Tuesday, September 6, 2011

David Brainard Woodward

In Loving Memory         Sept.  2011
Dr. David and Betty Woodward
Happy Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival!  We’ve much news this month, but we will save it for later because we'd like to celebrate the life of Dr. David Woodward (1918-2011), who married Sue and I in 1981 in Taiwan.  Even today, 30 years wlater, he continues to influence our lives, and many others, especially through one of those strange  ‘coincidences’ that seem to pop up in our lives…

Coincidences or Father’s Hand?  In early 2011, two Chinese reporters interviewed me  about the amazing “coincidences” that have helped me pull together the history of the Amoy Mission (I was able to show them emails and other materials to document them).

Scientists have long tried to explain these uncanny coincidences.  In the 1920s, Carl Jung dubbed it synchronicity.  Even Einstein spoke of how his insights came not from logic but from unexplained inspiration.  Some call it the Force (rather like Star Wars!).But I see it as our Father’s hand.  He weaves the tapestry of our lives so deftly and gently that we usually go about our lives completely unaware of just how much we take for granted.  But sometimes we  entangle ourselves so much that He reaches in to straighten out a knot or two—such as he did right after our honeymoon, and later did with a gift from Dr. Woodward...

The Magic Zheng While in Taiwan for our wedding,  Sue bought a Chinese zheng for my wedding present.  I had wanted one for years, and was delighted—and then I left it on a public bus in San Francisco while transferring to another airport. I was devastated, and halfheartedly threw up a hopeless prayer—more of a complaint than a plea for help, blaming my Father for allowing his child to be so careless.  I had zero hope of ever seeing the zheng again because neither the instrument nor the case had any ID.   It was not, I felt, an auspicious way to start married life—losing my wedding present before I even got it home.

A full month later, back in Los Angeles at grad school, I was called out of class to the office—and on the dean’s desk was my zheng—no note, no explanation!  The bus company must have spent a month of detective work tracking down the owner of an instrument with no ID on it or in it.  For me, it was a special delivery straight from heaven. 

I thanked our Father for the returned zheng—and apologized both for losing it and for blaming Him for my loss, because the incident drove home two valuable lessons.  One—we, not our Father, are responsible to steward what He entrusts to us.  But two, and more encouraging to me, our Father really is there to help his children.  And He continues to drive home this lesson even today in ways so amazing that some have made it into the Chinese newspapers!   But one of my greatest lessons came through the book “Detour from Tibet,” which Dr. Woodward gave to us at our wedding....

Dr. Woodward, a grad of Princeton and Fuller T.S. (my alma mater), set off on horseback in 1945 for Tibet, and then served for decades with Betty in India, Hong Kong and Taiwan, where Sue knew the Woodwards while she was growing up (Sue’s parents were in Taiwan 30 years with TEAM, and she was born and raised there).

Marital Counseling—or Cautioning?  Sue was thrilled that Dr. Woodward agreed to marry us at Taipei’s Christ Chapel, but I was nervous when he said he had to first counsel me.  My ears were still burning from the marital counseling of Chuck Saunders, my friend from Taiwan days.   (Read more about the Saunders at:  www.amoymagic.com/AM_Saunders.htm )
Chuck Saunders

Don’t Do It, Willy! I met Sue at Chuck and Donna’s house in Pasadena on Easter Sunday, 1981, and after watching our love blossom, Chuck took me to a Mexican lunch and dispensed these words of wisdom:  “Don’t do it, Willy!” (Only Chuck,  and Art Velasquez, ever called me Willy—precisely because they knew I hated Willy).

Chuck was concerned not for me but for Sue.  He knew me from Air Force days in Taiwan, and my time as a special agent in the U.S. and the Middle East, and he was worried Sue would not be able to handle the kind of life I was likely to live in mainland China.  I of course greatly respected Chuck and his advice. He and Donna influenced me on everything from attending Fuller T.S. to going into business, and then leaving business to go to China.  But when it came to Susan Marie, I was deaf!  Happily for us, once they realized we were determined to marry, they embraced us like 2nd parents, and Chuck was the first to visit and encourage us in China right after we arrived in 1988.

Marriage Counseling—the Sequel  After Chuck’s insights on marriage, I certainly did not want a second round of marital counseling from Dr. Woodward.  But Dr. Woodward did not dissuade me, perhaps because the wedding was only 4 days away (and Sue’s dad had my plane tickets and wouldn’t let me leave the island without his daughter in tow).  But Dr. Woodward did advise me on how to keep the wife happy, and given that he was married to Betty for 66 years, I figured he must know what he was talking about, and I listened!

The Magic Book As we prepared for the wedding, Dr. Woodward delighted us with tall but true tales of entering Tibet on horseback, and he gave us a signed copy of his book “Detour from Tibet.”  I treasured that book, which I read several times, and was one of the few books I took to China. So imagine my frustration when Sue loaned it to a Chinese student, who loaned it to another student, who lost it.  I did not say much about it, but inwardly I stewed at losing yet another wedding present. And unlike the zither, I never saw that book again, but our Father used it to teach us a great lesson!

A year after losing my treasured book, we heard that some of our university’s Chinese students had volunteered to work in Tibet so they could also share their new Life there (Chinese tentmakers).  And a year after that news, we had one of those “coincidences” that even today gives me goosebumps to think about.

In 1994, Sue, the boys and I drove 40,000 km. for 3 months around China, up the coast, through the Gobi Desert, to Tibet and back.  I was exhausted by the time we reached Lhasa,(Tibet) but the second day both body and spirit were charged when a young Chinese said to us, “Are you Bill Brown?  I’m a believer from Xiamen Univ. who volunteered to serve in Tibet.  I was moved to do that because of your book, “Detour from Tibet!”

A year lesson, Dr. Woodward was delighted to hear that he was still touching the hearts of Tibetans half a century after he left the place.  And happily for me, he gave us another signed copy of his book.  I do hope to hold on to this copy, but I also pray that I’ll never again put books, or anything else, above people.

On August 23, 2011, Dr. Woodward ended his brief 93 year sojourn on this planet. And now, for the first time, he can view the magnificent tapestry of life—not from the knotty and tangled backside but from the beautiful perspective of the Master Weaver, for whom even the smallest thread has both beauty and purpose.

Ping'an, Dr. David Woodward!



Bill Brown
Xiamen University www.amoymagic.com

Saturday, September 3, 2011

For Unto Us a Charlie's Born

Early this morning I got word that Johanna and Chaz Bulbuk, grandson of John Bulbuk and  Chuck & Donna Saunders, (whom I knew while I was in the Air Force in Taiwan, and who introduced Sue and I in Pasadena), finally had baby Charlie.  About time!  We thought he was coming ten days ago.   Below is a poem to celebrate...
(Click pics of Charlie for larger images!)


For Unto us a Charlie's Born
                    September 2, 2011
Upon this bright and cheery morn,
an angel on a Harley,
Said, "To us all a child is born
And he shall be called Charlie."

And how this child has come to be,
Is a tale that must be told,
So here's the story straight from me,
If I may be so bold.

Old Eden had its endless fruits,
Israelis had their manna,
David had his bread and wine,
And Chaz? He has Johanna!

And from that marriage made above,
And the union of their hearts,
We see the fruit of faith and love,
As today a Journey starts.

We waited long for the little guy,
And Johanna grew yet rounder.
The doctor checked, and heaved a sigh,
"He's probably a 20 pounder!"

But at long last, the doctor saw
a small head full of hair.
That child looked round in awe and said,
"I've been long enough in there."

8 pounds and 7 ounces,
The kid was born half grown,
And like a lion pounces,
Charlie struck out on his own.

20 inches full of life,
And hungry from the get-go.
He headed straight for mom's sweet breast,
And still he hasn't let go.

Now some may say that we've evolved,
That life is chance or luck,
But we know that our life's a gift,
Especially when a Bulbuk!

So here's to Charlie, parents too,
And for you three I pray,
That every day our Lord renew
That love we see today.

With love &

thanksgiving,
 
Uncle Bill

Bill Brown Xiamen University www.amoymagic.com
Click Here to learn more about Chuck and Donna Saunders of the Asia Evangelical Mission

Friday, September 2, 2011

Davey Crockett in China?

Well... Davey Crockett didn't make it to China--but his descendant did!  I've long regretted knowing so little about my ancestry.  I know Chinese who can trace their roots back over 35 generations, but until 5 years ago, I did not know my own roots further than two generations.  So imagine my surprise to learn I'm descended from the man who once owned most of Washington D.C. before it was the capital, and a 16th century Jewish immigrant, a man from Glasgow Scotland (1500s), Asa Candler (who started Coca-Cola, from which I've inherited nothing!)...and Davey Crockett! (this by his second wife).

So I humbly represent Davey Crockett in China.  But why not?  I've accomplished what even Christopher Columbus failed to achieve.  When he set sail, he was seeking not a New World but a short cut to an ancient one--to India and China, to be exact.  And his destination in China was the famous port of Quanzhou, known by the Arabs as Zaiton (source of our word "satin"), and said to be a haven for Sinbad himself.  Quanzhou is only 60 km. north of Xiamen.  Columbus never made it to Quanzhou--but I've been there dozens of times, and even written a book about it.  Eat your heart out, Chris!

Below is an email just forwarded to me by a fellow writing about our mutual descent from Davey Crockett (I was born William Neil Edmunson, by the way).

Yes I am aware of our connection of to Davey Crockett.  His second wife was Elizabeth Patton of Buncombe County, NC.  She was the sister to Margaret Patton who is my great-great-great grandmother, so I am the 3rd great grandnephew of Elizabeth and kin to Davey by their marriage. There are Crocketts all over Gibson County and a replica of his cabin (with some of the original timbers) is located just outside Rutherford. Davey's mother Rebecca Hawkins Crockett is buried there. Davey was a Colonel and Commander of the Lawrence County Malitia , a Justice of the Peace and a member of the Tennessee State Legislature and successful businessman while in Lawrence County. He owned a Distillery, Grist Mill and Gun Powder Mill untill a flash flood destroyed them and forced Davey and Elizabeth into bankruptsey. They sold what they had left and moved to what became  Gibson County in West Tennessee where there was 1000 acres of land owned by Elizabeth's father, Robert Patton, who received it for service in the Revolutionary War. He devided this land into 200 acre lots to be divided it among his children. Davey was elected to US congress for 3 terms. When he lost his 4th bid for his congressional seat, he went to Texas and joined their fight for independance from Mexico. He was killed at the Alamo and his body burned by order of Santa Anna. In 1852 Elizabeth and some or the family moved to Texas to take up land awarded to Davey by the Republic of Texas. She and the families that went with her died and were buried there and relatives live there to this day. This and is on my web site on RootsWeb.
 
Virtus



Bill Brown Xiamen University www.amoymagic.com