After several days the rebels left Changsha. Charles returned to find the campus greatly devastated. Most of the wedding gifts from six years ago together with clothes were taken. Dishes were smashed, floors were tom up. Fortunately he had left the Institute vault open, knowing the rebels would look for money. Thus the large walk-in vault was not damaged. Their sterling silver, camera, and films were hid in the wall of a deep well, and thus escaped theft. Servants had taken brick from deep down the well, hid the precious items, sealed up the bricks in the wall and raised the water level up to the top! Now Charles had to arrange for the repair of the buildings as school would begin in the fall. During these years throughout Hunan teams of Chinese Christian men and one of the women were sent out to the villages to preach and do evangelistic work in the summer when school was not in session. They used boats to take them up and down the many rivers all over Hunan. China is full of rivers! These evangelistic teams would meet later together at a mountain retreat called Nanyo (one of the 5 sacred mountains of China) and spend some time planning for the coming year. They were supported by the Chinese churches in the area they served, plus some funds from America. During the following war years, 1937-1945, the program continued on a limited basis. These teams carried on until 1949 when the Communist government took over and ended the ministry. But the seed of the Christian faith had been faithfully sown for over 24 years. In 1932, the U.S. was in the midst of the great depression. At the time Biola was carrying a large mortgage on the thirteen storied twin dormitory towers on either side of the 3500-seat church in downtown Los Angeles on 6th and Hope Streets. Given Biola's financial obligations here at home, the Board contemplated terminating the work in China so as to redirect these resources to the work in Los Angeles. Charles, recognizing the crisis at hand, traveled to Los Angeles with the financial records of H.B.I. for a meeting with the Board and a discussion of the future work in China. Mrs. Milton Stewart, now a widow, was much impressed with Charles' report on the work going on at H.B.I., her husband's project. She offered to pay the salary for the Roberts family for three years until Biola could get back on its feet! In the end, the Board then decided to continue the program at Changsha.
At the same time, Charles also visited his mother Louisa and Faith and Miriam in Vancouver. He arranged for Miriam now 15 to come to China by herself in 1933 where she
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