Ann Judson, part 9: “All is Egyptian darkness around us—not a glimpse of light.”
Burmese writing, such a difficult language for the Judsons to learn.
When the Judsons arrived in Rangoon, it was home to forty thousand people; at that time, it was larger than Boston, the biggest city in Massachusetts. But there was no evangelical influence. A few years before, the English Baptists had started a mission, but it had not taken root. The only person to greet the Judsons was the wife of Felix Carey (the son of their friend William). At the time, Felix was in Ava, the capital, and before long he and his family would move there.
The Judsons' home would be the mission house, which was nice for the area, even though the walls inside were bare and unfinished. The house was about half of a mile from the town walls, and was surrounded by several acres of gardens and fruit trees. This was a pleasant place to live, but as Adoniram would later realize, it was not the best location for a mission. The house was not on the main road, so they rarely got visitors; this became a hindrance to their future ministry.
Ann did not feel well when she stepped off the boat, and wasn't sure how she was going to get from the harbor to the house. Riding a horse was out of the question. Eventually, an armchair was found, and bamboo poles were placed under it to carry her. The arrival of two white Americans had caused quite a stir, and in the commotion, the men who were carrying Ann got far ahead of Adoniram. Nervously, she went where they took her, hoping that she was not being kidnapped. Her pulse returned to normal when they placed her in front of the mission and Mrs. Carey came out to greet her.
It felt good to have something of a home after 17 months of travel, but there were still emotional challenges. A week after arriving, Ann wrote, “were it not for the support we derive from the gospel of Jesus, we would be ready to sink down in despondency, in view of the dark and gloomy scenes around us. . . . .I find here no dear female friends, with whom I can unite in social prayer, nor even one with whom I can converse. [Mrs. Carey was friendly, but her English was limited.] I have, indeed, no society at all, but that of Mr. Judson.” The only thing that brought happiness was remembering why she had come.
Within a few weeks, the Judsons began to study Burmese, since they couldn't tell anyone the good news without being able to speak the language. Ann had a good education, and Adoniram was a gifted linguist (she remarked how well-fitted he was to this task), but both struggled. Adoniram remarked how different it was than learning a western language that shared common roots with English. They found a native teacher who knew Burmese well but who did not speak English. This meant that they had to start learning the language by pointing to things and writing down the sounds they heard.
Ann knew that it was more important for Adoniram to learn the language, so she committed to managing the house and mission to give him 12 hours of study each day. Ironically, as she interacted with servants and local neighbors, she gained the rudiments of the language more quickly than he did. His efforts were not in vain, however, because he was gaining a better grasp on grammar, which was essential to future translation work. Adoniram believed it was essential to have some portions of Scripture translated before he started to preach to the Burmese, and it would end up taking them three or four years to get to this place.
In September, the young couple celebrated the Lord's Supper for the first time in many months. It seemed strange to take part in such a special ceremony with only two of them, but they were refreshed by the reminder that they were not truly alone. Knowing that Christ was with them brought comfort and support. For nearly four years, there were no other missionaries to help them or to join with them in church services.
Ann gave birth to Roger Williams on September 11, 1815, two years after arriving in Rangoon. Their choice of this name shows the Judsons’ deepening connection to their Baptist beliefs, since the original Roger Williams (1603-1683) had founded the first Baptist church in America. It had been so long since they had seen a family member, and to have a little boy of their own brought indescribable happiness. From the beginning, they prayed that “his life may be preserved and his heart sanctified, that he may become a Missionary among the Burmans.”
Eight months later, through tear-clouded eyes, Ann wrote to her mother that Roger had died. For two months, he had been sweating at night and had not slept well. But during the day, he seemed better and continued to eat and grow. On Tuesday, April 30 (a week before her letter), he turned for the worse. He began coughing and became feverish. They called for a Portuguese priest (the only one in the area who knew anything about medicine), but his remedies were useless. On Friday night, Ann sat with him until two in the morning, then went to bed exhausted. Roger eagerly drank the milk that Adoniram gave him, but died 30 minutes later as he rested in his crib. They buried him that afternoon.
Can you imagine what this was like? They had been gone from America for four years, and had experienced hardly anything besides trial, loss, and death. Homeless for over a year, the death of Harriet, three years of lonely language study, and now their first happiness had been taken. Feel Ann's sorrow as she writes, “Our little Roger Williams, our only little darling boy, was three days ago laid in the silent grave.” During these days, Ann must have felt like she was in the book of Exodus. It's not surprising that she wrote, “all is Egyptian darkness around us—not a glimpse of light.”
