Giants Walked Among Us: The Story of Paul and Ina Bartel

By Anthony G. Bollback

Paul and Ina Bartel loved China and loved the Chinese people. It was only natural, for their parents on both sides were also missionaries to China. Paul first met Ina at the missionary boarding school, but it would be years before they married.

The lot of pioneer missionaries in early 20th-century China was grim. Ragtag bandit bands constantly clashed with undisciplined soldiers. Blood flowed. Bullets flew. But that did not deter Paul and Ina, for the situation was even worse for Chinese Christians. In many places, martyrdom was something to be expected.

The lives of the Bartels can be described only partially in these pages. Marked by incredible commitment, relentless vision and godly grace, the influence of Paul and Ina Bartel continues to reach the worldwide community of their beloved Chinese.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Moody Publishers
• Release date: Jan 1, 2011
• ISBN: 9781600669583

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www.MoodyPublishers.com

An imprint of Moody Publishers

Giants Walked Among Us

ISBN: 978-1-60066-256-0

LOC Control Number: 2011920211

© 2002 by Anthony Bollback

Previously published by Christian Publications, Inc.

First Christian Publications Edition 2002

First WingSpread Publishers Edition 2011

All rights reserved

Printed in the United States of America

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All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan.

All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com

Scripture references labeled KJV are taken from The Holy Bible: King James Version.

Dedicated

to the children of Paul and Ina Bartel,

Robert, Joan and Carol,

whose devotion to their parents

and the work they did for God

led them into Christian ministries

that have continued the legacy of their parents

Contents

Foreword

Introduction

1 Bushy Beards and Shawls

My Father

2 Out of the Same Mold

3 The Making of a Man

4 Love at First Sight

5 Disappointed Again

6 Forever Sweethearts

7 The Dragon Pool

8 As Soon as the River Rises

9 A Greater Sorrow

The Mandarin of the Inner Court

10 Incredible Commitment

11 The Burma Road

12 The First Wave

13 Dark Shadows

14 Dreaming the Same Dream

15 The Cry of the Anguished

Called to Canadian Bible College

16 To the Ends of the Earth

17 Dreams, Dreams and More Dreams

18 The Pattern He Has Planned

A Fitting Tribute

19 Monuments or Footprints?

The Children

A Daughter’s Tribute

Addendum One: A Permanent Missionary: The Printed Page

Addendum Two: The Outlook of the Class of 1930

Addendum Three: Today She Would Be Twenty-One

Addendum Four: China—Martyrs for the Faith

A Chronology of Rev. Paul H. Bartel

Glossary

Foreword

It is a rare honor and privilege for me to write a foreword for this book. It is not an exaggeration to say that every Chinese Christian who knew Rev. and Mrs. Paul Bartel had a genuine affection for them. Their strong spirit of dedication to God and their genuine love for the Chinese people have always moved my heart. We Chinese Christians sometimes feel that Paul is more Chinese than the Chinese people in general. Paul’s provincial accent in Chinese sometimes rouses a sense of nostalgia in us.

When I last heard Paul preach in Chinese about four years ago in California at an annual conference of the Association of Chinese Alliance Churches in the U.S., I was deeply impressed by his spiritual vitality and eagerness which is so rare for one in his nineties.

Every time Paul preached, I sensed he was speaking in the presence of God. The Word is quickened and enters into hearts. His presence at a meeting was always a blessing even without his saying a word.

We were all amazed to learn about the fact that while in his eighties he made nearly ten strenuous journeys to his former mission field in Szechuan Province of West China. I had the strong impression that he subconsciously cherished the desire to die on his mission field—a wonderful gateway into heaven.

Paul’s life after retirement was still full with intercession, preaching, writing, counseling and correspondence. He had even mobilized friends to revive the ministry of the Bible Magazine which was started by R.A. Jaffray and carried on by C.T. Chan and himself, with Christians in China as the target.

Dr. John Chui, son of an orphan brought up in one of the orphanages established by Paul’s parents in Shantung Province, North China, recently showed me many photos of numerous church gatherings in areas where Paul’s parents pioneered in northwest China. Today, there are over 2 million Christians in those areas! What a glorious harvest! And Paul and Ina had a good part in it.

Thank God for the lives and ministries of Paul and Ina that have glorified God and borne rich fruit.

Dr. Philip Teng

Hong Kong, June 2001

Introduction

Standing at the foot of the towering redwoods in the Sequoia National Forest of California, one cannot help but sense the awesome wonder of these magnificent trees. Some of them were but seedlings in the silent forest when Christ walked on earth 2,000 years ago. The tallest of these magnificent giants tower more than 360 feet into the sky, standing like majestic sentinels of God over the forest.

One cannot help but be impressed in their presence. Lifting their leafy branches toward heaven as if in prayer, they provide a protective canopy for all inhabitants of the land. The sense of awe is even more impressive when one remembers that these amazing trees have survived the repeated fury of windstorms, fires and floods. Although they swayed and trembled before each furious blast that tried to topple them and render them extinct, they would not fall.

The lives of Paul and Ina Bartel, pioneer missionaries to China, parallel these giant towering redwoods. Like them, these stalwart servants of God and of The Christian and Missionary Alliance who spent their lives in that inhospitable land tower above the ordinary. Through most of the twentieth century they lifted their hands and their hearts in passionate intercession for the people of China. The storms of life beat upon them in unremitting fury, and the fierce opposition of the inhabitants threatened to push them reeling into obscurity. The terror of ruthless bandits and the possibility of a horrible death haunted their steps as they traversed the land preaching the gospel of love through Jesus Christ. Wherever they went they were followed by adversity and catastrophes that would have broken less hardy souls. Yet through it all, they carried the burden for China’s millions that would one day become a mighty worldwide instrument in the hands of God.

A.W. Tozer once wrote: The heart seldom gets hot while the mouth is open. A closed mouth and a silent heart before God are indispensable for the reception of certain kinds of truth. No man is qualified to speak who has not first listened.¹ Paul and Ina listened, and what they heard was translated into a living, vibrant, pulsating church that stands today on the threshold of exploding growth and outreach.

Paul’s shadow has touched untold multitudes of Chinese people on every continent of the world through his books and his preaching. His prayers have left an indelible impression on many lives. When we met together weekly for prayer in Hong Kong, there was never any question as to whom he was speaking. I would rise from my knees knowing that God had heard his importunate intercession and circumstances would be changed forever.

Both Paul and Ina were gripped with the deepest conviction that people everywhere were lost and without hope apart from Jesus Christ. It compelled them to press on into the darkness of interior China at great personal sacrifice. Bound by centuries of spiritual darkness and superstition, the Chinese they met in these provinces of Central China resisted every effort to expose them to the love of Jesus. However, their shadow fell across the pathway of hundreds of Chinese, and though it took years before their message was accepted, today the church rises up to call them blessed.

As this story unfolds, it will become clear that these spiritual giants believed that God’s will was more important than anything else in life. Agonizing years of sacrifices and separation from family and loved ones were all an integral part of their lives. However, like Abraham plodding up Mount Moriah’s slopes to sacrifice his son Isaac at God’s command, they stumbled forward knowing that His way was perfect. Through their tears they often said, God is so good. His way is perfect.

At the age of ninety-six, and with diminishing physical strength, Paul was frequently found in a Chinese church pulpit proclaiming the truths that sent him around the world again and again. One would think he could rest on his laurels and be content with past accomplishments. Not Paul! He was consumed with a vision for the Chinese until the very hour of his entrance into the presence of Jesus on June 25, 2001. His shadow may have lengthened as the sun set on his remarkable life, but he never stopped dreaming of ways to spread the gospel to Chinese everywhere. Though he longed to see Jesus face-to-face and be reunited with his beloved wife who preceded him to glory in 1990, he still had big plans to be accomplished for God. His one regret was that life was too short to do all he wanted for His kingdom.

In his characteristically humble fashion, Paul recently reflected that writing his life story really wasn’t as important as his commentary on the Psalms and Prayers of the Bible in Chinese. The story of my life might exalt me, he worriedly commented. I want only Jesus to be glorified. What he failed to realize was that this story does just that. As pioneer missionaries to China, the story of Paul and Ina Bartel is a story that truly exalts God.

My wife, Evelyn, and I were among those eager recruits to go to China in 1946 under the leadership of Paul and Ina. We saw firsthand their single-minded dedication in the face of many trials and setbacks. Paul and Ina were our friends and mentors for fifty years, and it is one of the highest privileges of my life to attempt to put into writing this amazing story of two of the most dedicated people I have ever known. Clearly, Paul stands with the tallest missionary statesmen of the past century. He gave the Chinese church a strong biblical foundation through his books, which he wrote in Chinese, as well as through the Bible Magazine, which saturated Chinese churches throughout the world. His gentle wife, Ina, stood beside him through the years, offering her steadfast support when lesser women would have turned back.

Indeed, giants walked among us.

I am deeply indebted to the three Bartel children—Bob Bartel, Joan Stough and Carol Ohman—for making the important papers and letters of their parents available to me for reference. Their insights and suggestions have been immensely valuable in bringing their parents’ story to light. My daughter, Joy Peters, added editorial skills and suggestions that have kept me focused on the main reason for this book. And my wife, Evelyn, provided invaluable insights and suggestions along the way.

The English spelling of Chinese cities and names has always been difficult because the Chinese language makes use of characters rather than letters and different systems are used. The most current one, called pinyin, was adopted by the People’s Republic of China in 1950. The odd phonetic values assigned to some letters make it difficult to read. After consultation with Chinese and American experts, I have concluded that it will be best to retain the spellings in common use at the time of this story. In order to help those used to the new spelling, I have prepared a glossary, found on page 207. I pray that this decision will in no way detract from the challenging story of two of God’s choice servants.

Anthony G. Bollback

Kissimmee, Florida

June 2001

Endnote

1. A.W. Tozer, The Set of the Sail (Camp Hill, PA: Christian Publications, Inc., 1986), p. 15.

1

Bushy Beards and Shawls

Spiritual giants are as rare as physical ones, and much of what they are is the product of generations of greatness. It was out of the crucible of persecution and privation that Paul Bartel’s life was shaped and prepared for great exploits in a land torn by decades of strife and conflict.

His story begins in 1874 when a band of fifty stalwart Mennonites arrived in the frontier town of Hillsboro, Kansas, seeking freedom from religious persecution. The arrival of this group of immigrants from Poland caused quite a stir in that area. These strangers were different, and they soon became the butt of crude jokes and smirks from the townspeople. These bushy-bearded Mennonites from Polish Russia wore wide-brimmed felt hats and baggy trousers. The women, in shawls and voluminous flapping skirts, were objects of scorn and ridicule. These newcomers, who wrapped their feet in cloth before thrusting them into wooden shoes, looked Russian, but they spoke German. Although they were a mystery to the townspeople, they were industrious, and it soon became obvious that these shrewd folks invariably found the most productive farmland on which to establish themselves as master farmers.

Actually, the settlers were not Russians at all. Their ancestors had forsaken their comfortable homes for conscience’s sake and begun the long arduous trek from Holland and Prussia to the rich, untamed farmland of Polish Russia. Their deeply imbedded pacifism based on their interpretation of Scripture and their subsequent stance against the militaristic government of their homeland evoked intense persecution and suffering. Russia at that time provided them a brief respite until Alexander II ascended the throne. It was at that time that they became interested in the United States, where Congress had recently passed a bill excusing conscientious objectors from bearing arms.

Like the spies of Israel, a deputation of twelve men left for America to find a new homeland where they could worship God without persecution and restriction. They visited communities of Mennonites already settled in Indiana, then traveled on up through Manitoba, Canada, on to South Dakota, Nebraska and finally Kansas. On their return, the deputation encouraged the struggling community to migrate to the rich farmlands of America and the freedom of religion they sought so desperately.

Paul’s grandfather, Heinrich Frank Bartel, and his wife, Mary, joined the first group of fifty who left everything for the unknown continent. They gathered up their few belongings and, with their three children, braved the wide, forbidding ocean in search of freedom, liberty and happiness. Three-year-old Henry Cornelius, Paul’s father, who was born in 1876 at Gombin in Polish Russia, was soon to be introduced to the cruel rigors of the new life they sought in America. A few days before their ship docked, his one-year-old brother, Zacharias, took sick. As their ship entered New York harbor, he died. Mary laid her lifeless child on her bunk and wept.

Finally reaching Hillsboro, the still-sorrowing family began the difficult task of establishing themselves in this new land. A sod house soon took shape until a more permanent home could be erected. The family was continually hampered by poverty and misfortune, and life became one struggle after another for survival, all of which shaped the young Henry Cornelius.

In 1880, God in His everlasting mercy showered the small community with a heaven-sent revival. Young Henry listened to the moving sermons, but it was not until the summer of 1895, at about nineteen years of age, that he came to a full understanding of the assurance of salvation and the knowledge that his name was written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

His love for farming was interrupted when J.A. Sprunger, a widely known evangelist and founder of an orphanage in Berne, Indiana, visited the now thriving community. Under Sprunger’s anointed preaching, Henry sensed the call of God to join him in his work. He was hesitant to speak with his father about leaving the farm, but one day while at family prayers he broke the news. Much to his surprise, his father responded, My son, if God is calling you, you obey.

So Henry journeyed to the Light and Hope Mission to begin his work for God. Such steps of obedience would characterize the rest of his life as well as that of his son, Paul. The determination to be obedient no matter what had