Carpenter, Myra

Myra Carpenter (known as Mollie) was a China Inland Mission (CIM) missionary in Sichuan, China. After having her first application turned down she was accepted for missionary training by the CIM in London in 1925. She left for China in October 1928 arriving in Yangzhou in December where she spent some time studying Mandarin. In April 1929 she began her journey to Sichuan where she was to spend most of her working life. From August 1930 she was based in Guangyuan near Paoning (Langchung) sometimes spending time at Sintientsi. Her time was occupied with learning the language, taking classes and meetings, and, when possible, travelling through the surrounding country evangelising.

Between 1933 and 1935 increasing unrest meant that Carpenter was evacuated from the Paoning area four times. She spent periods at Mienchow, Liangshan, Juxian, Chienkoh, Chongqing, and Tienkiang before settling in Tahsien (or Suiting) in November 1935. She remained there until she went on furlough between April 1936 and September 1938. On her return to China she spent some time in Shanghai before leaving in December 1938 for Tanishan near Paoning which she reached at Easter 1939.

At Tanishan she was in charge of the mission's orphanage but also spent time taking classes and travelling to surrounding towns and villages. She continued to view the evangelical side of her work as important and regarded the area in which she worked as her 'parish'. Her next furlough was from May 1947 until October 1948. On her return to China she was based in Paoning but continued to visit the surrounding area and the orphanage at Tanishan. With the arrival of the Communists she found her work increasingly difficult and finally left China in early 1951. Once back in England she reluctantly accepted that her health would not allow her to work in any of the Mission's new fields in Asia. She settled at her late mother's house in Chippenham and did some work as a companion to elderly ladies and occasionally in rest homes. She also wrote articles, presented classes on China and took classes on religious themes as well as representing the British and Foreign Bible Society. She continued to keep in touch with developments in China by collecting news cuttings and articles until her death in the 1970s.

From the guide to the Papers of Myra Carpenter, 1914-1974, (Centre for the Study of World Christianity)