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A Family's Call to Belize

By Sam Barber, FUM Field Staff to Belize

Hello Friends! My family and I are under appointment from Friends United Meeting. We are planning our relocation to Belize in the summer of 2009 to be the directors of the Friends Boys School in Belize City, Belize. It is my pleasure to tell you about us, our call and the mission we have accepted on your behalf.

Sam Barber
I am Sam Barber and I am originally from Salem, Iowa. I became a Christian in 1979. I grew up in Salem Friends Church. My parents divorced when I was 15 years old. At that time, Christ became a real presence in my life. Jesus was someone I could rely on and he was a point of stability when I needed one the most. After high school I went on to college. The first college I went to was not right for me and I fell away from my faith. I moved back home and started going to Salem Friends again. Soon, I rededicated my life to Jesus.

In January of 1987, my pastor at Salem asked me if I was going to spend the rest of my life in the kitchen. At that point, I was working in a restaurant in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. He convinced me that a Bible education was what I needed. Because of him, I enrolled at Vennard College in University Park, Iowa. My majors were Bible/theology and elementary education. Vennard College had an agreement with William Penn College (now University). In this agreement, I would take all of the Bible/theology classes at Vennard and the elementary education classes at William Penn. Five years later, I graduated from both institutions.

Becky Barber
Becky was born Rebecca Ellen Boese in Pueblo, Colorado. Her mother died of a brain tumor when Becky was five years old. After that loss, her family moved to Freeman, South Dakota. At the age of nine, Becky invited Jesus into her life. Becky grew up in Missionary Church. The Mennonite tradition was also a dominant influence in both parents’ backgrounds. Becky was diagnosed with a spina-bific condition as a child, but at the age of 14 was healed of this condition. Becky grew up in a Christian home and her step-mother was a retired missionary. Becky attended Freeman Academy, which is a Mennonite high school in South Dakota. After graduating, she made the decision to attend Vennard College. She happened to enroll in and complete the same program that I did.

Teamwork
During our college years, we became good friends and eventually started dating. Becky and I were married May 18, 1991, two years before graduation. Because of a car accident Becky was in during her freshman year, a specialist felt that she would not be able to have children. But, we have a God that heals, and we now have four wonderful children.

After college, we moved to South Dakota and I started teaching at a one-room Christian school. We attended Salem Mennonite Church in rural Freeman where Becky’s sister attended church. During this time, Vennard College closed. A month or so after the college closed, we received a letter from the alumni association that they were going to purchase the college and reopen the school. We sent a letter stating we would do whatever was needed. On March 1, 1997, I started as the dining services director at Vennard. Becky began her career there a few months later. During her career at Vennard, she has been dean of women, assistant in dining services, tutorial service director, assistant Christian service director and instructor of English.

Our Children
Traveling to Belize with Becky and me are our four wonderful children. Our oldest, Robert, is 16 and a sophomore in high school. He loves video games, music (rock, oldies, Christian and a little rap) and comic books. The best of the comics are Marvel and DC superheroes. His favorite Bible character is David. He used to enjoy swim team but not as much now.

Our second child is Katie. She is 14 years old. This is Katie in her own words:

“As most people know, being the second oldest means you have to be tough. Between being picked on by your older brother and annoyed by your younger sisters, it is not easy. Anyway, let’s cover the basics of me. In movies, I love a good adventure. I also like thrillers, and movies that are just plain funny. I think most chick flicks are dumb. In music, well, all music is wonderful. How can someone decide on just one type of music? Sometimes people need music. I like acting, swimming and running. I have been on the YMCA swim team for six years. I also like to read all kinds of books. My favorite kind of ice cream is mint chocolate chip.”

Kristy is our third child. She is nine years old and in fourth grade. Her favorite hobbies are drawing and painting. Her favorite outside activity is swimming. She, like Robert and Katie, has been on the YMCA swim team. Her favorite food is macaroni and cheese. She loves Miley Cyrus and going to the fair. She also loves SpongeBob SquarePants. Currently she likes telling people about her broken finger. Kristy is very adventurous.

The baby of our family is Kassie. She is in first grade and is six years old. She, like Kristy, enjoys drawing and painting. She also likes to do all kinds of crafts. She loves her dolls and plays with them frequently. She also likes going to the pool to swim, though she is not on the swim team yet. Kassie also likes to cuddle. Her favorite food is spaghetti, but she doesn’t like zucchini very well. She also likes to watch our collection of Shirley Temple movies. Her favorite colors are pink and white, and her favorite pet is Copper, one of our dogs.

Our Calling
God has led us to Belize. Our journey to that realization is a real miracle. Becky has always felt a call to missions. Even when we were dating, she was open with me about her call. I, on the other hand, had heard the call before but was not ready to listen. Becky and I had been on mission trips before, but it wasn’t until July of 2007 that I was ready to listen to the calling. That summer, we led a trip for our youth group at College Avenue Friends, plus a few adults, to Highgate, Jamaica. During that trip, God really touched our hearts. Then Hurricane Dean was coming to Jamaica. We were praying for the work in Jamaica when Becky said to me, “What about the people of Belize?” That was the start.

We began to research Belize and then saw that there was an opening at Friends Boys School (FBS). Becky and I prayed about it and then we eventually applied for that position with Friends United Meeting in February of 2008. We had talked with Sylvia Graves and we continued to pray. During Memorial Day weekend, we met with Dale and Sylvia Graves. At that point, it was decided that we needed to take a discernment trip. Three weeks later, we (with our daughter Katie) were on a plane to Belize City. Arriving in Belize City, we met Candy Young, the teacher at FBS. She showed us around the city and the school. Though we did not get to meet a lot of people, we caught a vision for the school. While there we saw the school’s potential and how we could be part of that. After our return, we went to the FUM Triennial at High Point, North Carolina. There we met more people from Friends United Meeting. We discovered the passion that many of you have for missions and FUM’s school in Belize. The matter of our call was settled in our minds. At the end of the Triennial, Sylvia Graves asked us if we would go. We enthusiastically said, “Yes!”

Belize and the Friends Boys School
Belize is a small country in Central America. It was a British Colony until 1981. It is the only English speaking country in Central America. The other languages spoken there are Spanish, Creole and Mayan. The culture is both modern and ancient. This is because of the newness of its independence and its rich Mayan history. The exchange rate in Belize is two Belizean dollars to one U.S. dollar. They have an emerging tourist industry. Belize has so much potential that I feel privileged to be called to go.

The purpose of Friends Boys School in Belize is “to bridge the gap between poverty and possibilities.” The school does this by giving the students the opportunity to get another year of education before they take the test to get into high school. What Becky and I see as our roles there are the following: administrating the school, teaching Bible and Friends beliefs, involving the parents in their children’s education, supporting the beginning of a worship group and simply being an example of a family.

We would love to have you be a part of this ministry. For more information, contact Friends United Meeting or check us out at www.belizebarbers.org.

Sam Barber has degrees in education and Bible/theology from Vennard College and William Penn University. He is currently located in Oskaloosa, Iowa, with his wife, Becky, and four children, Robert, Katie, Kristy and Kassie. Provided they have raised sufficient funds to get them started, the Barbers will be moving to Belize in the summer of 2009 to begin their ministry at Friends Boys School.