Dear Xiao-Tian,
Thank you for your letter and the precious article about He-Shi-Gu. Yes, I have a vivid memory of this saint of God. Around 1928 my mother took my brother and me and moved to live at Bai-Ya-Tan in order to learn from Miss Barber, who was like a mother to my mother, so a loving grandmother to me. I remember many times she called me over and gave me chocolates and candies she received from England, something very expensive at that time. She called me “Yee Die” in Foochow dialect, and many times she asked me to accompany her in her after-dinner walk around the small hill nearby. She would bring along a small blanket so we could sit down on the grass to rest on the way. (The blanket was a must for me because I wore the openbottom pants.) I also remember the day she passed away and the following funeral. When my mother decided to leave Bai-Ya-Tan and move to Shanghai, she went to Miss Barber’s graveside with tears to say goodbye. Anyhow, she is a rare gift
God gave to China. Through Watchman Nee, and through the hymns she wrote, she has influenced thousands of Chinese Christians. Some of those hymns were translated by Watchman Nee and coworkers and printed in the Little-Flock hymnal used by the Jui-HuiSuo assemblies. I am forever indebted to her for my own spiritual life.
Shu-Shu
