Section Two

“Filled with the fragrance of the ointment” (John 12:3)

Miss Barber went to glory more than 50 years ago. Those helped by her who are still alive today can be counted on one hand. But time cannot dilute the deep impression she gave to us. One of the older sisters, who in her youth saw Miss Barber, remembered her:

She was neither tall nor short. She had a round face that gave the impression of being kind, weighty, godly, and sober. She was filled with the light of the Lord so that when people sat beside her they always felt comfortable. While she was speaking, her tone was soft and full of joy. She always had a smiling face that caused people to forget the suffering of human life. She could speak the Foochow dialect fluently.

Concerning the spiritual supply which Miss Barber rendered people, that same sister recalled, “The word she released was filled with light and life and caused people to leave all and follow the Lord their whole life.” An older brother, who was a student when he first met her and who later became a spiritual son and co-worker of Miss Barber, remembered this:

The first time I met her, her eyes were like lightning, her hair was like silver, and her face was shining like an angel’s. Her countenance was lovely, just like a mother’s. Her behavior was holy, her dress was simple, and she was always smiling and kind. She was different from other foreigners in China. Her walk was sober. She not only had a good reputation, but also was a good pattern. Everything she did was for the Lord, for the glory of God.

In The Normal Christian Life, Watchman Nee mentions an older sister who deeply affected him. This sister was Miss Barber. When she went to be with the Lord, he expressed his feeling: “She was one who was very deep in the Lord and, in my opinion, the kind of fellowship she had with the Lord and the kind of faithfulness she expressed to the Lord are rarely found on this earth.” He often mentioned her in ministering and in his private talk. He said, “In all my life, she gave me the most help,” and, “The biggest gain in my life was to know Miss Barber.”

Brother Nee went to England and the United States in 1933. After meeting with some noted Christian leaders such as D.M. Panton, George Cutting, James Taylor, and T. Austin-Sparks, he said, “It is hard to find someone who can compare with Miss Barber.” In 1933, when he talked with a co-worker concerning service, he expressed his feeling, “If Miss Barber were still here, our situation would be different.” He considered her a shining Christian. As soon as he entered her residence, he felt the presence of God. When Brother Nee started to work for the Lord, he determined in his mind to obey the will of God no matter what the situation was, so he considered himself as already obeying the will of God. But whenever he went to see Miss Barber and talked with her concerning the Lord or read the Bible with her, he realized he was short in obeying the will of God.

When Miss Barber lived in Pagoda Anchorage, she always spoke for the Lord. God not only expressed His will through her speaking, but He also spoke through her person. Once Brother Nee testified, “I heard many brothers and sisters talk about being sanctified, so I began to study the doctrine of sanctification. I found approximately 200 verses concerning sanctification. I memorized them and put them in sequence. But what sanctification was, I still was not clear. I felt empty inside, until one day I met this elderly sister. She was holy. On that day my eyes were opened. I saw what it is to be sanctified. The person I met was holy. I had a very strong impression of this. That light caused me to push forward. I could not escape, and this caused me to see sanctification.”

In 1922 Miss Barber was 56 years of age. Brother Nee was still young, having been saved for no more than two years. He was filled with many blueprints, grand ideas, and wonderful plans which could touch people and move them, all waiting for God’s approval. He felt that it would be wonderful if the many things in his hands could be put into practice. He brought these to Miss Barber with great excitement, hoping to persuade her to agree that all of them should be done. Later he testified, “Before I opened my mouth to speak about my plans, she spoke some heavy words. Then the light came and put me to shame. My work was so natural, filled only with the human element. As the light came in, I was brought to the point that I could only tell the Lord, ‘Lord! My mind is only paying attention to the activity of the flesh. Here is a person who never thinks about such things. Her only motive and hope is for God.’”

In one of her papers she had written, “I want nothing for myself; I want everything for the Lord.” This was her prayer to the Lord. This word may have been drawn from the autobiography of a prominent national leader, who said, “For myself, I want nothing. I want everything for my country.” Later, Watchman Nee quoted this impressive prayer as his motto. No doubt this prayer, which issued from the depths of her being, exactly described and explained Miss Barber’s life.