Section Five

“Revive your work in the midst of the years” (Habakkuk 3:2)

Miss Barber was very much a person of prayer. She trusted that the Lord would supply not only her need but also the needs of the work. Both she and Miss Ballord deeply felt how limited they were in their flesh. Some wondered what two women could do for the Lord. They were weak sisters without the support of a mission, but they were not weak in spiritual insight.

They wanted China, no matter how backward and vast it was, to turn to Christ. This seemed to be a distant dream, but they realized that God would raise up some young people for His own sake. For this they prayed specifically for over ten years.

God answered their prayer. Near their residence a big revival took place, and God raised up some young people who loved the Lord. Among them were Leland Wong, Lian Zin Wong, Faithful Luke, Zai-Shen Chen, Shin Zen Chang, and Watchman Nee. Among the sisters were Son-Fan Gi, Shi Gen Song, and Rei-Yu Lin. These sisters were deeply impressed with Miss Barber and moved in order to live with her and work together. Sister Gi gave up her job as a teacher, moved to Pagoda Anchorage, and stayed with Miss Barber until her departure. Later, when the Lord had taken Miss Barber and in memory of her, Sister Song felt led of the Lord to move to Pagoda Anchorage and be with Sister Gi until she also went to be with the Lord.

To meet the many spiritual needs, Miss Barber prepared a group of houses around her residence for the purpose of hospitality. One of those houses was used as a place of meeting. Here meetings were held regularly for edification. For one or two weeks she would help those students and young people who so desired. Some recall that during conferences three sessions of Bible study were held daily. After each meeting those who attended were expected to review their notes, write poems, and carry out other assignments. In addition to these conferences, truth classes were set up for friends in nearby villages who were hungry for the gospel. In these classes gospel truths such as the existence of God, man’s sin, judgment, and the Lord’s salvation could be expounded systematically. How was Miss Barber able to carry out the work of raising up people by training them? She did not rely on donations, nor did she trust in advertising or in strong financial backing. She simply trusted that God would meet the needs.

Once a brother named Dr. Mike visited Pagoda Anchorage from abroad. He went to see Miss Barber and contacted many of the dear co-workers. He was very happy and quite impressed with what he saw. Since the co-workers did not have a regular salary, he felt that their living must be hard. So he made a suggestion: “Why don’t you give your group a name? After I go back to my country, I can report to my mission. They will mail you money regularly. Then you can work without ever worrying about finances.” Miss Barber, however, stubbornly refused his suggestion. The way of faith is truly a lonely way.

What kind of help did she render the young people? We can get some idea from the recollections of an older sister:

Out of respect for her age, we called her Aunt Barber. She, however, did not agree. She said, “We are all in the Lord. No matter whether we are old or young, we are all the same. There is little difference concerning age in the Lord. You can just call me Sister Barber.” From that time on, all the older sisters were called “sister.”

Her teaching of the sisters stressed that they should be serious and should aspire to be quiet and submissive. She referred repeatedly to the books of 1 Thessalonians and 1 Timothy, expounding these two books in detail. This left a deep impression.

She taught the sisters to obey the truth and the authorities. She stressed the crucial importance of head covering. She encouraged the sisters to speak less, to learn to trust God, and not to have contentions of words, which are useful for nothing but to bring ruin to the hearers. She respected and treasured those who genuinely loved the Lord. She cared for Watchman Nee, Kwang-hsi Weigh, and Faithful Luke, taking them as her genuine children in faith. They, in turn, were touched to forsake everything and to serve the Lord all their lives.