Barry Salisbury is a longtime friend and supporter of the Mission. She remembers hearing about it for the first time over 20 years ago. After receiving the Mission’s Partnership Letter for several months, she determined to attend an annual banquet and discover for herself how the Mission pursues its calling to change lives now and for eternity. It wasn’t long before she became a member of the board of directors and an active supporter of several programs. “The Mission is very important to me,” says Barry.
Serving on the board during the early phases of Faith House’s reopening, Barry remembers contemplating a quote by Frederick Douglass. “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men,” Douglass writes. This truth prompted her to consider how the Mission – specifically through Faith House – might participate in building a generation of strong children.
“We wanted to give children a safe place to call home – a place where they could surround themselves with their toys and belongings without worrying about where they might be tomorrow,” she says. “That’s what Faith House gives children. A safe place where they know they are loved. Love can change the world,” she continues, “and Faith House shows women and children how to live a life of love, in safety.”
“We need to help build the next generation,” explains Barry. “We don’t want women to repeat old bad habits; rather, we want to help them make a new way – a way of love. The Faith House program is designed to transform hearts that have been hardened and hurt. It helps broken women put the pieces of their lives back together and find beauty in the brokenness for themselve
s and their children. The staff is committed to principles of love, grace, forgiveness, and truth – no matter what. Everyone is valued and has purpose. And Faith House helps women find that purpose.”
