阿信按：1915年柏格理牧师去世之后，妻子埃玛带着儿子欧内斯特回到英国。这个比柏格理还大两岁的美丽女子一直活到1959年，终年98岁。1946年，年已85岁的埃玛写信给在美国的孙女Anne,向她讲述自己在中国石门坎所收养的苗族女儿的故事。
这篇文章出自柏格理儿子欧内斯特·柏格理所写《中国西南的宣教先锋—埃玛·柏格理传》。该文由斯嘉翻译，阿信校对。《中国西南的宣教先锋—埃玛·柏格理传》一书从未公开出版，我在公众号首次公开这封信，以表达对柏格理夫妇及其他外国传教士的无比感恩和怀念。
1946年埃玛写给孙女的信：
圣诞节给我亲爱的孙女Anne deBoyne Pollard：
从前，柏格理一家还生活在中国西南部落里的时候，一天，有个苗族信徒的女儿来教堂找到我，她一见到我就哭得死去活来。她的父亲早死了，现在母亲又染上伤寒离世，全家只剩下她一个人孤零零留在世上。
我于是收养了她。为了帮助她忘记痛苦，我去园子里采了一片树叶、一朵花，再从针线筐里拿出针和麻线，及一块白色的厚棉布。我先用铅笔在白布上把树叶和银莲花的形状画好，然后和女儿坐在一起刺绣。虽然我以前从未做过刺绣，但我们两人都绣得很投入。埋头绣花的时候，她的眼泪不再流了。我鼓励她继续绣。这片刺绣后来成了一个枕套，现在还被珍藏在我的衣柜里。
我们支持她在石门坎学校读书，和一位寄宿的学生同住一间宿舍。当我在楼上同时照顾两个病人（应该是柏格理和王树德—阿信注）、忙得不可开交那段，她可帮了我大忙。但我没有对她多说感谢的话，主要是担心影响她找到新的父母，有了一个新家的喜悦心情。当我在楼上忙碌的时候，是她在照顾你的爸爸，那时他还没有你现在的年龄大。她给你爸爸做晚餐，烧热水给他洗澡，亲眼看着他躺在温暖的被窝里闭上眼睛。
你的祖父撒母耳·柏格理去世之后，我带着你爸爸回到英国。临走前，我给女儿Wang Hsin Tsi留下一些钱，让她继续在石门坎学校读书。回到英国把家安顿好之后，我就写信了解我这位苗族养女的情况。可惜的是，一直没有收到回音，或许这些信从未送达过，因为当时正值第一次世界大战期间。即使到今天，1946年，中国的银行、铁路和邮政服务也不如印度便捷。
每当知道有在中国西南服侍的宣教士回国休假，我就写信、或者直接拜访，向他们打听养女的消息。但是因为这些人都不在石门坎一带服务，因此他们也不清楚具体情况。慢慢地，我了解到她已经结婚了，可惜的是没有打听出她丈夫的姓氏。
再后来，我听到消息说她的儿子正在学医，名字很可能叫Chang Ren。我专门做了一个刻有他名字的牌子，交给德文郡托基教会学校，提醒大家为他祷告。大家有没有坚持为祷告我不清楚，但今年五月份我收到了准确的消息。有两位循道公会的干事去中国探访，其中一位Porter姊妹去了中国西南。她寄给我一封航空快寄，内中写道：
埃玛，你可能听说我和Rattenbury先生正在中国各个教区走访的消息。我们已经结束了对西南地区的探访——和你所深爱的苗族人在一起生活的五个礼拜真是我们来到中国后最美好的时光。而且我还要加上一句，苗族人依然深深地爱着你。我们所到之处，大家都在谈论柏格理先生——爸爸妈妈一直在给他们的孩子们讲述您和柏格理先生在这里所发生的故事。
我们在石门坎呆了整整一个礼拜，五大苗族教区的传道人、牧师和信徒纷纷赶来石门坎参加聚会。所有人都委托我们向你问好，表示他们从未忘记过你们一家，深深地怀念着你。
Wang Hsin Tsi,现在是Chang太太，石门坎一位传道人的妻子，她给了你一份非常特殊充满亲情和爱的礼物——交给我的时候她的眼泪止不住地流。她说你是她的母亲。我随信附上我为她拍的一张照片，她和她的两个小女儿。她的长女在昭通的小学里当老师。她的儿子是昭通医院的医生。
亲爱的Anne,Porter小姐找到了我和你祖父当年领养的女儿。被送去学医的Chang Ren并不只是我养女的儿子，她也是你爸爸干姐姐的儿子。你爸爸干姐的女儿、你的苗族姐姐后来嫁给当地一个很能干的传道人张志诚（Chang Chi Cheng）牧师。他们的儿子Mr. Chang医生目前在昭通教会医院工作，并计划在积累足够的临床经验后，回到石门坎苗族中工作。MR. Chang有三个姐妹，中间的那个女儿，我期望她长大后当一个优秀的护士。我给石门坎寄去一封航空快寄，把我的愿望告诉他们，并承诺给予她经济上的支持她。
Anne， 听起来像是一个神话故事。可不是吗？
我在持续地寄钱到石门坎，这个比英国威尔士还要大的地区，目的是帮助苗族人培养出他们有史以来最早的三位护士。她们学成之后，会回到苗族人中间，服务她们自己民族的人。你在伯明翰的堂兄弟姊妹们也奉献出他们的金钱，对这个事工贡献很大。
最后我把苗族历史上最早的三位护士的名字写给你，你可要记住啊。她们是：Mary姊妹；Han姊妹；Peh姊妹。
爱你的Pollard奶奶
今天石门坎全景图
附，英文原文：
A Christmas letter to my granddaughter Anne deBoyne Pollard
Once upon a time when the Pollard family lived amongst the tribes in S.W.China,the Daughter of a Christian tribesman came to the mission house weeping most bitterly. She had lost father and mother with typhoid fever,and was an only child,and now alone in the world.I adopted her,and to help her forget her sorrow.I went into the garden,plucked a leaf and a flower, took from my work basket a piece of calico,some linen thread and a needle. With a pencil I traced the anemone and leaf and we sat together to embroider them. I had never done embroidery,but we both got absorbed in it. Tears ceased to flow as she attempted her task.I still have her work and made the piece of calico into a pillow slip which is still in my drawer.
She shared a dormitory with one of the borders, and attended the school. She was a great help to me when I was busy upstairs nursing two sick people,but I did not tell her this; it might have spoiled the joy of finding a new father and mother.But when I was busy upstairs she gave your father,who was not as old as you,his supper,got hot water for his evening wash and saw him safely and comfortably in bed.
When you grandfather did not recover from typhoid,you father and I came home,leaving some money to keep Wang-Hsin-Tsi in the school. As soon as we were settled in our English home I wrote for our adopted girl。No reply come,and it is likely the letters never got there as it was the time of the 1914 war. China even now is not like India where the banks,Railway services and Postal services run so efficiently. When missionaries came home on furlough from S.W.China, I wrote or interviewed them,but their labours were not amongst the tribes. Then again, I know she must have married and I could not guess what her married name might be.
I had some suggestion that her son might have been Chang Ren, Studying medicine,and I put up a plaque in our Church school in Torquay asking for prayers for him.whether this was remembered I don’t know but this last May I had read news. Two Methodist Secretaries set out to visit the mission station in China.Miss Porter went to S.W.China and sent me an Air Mail letter.here is a copy:
As you probably know, Mr. Rattenbury and I are visiting all our China Districts and we have completely our visit to the S.W.District-having spent the best part of five weeks among the tribal people whom you love so dearly,and I would add,who still love you very deeply.everywhere people were talking of Mr.Pollard-mothers and fathers are still telling their children of those days when you and Mr. Pollard were here. We had a whole week at stone gateway for the Miao meetings when preachers and teachers as well as ministers come from the five Miao Circuits.They sent greetings to you and remember you with great affection.
Wang-Hisn-Tsi,now Mr. Chang, the preacher’s wife in stone gateway sent a very special message of love and affection to you-as she gave it to me tears rolled down her checks.She said you were here mother.I am enclosing a photograph which I took of her and two of her smaller girls. Her eldest girl is teaching on the staff of Chaotong primary School,her son is a doctor in the Chaotong hospital.
Miss Porter,you see, discovered our adopted daughter,and it was not Chang Ren’s son who were sent to study medicine,but your father’s adopted sister’s son. You adopted sister married our ablest preacher Chang Chi Cheng,His son,Dr. Chang is getting experience in the Chao Tong hospital and later will be appointed to work with Miao. He has three sisters and the middle one,I hope,will be a nurse. I sent an Air Mail letter stating this and promising financial aid.
You will say it is better than a fairy stoy.
I am sending money to train the first three nurses in our tribal district,which is larger than Wales. They will be Miao nurses serving their own people.Your cousins in Birmingham have contributed well to this fund.1. Sister Mary, 2.Sister Han. 3.Sister Peh. The first nurses.
Love to you
From Grandma Pollard
天寒地冻，石门坎乡亲辛辛苦苦种出啦的优质乌天麻开始销售。想想，如果柏格理牧师夫妇活到今天，他们会怎么做？
爱永不止息。让爱永流传……
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