Welcome back to another installment of Thursday Interviews and Part 2 of our discussion with GTO contributor Barbara Ann Baranowski. We still have quite a bit to talk about with Barbara, so let’s dive in!
Here’s a picture of Barbara and her family at a recent Nana Camp:
GTO: Barbara, we know some time has passed since you first submitted your story to us. Can you give us an update on recent developments with your grandchildren since writing your story?
Barbara: Well, my husband and I are in the midst of planning our eighth camp experience for our grandchildren. We now have a new grandchild to add to the faith camping experience–making five. Our theme this year is “Living the Truth.” Our older grandchildren will have a part in instructing out youngest in what they have learned from past lessons. We are planning a trip to Philadelphia to study the symbols of freedom, with reminders that Jesus has made us truly free when we accept Him as our Savior. All of our grandchildren, with the exception of the two-year-old have accepted Jesus as their Savior.
GTO: That’s certainly a testimony to God’s power through grandparenting! Now, tell us what’s happened in your life since writing your story—any new developments or fun adventures?
Barbara: I always tell our grandchildren that life itself, in the Lord, is a grand adventure. We have traveled together to places such as Pidgeon Forge, Tennessee (Dollywood), and Williamsburg–Jamestown, Virginia. In historic places I explain to the children the importance of celebrating our country’s founding through God’s plan for America.
GTO: It’s obvious that you have a passion for this country, the freedoms it offers, and how that relates to the freedoms God has given us. The prospect of protecting our freedoms is definitely a big challenge that we face today as a nation. What do you think is perhaps the greatest challenge faced by children today, and how can grandparents help them with this challenge?
Barbara: As a retired teacher, mother, and grandparent, I feel that one of the greatest challenges children face is to feel loved and to understand they have a purpose for being here. So many children are aimless and without goals in life–thus the dependence on drugs and other “highs.” Teaching them that God loves them and knows exactly why they were created (and will reveal it to them over time through prayer) gives them meaning and purpose to life. Showing them His love brings them to the ultimate “high” of knowing God and serving Him with a future, a purpose, and a hope.
GTO: Now that you’ve invested so much in your grandkids, what do you hope they’ll most remember about you when you’re gone?
Barbara: I hope my grandchildren will remember that I loved God, accepted His salvation for my sins through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ, and that serving Him and sharing Him with them and others is my greatest joy. I hope also that they will remember that my eternity is wonderful and secure because I am with Him forever. I truly want them to remember Jesus when they think of me. Of myself I am nothing, but through Him and His love, I can be what He has created me to be. I want them to know that about themselves as well.
GTO: I think that says it all. I believe those words are shared by the hearts of grandparents everywhere who are trying to influence their grandchildren for Christ.
Barbara, thank you again for sharing your story and your heart with us! And, readers, thank you for sharing your time with us. We hope you’ve enjoyed getting to know Barbara.
Grandparenting through Obstacles 