15. The Barbers

Three years after purchasing Harbor House, Byron found the workload around the property to be getting a bit too much for a man of his age. He began praying for some helpers to come and live with him and Esther. Little did he know that God was preparing just such a family not far from Sulphur Springs.
 

Dwayne and Vivian

A couple named Dwayne and Vivian Barber were living just outside of Bentonville, Arkansas at the time. Originally from Tennessee, they had moved to Arkansas several years earlier with their three children, Greg, Kim, and David, who were now grown and married. Dwayne and Greg were in the bench advertising business together, and Vivian was working at Farm Credit Services. Curiously enough, the Barbers and Bristols were brought together by Dwayne's alcoholism. He had called Alcoholics Anonymous and was given the names of people who could help.
 
After a couple of meetings in Bentonville, someone asked Dwayne and Vivian to come to a Sunday night AA Al-anon meeting in Sulphur Springs.  The meeting and potluck dinner were being held by the Bristols. The first time the Barbers walked into Harbor House they felt the peace that radiated out from everywhere; Byron and Esther had established a place of rest and tranquility where hungry souls could come to drink in the feeling of love. After the meeting the Bristols and Barbers talked awhile before Dwayne and Vivian left. On their way home they both felt that Harbor House was somehow different from other places. There was a special atmosphere there.
 
From that time on the Barbers never missed a Sunday night meeting, and as time passed they got to know Byron and Esther very well. Dwayne was led to the Lord soon after joining AA, and he asked the Bristols if they would hold a Bible study with him and his wife. The Bristols responded joyfully and a weekly study was begun.
 
Several months passed and the Barbers had to leave their rented homes in Bentonville. Dwayne mentioned to Byron that they were looking for a place with a house for him and Vivian, a house for Greg and his family, an office area and a shop for making benches. Vivian was skeptical and wondered how on earth they were going to find all of that on one property, but God had it all planned out.
 

The Greg Barber Family

One day the Barbers heard a knock on their door and found Byron standing on their doorstep. He said that he had been praying about them and that God was leading him to invite Dwayne and Vivian to live on the Harbor House property. As his friends listened in amazement, Byron told them that he and Esther owned far more than just Harbor House itself. They had the surrounding acreage, a shop building, and several houses, one of which could be remodeled as an office! The Barbers prayed about the idea and felt sure that it was the Lord's will that they move there. In the autumn of 1988 Dwayne and Vivian, Greg and his family, moved to Sulphur Springs.
 
Dwayne and Vivian had been living in one of the smaller houses on the property for three years when Byron and Esther told them that it was time to trade places. Harbor House was just too big for the Bristols and they were getting older; they must start passing the torch to younger people on fire for the Lord. They told Dwayne and Vivian that they were allowed to do anything with Harbor House that God told them to do. The Barbers moved in the back door and the Bristols moved out the front.
 
The new residents of Harbor House felt God calling them to create a Christian retreat center of sorts. Dwayne worked the gardens and fields and generally fixed up the place, taking some pressure off of Byron. Vivian fitted the beautiful, old-fashioned building to be a bed and breakfast, taking pains to make the atmosphere cozy and friendly. A little Christian fellowship sprang up at Harbor House and the men took turns leading a Sunday meeting. Byron and Esther were still intimately involved in the community, and with Dwayne and Vivian they became a family to those who had none. God brought many people into their lives over the years and they showed their Father's love and acceptance to those who came through Harbor House's doors.