Kalimantan is the southern, Indonesian portion
of the island of Borneo. The non-Indonesian
parts of Borneo are Brunei and East Malaysia.
Background to These Revivals
These revival accounts occurred in the northern part of the island of Borneo, beginning in 1933. Prior to the revivals, the various ethnic groups occupying the area—now known as Sarawak and Sabah, Malaysia—were steeped in paganism, bound to superstitious omens and occult practices. The Lun Bawangs were severely addicted to rice beer, with claims that “they were drunk more often than not.” Even children participated in drunken celebrations that would last for days. This widespread drunkenness contributed to the neglect of farms and caused homes to become “indescribably filthy.” Visiting doctors were appalled by the sight of disease-ridden bodies.
Left to right: Frank Davidson, Carey Tolley, and Hudson Southwell
Australian Missionaries
A newly established mission agency, the Borneo Evangelical Mission from Australia, sent a trio of missionaries, Frank Davidson, Carey Tolley, and Hudson Southwell, to Borneo in November 1928. The government at the time granted permission for this team to conduct mission work in the Limbang District. From this general area, at different intervals, revival spread throughout Sarawak and Sabah over the next fifty years.
As the missionaries of the Borneo Evangelical Mission conducted geographical and cultural research, studied the language, and established their homes, it wasn’t until 1933 that any significant movement towards Christ occurred—and when it did, it was a deluge.
Map showing the Limbang District
where the missionaries had their focus of ministry
Mass Movement Among the Lun Bawang
Carey Tolley met a man from Ba’Kelalan, a member of the Lun Bawang tribe, who had crossed the border into Dutch Borneo (now Indonesia), and had heard about Jesus, the Son of God. This message had evidently been received from W. E. Prestwood, a missionary with the Christian and Missionary Alliance. The excitement over this news was spreading among the Lun Bawang, and Tolley knew he had to travel up the Kelalan River toward the Indonesian border to investigate.
Upon his arrival, people had gathered from great distances to hear what he had to say. Tolley wrote of his amazement at what he witnessed:
During our whole time in Borneo, I have never seen anything to approach it… they kept coming to hear more… One could hear a pin drop, so intent were they on not missing anything.
The people expressed their desire to follow Jesus as a whole—en masse. They left their farms, their work, and whatever they were doing just to come and listen. They cared little for sleeping or eating; they just wanted to hear this Good News!
On Tolley’s trip back down the river, he met with other Lun Bawang who told him there were 72 heads of family groups, each one desiring to see him.
Boys hunting with blowguns
Young mother with baby
God at Work in Other Areas
While Tolley was ministering near Ba’Kelalan, Hudson Southwell received a visit from three Lun Bawang men from a different area than where Tolley was ministering. The leader of this group said they had heard rumors about God and His Son and had come to Southwell to learn the truth. These men listened in awe and wonder as Southwell explained the Gospel to them.
On August 14, 1933, Southwell set out to visit the families of these three men. Upon his arrival at the first location, he found 60 people gathered to hear what he had to say. Since he was not yet fluent in the language, the Lun Bawang man who had visited him earlier interpreted for him. Reflecting on this, Southwell wrote:
I understood enough to know that what he said was a free translation of what I had said, but it took on new life in his speech, carrying the conviction of his own heart.
Southwell realized that the Lun Bawang were going to carry the Gospel themselves, even without the presence of missionaries.
Father and Son
The Lun Bawang lived in communal longhouses—literally one long house inhabited by many families. It was estimated that there were 56 longhouses in the downriver Trusan area, and 35 in the upriver section visited by Tolley. Altogether, this represented about 2,300 people seeking to follow Jesus.
In February 1934, permission was granted for the missionaries to make occasional visits up the Trusan River, but with a change in officers, permission was later withdrawn.
The missionaries then began focusing on the Iban, Bisaya, and Kelabit peoples. By 1937, with little visible fruit, the missionaries shifted their focus to starting schools, Bible translation work, and medical work.
Extraordinary Prayer
On November 13, 1937, the BEM missionaries set aside a day for prayer, and within a week, permission was again granted for them to conduct ministry in the Trusan valley.
By January 1938, Tolley was on his way there, looking for a place to build a home. When he arrived, he discovered that the Lun Bawang refused to be abandoned simply because the Borneo Evangelical Mission (BEM) workers were forbidden to visit them. A few years earlier they had crossed the Indonesian border and found a Lun Bawang believer, who they brought to teach them. His teaching about Jesus radically changed their entire pattern of living.
In December of 1938, Stafford Young, another BEM missionary, traveled to the Upper Trusan, and he discovered that the reports they had been hearing told only half the story. As he traveled upriver, the excitement was so intense that people followed him. Besides his group of six, there were groups of 20 and 30 trailing them from one village to the next. Young said:
It was awe-inspiring to realize that the whole tribal mind was open to God’s wishes and instructions.
The people had given up alcohol, tobacco, and chewing betel nut. During his entire month of traveling in that area, he didn’t see a sign of any of these things. All of this was evidence that God was the one building His church, with the missionaries playing only a minor role.
A few months later, Hudson Southwell made a trip to the area, and he too was amazed at the transformation. When government officials visited, they were shocked by the dramatic changes in lifestyles. The curator of the Sarawak museum even said to Southwell upon witnessing the transformation:
What on earth have you done to these people, Southwell?
God had turned the tribe to Himself. Degrading drinking feasts had been replaced by daily prayer meetings and hymn singing. The terrifying fear of spirits had been replaced by a holy reverence for God.
Group of Kelabits (1912 – Wiki Commons)
Elderly woman
Revival Among the Kelabits
The Davidsons returned from leave in August 1939, believing that the time had come to witness a harvest among the Kelabits. However, the BEM missionary team wanted them to minister to the thousands of Lun Bawang and felt that Frank and his wife were the ones for the task.
The Davidsons agreed to live among and minister to the Lun Bawang, but only after spending four months with the Kelabits. During their time with the Kelabits, an entire longhouse and several smaller groups turned to Christ, sparking yet another powerful revival.
Disruption by WWII
The BEM missionaries continued their work among these peoples—establishing and maintaining schools and churches, raising up pastors and leaders, conducting Bible translation, and offering medical care—until WWII disrupted their efforts. The Japanese invasion of Borneo in December 1941 led to the internment of BEM missionaries in the city of Kuching, where they remained until September 1945.
From 1938-1950
The period from 1938-1950 was exhilarating to behold, as God took the initiative and brought many thousands into the Church—among them the Lun Bawang, Kelabits, Kayans, Kenyah, Dusun, Penans, Tagals, and Bisaya.
Results of the Revival Movements
► Thousands turned to Christ.
► Pagan practices were replaced with Christ-like living.
► Cleanliness of homes and property improved significantly.
► Rampant drunkenness ceased.
► With money no longer being spent on alcohol and tobacco, there was more to spend on food, and people were less tempted to steal.
► Bible schools were started.
► Elementary schools were founded.
► Illiteracy became a thing of the past.
► Hundreds of pastors, deacons, and other church leaders were trained.
► Bible translation work progressed.
► Medical care was provided.
► The first young people from these ethnic groups entered universities and began to contributed significantly to their communities.
► The continual arbitration work of village leaders before the revivals dwindled to almost nothing.
► Today, the people in the region are classified primarily as Christian.
From 1938-1950
The period from 1938-1950 was exhilarating to behold, as God took the initiative and brought many thousands into the Church—among them the Lun Bawang, Kelabits, Kayans, Kenyah, Dusun, Penans, Tagals, and Bisaya.
Subsequent Revival
Around 40 years later, another series of revivals spread through Sarawak and Sabah. You can read that account here: 1973 Bario Revival.
Primary Sources
► Drunk Before Dawn by Shirley Lees
► The Bario Revival by Solomon Bulan
► Uncharted Waters by C. Hudson Southwell
Secondary Sources
► A Call to ‘Wake Up’ 50 Years After Malaysia’s Bario Revival by Lillian Bulan-Dorai
► Bario by Wikipedia
► Bario: The Land of Revival by Sherkarl Kugan
► Ba’ Kelalan by Wikipedia
► Ba’ Kelalan, A Story of Christian Revival by Eunice Pen
► Over 3,000 Believers Gather by Faithour
► Revival in Ba’ Kelalan by Michelle Chan & Hwa Yung
► Revival Principles from an Eye Witness Account of the Bario Revival by Bethany Church, Kuala Lumpur
► The Bario Revival: Its Background Context and Beginnings by Jason Law
► The Bario Revival: The Four Waves and Its Impact by Jason Law
Return to List of Revival Stories
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