Follow the Light

LIFE LESSONS

At 16 years old, Russell Glazier, confined to a bed due to an illness, completed a correspondence course from the Moody Bible Institute. During that time of study, he decided to become a missionary in China. Russell did just that, serving the Lord in an opium drug-affected region of Nanking in Northern China early in World War II. Russell met Dorothea Luton soon after arriving. They became friends, were married and had four children all born in China while they both served as missionaries there. One of their children, Grace Bryer, is a member of College Church. Grace is a 1958 graduate of Wheaton College. This is a story about Grace and the Glazier family as missionaries in China.

THE MISSIONARY BEGINNING

Five weeks after graduating from Moody, Russell was on a train leaving Chicago and beginning his journey to serve in northern China. Arriving in an area affected by opium and heroin, he witnessed the suffering from drug use. He knew then his ‘mission’ was to help the addicts know the hope of salvation in Jesus Christ. Soon, he became an administrator of a “hospital” bringing addicts to Jesus and curing them of their addictions.

While in China, Russell married Dorothea, a missionary he met in Shanghai. Dorothea had graduated from the Toronto Bible Institute and was also in China as a missionary. Eventually the Glazier family increased by four children. Their first child was Edward, followed by Eleanor, Gracie, and then Lois.

The children were, at times, separated from each other during Russell and Dorothea’s missionary work. This separation was due to the limited number of Christian English schools. In addition to his role as local missionary administrator of Nanking Hospital, Russell traveled in his teaching and evangelistic work.

Gracie was the Glaziers' third child and lived in China during her first five and a half years of life. For part of that time, she and her older siblings, Edward and Eleanor, were separated when they went off to the Chefoo school in a more northern region of China. She and her younger sister, Lois, were at home the time her dad was the administrator of the hospital. As a missionary family, at the time of war, life was a challenge for the Glazier family.

THE HOSPITAL

As a mother, daily life for Dorothea became especially challenging. For example, the distance separating the addicts’ residence and the Glazier family home was only a small lawn. Russell, Dorothea and the two girls, ages three and one, were near to recovering addicts, who were a generally rough group. The proximity of family and addicts required a strong faith, especially by their mother, Dorothea.

Dorothea, dedicated to her husband, her children and to the Lord’s will, prayed constantly. One prayer was for added security measures. Money for security needs would certainly help. Not long after one prayer period, a letter from the States arrived. They opened it, and it contained a money order for $70 from an unknown donor. That was a significant amount of money at the time, especially in American dollars.

There was no doubt in Dorothea’s and Russell’s minds that this money was an answer to their urgent prayers. God had provided for their need, as he did so often when the family was in China.

In the addicts’ hospital, the only medicine was prayer, Scripture and faith to help bring the addicts off their drug dependence. Following an action plan, learned from precious experience, became critical. With the guidance of the Holy Spirit, when an addict committed to save him or herself, he or she walked to the bath house where the person received a clean up and fresh clothes. A friend or missionary assistant stayed with them during the drug withdrawal.

It was a cold turkey process. The pattern repeated in nearly all patients, was a deep physical distress during withdrawal. Someone stayed with him or her and prayed and read Scriptures. Usually, the Scriptures centered on a story of the Lord's redemptive powers when he was on earth. Many times, the addicts became free from the drug curse and began their faith in Jesus. There was great rejoicing of God’s miraculous curing of the patients’ addiction.

Grace retells a story about a wealthy and educated lady in her 60s. She had been a long-term addict. When she arrived at the hospital, she was frail and sad. She committed to stopping her drug habit. The hospital staff, with the Holy Spirit, helped her recover. She became a believer in Jesus and his redemptive power.

This lady owned a hotel. After her recovery, she closed and cleaned it, and then prayed for it to again be a useful building. Within a short period, Russell received word that a Christian seminary in another region had lost its building. They had no place to continue the school. Russell introduced the school officials to the lady. She sold the hotel to the Christian seminary group for $1. The seminary reopened at the new location, and the woman, a former drug addict now new creation, became filled with joy.

As a Christian hospital, one of the traditional customs was the annual Christmas candle celebration. The hospital staff carried candles and sang Christmas songs and then held a service in the chapel. During a time of war with the considerable tensions, few thought that the Christmas celebration was going to take place.

With dim hopes as time grew near, there was a sense of depression throughout the hospital. Russell asked permission from the local army officer in charge for the celebration to go on. To everyone’s surprise, the hospital gained approval to have the candle ceremony.

Though small children were not normally allowed at such auspicious, solemn affairs, Grace was there. She clearly remembers the celebration to this day, even though she was only five and a half years old at the time. The addicts in hospital beds circled around a small Christmas tree in the middle of the room. Doctors, nurses and staff were behind the beds holding lighted candles. Everyone sang the carol “Silent Night.”

Silent night, holy night

All is calm, all is bright

'Round yon virgin Mother and Child

Holy infant so tender and mild

Sleep in heavenly peace

Sleep in heavenly peace

Silent night, holy night!

Shepherds quake at the sight!

Glories stream from heaven afar;

Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!

Christ the Savior is born!

Christ the Savior is born!

Christ the Savior is born!

Silent night, holy night

Son of God, oh, love's pure light

Radiant beams from Thy holy face

With the dawn of redeeming grace

Jesus, Lord at Thy birth

Jesus, Lord at Thy birth

Jesus, Lord at Thy birth

After the Christmas celebration, patients and staff exchanged gifts. Young Gracie received one treasured gift. It was a wide, silk, chocolate brown ribbon. She remembers her mom arranging her curly blond hair with that ribbon. She also remembers how few possessions her missionary family had.

Even without many material belongings, her mom always tried to have a “pretty place,” Grace recalls, where items were tastefully and artfully arranged.

REPATRIATION

After that Christmas celebration, the harsh realities of the war were prevalent. The Pearl Harbor attack occurred. Repatriation of foreigners in China was beginning. Two of the Glazier children were still in the northern region Chefoo Christian School. Local negotiations began by the authorities to complete final repatriation arrangements.

In the meantime, the Glazier family gathered a few personal possessions. Huge army trucks drove up to the hospital entrance in Nanking to pick up the foreigners. Sometimes, parents and children became separated from each other.

That happened when Russell lost track of Gracie's hand while waiting in a crowd of missionaries and foreigners who were in a visa line. Fortunately, Gracie slipped away from the crowds and wandered into a general's office! Seeing her lost, he kindly took her hand, led her back to her father, and their passes were graciously submitted. How providential!

The American prisoners, loaded into the vehicles, said tearful goodbyes with their hospital Chinese friends. The truck convoy traveled to a railroad station in Shanghai, and the prisoners were placed in a temporary retention camp. Americans were arriving from different locations. Men, boys, women and girls were separated into groups. The conditions were often cold and rainy with constant mosquitos buzzing and biting. Families could not meet to pray or read scripture.

Russell went to the local authorities requesting that his two children in north China travel to join him at the camp. The response by the man in charge was a grunt and a dismissal of Russell from the room.

Then, a list of children’s names emerged in the camp. This list would have the names of those to be sent to the Shanghai camp. Edward and Eleanor names were not on the list. That night, Russell and Dorothea prayed fervently for God’s divine intervention. “Please God, may our children be included in that group of travelers.”

Again, Russell asked the authorities about his children. Again, the answer was the same. This time, the grunt and dismissal were given with a sarcastic grin.

Later that week, a group of children arrived from the coast. Russell and Dorothea waited and watched anxiously. To their great joy, Edward and Eleanor were in the group! Evidently, a special message sent by the authorities to the Chefoo School allowed them to come. This was unusual. The occupiers were not known for fulfilling special requests.

Prayers answered! The missionaries knew, without a doubt, it was God who had intervened! The Glazier family became reunited and eventually were placed on the SS Gripsholm, a large ship used to transfer repatriates to America. They eventually arrived back in the States.

Russell’s words from a book he wrote: “This was a great strengthening to their faith, especially the faith of the children. We had many such answers to prayer during their childhood. It is a small wonder that two of them became missionaries in foreign lands and the other two were dedicated Christians serving the Lord in the Homeland in the places where God had placed them.”

(From the book, Anyone, Anywhere, Anytime by Russell and Dorothea Glazier, 1979)

GRACE

In this country and in her life, Grace has six children of her own and has lived, in addition to China, in Oregon, California and now Illinois. Grace met her husband while attending Wheaton College. Before retiring as a teacher, she spent many years in various roles last teaching Special Education.

Grace often welcomes into her home visitors from many parts of the world. She now lives in an area with multicultural families and invites her neighbors, especially the children, into her home for food, visiting and sharing the Lord with them.

Grace has a simple and powerful prayer for all people during this Christmas season: “Follow the Light” of Jesus.

About the Author | John Melby

John Melby is a member of College Church and enjoys the Men’s Bible Study. He volunteers for the facilities team and is an usher. John is retired from AT&T and Motorola and currently owns a home remodeling and repair business.