Lottie Moon

Born in Virginia on December 12, 1840, Charlotte Digges Moon grew into a cultured and educated woman. During a sermon in 1873 at her church in Cartersville, Georgia, she heard her call to China to share the gospel. On July 7, 1873, the Foreign Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention appointed her a missionary to China and in autumn of that year, she set sail for Tengchow. Lottie spent most of her missionary years in Tengchow and P’ingtu where she taught at mission schools and ministered to women. She eventually adopted Chinese dress and learned the Chinese language. Having immersed herself in Chinese culture, Lottie earned respect among many Chinese people and her missions work won many to Christ.

Lottie truly had a heart for the Chinese people and often made personal sacrifices to meet their needs. When famine struck the land, Lottie gave her food to the people, suffering malnutrition as a result. By the time those who were responsible for her welfare realized how serious her condition was, it was too late for medical help. A missionary nurse was bringing her home when Lottie died on board a ship in the harbor at Kobe, Japan, on December 24, 1912. She was 72 years old.

While in China, Lottie wrote letters to the Foreign Mission Board and Baptist women to plead for more missionaries and monetary support to continue and expand missions work among the Chinese people. From her persistent efforts grew the Christmas Offering, first collected by Woman’s Missionary Union and given to the Foreign Mission Board to fund missions in China. In 1919 the Christmas Offering for China was renamed the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for China at the suggestion of Annie Armstrong. In 1926 the offering was renamed the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for Foreign Missions.

Lottie Moon Tea Cake Recipe

As a way to earn the trust of the people and show her goodwill, Lottie Moon made tea cakes for the children in her village in China. Once the children ate the cookies, they would take Lottie to their homes where she would share the gospel with their mothers. The children began calling Lottie "the cookie lady" instead of "foreign devil."

Plain Tea Cake
(As made by Lottie Moon)

Three teacups of sugar
One teacup of butter
One teacup of sour milk
Four pints flour
Three eggs, well beaten
Half a teaspoon of soda
Flavor to taste, roll thin, bake in a quick oven.

Adapted recipe:
2 cups flour
½ cup butter
1 heaping cup of sugar
1 well-beaten egg
1 tablespoon cream

Cream the butter and sugar. Add the egg and mix well. Add the flour and cream. Dust a board with flour. Roll the dough very thin. Cut cookies with a round cookie cutter. Place on a buttered or non-stick cookie sheet. Bake at 475 degrees for about 5 minutes.