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by COLONEL HENRY GARIEPY –
Good Morning China – The Chronicle of The Salvation Army in China 1916–2000, written by the Western Territory’s Lt. Colonel Check Hung Yee, is destined to take a prominent place among the historic works of the movement. Yee, in his preface, expresses his aspiration for the book, “The legacy of the past can enhance and enrich our future. So come with me, back to the past. Then ‘Pass the flame!’”
In his ten trips to China since 1980 Yee has been amassing data, documents and testimonies from those who were Salvationists in China—recording the early years of flourishing growth, then the years of persecution and suffering, and now hope. He writes of the Army pioneers, “Tortured in body and spirit, they remained faithful.” Salvationist readers will echo his sentiment, “Their stories make me proud to be a Salvationist.” Although impeccably documented with historic data, the book is primarily about people, who by love compelled and heroic service, became “new Acts of the Modern Day Apostles.”
Yee shares that he was challenged by the need for the present and future generations of Salvationists, for the public and our friends in China, to know of the Army’s more than a century of compassion for his native China. His response in this volume contains stories never before told, and records one of the most stirring sagas in Salvation Army history.
Western Territory Salvationists well know Check Yee’s brilliant record of service—35 years as corps officer of the San Francisco Chinatown Corps (1959-1994), which under his leadership became one of the most celebrated corps in the Army world. During that period he enrolled nearly 700 soldiers, officiated at 500 marriage ceremonies, hosted a weekly television program, designed and had built a state-of-the-art corps facility, and raised almost one million dollars for relief projects in China. His service was recognized in 1997 with the Army’s highest honor, Order of the Founder.
With an attractive cover design by Karen Yee Lim, numerous photos including a color section, and a reader-friendly format, we are transported to the enchanting land of China, meeting the dauntless early pioneers who proclaimed the Gospel and planted the Army amid daring adventures and unrelieved challenges.
The book concludes with Major Keilah (Yee) Toy’s eloquent epilogue, A Daughter’s Reflection. She writes, “As you step back in time and experience God’s transforming work in this generation of brave soldiers, may your heart also leap and be fanned to flame with the bond of love for China’s 1.3 billion souls.”
Copies can be ordered from Resource Connection (1-800-937-8896); the price is $10.00.
