EDITOR’S NOTE — This article is the last in a four-part series reflecting on the legacy of missionary, author and beloved speaker Rosalie Hall Hunt. The following anecdotes from Rosalie provide a few more special memories from a life devoted to missions, many of which are pictured in the video and featured in her two-part memoir. Click here to read part 1, “‘Remember Who called you’: Rosalie Hall Hunt and a legacy of missions.” Click here to read part 2, “Rosalie Hall Hunt: The China Series — ‘6 Yellow Balloons: An MK’s China Story.’” Click here to read part 3, “Rosalie Hall Hunt: The China Series — ‘The Blue Enamel Cup: An MK’s China Legacy.'” Learn more about Rosalie and purchase her books at rosaliehallhunt.com.
Life lessons
Inscribed in a family Bible are these words written by Rosalie’s mother, Alice Wells Hall, taken from a sermon by Rosalie’s father, Harold:
- Life’s greatest quest: to seek the will of God.
- Life’s greatest discovery: to find the will of God.
- Life’s greatest achievement: do the will of God.
Hunt made a bookmark with a picture of an orange blossom and the three statements to help her remember the lessons shared by her father.
Celebrity encounter
Rosalie and Bob were frequently amazed at the special and unusual experiences and people who crossed their paths. Their first New Year’s Day at their new compound was one they never forgot.
One of the families had two special guests for New Year’s dinner — Gladys Aylward and her son, Gordon, adopted in China. You might be familiar with the book about her experiences — the rescue of 100 orphans in China, walking them over the mountains to safety in Xian.
Later a movie, “Inn of the Sixth Happiness,” was produced.
A special gift
Hunt’s great-grandmother Eliza Mary, whose father served in the Civil War, once received a surprise gift that the family still treasures.
In December 1861, the family received a notice that there was a package at the train depot, so they sent someone to bring it home. It was a long oblong box, with a Boston shipping label.
“Eliza Mary’s eyes widened in wonder to discover inside a beautifully crafted melodeon (a small organ) with clever legs that folded down, and a special little indented circle to hold her lamp while she played,” Rosalie writes. Many years later her granddaughter, Rosalie, would “run her fingers over the ivory keys and try to pump harmonious sounds from the little organ.”
Today that melodeon is at the Hunts’ home. Hear Rosalie play the melodeon in the video.
Spinning tops
Hunt describes how she and her brother enjoyed spinning Chinese tops. The goal is “to get the little wooden top with a wheel just on one end, balanced and spinning on my string attached to two sticks. The tops made a lovely humming sound when you got a good spin going.”
They are aptly named “wind cows” (feng nyou), and Hunt has two sizes sitting on her desk and the two sticks for a quick demonstration. At 80-plus years of age, she can still make the Chinese tops hum.
Calloused knees
Hunt’s father, Harold Hall, once visited a doctor for his annual physical. The doctor noticed during the exam that Harold had a rough callous on his right knee.
When the doctor inquired why the callous and only on the right knee, Hall responded, “Oh, that’s the knee I kneel on when I pray.”
The doctor said, “That is the first time in my life I have had a patient who had a callous caused by prayer. I will never forget.”
And she thought, “Thank You, God, for the gift of such a heritage.”
