August marks ten years

It was ten years ago this month that we left our home in Corvallis Oregon and moved to Europe. I wanted to give you a brief overview of the last ten years.

I can remember writing a friend, when we settled in Hungary, and telling him that I felt like I was at a men’s retreat everyday. That was the euphoria of being a new missionary talking. We quickly learned we weren’t in Kansas anymore. It was shortly after that realization the trials began.

Every missionary struggles with the balance of sharing with those back home the difficulties of missionary life while not detracting from or making the ministry secondary. The reality is that struggles usually come fast and furious while the ministry progresses at a much slower pace. The result is that the missionary feels a need to gloss over the daily trials of living in a foreign country and put the best face possible on the events of the ministry so that people back home will continue to support the work. Too many missionaries feel that if they share the real hardships of missionary life, people back home will think less of them.

I can recall visiting with a really godly missionary I met, Randy Harvey who was serving the Lord in Kosovo. (Randy just passed away this last month of a heart attack) He shared with me that the enemy attacks every missionary in three areas; 1) Physically 2) Relationally and 3) Financially. I realized later that it was the Lord speaking to my heart, preparing me for the things ahead of us. It wasn’t long after he shared this with me that we met with the first of the three areas of attacks.

While driving back from a day out with Tina and the kids we were involved in an auto accident. While driving around a sweeping blind turn we were met head on by another vehicle that was passing four other cars. When I saw him I moved to the shoulder trying to avoid a collision but he lost control and we collided. Tina and Ashley were 5 days in the hospital, both of them have had serious on going neck pain and headaches ever since. Bryan hit his head and suffered a terrible gash in his leg which required many stitches. Austin experienced no visible injuries but endured neck pain for a long time afterwards. I had a blood clot go to my lung. I have suffered physically as a result of that accident ever since.

Since being in Europe we have had continued problems physically. It seems like yearly I have bouts of either severe physical exhaustion or pneumonia. I have needed surgery on my legs for many years, which I keep putting on the back burner hoping against hope that things won’t get any worse. Bryan has endured stomach problems for years. We have taken him to see many doctors, all of which can’t determine the cause. He recently went through endoscopy to try to get an answer. A few years ago, on our 26th wedding anniversary, Tina collapsed and was unresponsive. We had to call an ambulance and a doctor to come out and revive and stabilize her. Tina suffers with neuromas in both feet and continues to battle the effects of menopause and hypoglycemia. It seems like Ashley and I are always having to visit the dentist and then suffer through the poor standard of care.

Relationally, things have been tough. I don’t know a missionary that hasn’t struggled in their marriage, even to the point of considering divorce, Tina and I are no exception. There has been far too many arguments and fights in our marriage. Thankfully, I can report God has seen us through all those  difficulties.

Tina and I both have lost our dads while living in Europe. We’re constantly seeking the Lord asking Him to show us the balance between the call He has placed on our lives, the ministry He has entrusted to us and being good children to our aging parents. Our hearts break to be nearer to them. That’s not mentioning the desire we have to spend quality time with our brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, nephews and nieces, and be part of the lives.

Financially, we never have enough. Our margins are razor thin. There’s no date night, no clothes shopping or budget for entertainment. We are always waiting to see if we can pay our rent and buy groceries. Our cars seem to be breaking down too frequently, medical and dental bills have mounted. Our bills and expenses are something that we are always seeking the Lord’s provision for.

One thing that I would add to Randy’s list is discouragement. The enemy use this weapon often and effectively. Billy Graham said, “The Christian life is not a constant high. I have my moments of deep discouragement.” From time to time we have met with deep discouragement. We long for the deep friendships that we had in Corvallis, the fellowship with like minded believers that we enjoyed at Calvary Corvallis. We miss worshipping God in the midst of the congregation. The constant whispering of the enemy that we have been forgotten, coupled with having infrequent communication with our home church and only hearing from those we love now and then, can be very discouraging at times. Not to mention that we have been alone in the work for such a long time, desiring to see others catch the vision and join us in the work both here and at home. At times it has felt like we were all alone fighting an impossible battle. These things can and do lead to discouragement.

That is just a sampling of the things we face and have faced. BUT, and that’s a huge but, that but has made all the difference in the world, God has done great things, and has carried us through many trials and tribulations, delivering us from them all. I understand what Paul was saying when he penned, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.”

In the last ten years God has done the unthinkable. He allowed us to be part of the lives of many young men and women at Calvary Chapel Bible College in Hungary. He has graciously allowed us to be part of planting churches in Hungary and Slovakia. He gave us the privilege leading Bible/English camps in England where we have shared Christ and the message of salvation to nearly one thousand Hungarian kids, and a overwhelmingly large percentage of them responded by placing their faith in Him. He opened the doors for me to teach conversational English in high schools in Hungary and Slovakia, and He gave me great boldness to share the Cross. The Lord has wonderfully opened doors for me to teach in Anglican and Baptist churches in England. He has opened our house for everyone we meet to sit and talk, which has opened doors for friendship evangelism.

When the Lord opened doors for us to move to Germany we believed that He called us to plant a church. It’s a work in progress but we trust Him to establish it. This March will be our three year anniversary. Many who have attended has commented that they have never been exposed to the solid verse by verse Bible teaching through the Bible. Our current study of the Life and Ministry of Jesus Christ in chronological order has been a real blessing. We have been blessed to have a group of men at our house for a men’s mid week Bible study. If your following our updates you know that we have recently started our “Radical” study. In it we are looking at the Biblical view of the life of a follower of Jesus Christ verses the “Christian” life seen today. It’s only been a few weeks but we are already seeing Him challenge those attending to properly put Jesus first and live for Him on a deeper level.

The bottom line is that God is good, very good, and His mercy endures forever! He has done great things and nothing we have done to date is a reflection of our ability, all of it is a revelation of His great ability to show Himself strong. He leads when we don’t know where to go or what to do, He strengthens when strength is need, He encourages when encouragement is needed, He blesses in the midst of sorrow, He fills when we are empty and he comforts with His Holy Spirit when comfort is needed to cover the pain and discouragement. He never leaves us and has never forsaken us, we are in His hands. He has used us to impact the lives of others, to disciple young believers, to challenge others and to exhort all to grow closer to Him. He has been so good to us and I look forward to the next ten years, to see what He will do in and through our lives and the lives of Ashley, Bryan and Austin.

I have one prayer request and I invite you to please pray with us and for us as we attempt to walk ever closer to the Lord. Pray that He would clearly reveal His heart to us, that He would draw us close and we would draw ever closer to Him.

If you think about it, drop us an e-mail and say hello, we’d love to hear from you.

I would also ask you to let us know if you are interested in partnering with us in the work here.

Tina and I thank you for your continued prayers. We pray God blesses you.

Gary and Tina


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Another “Independence” day

Summer is here! Our cherry trees and heavy laden with cherries. The flowers are in full bloom. It’s not dark outside until 10:30. We can’t seem to mow the grass fast enough. As soon as we finish mowing the yard, the grass seems to have grown enough to warrant another go round. The fields behind our house are full of waist high wheat and shoulder high corn. The temperatures here is in the high 80’s – low 90’s while the humidity is just enough to make you sticky and wish for air conditioning.

Every fourth of July is like a taste of home. We usually have someone over but this fourth we were invited to a friend’s house. We ate, we laughed and we talked about the Lord. It doesn’t get much better than that. Then as night fall comes, fireworks at the Army post. It’s an All American Fourth of July. As an added bonus every July eighth we celebrate Tina’s birthday. God has blessed me with a wonderful wife and three great kids.

Yet for the believer, everyday should be a celebration of independence. We have been set free from the power of sin. “For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,” Romans 6:5-8. Jesus said, “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” John 8:36

It’s amazing to realize that sin has lost it’s grip on me, on you, on us, and by the power of the Holy Spirit we can say no to sin and live our lives for God. “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” Colossians 1:13-14

If that’s not good news, I don’t know what is. That’s the message we are bringing to the German people and the American military here in the Ansbach area.

Church News

Calvary Chapel Ansbach is growing. It’s so good to see the Lord bring people out to worship with us and study through His word. We’re still a small fellowship but we’re growing numbers and in depth with the Lord.

We continue to study through the life and ministry of Jesus Christ in chronological order. We’re 2 1/2 years into it and we’re loving every minute of it. It’s been such a blessing because the study is taking us through each Gospel to discover everything our Lord said and everything He did.

We’re going to be starting our “Radical” study soon. We will be reading and discussing the book RADICAL by David Platt. It has been one of the most challenging books I have read, and I think every Christian would benefit from  reading it.

I invite you to pray for us. Please pray for us as a church. Pray that God would bless the teaching of His word and that He would establish the church. Pray that He would add to the church and that we would grow in our relationships with Him.

We are also looking for a place to meet in the city of Ansbach. We would like to move the study from our house into a building that would allow us to grow and meet our needs, both for Sunday mornings and the mId weed study, along would meeting the needs of our growing children’s ministry. Currently we have such a small space for the kids to meet and all the ages are together, from toddlers to 12 years old. It’s very challenging. We need your prayers.

We also need your prayers for our financial support. Since we have moved from under the umbrella of Calvary Chapel Corvallis and came under Saving Grace World Missions, we have experienced a sharp drop in our financial support. I am trying to find the balance of sharing our financial needs so that those that have the gift or giving can exercise their gift. I’m told that if I don’t share our need, then people will not know and therefore can not give. Yet, at the same time I want to take our need to the Lord and trust Him for His provision. It’s one of the most challenging things I have to do. So I ask you to please pray that God would meet our financial need, and bring people who will partner with us in the work of planting a church here in Ansbach.

As always, we are thankful for you, for your prayers and friendship. Our prayer is that you to would be drawing closer to Jesus everyday, walking closer then you ever thought possible and growing in His word. That’s where true satisfaction is found.

God bless,

Gary and Tina


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May, a month full of blessings and challenges

This last month, the month of May, has been full of blessings and challenges.

May started out wonderfully as a team of scientist from NASA came and did a week long training session for certain employees who work with the Army youth. I got to meet my counterparts from all around Europe. We were briefed on many of NASA’s current missions, the findings of past mission, and the purpose of future missions. We looked at photos from many different satellites, from those orbiting Mercury to those traveling to the outskirts of our solar system. I was even certified to handle NASA’s moon rocks and meteorites that are considered national treasures. The purpose of the training was to help the youth I work with get excited about science and to get them thinking about future careers. The greatest part was to see the wonder of God’s creation like never before. How interesting it is to see the creation of the universe spoken of in Genesis in just a few verses while the creation of man has chapters devoted to it. As beautiful as His creation is, it’s an indication of what is really important to our God. That’s you and me.

Church has been going very well. The 12th CAB, the Combat Aviation Brigade here in Ansbach, has deployed to Afghanistan. There has been a slight increase in attendance since the deployment. That’s always welcome. But we have also been experiencing slight troubles with recording our Sunday mornings teachings. But I trust we’ll get to the bottom of it soon and get those messages posted so you can listen in if you like.

The last few weeks of the month I have been very sick. It started out as scarlet fever. After 4-5 days of antibiotic therapy my throat felt much better but I continued to have a fever. It started out at 102.6 and with the antibiotics it dropped to 100-101. The doctor was left wondering what was going on. So after a few blood tests, EKG, sonograms and x-rays he decided that I wasn’t recovering due to severe physical exhaustion. So I have been holding the couch down for the last 18 days now.

The day before I got sick, Ashley gave me a gift. I have always wanted a wired hair Dachshund. But I had resigned myself to never getting one as they are quite expensive. Ashley and one of the guys from our church found one unbelievably cheap. They got him for me as a loving gift. So I’d like to introduce you to the  newest member of our family, Gunther (pronounced goon-ter). What a blessing he is. So small and cute but he’s like an infant with teeth. I forgot how tiring potty training can be. Yet everyone is totally in love with him. Now we have two wonderful dogs and a great cat. Thank you Lord!

On May 30th we celebrated Austin’s 21st Birthday. God has blessed us with three of the greatest kids. These last 21 years with Austin has been full of humor, if you don’t know him he’s rediculously funny, and astonishment, just watching him grow from a boy into a man who loves Jesus has been incredible to watch and his heart is to tell others about Jesus.

Each of the kids have a strong walk with the Lord and desire to serve him. This week they are in Croatia visiting a missionary family we know there who are preparing to return to the states after 8 years in Europe.

You may have heard about two helicopters that went down in Afghanistan over Memorial day. They were from the 12th CAB stationed in Ansbach, one Apache and one Blackhawk, The two who piloted the Apache died in the crash. The pilot of the Blackhawk attends our church. He is credited with saving the lives of his 12 passengers and crew. The helicopter crashed hard but every one walked away from the crash with only minor injuries, at least that what I’m hearing at this time. Please be praying for the surviving family of the Apache pilots. One was married with a daughter and the other was married with no kids I’m told. Pray for the full recovery of the soldiers in the Blackhawk. Pray also and Angel, the pilot of the Blackhawk who attends the church, Diane, his wife and their three kids. Pray for their comfort and strength in the Lord as they wait to get further details on Angel. Also please pray for the in suing investigation. An investigation is common after crashes but will also be very stressful and taxing for Angel.

Finally on a personal note, we would like to ask you to pray about getting involved in the ministry with us. We have need to partner with people who are prayer warriors and others who desire to be part of the building of the Kingdom of God here on earth through financial giving. Please pray and seek the Lord on what part He’d have you play. I see us as the tip of the spear and you are the shaft, in fulfilling the great commission. He has called us all to go into the world and make disciples, but all can’t go. In 1 Samuel 30 God sets out the principle that those that go to the battle share equally with those that provide support even though they can’t go to the battle.

Saving Grace World Missions has made it easy for people to get involved. You can go to www.sgwm.com  and click on “Europe” on the world map, then click on “Gary and Tina Barrow” and sign up for weekly prayer request updates. You can also click on “Become a Financial Partner” and give a one time gift or set up regular monthly donations. If you prefer, you can send a check to Saving Grace through the mail. Just write “Gary and Tina Barrow” in the memo line and it will get to us.

We’d ask you to personally get involved in the great commission with us. Don’t put it off, seek the Lord’s face and ask Him what He’d have you do. I promise you won’t regret it. You’ll be storing up treasures in heaven.

Thank you.

God bless,

Gary and Tina Barrow


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