11. Lisuland
Chapter 11
Lisuland
It will take us ten days to get there. We can spend a month with Leila spying out the land, and then it will be a ten-day journey back,” John told Belle.
“I can hardly wait,” Belle replied. “This trip has been in my heart for ten years!”
John nodded knowingly.
Belle knew that John also was looking forward to being with the Lisu people, though over the years he had not felt the same single focus toward them as she had.
The only difficult issue in the whole plan for Belle was the thought of leaving three-year-old Kathryn behind with two women missionaries. Belle knew that her daughter would be well taken care of and that it would not be wise to take Kathryn with them until they understood just how difficult living with the Lisu people would be.
Finally, in early March 1934, Belle and John said good-bye to their daughter and set off on the trip with several local Christians. It was springtime, and the abundance of wild purple and red rhododendrons delighted Belle. What a contrast these bright flowers were to the filthy, airless inns that they stayed in each night. As usual, the food was a trial to Belle, and two days into the journey she became weak with dysentery, but she refused to stop traveling. “I am just as likely to get well on the back of Jasper the mule,” she insisted, “as I am staying in one of these inns.” She prayed for the concentration necessary to hold onto the reins and balance on the mule’s back. Up and down steep slopes they went, with John cheerfully consulting a crude map of the area and yelling out the heights of the mountains they scaled. “Eight thousand feet, Belle. Magnificent, isn’t it?” and “Twelve thousand feet up. Imagine it, Belle, we’re on the roof of the world!”
Belle tried to get into the spirit of traveling, though it was obvious to her that John was a natural mountain climber and she was not.
Eight days and many switchback trails later, Belle and John descended into the Salween River Valley and came to a tiny market town named Luku, which means “six treasures.” Luku was nestled alongside the Salween River and was the gateway to the land of the Lisu. The mountains beyond the town, which included much of the territory of the Lisu, were steeped in feudalism. Three warlords lived in Luku and controlled the surrounding countryside. Those who lived in the territory were obliged to offer allegiance to the warlords and pay them taxes.
That night, one of the warlords invited Belle and John to eat with him at his Yamen, or official home. He took delight showing the two missionaries through his castle-like home, pointing out stashes of weapons and various fortifications. As they ate together, the warlord told Belle and John about the land he controlled and the people who lived there. He talked about the money he made from salt mines located deep in the Salween River Valley and from a tax on the crops the people grew. Among those crops was opium. When it came to describing the Lisu people, he said, “Ah, the Lisu, they are like animals. High up there on the mountains, they are only good for farming and for paying taxes. We call them the ‘Monkey People.’”
Animals! Monkey People! The warlord’s characterization of the Lisu shocked Belle. To her the Lisu were like lost sheep, in desperate need of hearing the gospel message of hope, love, and forgiveness.
Later that night John took Belle for a walk alongside the river. When they came to a small rise, they stood and looked out across the Salween River. Belle could make out the silhouette of mountains rising like black towers from the water’s edge and disappearing into the sky.
“See those specks of light high on the mountains over there?” John said.
“Yes,” Belle replied, her eyes squinting into the darkness.
“Those are Lisu fires—Lisu villages. You are now in Lisuland.”
A chill ran down Belle’s spine as the realization washed over her. After so many years, she was now standing on the edge of Lisu territory.
Early the next morning Belle and John set off in search of their first Lisu village. The mountains of Lisuland were even steeper than those they had already crossed to reach the Salween River Valley. As they reached the top of the first mountain, Belle could see for miles. The scene that stretched out before her from the top of the mountain reminded her of folds of blue and brown velvet pinched together until the folds were parallel to each other. Each pine-covered ridge of mountains rose almost straight up. And in the valleys at the bottom of each fold flowed an icy cold river that ran all the way from the Tibetan highlands. Sometimes it seemed to Belle that she could reach out and almost touch the tops of the next row of mountains. It also almost looked possible to string a long bridge between the mountaintops, but there was no bridge. The only way to travel was to go straight up and then straight down, cross the river in the valley, and then go straight up and over the next ridge of mountains.
By midday they reached their first Lisu village. Belle stood in amazement as she took in the sight and looked around. The village was just as James had described a Lisu village ten years before at The Firs in Bellingham, Washington. Only this time Belle was seeing the village not with her mind’s eye but with her own eyes.
The villagers welcomed the couple warmly and invited them into a shanty for a meal. Although Belle and John spoke no Lisu, some of the locals close to the “outside” spoke some Chinese, and so they were able to communicate enough to find out that the family they were eating with had been converted to Christianity through James.
The house where John and Belle were guests consisted of one room set atop sturdy wooden poles dug into the mountainside so that the back of the dwelling butted up to the mountainside and the front stuck out into the air as the steep mountain dropped away beneath it. The floor was made of wooden slats and woven bamboo. The roof was made from slats laid over beams and held in place by large pine logs, and the walls were woven bamboo. Livestock and chickens were penned up under the house. It all seemed a little precarious to Belle, and more so when she learned that not a nail was used to build the place. Strips of tough tree bark held everything together. Belle wondered whether the knots ever came undone. If they did, surely the house would roll down the mountainside and topple all the way to the river far below. Nonetheless, Belle was grateful for the hospitality the Lisu family was showing them.
By the time the corn and pork rind meal was over, Belle could hardly wait to continue the journey onward to find Leila. Leila’s village, Pine Mountain Village, was located on the side of the next ridge of mountains less than five hours’ trek away.
The afternoon sun was casting long shadows by the time Belle rounded a rocky outcrop and spotted three small huts. Belle’s heart raced. Surely one of them belonged to Leila. Belle suddenly felt a wave of shyness overcome her. She had never met Leila, a veteran CIM missionary and noted author.
It was obvious to Belle that John had been thinking about their first meeting too. He turned to her and said, “Now remember, dear, you know how you like to talk! Try to restrain yourself from overdoing it.”
Belle nodded. She had been telling herself the same thing. It would not do to chatter on like a nervous schoolgirl on her first meeting with Leila Cooke.
Belle need not have worried. Leila was delighted to welcome the weary visitors into her traditional Lisu hut, much like the one they had eaten lunch in. As she fed them homemade muffins and green tea, she explained that it had been nearly a year since she’d seen a fellow white woman, and she had so much she wanted to talk about.
Within hours, Belle felt like the two of them were old friends. Leila told Belle a great deal about the Lisu people. She explained to her that there were two distinct groups of Lisu: the Black Lisu, who were called “black” because they wore unadorned dark colors; and the Flowery Lisu, who wore more “flowery” clothing, colorfully woven and brightly embroidered. It was the Black Lisu who lived around the Pine Mountain Village area.
James had first come and evangelized among the Flowery Lisu in the south of Lisuland, where he had established small churches of believers in the various Lisu villages scattered across the area. The churches had been established as independent, self-sustaining entities. A pastor and group of deacons had led each church, and many congregations had also supported evangelists who traveled throughout the area sharing the gospel. Leila and Allyn Cooke had succeeded James Fraser in overseeing the work among the Lisu. Slowly, mostly because of the efforts of Lisu evangelists, the work had spread and churches had been established in the area where Leila now lived.
Over the years evangelists had spread the gospel to the area around Luda, a weeklong perilous journey up the Salween River Canyon. Allyn Cooke was now living there and overseeing the growing Christian work. Leila was careful to point out that the churches throughout the area followed the pattern James had established. These churches were independent, self-sustaining, and self-propagating. The missionary’s job was not to run or financially support the churches but to encourage the local Christians in their faith and mentor the church leaders.
After the dinner dishes had been cleared away, Lisu Christians made their way to Leila’s hut. The scene brought tears to Belle’s eyes. The group comprised men, women, and children who had heard and accepted the gospel and been taught to read and write. They were all squatting on the floor of Leila’s hut singing hymns and earnestly listening as passages from the Bible were read aloud. In all her years in China, Belle had never seen such openness.
The next few days confirmed Belle’s view of the Lisu. While a large percentage of the Lisu people were not Christians, those who were believers were joyful and loving and ready to share their faith and live it out before others.
Belle had the opportunity to spend time with several native leaders of the church, and although Belle could not speak their language, Leila told her their stories. “That man there,” she said, gesturing with her head toward the man squatting in the corner of the room.
Belle looked at him and smiled.
“That is Me-do-me-pa,” Leila went on. “He is the headman of Oak Flat Village, and he is an evangelist and a good preacher. He has been preaching down in Horse Grass Level Village. Several years ago he was beaten badly by the warlord for being a Christian. But he lived through the ordeal, and because of him, the church in the area is stronger than ever.”
Belle and John were deeply touched by the man’s story. But it was the three men who came to Leila’s hut early on the fifth morning who captured Belle’s imagination like no others. Each man wore loose white pants and a jerkin and had a bright red turban on his head. By now Belle knew enough about Lisu dress to realize that the men must be Flowery Lisu, since they did not wear the navy blue turbans of the Lisu in the area.
Leila offered the men stools to sit on, but the men preferred to squat on the bamboo mat. Soon Leila and the men were deep in conversation in Lisu while Belle and John sat and observed. Belle could see Leila’s face light up the more they talked. Finally Leila turned to Belle and John and said to them in English, “This is Mark and his two friends. They are from Goo-moo in Burma, a great distance away across the mountains. They have traveled for seven days to get here and have endured snow and much bad weather.”
Belle asked Leila what the men were doing so far from home.
“They have come on behalf of their village to find a teacher who can come and tell them about Jesus. They first heard about Jesus eleven years ago and have been trying to follow His ways. But the people of the village have no books to read and no teacher to tell them more about Jesus. When they learned that the Lisu Christians on the other side of the mountains had both books and teachers to tell them about Jesus, they decided that a group from the village would cross the mountains and find a teacher to come back with them. Two groups tried to cross the mountains and failed, but these three men have succeeded. It was a perilous journey for them, but here they are, and they say they will not return home until they have found a teacher to go with them.”
Chills ran down Belle’s spine as she heard their story. When Belle looked at John, she realized he was feeling the same thing.
Leila let out a sigh and said, “I wish we had a teacher to send with them. Simon could do it, but he will not be back for another month. I told them we have no teacher to send with them right now, and they say they will stay and wait until we do have someone who can go with them. In the meantime they want to study the Bible with Moses.”
With that, the three men stood and followed Moses, the pastor of the church in Pine Mountain Village, out the door.
The following morning Leila announced that she was leaving. With Belle and John in place at Pine Mountain Village, she had decided to make the six-day journey north to Luda to join her husband, who was overseeing the churches in that area. She had asked Moses to watch over them while she was away and act as their interpreter, since he spoke Chinese.
Belle was a little awed by the responsibility Leila had thrust upon her and John, but she was astounded when Leila casually added before she left, “By the way, Moses’ wife, Grace, is expecting a baby any day. I promised to help her, but if the baby comes while I am gone, you’ll have to take over.”
Belle’s stomach lurched. Belle was no nurse, she was sure of that. The sight of blood made her squeamish. “Oh,” she finally replied. “I couldn’t possibly do that. I’ve never seen a baby being born, I have no idea what to do.”
Leila smiled and patted Belle’s hand. “I haven’t had any training either, but you have a daughter, don’t you? You must know what to expect.”
Belle shook her head. “I wasn’t taking notes when Kathryn was born!”
Leila pointed to a couple of books on the shelf. “Take a look at those. They should help you out. Anyway, if something does happen to the baby, don’t be too distressed and don’t feel like it’s your fault. All of Grace’s other babies have been stillborn. Just do your best. It would be wonderful for Moses if he did have one live child, though.”
Belle stood dumbfounded as Leila kissed her good-bye on the cheek and set off with two guides. What have I gotten myself into? Belle wondered as she watched Leila head off down the trail.
Two days later, when Leila was too far along the trail to be called back, Grace went into labor. Belle pored over the medical textbooks to try to discover what she should do. The books were exactly like the frightening ones Nurse Ling had brought with her when she came to deliver Kathryn. The pictures still made Belle squirm as she read.
Grace’s labor went on all day and through the night, and then all the second day. By that evening Moses and Belle were both exhausted.
“What if the baby never comes?” Moses asked despondently.
Belle looked at the medical books once again, though she already knew they did not offer any advice on how to speed up a birth. She closed her eyes and prayed for strength to go on, wishing that the nearest doctor were closer than two weeks’ journey away.
Grace’s fate and the fate of her baby were in Belle’s and God’s hands, and Belle prayed fervently for wisdom to know what to do. Then somewhere in the back of her mind she recalled reading that quinine could be used to speed up labor. Or had she? The more Belle thought about it, the less sure she was that she’d actually read that fact. Yet she did have quinine in her medical supplies. Should she give Grace some of it?
She talked to Moses about her notion, and they both prayed for God’s direction.
“Let’s go ahead,” Moses said when they were done praying.
“I feel that God is telling us to do that too,” Belle replied. “So since we both agree, I will give her quinine.”
With trembling hands Belle fed Grace a two-grain pill of quinine and waited. Nothing happened, so she returned to her hut to rest. “Come and get me if anything changes,” she told Moses as she left.
It was midnight when Moses knocked on the side of the house. “Please, you must come,” he blurted.
Belle jumped to her feet. She had been sleeping in her clothes, and she ran out the door and up the hill after Moses. When she arrived in the dimly lit hut, she shined her flashlight on Grace, just in time to see a newborn baby slip out. The baby did not make a sound.
“It’s dead, like the others,” Moses wailed.
Belle’s heart lurched. Had she killed the child with the quinine?
“Waaa!” The cry rose from the pile of rags on the floor. Belle scooped up the baby. It was a girl, and she was very much alive.
Belle cut the umbilical cord while Moses let out a whoop of joy. When she was done, Moses took the child from Belle and thanked God for giving him a live baby at last. Belle let out her own prayer of thanks. The experience was one she never wanted to repeat.
Baby Esther, as Moses and Grace named their daughter, grew stronger each day, and Moses took to carrying her everywhere, showing her off to anyone who would take the time to look at the little bundle in his arms.
The rest of the month with the Lisu at Pine Mountain Village flew by, and, much to Belle’s relief, no more medical dramas took place. During their month there Belle and John were able to witness a baptism. Christians from the local church gathered at a small mountain pool located near Pine Mountain Village. Belle watched as the church deacons lined up along one side of the pool. Members of the congregation stood together behind the deacons and sang hymns while the candidates for baptism waited on the other side of the pool dressed in thin clothes. Finally Moses entered the frigid water of the mountain pool and began the baptism. One at a time a candidate would enter the water, and Moses would dip the person below the surface. Then, dripping wet and usually shivering, each person would climb out on the opposite side of the pool and shake the hand of each deacon before rushing to a makeshift shelter to put on warm, dry clothes.
At first Belle had been puzzled by the Lisu Christians’ desire to continually shake hands with each other. Then she learned that shaking hands was an important sign of Christian fellowship among the Lisu. Apparently, when James first came and evangelized the Lisu, the people had noted his English penchant for shaking hands and had taken the gesture to have some Christian meaning. Since that time, Lisu Christians shook hands regularly.
Witnessing the baptism, along with the openness among the Lisu people to hear the gospel, excited Belle. How different the Lisu were from the Chinese. Belle could never imagine three Chinese men walking across the mountains for days for the sole purpose of bringing a Christian teacher back to their village to explain the gospel to them more fully. Evangelizing among the Chinese was so much more difficult than evangelizing among the Lisu.
As their month in Pine Mountain Village drew to a close, Belle began to grow anxious. As much as she would have loved to stay longer in Lisuland, she had promised the two women looking after Kathryn that she would not stay longer than a month, and now that time was up. However, John had not been able to make much progress in dealing with the opium situation. One of the warlords was still threatening to destroy the Christian churches throughout the territory if church members did not grow opium for him, as they were required to do. And he was ordering those who refused to grow the opium to pay twice the amount of tax they owed him. John had talked to many people about the state of affairs, but the situation remained unresolved. As a result, John felt that he should stay on in Pine Mountain Village to brief Leila when she finally returned.
In the end the couple decided that Belle should return with a local escort while John stayed another month or so with the Lisu. Belle was relieved to hear that on the way back they would be following a slightly more direct route through many tiny towns. Ma Fu-yin, one of Belle’s escorts, told Belle that she was the only white woman who had ever traveled that trail. Belle could believe it. As they moved along, every time they stopped for the night, a crowd of onlookers would gather around Belle, poking at her and trying to get her to speak English.
As she trekked up and down the mountains on the trip back, Belle had plenty of time to think about going and living among the Lisu. Was it really what God had called her to do? It would be much harder living in the mountains with the Lisu than on the plains and in the valleys of China where there were many markets and an abundance of produce to buy. There were few markets in which to buy food among the Lisu. Vegetables and corn had to be coaxed to grow out of the rocky ground, and the Cookes kept hens that needed constant attention in order to produce eggs. As well, the Lisu homes had no furniture beyond a few woven baskets to hold food and a communal plank that everyone used to eat from, and no one washed. Water had to be carried from a well, both for drinking and for the laborious job of washing clothing by hand. There was also the constant threat of falling down the mountainside or having part of the mountainside come loose and fall on you!
In the end, however, all these things paled away when Belle remembered the Lisu Christians she had met. There was Moses, who had recently headed north to help Allyn Cooke, leaving behind the pride of his life, his newborn daughter Esther. There was Me-do-me-pa, who had suffered at the hands of the warlord for his faith and yet remained steadfast and joyful in that faith and was an inspiration to others. And there were the three Flowery Lisu men who had hiked for days from Burma to reach Pine Mountain Village and refused to leave until someone went with them to teach the people of their village about Jesus.
Deep in her heart Belle knew that she had found her life’s calling. With Christians as devout as those she had met in and around Pine Mountain Village, she would count it a privilege to spend the rest of her life teaching them more about God’s ways. Now all she had to do was convince James that she was physically strong enough for the challenge of life among the Lisu.