On March 1, 1914 Bob Hammond was born to missionary parents, Elmer and Hattie Hammond in Hong Kong. When Bob was only two years old his father was killed in a terrible train wreck, which had been derailed by Chinese bandits. He had been returning from a great revival in Canton, where hundreds had been baptized in water as they received Christ as their Savior. Hattie returned with her three children, Katherine, Bob and Elmer, to the United States where she preached and lived for one year in Oakland in a California Mission. Here she met and married Charles Storey.

They all returned to Hong Kong and had great times of fellowship with the Reitons, Helen"s parents, who were also missionaries.

In 1925 Hong Kong was boycotted by China because the Red Army had taken Canton. Blood flowed in China's streets.

Living by faith for twelve-year-old Bob was not easy. Bob remembered, "My mother was sick and frail. There was no school and our lives were in constant danger. Each morning I could hear women yelling, "Wake up! Get up! It"s time to cut off the heads of the foreign devils!" I was glad Dad Storey decided the Lord was leading us back to the U.S. for a furlough.

The family hired on as crew on the old "Empress of Canada. Dad Storey was a night watchman, Katherine was a waitress in first class, my younger brother, Elmer and I were page boys to the Captain. After selling the little we had there was enough money to buy my mother a three sisters third class tickets.

Our family went to San Pedro, California. I completed high school and then went to work as a stockman and alter began stevedoring, learning the shipping business.

One special day my mother and I went to meet the ship the Asama Maru. There was excitement among all the friends as Phoebe Pierce, Ethel McPerson and Helen Reiton arrived from their journey overseas. Helen was nineteen at this time and I was twenty-one. Many churches and missions wanted the Reitons to come to the U.S. to tell them what God was doing in China.

On June 16, 1939, Helen and I were married in Pasadena, California and in November, 1939, Helen and I went as missionaries to Hong Kong to assist in the work to which the Reitons had dedicated their lives, their strength and their love."

As Bob and Helen returned to their Oriental home, their birthplace, they remembered how beautiful this harbor was and it seemed to open its arms welcoming them back. For two years they labored in Hong Kong as missionaries ministering to the needs of the Chinese. They were busy caring for the spiritual and physical needs of hundreds of refugees and Chinese Christians.

From 1939 to 1941 they all lived in uncertainty. Because of the Sino-Japanese War, Hong Kong became the center of activity for all of China. Then on December 7, 1941 as they listened to the reports on the radio they began to hear the drone of planes and air raid alarms went off. The planes roared their unwelcome presence upon them.

The planes dropped their bombs and then faded away in the distance. They could still hear the planes diving and bombs exploding as their home trembled and shook. The dreaded day had come. The storm had broken! After many months of suffering and heartache they were set free. Bob said, "Oh, how wondrously good the Lord has been to us. I love Jesus with all my heart. After the dark, horrible months in enemy hands, to be delivered and set free seemed too good to be actually so."

Dad Reiton began speaking across the United States and Canada to hundreds of people. While Helen kept the "home fires" burning Bob finished his education at Pasadena College and completed work toward his Masters Degree as well as preaching as many as five times a day.

During this time Bob realized more people could be reached in one day by radio broadcasting than in years of personal meetings. Soon the Voice of China broadcasts began and people learning of the plight of war torn china responded with over a ton of food, medicines and clothing to ship to Hong Kong.

On July 1946, Bob and Helen"s little son, Eric Bruce, was killed as he crossed the street in front of their house. Many friends sent loving gifts of money, which was the nucleus of the funds used to build the first orphanage. They could see that God was speaking to them to let the Eric Bruce Hammond love gifts be used to save other dying little ones orphaned by the war. God began to move on the hearts of His faithful followers, and used clothing, blankest and donations began to flow into the warehouse. Over eight million dollars worth of relief clothing, baby quilts, blankets, food, medicines and vitamins were given to thousands of hungry and destitute people.

The varied relief missions, which were undertaken by the Voice of China and Asia during post war years, have taken our workers into many parts of the Far East. Bob would often say, "Our friends in America will never know what a testimony to God"s love they have helped us express by relieving the distress of the unfortunate is Asia!" the work grew and help came to Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, India and the Philippines.

Bob and Helen"s vision of helping the needy began a great outpouring of love and support that established schools, orphanages, churches, boat evangelism, clinic and hospital ministry, homes for the aged, the blind, the handicapped, nursery schools, Bible schools, seminaries, youth camps, village evangelism, leprosarium"s, emergency relief, Bible conferences, literature, Bibles, and radio outreach.

Bob once said as he looked back at what God had done through the years and he remembered the devil laughingly told him, "See! Everything is destroyed! You are in prison camp! You will never get out! You will die here!" ? then we are sure he is the "father of lies." When the enemy of our soul tested us so sorely and we prayed and waited on the Lord, our God spoke to us, he said, "THE LATTER END WILL BE GREATER THAN THE FORMER!" Our living God IS TRUTH!"