Today is our last day in our house. People keep asking me “how are you feeling.” And I just stare at them with a blank stare and no words. I feel like I am about to jump off a cliff and I constantly need to throw up.
Monthly Archives: May 2015
Get over yourself….
Today people from Brian’s work had a going away party for us. I remember sitting in Denise Lopez’s living room a long time ago, telling her community group that if we did Mercy ships long-term, we didn’t need any money… that we would be able to save enough. I remember Denise and Carl’s smirk. What I didn’t know is that God is not interested in this being about me or my family. God is currently showing us this is not about us, this has been a partnership with so many different people in so many different ways. I’m hesitant to list specific people who have supported and are partnering with us, because there are so so many and I don’t want to miss anyone. But I’ll start with today and go from here. Brian has a coworker who took it upon himself to email everyone in the group and ask for support for us. The support has been pouring in and 200 people bought shirts. I can’t even begin to explain what I feel when I see a silly penguin shirt being worn. It’s almost like God reminding me this is not about me. Today they had a party and a dessert auction. I was able to meet people and thank them for supporting Brian through the years. Although I don’t always like sharing him, it is comforting to know that he is respected, loved and challenged at work. One friend at work took a day off and sold baked goods to support us and made quite a lot! Another friend collected the money for the shirts for us which would’ve been impossible for Brian to do at work. I am humbled and blown away by the support and encouragement. I’m thankful this is not just a Barki thing, but a God thing, and he’s including a lot of his children on this journey. People are using their unique gifts for His kingdom, and it is not small…. it is BIG to us and to God and to the patients. People have taken our photograph, let us stall their stick shifts, bought over priced silly penguin shirts and actually wore them, organized closets, wiped my cabinets before showing my house, made me get rid of stuff, detailed and listed our van, hung a light fixture, taken our dog, watched our kids, priced and sold our stuff, used their connections, loved on our kids, gave us money, listened to our story over and over, spoke truth to us, posted our story for people to pray, and they have prayed prayed prayed for us…. and we haven’t even left yet. Thank you God this isn’t about us, and thank God for your children!
We like to move it move it…
It is with great excitement that we share with you the next chapter in our lives! We have accepted a volunteer position with Mercy Ships that carries a minimum two-year commitment. Mercy Ships is an organization that delivers free medical care aboard a traveling hospital ship to the poorest parts of Africa. The ship is a state-of-the-art facility that offers clean water, reliable electricity and care centers. Many of these patients are truly hopeless, afflicted disfiguring and immobilizing conditions. Often viewed as cursed, family, friends, and entire villages want nothing to do with them. Through God’s healing touch, Mercy Ships offers a chance at a new start and a picture of hope and healing that Jesus offers to all.
Brian will serve as the anesthesia supervisor. In addition to taking care of patients and providing leadership to the anesthesia department, he will also be helping to educate local healthcare workers to improve the quality of care being delivered in the host countries. Jamie will be doing administration in the hospital. Brandon, Maya, and Hannah will attend the accredited academy on board. Jamie and the children will also be able to help with other ministries, such as orphan care, and with the patients on-board. We will be docked in Madagascar during the first year. Our destination the second year is not yet known.
This blog will serve to help us remember. Remember what God does on this adventure and remember the hard times so we can see God’s faithfulness through it. It will also serve to update our family and friends on how you can pray for us. We cannot express how much we need your prayers. I am not a writer. I do not like punctuation, capitalization or spelling. I know that drives most of you crazy, but I’m declaring now that I will post as if I am talking to you or texting you. I pray that you are not distracted by the choppy writing, but that you will hear what God wants you to hear and that you will hear my heart. So, you’ve been warned! Thank you so very much for joining us on this journey. Here goes nothing….