John Stam

John Cornelius Stam was born on January 18, 1907, in Paterson, New Jersey, in a family of Dutch heritage. His father, Peter Stam, was a minister and the founder of a mission to the Jews and others in the area, called the Star of Hope Mission. John grew up in a home of prayer and Bible reading. As a boy, he was strong and quiet. He was converted at an early age, and he felt that God had called him to be a missionary. He studied at Wheaton College in Illinois and then at the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago.

At Moody, he met Betty Scott, the daughter of missionaries in China. The two were drawn to each other, and they had a common aim. John felt the call to China, and he was accepted by the China Inland Mission. In 1932, he sailed for China at the age of twenty-five. He was assigned to the province of Anhwei, in the east of the country, and began to study the language. Betty arrived in China a short time later. The two were married on October 25, 1933, in Tsingtao, in the presence of her family. They then moved to Tsingteh, a remote station in Anhwei, where they began their work.

In September 1934, their daughter, Helen Priscilla, was born. John wrote letters home about his joy. He was a young man of simple and strong faith, and he had a gift for preaching. He was gentle and patient with the people, and he began to learn the local dialect. He and Betty were in a region that was threatened by the Communist armies, which were fighting the Nationalist government. The missionaries had been warned, but they chose to stay at their post.

On December 6, 1934, a Communist force entered the town. John was in his house with his wife and baby. The soldiers broke in and took him prisoner. They tied his hands and held him in the house. They demanded a ransom of twenty thousand dollars from the mission, an amount that could not be paid. John managed to write a letter to the mission to report what had happened. He said that he and Betty were in the hands of the Lord, that whether it meant life or death, they were willing to go on, and that they wished the Lord to be glorified. He wrote that the soldiers had been kind enough to allow him to write.

On December 7, they were taken to the town of Miaosheo. The next morning, they were taken to a hillside, where they were to be executed. A shopkeeper from the town, an older man who knew the family, begged for John's life, and he was killed on the spot. John knelt in prayer. He and Betty were put to death by beheading. They were twenty-seven and twenty-eight years old. Their bodies were left on the hillside.

Their baby daughter was left alone in the house. Two days later, a Chinese evangelist, Mr. Lo, found her alive and carried her to safety. She was raised in the United States by her grandparents. John and Betty were buried in a grave in the town, and a monument was set up in their memory. The account of their lives and death was published in a book, The Triumph of John and Betty Stam, by Mrs. Howard Taylor, and it was read by many.

The news of their deaths moved the church around the world. Thousands of young people dedicated themselves to missions. Their witness has inspired many ever since. John Stam was a man who gave his whole life at an early age. His example shows that a short life, given to the Lord without reserve, may have an effect for generations, and that those who are faithful to the end may leave a lasting witness.