Shih Tsi-kai 石紫階
The earliest account of western influence among my Chinese family is that of my great grandfather Shih Tsi-kai 石紫階. Missionary Sven Tonnquist of Mission Covenant Church of Sweden (MCCS) met him in 1899 as a Chinese language instructor in Wuchang. Over time, Shih became the mission’s first Chinese pastor at their church in Hwangchow, ordained on May 4, 1919. Tonnquist wrote a short biography about Shih Tsi-kai after his death in 1941 and described him as, “a distinguished leader and a real gentleman.” Kuling played a vital role in my great grandfather’s spiritual life.
In 1899, when Tonnquist was charged with overseeing construction of MCCS’s sanitarium in Kuling, Shih Tsi-kai – a Confucianist – accompanied him. Their extended time together in combination with Tonnquist’s improved Chinese language skills evolved into deeper conversations and questions about spirituality and Christianity. “I noticed the word of God started to interest Shih and our conversations became more frequent and serious. The word of God began sinking into Shih’s heart.”
By spring 1901, as the sanatorium was reaching completion, Tonnquist and Shih traveled to Kuling to ensure the project was completed before summer. “We were now brothers in Christ. Shih had the calling to become an evangelist, and I encouraged him. One day he spoke about a Bible text, and I criticized him about the content. The next day I spoke, and he criticized me about the language. It was a big help to the both of us.”
In 1906, Shih suffered from “tuberculosis and was diagnosed with a malignant fistula wound which had to be attended to daily. Shih’s energy was low and he was getting noticeably weaker.” “Today we sent evangelist Shih to a hospital in Wuchang for surgery. In the past two months he has been getting weaker and there is not much hope he will fully recover.” Paul Petter Waldenström who was in China at the time visited Shih in the Church General Hospital in Wuchang. “When [Waldenström] came back from the hospital and told me about his meeting with Shih, with tears in his eyes, Waldenström said that he always knew God could save and sanctify a Chinese, but now he had seen it with his own eyes.”
Discharged from the hospital, Shih returned home with “doctors explaining there was nothing more they could do for him and said it would be best if he went home as he had about a month left to live.” “Then came the idea that maybe God wanted to do what the doctors couldn’t.”
Through prayer, Shih miraculously recovered albeit with intermittent health episodes, including a severe one in 1915. “Shih continues to cough up blood and vomit. It looks as if he’s about to leave us.” According to Tonnquist, “God showed his great mercy. After both illnesses, Shih went up to the Kuling mountains and stayed there to recover for longer periods of time. He regained his health in the mountain air and continued to work in the community.“
