Jennie Clare Adams was one of a great line of missionary women skilled in healing the whole being - body, mind, and soul. She was small in stature, quiet in manner, and soft in speech, but her radiant personality shone through her reserve. She was a comfort to her patients and fellow nurses alike. Miss Adams first saw the Philippines in 1923, and in the years that followed she crossed the Atlantic Ocean once and the Pacific six times. These were joyous voyages between dear ones at home and her "Brownies," the term of endearment she used for her Filipino family. Of the twenty years she served as the Superintendent of Nurses at Emmanuel Hospital in Capiz Province on Panay Island, no patient or visitor ever entered the hospital without hearing of Christ or receiving treats (or both).

In all her years of service only two of her students left the school without Christ in their hearts. She wrote, "It grieved me deeply and nearly broke my heart because these girls would not surrender and went out without accepting Christ, but I still pray for them daily." Patients would come to the hospital from long distances, and occasionally a messenger would come and ask for someone to tell them more about Christ's gospel. Jennie would often make long journeys on foot, walking through mud and avoiding dangerous carabao (water buffalo) to reach small villages. Some of these villages hadn't ever seen a white woman before. When their confidence was won they'd listen with open minds to her story of the Great Physician.

When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941, the American Baptist Foreign Mission Society had 21 missionaries in the Philippine Islands. Eleven were to have a tragic end in less than two years. Ten of the missionaries connected with the hospital in Iloilo were put in prison in a couple of different locations. They were eventually liberated in 1945 by American Forces. As the Japanese began their sweep of the islands anyone in their way was at risk. In front of their armies all buildings and equipment were destroyed by allied military forces in accordance with a scorched-earth policy. This left Dr. and Mrs. F. W. Meyer and Miss Jennie Adams with no alternative except retreating to a place in the mountains which they and the other missionaries had previously selected and prepared for just such an emergency. Hopevale was the name they'd given to their hiding place; a small clearing at or near the tip of a mountain "in the deep recesses of evergreen" reached only by "a winding and misleading trail." The Hopevale group varied from 14-21. Hopevale was a place of refuge for the Americans: businessmen, miners, and their families. They reasoned if they should be ultimately overtaken by the Japanese, their worst fate would be internment.

As fugitives in the hills, Miss Adams and Dr. Meyer continued to care for all in the district in spite of the jungle surroundings, almost total lack of equipment, and enemy presence. Their colleagues, in their last letters, paid tribute to these two for their tireless and successful efforts to keep everyone well. "Like her Master, having loved her own she loved them to the end."After evading Japanese search parties for over 17 months, their location was finally discovered just as the group was planning a Christmas celebration. One report stated the group, including Jennie Adams, was given one day's notice of their execution. After an hour of prayer they all came forward saying, "Now we are ready." The soldiers were affected by the group's appeals, but said they must carry out their orders, which they did.

Surely this is one of the most tragic episodes in missionary history. We can be assured that after many troubled months hiding in a wilderness lodge, those missionaries passed through heaven's shiny archway into safe lodging, there to be forever with the Lord.