Kevin D. Barron

THE BARRON BABBLER 2013

 

Here we are again with our award-winning holiday newsletter! How has it been a year since our last edition? Well, it has, and so here goes.

 

In January of 2013, Kevin began pastoring Farm Hill United Methodist Church, a little over an hour from where we live. They are a small rural church and a great bunch of people that we enjoy serving God with. In February, Carol re-connected with old friends (and Kevin tagged along)! Carol grew up with two sisters named Shirley and Carol as her best friends. Thanks to Facebook, they got back in touch and we journeyed to northwest Arkansas over President’s Day weekend to meet with them and their family. It was really great to see Carol sharing with them again. In March, Kevin flew out to Salt Lake City to attend the annual conference for the company that provides the online catalog for the library. Besides library stuff, he got to look around the Mormon Tabernacle buildings. He had not seen so many white guys in black suits since he was a student in Bible college! The day he flew home, it was in the 50s in Utah, in the 30s with snow in Detroit where he laid over and enjoyed for the first time the de-icing of his plane, and in the 70s in Memphis. Quite an experience.

Later in March, Carol’s cousin Jimmy passed away. He had a lot of difficulties in life, but he suffers no more. Kevin had the privilege of preaching the funeral sermon. June saw the Barron family reunion in Kevin’s hometown of Moberly, Missouri. There was a good turnout and everyone enjoyed themselves. On the way to the reunion, we stopped at Meramec Caverns near St. Louis. We spent the night and took the tour and it was very interesting! The James brothers hid from the law in this cave, and we saw the remnants of a still that had been located there as well. On the way back to Arkansas, we stopped and saw longtime friends Robert and Donna Warren. That was good to do. Then we journeyed to Little Rock, where Kevin had a leadership meeting and Carol hooked up with her friends Carol and Shirley again.

Carol worked at one of our branch libraries this summer after we returned from our travels until she had to prepare for school. She worked three afternoons a week and had a good time. The library summer program was busy and seemed to be enjoyed by our children.

Carol started school in August as a part-time reading interventionist, then got put back in the classroom to replace a teacher who had a serious car accident after the first day of school. She had this role for almost 10 weeks, through the end of October. She was glad to let the regular teacher have it back!

Near the end of August, we sold Carol’s Trailblazer to Kevin’s nephew Michael. He came with his parents to get it on a Saturday, and the next Saturday, just before Labor Day, we bought a 2013 Equinox for her. She really likes it.

Near the end of October, Kevin preached a Sunday evening through Wednesday evening revival at the Nazarene church in Marion, Arkansas, where we have been attending and helping out Sunday and Wednesday evenings. These were good services and Kevin enjoyed the opportunity.

November saw us on the road to Moberly again for Thanksgiving with Kevin’s family. We ate and ate and got to see different people and had a great time. The holidays should be reminders of the blessings of family, and we are blessed.

As we write these lines, we are at home on a Sunday afternoon, still dealing with an ice and snow storm that started Friday and just won’t quit. Still, we are warm and Christmas is coming! Since God cared enough and Jesus came to earth, life is just not the same. If that is the only present under our tree, that is plenty. We hope that is enough for you too.

 

Write us, call us, email us, text us, Facebook us, tweet us! All of God’s best to you and yours.

 

Kevin Barron and Carol Barron

 

111 Margaret Drive Osceola, AR 72370