When Lottie Moon first arrived in China, she admitted that she considered the Chinese as people less valuable than Americans. Lottie had been raised in a family of wealth, and she had a fine education. She wore American clothes to set herself apart from them. Separating herself from the Chinese comforted Lottie.
Soon Lottie realized that the Chinese people acted more interested in getting to know her if she showed concern for them. She began wearing Chinese clothing, mastered the Chinese language, and came to respect the Chinese culture. Because she appreciated their traditions, the Chinese accepted Lottie.
Lottie wrote about her discovery in a letter back home to one of the Baptist mission leaders. She said, “I am more and more impressed by the belief that to win these people to God we must first win them to ourselves. We need to go out and live among them, manifesting the gentle and loving spirit of our Lord….We need to make friends before we can hope to win converts,” or people who decide follow Christ. Lottie learned to do missions in a new way and became a model for sharing Jesus’ love.
An Excerpt from Portraits of Courage: Stories of Baptist Heroes by Julie Whidden Long