Seven Young Men

“Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.” — from Isaiah 6

Charlie was not the only one. By the end of 1884 seven young men had offered to go to China with the China Inland Mission. Most of them had studied at Cambridge. Some had rowed for Cambridge, some were army officers, one was a young minister, and one was Charlie, the England cricketer. People called them the Cambridge Seven.

Everybody was amazed. Why would rich, famous young men give up so much to go to a faraway land? Before they left, the Seven spoke at meetings in universities in England and Scotland. Charlie was not a great speaker, but he told the students simply that he had loved cricket and had found something far better in Jesus. Cricket would not last, he said, but living for Jesus would. Many students went home asking whether God was calling them too.

On 4 February 1885 a crowd of about three thousand people packed a great hall in London to say goodbye. The next morning the Seven set off for China. Their story crossed the sea to America too, and helped many students there decide to become missionaries.

On 18 March they reached Shanghai. Within days they had put on Chinese clothes: long gowns and cloth shoes. They shaved the front of their heads and wore their hair in a long plait at the back, the way Chinese men did then. Hudson Taylor taught that missionaries should come as guests and learners, not as bosses.

So for the first time in his life, Charlie was a beginner. The Chinese language was very hard for him. He could not even ask for a cup of tea without help, and every child in the street knew more than he did!

God still asks, Who will go for me? You do not have to be famous to answer. Wherever you are, you can say, Here I am, God. And you can be a good learner, like Charlie, who listens to others and is not too proud to start at the beginning.

Dear God, here I am. Please use me, and help me to be humble and ready to learn. Amen.