Bereather [Bo] Barton
(1953 – 2015)
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| My beautiful friend and sister in Christ, Bereather [Bo] Barton |
Today I found out that my dear friend of
nearly ten years and sister in Christ, Bo (short for Bereather) passed
away. She had often said that she did
not want to die alone and that she wanted to die in her sleep. The Lord heard
her prayers and answered faithfully.
With her beloved husband by her side in the
hospital, Bo slipped peacefully into eternity on Saturday, March 7, 2015. She was a humble woman of God and a true
prayer warrior.
I met Bo and her husband online in a Christian
chat room almost ten (10) years ago.
Several months later, we exchanged phone numbers and kept in touch,
praying for each other and becoming good friends. I was living on the strawberry farm in
Bobcaygeon, Ontario with my son, who was fourteen (14) at the time. My daughters had left home the previous year.
When the Lord instructed me to leave Canada in
late 2007, Ed and Bo wanted to meet up with me, and I with them. We all looked forward to it. Below is an excerpt from my testimony in my
book called, “First the Inside of the Cup”, which I wrote in 2012. It affirms Bo’s love for Y’shua (Jesus), as
well as the good fruit she produced.
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| Ed and Bo Barton - South Carolina, USA - December 2007 |
It
was wonderful to see them, so I grabbed the camera and they were kind enough to
pose for me. When I offered to buy
lunch, they decided to take me to a Chinese buffet in the small town closest to
where they lived because good food was served.
Ed
took the lead and gave thanks, asking the Lord to bless the food that we were
about to eat. Beautiful! We had a great time, talking about the Lord
and all the ways He had been intervening in our lives.
It
was quite refreshing, a real blessing and a great time of fellowship. I knew that I was in the company of true
brethren, saints of the most High God.
Bo wanted me to stay with them for awhile before I headed westward. Her husband, Ed nodded in agreement, saying
that they would both like that. I loved
their Southern drawls. (I love accents; different cultures; people.)
They
lived in a double-wide trailer on a nice piece of property. Although it was a trailer park, it did not
seem like one, as the trailers were few in number, with each one well spread apart on a good
piece of land. They also had another trailer (a single) parked beside their home, which they used for storage.
They
opened their home to me and made me feel quite welcome. Bo had suffered years at the hands of
doctors, who were always quick to operate on her. Together, we spent time in prayer, the Word
and fellowship.
The
Lord does all things well. I met some of
Ed and Bo’s neighbors. One man in
particular had polyps in his throat and the doctor was concerned that they may
be cancerous. His wife asked me if I
would pray. She was a believer, but her
husband was undecided about his commitment.
I
knelt beside his chair to pray for him and when I arose there were tears in his
eyes. After hugs, we all left. It would be over a year later that I would
find out that the act of getting down on my knees to pray for someone I did not
know meant more to the man than I ever would have imagined.
Isn't it strange
that little things that we do not even consider (or even recall until reminded by someone) could mean so much to someone
else? The glory to God alone! It is the precious Holy Spirit who moves and leads us. Keep that in mind the next time that you feel led by Father's Spirit to do a thing on His behalf - all in the name of LOVE (God is love).
All
went well and the polyps were not cancerous.
I had intended to leave after the first week, but Ed told me that his
wife had been lonely for fellowship and was enjoying my company. The fellowship was good for me too, as it was
a joy to be with like-minded believers, who were quick to pray, read the Word
and to discuss things of the Lord.
Step by Step
The
three of us ate Christmas dinner together, but they respected the fact that I
had chosen not to celebrate the holiday.
Although they agreed with the origins being pagan, they were caught up
in the tradition and the love for the season.
I know the Lord leads us all and that He would guide them, His way and
in His time.
They
respectfully exchanged gifts privately, whilst I went for a walk along the
country roads. I found the weather
amazing as a Canadian. To me, having no
snow in December was a gift in itself!
[End of excerpt]
My stay with Bo and Ed was just shy of a month
long before I had to return to Canada quite briefly to take care of an urgent
matter. The weather up north was nasty
(blizzard), which greatly slowed down my travelling time. Be that as it may, upon my return to the
States about a week later, I was welcomed back with open arms and invited to
stay yet awhile longer. That is how Bo
was (and Ed, as well) – always opening up their home to others.
It was pouring rain the day I had planned to
leave. Instead of the early start that I
had anticipated, we had such a time in prayer and fellowship that I left much
later than I had originally intended.
Bo had packed me a wonderful lunch of (“just
some ‘finger food’ for the road”, she had said) delicious tuna sandwiches,
pickles, cheese and crackers, fruit (sliced apples and oranges) and granola
bars. Ed had tucked a note inside the
bag of food, which stated: “God will make this trial a blessing. You’ll
see. Just keep the faith. Ed”
So much more could be said of her faithfulness
and dedication to her husband (a virtuous woman), an amazing quilt maker, a good cook, a superb hostess, humourous, delightful personality, a good heart, perfected by our heavenly Father, a woman with a green thumb, a loyal friend. She
walked in love and was loved.
It was Bo who had first told me about the “snake-handling churches” of the south,
back in January, 2008. Never had I heard
of such a thing before. Her and Ed had
attended such a church once, but quickly discerned that it was not of God and never
returned. We spent hours and hours over the years talking about the gospel, our Lord Y'shua (Jesus), miracles and more. O, how she loved the Lord!
She introduced me to many things, including “grits”
(a popular and common southern food of native origin – a ground corn
food). I ate it like porridge (much to
the horror of a southern waitress).
Grits are not typically covered in milk and
sugar, as I did. They are flavoured with
“salt an’ peppa and lotsa butta, doncha know?!”) Well, I know now.
Warm, giving, generous, loving, prayerful, loyal,
faithful to the LORD - Bo, darling
Bereather, my beautiful and sweet sister Bo, true southern belle. She fought valiantly not only in the spiritual, but in the physical, with year after year and surgery after surgery, bravely facing each battle.
Bo lost much weight over the course of the past two or three years. She fought long and hard for countless years, giving all the glory to God through Jesus Christ, a true handmaiden of our King.
Her husband, Ed, their son Jas (pronounced Jazz) and extended family (surviving sister and half brother), nephews and many others gathered in Ed and Bo's home for a memorial service (a family reunion or get-together, Bo had once stated). Her equally dedicated and faithful husband plans to sprinkle her ashes in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. Bo wanted that - she loved those mountains.
I shall miss
you greatly, my friend!
for His glory alone
Bonita
dovesofthevalleys4@gmail.com
Addendum: I forgot to put a picture of the cross and the well that Bo and Ed have in their yard. It often made me ponder. For example, do you remember when Y'shua/Jesus spoke to the woman at the well (they who drink of Him shall never thirst - He is the Living Water)? Or how about, "He that believes on Me, as the scripture says, out of their bellies shall flow rivers of living water. [Jn 7:38] BP
Addendum: I forgot to put a picture of the cross and the well that Bo and Ed have in their yard. It often made me ponder. For example, do you remember when Y'shua/Jesus spoke to the woman at the well (they who drink of Him shall never thirst - He is the Living Water)? Or how about, "He that believes on Me, as the scripture says, out of their bellies shall flow rivers of living water. [Jn 7:38] BP
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