Ritröð Guðfræðistofnunar - 01.01.1991, Side 46

Gunnlaugur A. Jónsson
fengið mér sæti á bekk. Og allt í einu er hann kominn fram á gólfið og
segir: 'Þetta er þó ekki frú Hannesson?' Urðu þar miklir fagnaðarfundir.“
Og Kína hefur enn aðdráttarafl fyrir fjölskylduna því Gunnhildur
dóttir þeirra, sem var níu ára gömul er hún fluttist heim frá Kína ásamt
móður sinni og bróður árið 1951, er nú komin til Kína. Maður hennar,
Sigurvin Ólafsson verkfræðingur vinnur við olíuborpalla við strönd Kína
og hafa þau þegar heimsótt æskuslóðir Gunnhildar í Hong Kong.
Summary
Jóhann Hannesson and his wife Astrid served as missionaries in China
from 1939-1952 under the auspices of the Society of Icelandic
Missionaries, an affiliate of Det Norske Missjonsselskap. Gunnlaugur
Jónsson's article describes how the Hannessons' work as missionaries was
affected by the war which raged in China during the entire period they
were posted there. It gives an account of the couple's work in the Hunan
district, first in Yiyang (1940-41) and subsequently in Sinhwa (1941-44),
where Jóhann Hannesson served fifteen separate parishes and had
regularly to walk considerable distances to visit them. The difficulties
with which he had to contend at this time seriously affected his health.
Hannesson's main duty was to visit the congregations in his assigned
parishes, but alongside his missionary work he was also acting director of
the Hospice for Sufferers of Leprosy in Sinhwa. This article describes the
ununusual Christmas celebrations held by the Hannessons in 1941 as well
as their extraordinary escape from Sinhwa along the Yellow River before
the arrival of invading Japanese troops. The article goes on to discuss
Jóhann Hannesson's teaching at the Lutheran Theological Seminary in
Chungking from 1944-46. After spending two years leave in Iceland
(1946-48), Jóhann Hannesson set out for China again in September 1948
and travelled around west and mid-China. However, it was at this time
that the communists took power and all missionaries were forced to leave
the country. Finally, the article discusses Hannesson's work in Hong
Kong, where he was employed by Det Norske Missjonsselskap from
1949-51. His duties there were mainly in the field of literature, and he
was for a time the director of the Lutheran Mission's Literature Society,
which published Christian books in Chinese. Jóhann Hannesson wrote and
published one of his own works in Chinese, and cooperated in the
translation of a great many hymns into Chinese, including a number from
the Icelandic. During his last stay in China, Jóhann Hannesson was
Professor of Theology at the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Hong
Kong from 1951-1952, where he also acted as principal for a short time.
He finally retumed to Iceland at the beginning of 1953.
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