LIFE ON THE ALTAR

This article is taken from Issue 1, Called to Surrender the Will

“Lord, I give up my own purposes and plans, all my own desires,
hopes and ambitions, and accept Thy will for my life. 
I give myself, my life, my all, utterly to Thee,
to be Thine forever.  …Fill me and seal me with Thy Holy Spirit. 
Work out Thy whole will in my life, at any cost, now and forever.” 

‘To me to live is Christ and to die is gain’ 
(Phil. 1:21)

The above prayer was found written in a bible taken as loot by the Red Army when they attacked a small mission house in Eastern China, 1934. The Bible belonged to a young woman who had grasped the meaning of a life hidden in Christ, and who recognised that this was the only real life to live.

That woman was Betty Scott Stam, born in 1906 into a missionary hearted family from Michigan, America, who responded to the call to bring the gospel to China when Betty was just six months old.

For seventeen years young Betty was nurtured in an evangelistic environment in Shandong, and developed a lasting love for the Chinese people, millions of whom were still to hear the name of Jesus.

By The Lord’s design, she returned to America to complete her education, and it was here that her heart was settled to commit her life to the plan of God, whatever that entailed, knowing that Christ is all and in all.

In 1925, Betty attended the Keswick convention held in New Jersey. She had just a year of school to complete, and upon hearing D. L. Moody preach she responded to the call to be amongst the 200 to be trained at Moody’s Chicago Bible Institute ready to reach the unreached through the China Inland Mission. She was delighted.

A young man by the name of John Stam had also enrolled at the Moody Institute to prepare for work in China, and it was not long before their paths crossed at a prayer meeting. Over time their friendship deepened, and their love and commitment for living for Christ was their most precious bond.

The CIM was in it’s 60th year and, unlike any other missionary organisation at the time, it was based wholly on prayer and faith. Missionaries were chosen for their spiritual qualities rather than social status, education, wealth and sex.

Pioneered by Hudson Taylor, it was a movement breathed by The Holy Spirit, led and empowered by Him, directed and provided for by Him. The workers were to go in the power of Christ to be witnesses unto Him.

The training and preparation at the Bible school was long, and it was in November 1931, at the age of 25, when Betty returned to China, sailing alone to Shanghai. John still had a year to complete in his studies, so with their lives entrusted to God they parted with hopes of being reunited on the mission field. And indeed they were, rather unexpectedly too!

Betty was assigned to a particular mission station but had to journey to Shanghai for medical treatment after coming down with tonsillitis. Unplanned by either of them, she was resting at the CIM headquarters at Shanghai when John arrived there from America. They had a blissful surprise reunion and rejoiced at God’s perfect timing and planning. This encouraged their hearts no end as they saw the hand of God leading their steps and ordering the events in their lives.

Betty had already completed her six months language studies and was active in an established mission station, and John was now to begin his language studies. As it was a requirement at the time for CIM missionaries to wait a year after arrival in China before marrying, they became formally engaged, joyfully anticipating a life of serving The Lord together. They parted yet again, trusting God Who is able to fulfil His plans, wanting nothing but God’s will for their lives.

This quiet confidence in the sovereignty of God was to be essential as the events of the months ahead unfolded.

They married in October 1932, and made the ideal missionary couple, with singleness of heart and mind to love God and live unto Him. Excelling in all they did both academically and practically, they sought and took all opportunity to reach and teach those around them.

Betty soon became pregnant and in November 1933 she gave birth to a little girl who they named Helen Priscilla. During their first year of marriage they had been involved in a few small assignments, gaining confidence in the language, and now they were tasked with overseeing a small isolated mission house in Jingde while the usual residing couple were away on furlough.

At that time, China was in a state of civil war. A Communist party had formed several years previously, calling themselves the “The Chinese Workers and Peasants Army,” later becoming known as the Red Army. They became experts at guerrilla warfare and very quickly grew in number. Missionaries were often targeted, and Betty had encountered them at different times during her short time there.

On being assured that their new mission post was safe with risks of attacks being extremely low, the Stams made the long journey to Jingde in the southern Anhui Province, with two month old Helen. It took several weeks of travel to reach the mountainous village, preaching along the way in places they passed through, and the small family on arrival were warmly welcomed by the locals and the magistrates.

They had been in their new home for just two weeks when rumours were heard regarding the approach of the Red Army in the area. On December the 6th, at 8am the local magistrate confirmed the rumours, and at 9.30am a second message was given to the Stams warning that soldiers were a mere four miles away. People were fleeing their homes for safety elsewhere, but the Stams knew that with time so short and a new-born in hand, their refuge was as always in God alone. With the sound of gunshots and chaos filling the streets, they knelt in prayer, trusting the plan of God regardless of how things appeared.

When soldiers burst into their home, John and Betty with the Spirit of Christ served them drinks and food while they plundered anything they could.

The village magistrates had fled, and the Red Army were going through the streets seizing whomever they considered a threat to their cause; John and Betty were to be chief among them. Along with baby Helen, they were taken to the local prison where they were to spend that night.

Hoping to make some money from the capture of the young missionaries, John was ordered to write an appeal for ransom. The following letter was sent to the CIM Headquarters in Shanghai.

To our dear brothers in Shanghai:

Today at Jingde, my wife, child, and I fell into the hands of the Communists. They demand a ransom of twenty thousand dollars for our release.

They have already taken all our possession, but our hearts are at peace, and we are thankful to the Lord for the small meal we were given tonight. May God grant you wisdom to know how to handle this, and may He grant us courage and peace. Nothing is impossible to Him; even at this time, He is our marvellous Friend.

Things happened all too quickly this morning. Many rumours in the past days have become reality at last. Nevertheless, the Red Army took the city in only two or three hours. There was really no time to prepare; it was already too late.

May God bless and lead you. As for us, whether by life or by death, may God be glorified.

Yours in the Lord, John Stam

December 6, 1934. Jingde, Anhui

John, knowing that the ransom would not be paid, was however glad of the opportunity to write what he perhaps thought to be his last note.

They were both prepared for death. Before they had been taken from their home, not knowing what would happen to any of them, Betty had slipped a few folded notes of small cash into Helen’s sleeping bundle that she was wrapped in. If they were to be separated, there was some provision made for Helen’s needs.

After a night at the village prison, the Red Army marched their  large number of captives to the small town of Miaoshou, some twelve miles away. Betty was particularly weak and was permitted to journey on a horse while John walked.

By the hand of God, on arrival the young family were held at the Post Office for a short time. They had previously preached in this town and had made the acquaintance of the Post Master, who on seeing their situation quickly handed them some fruit, and a pen and some paper on which they could write a message which he would pass on. A second and last note was written and sent to CIM Headquarters.

They spent that night under guard in the abandoned home of a wealthy man. John was tied to the bed post by which he stood the whole night, while Betty was free to care for their baby.

Early the next day, December 8th, John and Betty were stripped of their outer clothing, their hands tied behind their backs, and they were paraded through the town by jeering soldiers, leaving young Helen behind.

Frightened local people were forced to line the streets to watch as the devoted couple were led outside the town to Eagle Hill. Amongst the crowd was a Chinese Christian who stepped forward to plead with the soldiers to spare John and Betty. He was made join them despite Johns protests to release him.

The crowd gathered around as they reached the summit, where the three believers in the Maker and Giver of Life were executed. John and Betty remained side by side as each knelt and were beheaded, reunited in an instant in the presence of God.

Such was the timing of God, that before these events had taken place, John had invited Mr Lo, a Chinese believer, to join him in Jingde for evangelistic work. Mr Lo and his family were due to arrive on the 7th and would pass through Miaoshou on his way to the Stams home. The Lo family were already in Miashou when the Red Army arrived with a surprise attack. They had fled to nearby mountains to hide, unaware of what had happened to John and Betty.

The Red Army left the town shortly after, and those in hiding emerged back into the streets. Mr Lo heard that two foreigners had been executed and slowly put two and two together. What about baby Helen? He went through the town trying to get information about her whereabouts and he was led to the trashed house where she was found as she was left, lying on the bed wrapped in her winter bundle, apparently non the worse for being left alone for many hours.

The Lo’s took her into their care, with the hidden money enabling them to buy her milk powder.

The bodies of John and Betty still remained where they had fell. There were high fears that the soldiers could return, so coffins were quickly sought by Mr Lo, and the bodies prepared for burial. Locals gathered as John and Betty were laid in their coffins, and Mr Lo took opportunity to speak to them, saying this;

“You have witnessed what took place here today, and feel pity for what has happened to our friends. You should know, however, that they are children of God, and their souls are already at rest in the bosom of their heavenly Father.

It was for you that they came to China and to Miaoshou, in order to tell you about God’s great love and the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, so that you might believe in Jesus and gain eternal life.

You have already heard the message they preached, and have seen their sacrifice, which is certain evidence [of their love]. Do not forget what they said: that you must repent and believe the Gospel!”

The coffins lay hidden in the long grass before being taken by protected government trucks to Wuhu. The news of the deaths of John and Betty was such a shock, their memorial service was well attended by Chinese and foreigners, with representatives from the government and the American consul before they were buried on January 2nd in the cemetery for foreigners in Wuhu.

John and Betty were the 73rd and 74th from the China Inland Mission to die for bringing the name of Jesus to those living in darkness.

Mr and Mrs Lo carried Helen and their own young son in baskets on shoulder poles on a week long trek to Wuhu, where they handed her and John’s last letter over to the superintendent of the CIM, who saw that she was given to Betty’s parents who  were serving in Jinan, Shandong, by who she was then to be raised.

When Betty’s parents received the telegram from CIM to say that their daughter had been captured, they sent this note to John’s parents who were living in America.

“If it is God’s will for them to remain alive on this earth, please pray earnestly for their release…… John and Betty love the Lord Jesus; they cherish in their souls a love for others and a heart to lead others to Christ; they are radiant with zeal to use every moment to preach the Gospel; they are filled with a heavenly hope. Therefore, if they are to endure brutal torture or suffer any other harm, they will absolutely not deny the Lord; they are elite soldiers of Christ.”

When the news then came that their son had been martyred, Mr Scott replied with these words.

“They most certainly did not die in vain. ‘The blood of the martyrs’ is still ‘the seed of the church.’ Because of their consecration to the Lord, it seems that I have heard the voice of our beloved child even now praising the Lord in the presence of our heavenly Father, that they had been counted worthy to suffer for the sake of his name.”

“Though it seems like a great sacrifice, it still does not compare with the grace bestowed upon us by the God’s gift of His own son for us. We firmly believe the words of Romans 8:28, ‘We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are the called according to his purpose.’ ……What could compare with this glory? Our beloved children, John and Betty have already gone to be with the Lord. They loved Him, served Him, and now they are finally with him!”

Taken from Life on the Altar Publications
Issue 1 Summer 2021