Slain Missionary's Mother
June 21st 2008 04:07
Fun Missionary Photo
As I studied material about the death of Bill McChesney in the Belgian Congo in 1964, I was anticipating an interview with Aldine McChesney, Bill’s mother. She had written a book entitled Through Congo Shadows, Story of the Life and Martyrdom of Bill McChesney in the Congo. My job as a writer for a local Phoenix newspaper was to get human interest material for our newspaper’s readers.
Since Bill was from a local family, many people were well aware of his death. However, many had not read Aldine’s book so they did not know many details of the family. His death had been about four years earlier than the publishing of Aldine’s book.
I arrived at the place for the interview since Aldine did not want to come to the newspaper office for the interview. I noticed that Aldine was already seated in the room where we would talk. She seemed comfortable enough sipping on a cup of coffee that one of the assistants had brought to her. As I entered the room, an assistant introduced me. Although Aldine was somewhat older than I am, she stood to welcome me. She seemed to be a very warm person.
After a little small talk, Aldine McChesney let me know that she was ready to give an interview, but the subjects would be less about her son and more about his love for the Lord Jesus. Not realizing exactly what all of that entailed, I agreed. I desperately wanted the interview for my story. My story had been forming in my mind as entitled something such as A Dead Missionary and His Mother. Perhaps Aldine would insist on a different type of title.
Let me express in question and answer form the things I learned from the interview with this mother of a saint.
Q. Can you give us some information about your son and the rest of the family, please?
A. Of course, My husband and I had two sons. Bill was the oldest one. He became a Christian when he was in his middle teen years. His younger brother was saved only after Bill went Home to be with the Lord.
Q. Why did Bill choose to go as a missionary and under which mission board did he go?
A. He began to talk about his obligation to Jesus Christ very soon after his conversion. He did not exactly choose to be a missionary at first; he simply had his heart open for whatever God would choose for him. He investigated several mission boards as well as other Christian service opportunities before he finally applied to WEC. WEC is Worldwide Evangelical Crusade. I think the first two words in their name were important to Bill. We have always been involved in evangelical church groups. Bill was open for anywhere in the world.
Q. If there were other countries to go to, why did he choose the Congo? Did he know other missionaries there? Maybe he had a girlfriend there?
A. Bill did not seem to know much about the place before he went. He went because there was an open door and because he was accepted to work there. He did not know anyone there before he went to the Congo. And no, he did not have a girlfriend going there and persuading him to go there.
(Mrs. McChesney seemed a bit uncomfortable with my questions and with her need to respond to such personal information about her late son. If my interview was to succeed, I needed to use caution lest I upset her too much.)
Q. Excuse me if I become too personal, Mrs. McChesney.
A. All right. I may decide to not respond if some dig too deeply into our lives. Also, please call me Aldine.
Q. I have heard that Bill did a little writing before he went away. Is that correct? And did he ever publish any writing?
A. He spent a lot of time alone at times. I think those times were his times of expressing himself in writing. I have not seen anything that he published although one of his poems has been published but not by Bill himself.
Q. I think I am aware of that poem, Aldine.
A. Here, I have a copy of it. You can publish it in your newspaper if you wish.
(Aldine handed me a paper on which a poem was written, a poem by her dead missionary son. The poem appears here and will be a part of the article I write.)
My Choice (By Bill McChesney)
I want my breakfast served at “eight”, with ham and eggs upon the plate;
A well-broiled steak I’ll eat at “one”; and dine again when day is done.
I want an ultramodern home, and in each room a telephone;
Soft carpets, too, upon the floors, and pretty drapes to grace the doors.
A cosy place of lovely things, like easy chairs and innersprings,
And then I’ll get a small TV - of course, “I’m careful what I see.”
I want my wardrobe, too, to be of neatest, finest quality.
With latest style of suit and vest, why shouldn’t Christians have the best?
But then the Master I can hear, in no uncertain voice, so clear,
“I bid you come and follow Me, the lonely Man of Galilee.”
“Birds of the air have made their nest, and foxes in their holes find rest;
But I can offer you no bed; no place have I to lay My head.”
In shame I hung my head and cried. How could I spurn the Crucified?
Could I forget the way He went, the sleepless nights in prayer He spent?
For forty days without a bit, alone He fasted day and night;
Despised, rejected - on he went, and did not stop till veil He rent.
A man of sorrows and of grief, no earthly friend to bring relief -
“Smitten of God,” the prophet said - Mocked, beaten, bruised, His blood ran red.
If He be God and died for me, no sacrifice too great can be
For me, a mortal man, to make; I’ll do it all for Jesus’ sake.
Yes, I will tread the path He trod. No other way will please my God;
So, henceforth, this my choice shall be, my choice for all eternity.
(I took time to read the poem to myself again. Looking into Aldine’s eyes, I could see that she was content with what life had offered her.)
Q. Aldine, may I ask some rather pointed questions? You may choose to not answer any of them which do not seem appropriate.
A. With those conditions, it is all right to ask.
Q. Did Bill die for his church?
A. No. He did not.
Q. Did he die for his religion, then?
A. That would be a poor reason to give one’s life. Religions are everywhere, and a great number of them are false hopes to desperate people. Bill McChesney did not die for any religion.
Q. Do you feel Bill died for a cause other than his church or his religion?
A. Not exactly. I would not say that, actually. He died for his God and Savior.
Q. Those Simba rebels who killed Bill were not much interested in his Savior or his God. Do you think…
A. Let me interrupt you, Miss. So many of the others who were with Bill when he was killed were religious people. Some Roman Catholic nuns were there and gave their interpretations of his death. Even though Bill did not wear any clothing to reveal his Christianity, those Simbas were aware that he was a Chrisian.
Q. Thank you, Aldine. If I accept that many of the people who were killed or misused by the Simbas were religious, even Christians, do you think they were killed because of their religious beliefs?
A. He was not murdered for being a Christian exactly. He was picked out because he was a US citizen. One of the questions the Simbas asked concerned nationality. He was in the Congo to do God’s work although that is not why he was killed.
Q. If I may…
A. Please allow another interruption. Consider this, please. Many young people are willing to die for their country whether the country is right or wrong. Most of us think of them as heroic. Bill died for a better place than his country. His goals were to help other people find peace in their hearts and lives such as he had found. He wanted to point people to Jesus, Who gives eternal life. How can we think that is so strange?
Q. So I feel sure that you do not think that Bill had any reason to want to die. He did not choose a dangerous place in hopes of escaping something negative in his life.
A. Now, you are asking silly questions. Bill was one of the happiest young men I have ever known. People often called him “Smiling Bill”. Sunshine seemed to radiate from his face and personality. He had things to live for and hopes for the future. He was well aware that it was dangerous in the Congo. He sent me a photo once in which he was in a very large cooking pot. He was smiling since the picture was a joke about being cooked and eaten by African natives. He had a girlfriend after he arrived in Stanleyville. One of the women missionaries took is eye. No doubt, he would have considered marrying her if he had lived long enough.
Q. I apologize for even suggesting that you son could have had a desire to die. Forgive me, please.
A. Surely. You are simply wanting all the facts you can get.
Q. I think I should get some information about you, Bill’s mother. Is that all right with you?
A. You can give it a try. I will answer questions that I feel are acceptable.
Q. Given the very negative situation, why did you write a book about Bill?
A. I did not write a book about Bill. I wrote a book about his martyrdom and his love for the Lord Jesus. I also included the martyrdom and love of others at the same time and in the same place as Bill.
Q. I am sure that it was difficult for you to accept Bill’s death when he was trying to do good for other people.
A. Did you read my book? If you did read it, you would see that Bill understood that God does not deliver everyone who is facing death. Some of the people with Bill testified during a get-together that God had told them they would escape death. However, Bill testified to the effect that not everyone is destined to live through the coming events. He would not testify that God had promised to deliver his mortal body. He seemed to accept that God could be ready to take him to his Heavenly home.
Q. You wrote about others in the same situation, including Jim Rodgers, a British citizen who died immediately after Bills’ death.
A. Yes. The Simbas were out to get Americans. When they learned for sure that Bill was American, they put him to death. Bill had been very sick for some time with Malaria. He was hardly able to climb onto a truck as they demanded. Jim Rodgers carried Bill onto the truck and went with him. After a long and unpleasant night, the Simbas beat Bill and took his life. Jim had made a promise to Bill, “If you must die, Brother, I will die with you.” After Bill was killed, Jim gently lowered his body to the floor. Then, the Simbas attacked and killed Jim, too.
Q. It had to be hard for you, living in the USA, to accept that your son had been so mercilessly killed in Africa.
A. I struggled for some time. People visited me in my home to bring me some comfort. They tried to make me feel better.
(A long pause, during which Aldine dried her moistened eyes, was followed by one of the best questions I have ever heard.)
A. Sorry to be a bit emotional. You know, his death was a few years ago so some of the healing of my emotions has taken place. Still, my tears just now result from an event with one of my church friends.
Q. Take your time, Aldine.
A. My friend came to my home, knowing that it had been so hard to accept my son’s death. I mean, one expects that the parents should die before their children. That is not what happened in our situation. My son died before my death.
Anyhow, my friend came to help me through the grief. My friend asked me the right question, prompting me to give the right answer. Then, my Lord Jesus came and blessed me with spiritual and emotional healing immediately.
Q. May I ask what was the right question and the response you gave?
A. She asked me, point blank, “Isn’t it a privilege to give a son to God?”
When I said, “Yes”, my healing began. Jesus has been so close to me through this, especially after I consented to His will for Bill.
Q. Do you have anything more to add to our interview, Aldine?
A. Yes, I learned that when you grasp, you lose, but when you give to God, you gain. It took a while for me to give my son to God, but when I did, I gained so much.
Just think, I am absolutely sure that my son made it to Heaven. Many parents do not have any reason to think the same thing about their own children. What more could I want than to be sure of the eternal life of my children?
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Comment by Sheeple
This reminded me of the Moravian missionaries who sold themselves into slavery in order to preach the gospel to slaves that were isolated on an Island in the West Indes.
They said their good byes and as they left their families they cried "we do this that the Lamb that was slain would receive the reward of his suffering".
This became the banner for missions of the Moravians.