in uniform would come to the city gates. The soldiers too would be questioned. Several times these soldiers would not be able to answer questions about their commanders or their units. They were communists dressed in Nationalist uniforms trying to sneak into the city.

Besides infiltration of communists into the city or the smuggling of arms or ammunition into the city, the communists attacked the city several times, but were always driven back.

Upon liberating the city the Nationalists immediately began repair the city walls, and building fortresses and bunkers. Thousands of men worked on these projects. Outside the city walls moats were dug deeper and barbed wire stretched around the moats. A mine field was laid. For all this building the army needed material. The people gave stones, lumber and even doors. Many of Kiaohsien's temples were torn down and the bricks and lumber used on the defenses. The beautiful and artistic "honor gates" were among the artistic treasures to be torn down. Art, history, culture, and tradition were sacrificed to war.

The first group of Nationalist soldiers who occupied the city were a 'fine crowd' as Gerda describes them .65 After some time, however, they were transferred to Weihsien and replaced by the 'Communication Police' who were corrupt.

Before the Nationalist had regained control of Kiaohsien and Kaomi the Communists who controlled much of the countryside did whatever they could do to halt or slow down the Nationalist army advance. During that summer they destroyed sections of rail here and there and destroyed many or all of the bridges. When the Nationalist soldiers regained the cities the Nationalist started repairing the railway line from Tsingtao to Tsinan using American material. As long as repairs were underway there was many people on the line which provided security against the Communists. Right after Christmas the line was complete. The Communication Police were to protect the now repaired railway and initially were stationed at different locations along the railway line between Tsingtao and Weihsien. Eventually, however, instead of taking up quarters at the railway stations, they stayed in the towns and had a good time drinking, gambling, looking for girls,stealing, and left the railway line to the Communists. The situation was common knowledge. The townspeople were fed up with these Communication Police.

The Rinells were not immune to the corrupt Communication Police. They approached the mission station. Egron tried to keep them out of their house in Nankuan (the name of the house) by reasoning with them. They moved into their quarters anyway,66 went through boxes belonging to Hulda and stole some of her things.

Another Missionary

Another missionary, Sigurd Engberg, and his wife arrived in China after the war, possibly in 1945 or 1946. They first spent a year in language study in Peking, then he went down to Shantung. They never started work in the to the "mission field" because of all the political instability. Instead they worked among refugees in Tsingtao. They left China 1948. 59 Email from Lally Rinell to LJH, January 28, 2008.

Conditions in 1946

Though 1946 was a time of optimism about the mission and its growth, the year was also a time of fear and uncertainty. On August 19 Gerda writes of the present situation in Kiaohsien.

Our province is still filled with Communist soldiers. Our city has been transformed into a fortress with enemy camps to the north, east and south. The military situation is felt throughout the city. Since the gates of the city are guarded so carefully there is not enough food that comes in . . . .

Fuel is also a problem. Many Chinese can only cook one meal a day because of the lack of fuel. They burn dried sweet potato slices under their pots to get the sweet potatoes in the pots to cook.

The summer has been unusually rainy and this week we have had floods. Eight hundred houses fell yesterday and the earth walls just melt in the rain. About thirty people died and many were injured. In addition there is cholera in the city. There are daily deaths and because lumber is so expensive now, the poor cannot afford to buy coffins. Some bodies are buried wrapped in straw, and in some cases without anything. Kiaohsien had earlier been saved from serious inflictions, but this year we are experiencing one misfortune after another.

We ask ourselves what the outcome will be. The war continues . . . there still is no peace.

In the USA

Meanwhile in the USA Edith was hoping to get together for Christmas with her sister Margaret and brother-in-law Roy. [Don't know if this happened. We know of the possibility from a letter from Gerda to Edith, January 13, 1947.]

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1. See article written by Oscar on page 231 of collected articles.

2. Letter from Hedvig Rinell to Bernard Holmquist, 2/15/46.

3. Dollan notes this was probably morning prayer meeting.

4. Mom will be able to describe this.

5. Dollan "adopted" one of the baby girls, but she died. Mom thinks she wrote this story down already.

6. Mom, is "Nina" the right name?

7. "The Swedish Baptist Mission in China, The Standard, March 29, 1946, page 7, 10, ??. [See page 221 in collected articles]. Only part of this article is available in the collected articles. Wrote Wheaton College Library for entire article.

8. Receipt for $50 signed by Sten F. Lindberg on April 7, 1946. This was receipt #1 as noted in the upper right hand corner.

9. Len, find out when Chinese new year occurred in 1946.

10. Presumably this was earlier in the year and not the previous year.

11. Not sure if the city was isolated physically or if it was simply that communication was cut off (see page 37 in Gerda Rinell's,The Light Shines in the Darkness), and so it would be difficult contacting someone.

12. Dr. Culpepper had been doing the same work as Sten Lindberg.

13. Rinell, Gerda.The Light Shines in the Darkness , page 38.

14. Rinell, Gerda.The Light Shines in the Darkness , page 38.

15. Rinell, Gerda.The Light Shines in the Darkness , pages 38-39.

16. Hedvig had tripped over the dog.

17. What is a "crown prince?"

18. On Pentecost morning. Check on what day and date this was Len.

19. Len, seems to me that this happened also in biblical and perhaps ancient Greek history. Check it out.

20. Len, Mom never knew that cannon balls hit Nankuan. Check Gerda's memoirs again.

21. Rinell, Gerda. Memoirs, page 42.

22. We don't know what day this teacher actually joined Gerda. See Gerda's memoirs, page 54.

23. Rinell, Gerda.The Light Shines in the Darkness , page 54.

24. I'm assuming that this raid was carried out by the Nationalists since they were in control of Tsingtao at the time.

25. An article was written by Oscar about the Pastor.

26. I'm a little confused here. Was Pastor Kung's brother a Nationalist soldier or was he just living in one of the cities that the Nationalists entered?

27. Pastor Kung's hobby was to raise spider mum's of the most beautiful colors and varieties. On Christmas morning he would also wake everybody up playing silent night on his trumpet. Mom, do you remember the last year you remember him doing this? Also, did he play the trumpet from his outside his own house or what?

28. Dollan found out about this in Sweden where she was attending nurses training.

29. Discrepancy here because earlier Gerda said the house had been destroyed. This property consisted of one home and one chicken coup.

30. Len, find out who "they" were. Without Egron around, who else was at the mission compound? Mom says this was probably Esther Wahlin.

31. Mom, please describe this gate for me.

32. Rinell, Gerda.The Light Shines in the Darkness , page 45.

33. The "ancient" is my assumption. Len.

34. Oscar and family may have been in Sweden at this time in which case this section needs to go into another chapter.

35. I take it that the rail lines destroyed would have been some of the same rail lines that Oscar's parents escaped along being pulled by an ox during the Boxer Uprising?

36. Would 1946 have been about the right year when they cut down the tree or would it have been later? Mom thinks it was done later when you were all in Sweden. Destruction of the rail might have been mentioned in chapter 1945. Check it out.

37. If the trees by the temple were still standing at this time, they were probably taken down at this time too.

38. Oscar and family may have been in Sweden at this time in which case this section needs to go into another chapter.

39. Mom: I'm putting this story of the Communist soldiers coming to your home in 1946. This this about the correct year or should it be later?

40. Description: very square face, stand-up crew cut, very nice, very talented, but no education.

41. This carpenter had built the small model of the holy temple.

42. Oscar told him about God and he accepted the Lord while Hellen and Dollan were praying the the other room.

43. Later, Oscar was not in Kiaohsien when the Communists were there. He was visiting Hellen in the hospital.

44. Erik played the guitar beautifully.

45. Mom thinks that Thora stayed out her term in China. She raised her little boy who was later also killed. Len, get address of Thora and write her.

46. When did the church get its organ and where did it come from? Dollan says that it may have been around since the old church because she remembers it as always having been there.

47. Mom, was this the window of the church you think?

48. The organist was Mrs. Chi, a Bible woman and teacher. Len may have met her daughters in China.

49. What is UNNRA?

50. Rinell, Gerda.The Light Shines in the Darkness , page 50.

51. Rinell, Gerda.The Light Shines in the Darkness , page 51.

52. This is an assumption. Could have been the niece.

53. Rinell, Gerda.The Light Shines in the Darkness , page 52.

54. Mom, what was used for wine?

55. Mom, are these lines to a Swedish hymn?

56. Rinell, Gerda.The Light Shines in the Darkness , page 47-48.

57. or Japan-China war?

58. Rinell, Gerda.The Light Shines in the Darkness , page 55.

59. Rinell, Gerda.The Light Shines in the Darkness , page 56.

60. Len, check to see if this would be possible - depending upon the distance of the river from the city.

61. Oscar says that the years 1946-50 was a time of refugee work in Tsingtao.

62. Gerda here says they were firing with rifles. I wonder if this is what she really meant. Len.

63. Rinell, Gerda.The Light Shines in the Darkness , page 58.

64. Rinell, Gerda.The Light Shines in the Darkness , page 58.

65. Letter from Gerda Rinell to Edith Rinell, September 23, 1947, page 1.

66. Unclear as to whether they actually moved in and stayed or just came in briefly and stole. See page 1 of letter noted above.

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Thank you, Lennart Holmquist

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NOTES

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Foreign Devils A Swedish Family in China 1894 to 1951
© 2011 Lennart Holmquist
Lorum • Ipsum • Dolor • Sic Amet • Consectetur

Updated: 02-Jan-2011

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