Scilla

“Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.” — from Ecclesiastes 4

In 1864 a baby girl named Priscilla Livingstone Stewart was born near the city of Belfast, in Ireland. Her friends called her Scilla. She grew up warm, quick and full of fun.

As a young woman she gave her life to Jesus and offered to go to China. Hudson Taylor and his friends had prayed for a hundred new missionaries to be sent out in the year 1887. By the end of that year, a hundred and two had sailed! Priscilla was one of them. She went to live with three other young women in a town beside a great lake, to tell Chinese women about Jesus.

Charlie fell deeply in love with her. Later on, they both laughed about who had asked whom to get married. Charlie always said that she had asked him. Priscilla always said that he had asked her!

Early in 1888 they were engaged. Then Priscilla became very ill, and Charlie travelled to be with her, even though he was getting over an illness himself. That spring they were married. Most accounts say the wedding was in the city of Tianjin. A Chinese pastor married them, and it is said that they wore their ordinary Chinese clothes.

Before the wedding, Charlie gave Priscilla the money he had kept for her. But Priscilla wanted to start married life the way he had, trusting only God. So she gave all of it to the Salvation Army! The two of them began their marriage with nothing in the bank, and they never said they were sorry.

The Bible says two are better than one, because they can help each other. Charlie and Priscilla helped each other for forty years. God gives us families and friends so that we do not have to be brave alone.

Dear God, thank you for my family and my friends. Help us to help each other and to trust you together. Amen.