| We’re so excited about what God has in store for Eli. Pictured above are Eli and his father Joe since leaving the program. On the evening of January 30th, we gathered to celebrate his completion of the program. What tremendous change we’ve seen in this young man over the past 18 months. Our boy’s house dad, Nick, described working with Eli as a “difficult joy”. Nick further shared this regarding Eli: “One of the fruits of the Spirit found in Galatians 5 is long-suffering. For house parents, long-suffering is one of the fruits of the Spirit that is desperately needed and it is tested daily. Getting tired and weary of the task at hand happens some days . . . But what wonderful blessing it to watch a transformation! The Eli that moved into the Joy House in August of 2019 is not the Eli that moved out in December 2021." |
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I have recently joked with a few folks that I need to get WWGS (What Would Garry Say) bracelets made up and handed out to those who have been blessed by the wise counsel and friendship of Garry Barber. This may seem silly or possibly even a little blasphemous. Still, when I stop and ask myself the question, “what would Garry say?” when I am struggling with something, I can hear his voice again, his Christ-centered wisdom leading me back to truth and of course always to the Lord.
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Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about the imago Dei. This is the basic biblical idea that God created humans – all of us – “in His own image” (Genesis 1:27). There are different ideas as to what this means for us, but my belief is that it means He created us to act as His ambassadors to the rest of His creation. When we (even those who do not claim Him) do something that reflects His character to those around us, or even when we care for the earth He created, we are demonstrating our purpose. When you “love your neighbor as yourself” (Lev. 19:18; Mat. 22:36-40), or you “rejoice with those who rejoice [and] weep with those who weep” (Rom. 12:15), you are living out your created purpose. When you “care for orphans and widows in their distress” (Ja. 1:27), or you “comfort those who are in any affliction” (2 Cor. 1:4), you are reflecting the image of your Creator. In this time, when we would expect to feel abandoned by our God, He has shown us His compassion and love through you – His image.
We cannot adequately express what it has meant to us to truly experience what Christ meant for His Church to be in these last few months. You who love Him and those who loved my dad have shown us the love of the “Father of compassion and the God of all comfort” (2 Cor. 1:3). You have shown us what it means to be part of His family and to be supported by our brothers and sisters in Him. From the bottom of our hearts, we are so, so grateful for your words of encouragement and your gifts. We’re thankful for your beautiful, public tributes to the man we loved so dearly. We’re thankful for your willingness to cook for us, provide us with better financial stability, and even just for your physical presence with us when we needed it most. The Lord has used you, His image, in ways you yourselves will never even fully comprehend. Because of His blessings through all of you, we have no doubt He lives, and “because He lives, [we] can face tomorrow.” May He bless you all as richly and even more. |
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| We have been asked by many of you how you can help the Barber family during this season. A Garry Barber benefit fund has been made for his family. You can donate by dropping by any United Community Bank branch and making a deposit to the Garry Barber benefit fund or you can donate online by pressing the button below. |
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| Here are a few boys house memories! |
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