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Hudson Taylor: Called To China

$20.00

This Christian play is great for your church youth group.  It will teach them a powerful story about the faith of an early missionary to China, plus give them a fun story to act and great costumes and make up.  The main part of Hudson can be divided between a younger and older actor.  We had a student who was a few years younger play the younger Hudson.

Hudson was a young man who struggled with the Christian life of his family. His mother spent an afternoon in prayer for him and he finally comes to the Lord at the same time. Once he is saved, Hudson feels the call to go to China as a missionary. In a flashback sequence, young Hudson is working for a doctor who keeps forgetting to pay him, and Hudson will not remind him, but asks God to take care of it. Later, an older Hudson almost dies from an infection he incurred, and he cuts open the wound to let blood and poison out. In act 2, Hudson is in China, wearing Chinese clothes and his hair dyed black with a queue (pigtail), which meets with various reactions. Maria loves him, and he has written to her and asked her to marry him. Her sister is happy, but not the mistress of the house: Miss Aldersey. She over reacts and forbids her to accept his proposal, and dictates the letter of refusal for her to write. (a great part for a good actress) The narrator gives the outcome which is a happy one and the play ends with Hudson back in England speaking about the need for more missionaries in China. Four young people come up to join with him.

Cast of 26 (15 male, 10 female, 1 narrator) with a few children (the segments with the children can be easily omitted without changing the message in the story – making it 4 males less) (some parts can be doubled) Aprox. 75-90 mins.

Excerpt:

(Scene opens in the Taylor living room. The family is sitting around the
room. Mr. Taylor is reading from the scriptures and his wife and son and
two
daughters are listening. Young Hudson is distracted.)

Mr. Taylor: (reading) (possibly John 3:14-21 KJV) (Father stops and
prays)
Lord, please bless the reading of Thy Word to our hearts and may it make an
impact on our lives this day, in Jesus name. Amen. (and then to Hudson…)
Son… you keep rubbing your eyes. I want to have a look at them. Don’t
leave for work till I’ve given you an eye exam. I will go and get my glass.
Wait here. (he exits)

Mrs. Taylor: Hudson, are your eyes bothering you?

Young Hudson: I suppose so.

Mrs. Taylor: For how long?

Young Hudson: I don’t know. For a while I suppose. I think it has
something
to do with the gas lamps at the bank. They hurt when I’m trying to balance
the ledgers.

Mrs. Taylor: Did you tell your father about this?

Young Hudson: No. He would just make me quit my job.

Mrs. Taylor: Well, if the job is causing you problems, perhaps you should.

Young Hudson: I like my job. I have a lot of friends there.

Mrs. Taylor: I sometimes wonder if some of your friends aren’t a bad
influence on you.

Young Hudson: I don’t know. You think that because they are not
Christians.
But I know some Christians who live their lives just the same as
unbelievers… there doesn’t seem to be a difference.

Mrs. Taylor: Well.. there should be a difference.. if they are truly
regenerated. There ought to be a big difference.

Young Hudson: I’m trying to keep an open mind.. some of my friends have
some
pretty interesting ideas. We have some very thought provoking discussions
at
work. It seems that the Christian life is just filled with religious duties
that to me are so irksome.

Mrs. Taylor: You are breaking my heart with that kind of talk. If your
father had heard you… I just don’t want to think about it.

Young Hudson: Fine. I won’t mention it. I wouldn’t want to make him
angry.

Louisa: I like being a Christian and to hear Father read from the Bible.

Young Hudson: That’s because you’re a girl and you’re very young.

Louisa: Hudson Taylor! You’re bad! You need to repent!

Mrs. Taylor: Louisa, don’t you think it is time to get ready for school?

Louisa: I’m all ready Momma.. I just need to brush my teeth.

Mrs. Taylor: So.. go and do that now, dear. You too, Amelia. (they both
leave) Hudson. Please do not speak like that in front of the girls.
Amelia
is very sensitive. She has a good heart and she deeply loves the Lord. I
think you have upset her.

Young Hudson: I’m sorry Mamma.

(Father enters with magnifying glass)

Mr. Taylor: Okay then, lets have a look at those eyes. (he lifts Hudson’s
eyelids and looks at each one with a magnifying glass..) Look up. Look
down.
Blink. Look up. Look down. Blink. How long have they been hurting?

Young Hudson: For several weeks I suppose.

Mr. Taylor: Is it worse in the morning or at night?

Young Hudson: At night.. I think.

Mrs. Taylor: He thinks it has something to do with the gas lamps at the
bank.

Mr. Taylor: Well.. there will be no more working at the bank. Both of your
eyes are badly inflamed!

Young Hudson: Can’t you just give me something for it? I don’t want to quit
my job at the bank… I like my job! Besides, I’m saving up to get a horse!

Mr. Taylor: This is a serious problem, Son. It could make you blind. The
only hope for a full recovery is total rest.

Young Hudson: OHHH.. I have to stay in all the time?

Mr. Taylor: I’ve already lost 2 sons.. I am not going to have one go blind
if
we can help it! I will go to the bank and explain everything to them. I
don’t want to hear any whining about it. Now.. I have to be going
downstairs..
I have some appointments in a few minutes. Dear, get him some wet rags to
put
over his eyes.(he exits)

Young Hudson: I can’t believe it. Why am I always sick? It has been like
this all my life. I knew that job at the bank was too good to last. No
more
work… no more laughing with all the other junior clerks… instead I will
be
stuck at home all day long! It is so unfair. Every time something starts
to
go right for me, I get sick.

Mrs. Taylor: Dear, it is only until your eyes are better.

Young Hudson: Father won’t ever let me go back to the bank. Especially if
he
thinks those lamps are the cause. He wants me to take over his practice
some
day. I don’t think that is what I want to do.

Mrs. Taylor: I think you would make a fine chemist. (she sees that he is
upset) Don’t worry about that now dear. Let’s just concentrate on you
getting better. (he stretches out on the couch and Amelia comes back in
carrying her journal. Mrs. Taylor goes out to get the wet rag)

Amelia: Why are you so angry?

Young Hudson: You wouldn’t understand, Amelia.

Amelia: I suppose not. Did Father say that your eyes are bad?

Young Hudson: Yes. He said I could go blind. So I have to rest. I can’t
work at the bank anymore. I have to stay in all the time. I guess that
means
I don’t have to go to church, either. I won’t miss that, but I’ll miss the
bank..and the fellas there. I’ll probably end up learning Father’s trade.

Amelia: Is that so bad? Father seems to like it. Don’t you want to be
like
Father?

Young Hudson: Father is a Christian.. first and foremost. I’m not. I have
really tried to make myself a Christian, but I just think that I cannot be
saved. I guess there is no hope for me beyond the grave. But I have also
talked with a lot of people who don’t believe that Jesus is the only
way…and
who knows? Perhaps they are right and our parents are wrong.

Mrs. Taylor: (enters with rag and places it over his eyes) Amelia, whatever
he is saying to you.. well… just keep praying for your brother. (they
exit.. Hudson remains on the couch)

1 review for Hudson Taylor: Called To China

  1. wesage

    Just wanted to let you know that we performed your play “How Mr. Sodd found Christmas” and it was wonderful. Thank you for writing it and I can’t wait to order more scripts from you. May God continue to bless your talent and again, thank you, thank you, thank you!

    Kate Starner, New Life Assembly of God, East Berlin, PA

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