Free Church Missionaries Imprisoned During World War 2

In 1941—shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7—Don and Marguerite Carlson were imprisoned in Canton by the occupying Japanese army.  

They had only been on the field in China a few years and had just finished their language study when signs of war surrounded them. Working with the team in Canton (now the southern province of Guangdong and bordering on Hong Kong), they saw the Japanese occupying significant parts of China. Mission leadership sent funds—urging them to evacuate to Hong Kong—but communications were slow and by the time they got the word, the last boat had left. 

Soon their compound was under surveillance and not long after they were put in house arrest, confined to their little compound and unable to leave.  

Then they were separated a year later. Don was taken to another compound miles away, leaving Marguerite and their little son, Bruce, by themselves.  

These were difficult days under surveillance by the Japanese with no access to food, except if Chinese believers could bring it to them. Communication was limited between them and even less to the outside world. Meanwhile, the Evangelical Beacon published news about them almost weekly, seeking intercessory prayer. Churches across the country prayed.   

After another year, they were reunited. In late 1943, a Swedish ship—the MS Gripsholm—was sent to evacuate them and others in a prisoner exchange. They met the ship in Goa, India, and after weeks at sea, arrived in New York and returned to home in Rockford, Illinois, after almost two years since they were first taken. 

It was about the same time that Free Church missionaries Gustaf and Ruth Erickson were similarly imprisoned in Hong Kong, though for a shorter time. 

Few of us can imagine this kind of experience. Missionaries today stand on the shoulders of heroes, and God used their experience for good as they were able to return to become effective leaders and trainers of the Chinese church in Hong Kong for almost four more decades.