Fitting In and Settling In
Once the Lammermuir party landed and the missionary party found a place to stay, they immediately adopted the ways of the Chinese they would be ministering among.  This included a diet consisting of a great deal of rice, and the difficult task of mastering chopsticks.  They also adopted Chinese dress, which caused quite a stir among other Europeans.

At a young age, Emily Blatchely became an orphan.  Her parents had entrusted her to the care of missionaries Hudson and Maria Taylor, founders of the China Inland Mission.  As she grew into her twenties, she became the governess for the Hudson family and graduated from the Home and Colonial Training College.  She would become a key part of the China Inland Mission before her life was cut tragically short.  This is the first part of her story.​

Gray Hair ... A Blessing?
It turns out that Elizabeth would never have been as effective in China if she had come as a young woman instead.  It seems her gray hair was especially fascinating to the local women, and they were sure that this “Elder Sister” (as they nicknamed her) was especially wise and knowledgeable because of her silver hair.  While many missionaries struggled to gather crowds, the locals begged Elizabeth to talk with them and teach them because of their respect for the wisdom that her hair color implied.  They stayed to listen because she was wise, wise in the things of God.

Early Years
Not much can be found about the early years of Elizabeth Wilson, such as who her parents were or when she was born.  We do know that she was brought up in a Christian home, and according to her mother was interested in the things of God at a very young age.  It was also at a very young age that Elizabeth was horrified to discover that some people didn’t love God.