Gary & Tina BarrowLife and Ministry

Oct 29th Exceedingly Abundantly Above

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be the glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations,  forever and ever. Amen” Eph 3:20-21

I can’t think of a better description of my recent trip to the states. I went to share with friends, supporters and churches the open door that the Lord has placed before us. In short, we have been asked to move to England to assist Pastor Bob Claycamp in the work at Calvary Chapel Exeter. Tina and I will be working with University students, teaching and discipling, along with assisting in the church and serving the body. And that’s not all, a major denominational church has asked Calvary Chapel to raise up Bible teachers to teach in their churches. How crazy is that? It’s like a large denominational church in your area calling your church and asking them to send over a Bible teacher to teach them the Bible because they can’t do it anymore.  So, Calvary Chapel is starting a Pastor’s school, and I will also be assisting in raising up pastors to teach the Bible simply and accurately in churches across the southwest of England.

I couldn’t have asked for a more amazingly fruitful trip. I had a chance to share at Pursuit Christian Fellowship in Gilbert Arizona, Calvary Chapel Saving Grace in Yorba Linda, Calvary Chapel Corvallis and Calvary Chapel Monmoth in Oregon. I was also blessed to share at many House Churches, Home Fellowship, Bible Studies, and Men’s studies across California and Oregon. I was also blessed by being able to attend a Men’s Retreat held by our home church, Calvary Corvallis.

There are so many people to thank for making my trip so successful, I can’t mention them all, but I do want to thank my missions pastor Mike Thiemann and his wife Erin, pastor Tim Lee and his wife Jenny, and my pastor, Rob Verdeyen. Thank you also to pastor Dan Campbell, and a big thank you to my good friend, pastor John Whang. I also want to express my thanks to Anna and David Hogan, Nathan and Cindy Hightower, Mendell and Darlene Gosnell, Arron and Emily Wells, Bryan and Dawn Hill, and thank you to my sister and brother in law, Sharalynn and Bob Culy. Thank you all for your love and unselfish support. I would like to say thank you to everyone else by name, but unfortunately I don’t have the space, but may I say, you’re not forgotten and I thank God for you.

Please pray for us:

Now that I am home, there is so much more for us to get started on so we can get to where God is calling us. I want you to know that we are so in need of your prayers, maybe now more then ever before.

I am starting the visa process to allow us to move to England, and there is a lot to it. Please pray for favor with the officials.

We are in need of the Lord to give us wisdom and show us when and where we are to relocate in Exeter and that He would establish us and provide a “Home” for us.

We’re asking Him to raise up a support team committed to pray for us as a family, as well as standing with us in the work the Lord is entrusting to us.

We are also in need of the Lord increasing our monthly support. We are currently at about 30% of what we need to live in the UK. We are asking the Lord to raise up people who are called to support us in the work and who have a heart to reach the lost, to reach university student for Christ and be part of raising up men to take leadership and teaching roles within churches in England; people who see the work that the Lord is calling us to as an opportunity to investment in the building of the Kingdom.

Please continue to pray for Ashley and Elijah serving in Jordan. Pray for open doors and opportunities.

Austin will be going to Kurdistan Nov 6th through the 16th on a mission trip. Pray for safety and amazing fruit from the trip.

Finally:

Would you please share this update on your Facebook page? It will be a great help to us if you repost it or go to our web page and click on the “Like” button in the upper right of the post. It has to do with Facebook and internet stuff that I don’t fully understand, but it will also allow that many more people to see what the Lord has called us to, and that many more people can go to the Lord and pray for us and the work ahead of us.

We always would love to hear from you. So let us know how you’re doing, and  how we can pray for you. It is a blessing for us to hear from you.

Thank you again for your continued faithful prayers. Your prayers are paving our way. Together we share in the work ahead of us as well as in the rewards.

God bless,

Gary and Tina

Posted in Update by Mike Thiemann with comments disabled.

Sep 11th It Was Wonderful!

God is so good!

As you know, August 25th Ashley was married. It was at the Woodenbridge Hotel and Lodge in Vale of Avoca Arklow, Co. Wicklow, Ireland. It really is amazing how many details there are in putting together a wedding; invitations, reservations, menu planning, just to name a few. And the logistics of it all can be overwhelming by itself. Having a wedding in a country other than the one you live in, just adds to the stress. But God met us in such wonderful ways. It was a beautiful wedding.

I wanted to share a few pictures with you.

Ashley and Elijah honeymooned in Spain. They returned to Ireland on the 10th of September and are preparing to return to Jordan where they will be working. Please keep them in prayer. Pray God’s blessings upon their marriage as they settle into their new lives and the work they will be engaged in.

ONE LAST THING

This Friday, September 13th, I will be leaving for the states. God is opening new doors for us to walk through, and it’s very exciting what He is doing. I will be going to share with a number of churches in Arizona, California, Oregon and perhaps even Washington. I’m going to try to meet and share with as many of our friends and supporters during my time in the states as I can. Please pray for my trip, that God will bring about divine appointments. As soon as we have a chance to share with our church in Corvallis and all our supporters, then we will be able update everyone what lays ahead of us. We can’t wait to tell you what we sense God is doing.

URGENT PRAYER REQUEST

I also wanted to ask you for prayer for a dear friend of our family and long time supporter. Her name is Linda and she is a beautiful saint who was just diagnosis with cancer. It sounds pretty bad. Please pray for her, that God will give her comfort and strength, that He will hold her in His arms and she would know His presence. We are trusting God to be glorified through all of this and do what only He can do. Thank you.

God bless,

Gary and Tina

Posted in Update by Mike Thiemann with comments disabled.

Jul 27th News, Gracious Reminders and Upcoming Events

My mom wrote me recently and reminded me that April was the last time I wrote an update. Where does the time go? There is so much going on here, I feel at times I’m just able to hang on at best.

Calvary Chapel Ansbach continues to goes forward and as a fellowship we’re drawing closer to the Lord. We are about to finish the book of Genesis on Wednesday nights. It’s been a wonderful time of seeing Jesus in the first book of the Bible.

Sunday Mornings we continue to study through the Life and Ministry of Jesus Christ in chronological order. It has been such a rich study. We find ourselves in every gospel and looking at every thing Jesus said and did. It’s been terrific to see how the four gospels fit together to reveal our Lord in full. I can’t tell you how precious a time it has been to be in the word with those the Lord has brought to us. To see them stirred and challenged by the word to go deeper with the Lord has been sweet. What a privilege it has been to be part of the lives of these saints.

Recently we had a soldier find our web page and he has started to attend our Sunday Morning study. He’s a recent graduate of West Point, he is new to the Army and new to Germany. He wrote me and told me he attended a Calvary in the states and was eager to plug into a church here. He is stationed about two hours away from us and since we are the closest Calvary, he’s making the drive every week. The Lord reminded me of the vision He gave me before coming to Germany. We’re to be a home, a familiar place, and a family to those young believers who are are serving our country and are away from their home church, while at the same time He uses us to reach out to Europe.

For the last few months the Lord has been speaking to my heart regarding two very important aspects of the Christian life.

First, He has reiterated to me “That the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” There are so many people here in Europe who do not know the Lord. It’s truly heartbreaking how many people don’t even know they are lost, and there are those who have no desire to know and openly reject Jesus. I believe Europe has overtaken Africa as the “Dark Continent,” but the Lord loves the people of Europe and wants them to hear about His love and willingness to receive them into His family if they would just humble themselves, repent of their sins and turn and follow after Him. The harvest is plentiful. We desire to be affective laborers in the harvest. It’s our heart to be bold witnesses, pointing the way to our Savior who has poured out HIs love and came “to seek and save the lost.”

The second thing the Lord has been speaking to my heart is that “We walk by faith, not by sight.” He keeps showing me that in spite of our inability to adequately address the need, He has a plan to use us for His glory. We are to walk by faith and to walk through the doors He opens up for us. He has spoken unmistakably to me that I don’t need to know the outcome before I start moving forward, I don’t need to know what’s around the bend, He knows, I’m just to take the steps that He leads me to take and He’ll do the rest, resulting in something we could not imagine or predict. How easy it is for us as Christians to ease into a life that requires no faith at all, even while we are serving Him?

As you know, Ashley and Elijah are getting married next month in Ireland. Their wedding date is August 25th. We’re looking forward to traveling to Ireland to see God’s blessing on their marriage ceremony along with seeing friends and family for the wedding. A day of two after we return to Germany we’ll be sending Austin and Matt, a young man from our fellowship, to Bible College in York England. We’re excited to see what the Lord will do in their hearts and lives. Bryan is exploring the possibility and thinking through going to college in Canada. Tina and I are equally excited to see the Lord open doors of opportunity for Bryan to pursue his dream.

Shortly after returning from the wedding, I will be headed to the states to meet with our supporters, reconnect with old friends, speak in churches and share in home fellowships what the Lord has been doing and the doors He is opening to us in greater detail. I’ll be in Arizona, California, Oregon and Washington October 13 through September 16.

PRAYER REQUESTS

1. Please continue to pray for Calvary Chapel Ansbach. Pray for my study times and the grace and annointing to teach God’s word simply and powerfully. Pray for wisdom, vision, direction and the Lord’s heart for us as we serve the American military and the German people.

2. Pray for the Lord’s provision for our family as we labor in the harvest. Pray for effectiveness and fruit from our labors.

3. Pray for faith as we attempt to walk through the doors the Lord opens.

4. Pray for Ashley and Elijah’s wedding. Pray for safety for them as Ashley joins Elijah in the work ahead of them in Jordan. Pray for Austin and Matt in Bible college, that the Lord would reveal Himself to them in a way that would spoil them for ordinary life. Pray for Bryan as he seeks the Lord’s heart and direction for him.

5. Pray for my trip to the states. Pray for safe travel and Devine appointments. Please pray that the Lord would anoint me to share the vision the Lord has given us going forward. Pray that people would hear from the Lord as He calls them to join us in the work through prayer and financial support.

As always, Tina and I are thankful for your prayers. Honestly, the work the Lord has entrusted to us would not be possible without your continued faithful prayers.

If there is anything you need prayer for, we’d be happy to stand with you. Please just drop us a note and we’ll take it to the throne of grace with you.

God bless,

Gary and Tina

Posted in Update by Mike Thiemann with comments disabled.