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Pioneering in - Far Eastern Bible College

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was no exception made for us preachers. Our books came underspecial scrut<strong>in</strong>y. The body was exam<strong>in</strong>ed from head to foot. (It issaid that those enter<strong>in</strong>g S<strong>in</strong>gapore were shipped en masse first toSt. John’s Island where everybody were stripped for medicalexam<strong>in</strong>ation. (Even their luggage had to undergo fumigation). Thespecial marks on the head and face, the weight and height of thebody, were recorded. Moveover everyone’s f<strong>in</strong>gerpr<strong>in</strong>ts weretaken. All these made news of the world, but were they not to theshame and <strong>in</strong>sult of the Ch<strong>in</strong>ese?Thanks be to God, although no exceptions were made form<strong>in</strong>isters of the gospel, I obta<strong>in</strong>ed many conveniences. Thereasons were, first, I carried with me Church testimonials, andsecond, I found help from certa<strong>in</strong> personnel. However, one couldnot totally escape from all these encumbrances. This was due tomy hav<strong>in</strong>g several big boxes of books which <strong>in</strong>volved me severaldays with the Dutch censorship. For, the Dutch were mostsuspicious of the literati amongst Ch<strong>in</strong>ese immigrants, and booksgave me the greatest headache.The first time we left Ch<strong>in</strong>a, we stepped on Makasar soilwhich the Ch<strong>in</strong>ese called “T<strong>in</strong> River.” Makasar, now called UjungPandang, is a big port on the southern tip of Celebes Island(Sulawesi) and <strong>in</strong> Dutch times the prov<strong>in</strong>cial capital of the Island.It occupies a central position <strong>in</strong> the Indonesian Archipelago andthus an important centre politically and commercially. It forms atripod with Surabaja on Java Island, and Banjermas<strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong> Borneo.So, it has attracted a lot of Ch<strong>in</strong>ese to live here. Flourish<strong>in</strong>gshophouses were all established by the Ch<strong>in</strong>ese and the streetswere flanked by Ch<strong>in</strong>ese signboards. Were it not for three or fivenatives <strong>in</strong> sarong saunter<strong>in</strong>g along the road, one would havethought this was Ch<strong>in</strong>a.Although the overseas Ch<strong>in</strong>ese were so many there was not as<strong>in</strong>gle proper Church. Except for a few dark and gloomy Ch<strong>in</strong>esetemples that served to tell your fortunes, there wasn’t any74

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