A marathon

This past Friday we celebrated with Catelin the completion of a total of 5 months of chemotherapy.  Take a minute to watch her ring the bell!  We were all teary eyed and happy for her.

You can see she had a lot of friends come to celebrate.  Her siblings were all there, including Cara via FaceTime.  It means a lot to all of us that she made it through a grueling treatment.  She had lots of support.  There is still more to go in her treatment, but this was a big hurdle to get through.  

Please continue to pray for her and for us.  There is a pretty intense weight on all of us walking through this with her.  All of the emotion and concern over a long period of time is wearing.  One highlight for Barrett over the last 6 months is a nightly two mile walk with Catelin to be sure she gets exercise.  Sometimes we talk, an sometimes we are quiet, but it is nice to have that time with her.  

Something Different

One of the things I appreciate about Cru, one of the things I think we are best at, is trying new things to try to reach everyone.  A group of staff tried something new at Ohio State this year, and I thought you might like to see how they are using gaming to reach students.

Next month I hope to share with you about a ministry in Cru I am assisting as they walk through a very significant change.  

Please continue to pray for us.  We are very grateful for your partnership with our ministry and our family.

With love and thanks,

2025 is moving fast!

I've been in the process of writing this update for over a month!  There have been a myriad of distractions, so I apologize for the delay!

We started the year with Catelin starting her second course of chemo, which will be weekly for a total of 12 weeks.  She's had a rough time of it over the last few weeks, so we continue to covet your prayers for her.

Catelin and I (Barrett) take a walk every evening.  We have a short, medium, or long route, depending on how she feels.  She wants to be sure to exercise every day, and I really enjoy that routine.  Sometimes we talk, and sometimes we are just walking, but it is nice to be with her.

Cara, Perry and our grandkids were here for a good long visit to begin the year.  It's just great to be with them.  

And our alma mater won the National Championship, and that was fun.  It is so cool to see the Christ centered movement among those athletes, and other teams as well.

At Cru there are several important projects in the works.  Last year a proposal I made was accepted, and we working on a way to describe Cru jobs by the skills needed, and help staff know how they can develop for current and future roles.    At the same time,  I am part of a team considering a new HR software system.  Both of these should help Cru be more effective and support our staff better as well.

My colleague Nate and I are working with Cru's chief of staff to to help Cru's board and our US leadership better measure the organizational health and effectiveness of Cru's ministries.   How do we evaluate how we are doing as a ministry?  We know this will involve ministry results, donations, and staff trends, but we need to know what matters to them most.

As we move into this year, please pray for wisdom for me (Barrett) to prioritize the things that matter most. I want to be thoughtful and intentional about the things I invest my time in.

And as always thank you for your partnership with us.

With love and thanks,

PS:  Here is a short video I made about a mural at our Lake Hart campus.  It'sd
just over a minute long.

Merry Christmas 2024--A Family Update

Merry Christmas 2024!

Barrett, Aubrey, Macy, Luke, Cara, Dayna, Catelin
Brexit, Zeke, Titus, Bowen, Perry

This year was pretty full, but Catelin’s breast cancer diagnosis in August really focused our world around her treatment. She will finish her first round of chemo on January 3, and begin round two for another 12 weeks two weeks later. It’s amazing how much goes into getting through this process!

In August all of the women in the family, (along with Dayna’s sister and niece, Mari and Carrie), met in Irvine,CA (where Cara lives) for a week of fun and activity. That was just after we had a  week of fun and activity in Orlando with Cara’s family. We visited Sea World to satisfy the boys’ fascination with sharks! This fall Luke and Barrett, went to an Ohio State game in Columbus.

Barrett had the adventure of getting snowed in at Colorado Springs during a trip to the Navigator’s headquarters in November, and then spent a few days with the Johnsons in California. He has also finished Cru’s HQ transformation. It really is beautiful, and if you are ever in Orlando, we’d love to give you a tour.

Dayna still enjoys working twice a week as a nurse at Shepherd’s Hope, (where she was awarded “Nurse of the Year”) as part of her role with Cru, but has taken some days off to help Catelin. She enjoys a near daily drive with Brexit so he can see peacocks and the lakes. 😊

Catelin invited us all to visit Tarpon Springs with her for her birthday in June, and that was really fun. She was also the main planner for the California trip. She continues to love her work and team at Orlando Health, where she works in Talent Management. She has been incredible about how she’s going through this cancer journey.

The Johnsons are arriving in Orlando on New Years Eve to visit us and Perry’s family for a couple of weeks while Perry attends a conference. Cara is homeschooling Zeke. Titus and Bowen are in preschool classes. The boys love cars, "squishmallows," and ranking their favorite things (colors, cars, people!) Cara got more house painting done. They enjoy their church and host a weekly Bible study in their home.

Aubrey is working for Oschner Health, a Louisiana hospital system, as a remote compensation specialist. She has moved in with Catelin (just down the street) while she considers where she may want to live next. She has enjoyed serving on a federal grand jury this year!

Luke still enjoys his work with Northrup Grumman in Melbourne, FL and we get to see him pretty often. He still plays soccer, basketball and baseball. He put on the deep sea diver suit in Tarpon Springs. He has traveled a lot this fall, several times back to Charlottesville.

Macy is in her third year at the University of Florida studying psychology and criminology. She has a good  friend group and enjoys life at school. She has picked up some part time childcare jobs in Gainesville this fall, which she enjoys.  She still played on the adult softball team this year.

We are very grateful for all that God has blessed us with, and the kindness that people have shown to Catelin and to us during this journey. May you and your family be aware of God’s hand in your lives, and remember He is near.

For all of us,