Section Four

“Having patiently endured, he obtained the promise” (Heb. 6:15)

Pagoda Anchorage was prepared by the Lord, but it was often clear that “God hath not promised skies always blue” (Hymns #720). One day, because of pressure from every side, she was fully discouraged and had no hope, but the Lord stood with her and empowered her. Because of this experience she wrote the following poem (Hymns #662):

From the loneliness and hardship expressed in this poem, one can see what one of her co-workers meant when he recalled:

From the prosperous mountain city, Hwei Chen, she moved to unfamiliar Pagoda Anchorage, where she led a lonely, quiet life. No one had the same mind as she had. No one sympathized with her. She had no financial support; she simply trusted the Lord to meet all her needs. At that time the western missionaries who lived in Foochow heard the rumors, “Miss Barber is staying in Pagoda Anchorage. She has a hard and poor life; often she does not have enough food and clothing.” A missionary sister went to visit her to find out what was happening. When she arrived at Pagoda Anchorage, Miss Barber was feeding bread and milk to a puppy. This sister said, “The rumors concerning you are lies. God is giving you such amazing grace.” Miss Barber listened and smiled, saying, “Thank the Lord! Praise the Lord!"

It was not the fact, however, that she never went through financial hardships. Once she had bills to pay, but her pockets were empty. At that time a modernist came to offer her some monetary help. Since he had told her not to be “superstitious” about God, she refused his help.

Even though she needed the money desperately, she was faithful to trust the Lord, and the Lord took care of her needs. The next day, she received a large sum of money from Brother D.M. Panton in Norwich, England. She wrote a letter asking why he had mailed her the money. He replied that, at the time of her need, he had not been aware of her situation, but while he was praying, he had sensed that he should mail her the money.

Miss Barber cared for spiritual principles. She wanted to live like the Israelites who gathered manna in the wilderness every day or like Elijah who stayed by the torrent Cherith (1 Kings 17:3) waiting for God to command ravens to feed him with bread and meat. One day two brothers came from overseas to visit Miss Barber and her co-workers. These brothers were concerned about the co-workers’ living and finances and suggested that the co-workers do some business for the Lord’s sake such as mailing some Chinese green tea and embroidery to them. They would sell the tea and make a profit for the Lord’s work. Miss Barber, however, refused their suggestions. She was faithful to keep her spiritual principles.