Welcome to Ulster Worldly, a blog about the history of Presbyterianism. Many of these stories come from my own family, many others come from my own denomination.
My great-grandfather Hopper, writing about his mother’s reaction to his only sister’s decision to join him as a Presbyterian missionary in Korea in 1922.
That mother through the years had endured and won in the Christian race, who had a supreme desire and joy in having her children to bear the message glorious, wrote me these words about her daughter’s decision: ‘It is great to have another one of my dear ones called into the Master’s service.’
Mothers with a triumphant faith like this are constantly needed that Christian witnessing may be continued ‘both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.’
Margaret Hopper served in Mokpo, Korea from 1922-1940 and 1948-57.
I’m reading a history of the Southern Presbyterian mission to Korea (of which my Hopper grandparents and great-grandparents were a part) that my great uncle wrote. He shared a sequence of journal entries written by a young, single missionary:
Nov 11, 1896 – One has no opportunity to know a single lady here if one is single without provoking gossip.
Dec 14, 1896 – I offered to stay with Miss Davis and Mrs. Drew while Mr. Drew and Mr. Junkin go to Seoul and my offer was accepted.
Feb 22, 1897 – Miss Davis is discreet!! Good! … Miss Davis does not say much, but doubtless thinks a lot!!
Aug 30, 1897 – Stopped by Drews to return Miss Davis’s shoes and came nearer to delivering my ultimatum.
Oct 1, 1897 – Visited Miss Davis and again “played the coward.”
Oct 30, 1897 – Bell, Tate and I dined with Miss Davis … good cook.
Nov 2, 1897 – While the other were going up the hill for goose and duck hunting, I went after fairer game. For once I played the man. I made the heartiest speech of my life, and thank God, captivated my audience. Miss Davis (now Linnie Dear) said I said as I was about to go without an answer, ‘I love you’ …. For appearances sake, I hurried up the hill after seeing Miss Davis and shot three ducks, sent her one.
J. Hershey Longenecker, born May 23, 1889, was a Southern Presbyterian missionary in the town of Luebo in what is now called the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1917 to 1950. Sometime after his retirement, he was interviewed about his time in Africa. In the interview, he discusses a whole variety of matters, including Witch Doctors, Crocodiles, Hippopotamuses, Cannibals, Missionary Life, Handwriting, and Albert Schweitzer.
Note: The audio quality is bad at first, but it gets better as the video progresses.
Rev. Longenecker’s memoir, discussed in the interview, is available online.
