Local Pages
Making a Difference in My Community as a Disciple of Christ
We are the Barrios Family from the Curepe Ward in the Port of Spain, Trinidad Stake. My husband and I are the parents of four children. My husband, Kern Barrios, the patriarch of our family, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2010. He has been paralyzed at least three times since then and has had small flare-ups almost every year. But the challenge that has brought us closest to our Savior is our two youngest children who are autistic. Ethan, our third son, turned 12 years old this year, and, despite his challenges, will receive the Aaronic Priesthood. Our youngest son is now 10 years old and still nonverbal. These unique challenges have turned our hearts toward the Savior and His atoning sacrifice every day of our lives. We rely on the Lord for everything.
I had to go back to school to help support my family. I chose teaching as my career, and the moment I stepped onto the grounds of the university, the Spirit whispered to me that this was where I would do my first degree. Following the example of Alma in the Book of Mormon, I made it a matter of prayer. “And it came to pass that Alma inquired of the Lord concerning the matter.” (Alma 16:6).
My university’s motto is to “Enter to learn and leave to serve.” I realized that everything I would learn in the school’s classrooms would equip me for my own classrooms. The word “serve” has always led us, as a family, to remember King Benjamin in the Book of Mormon, “For behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God” (Mosiah 2:17).
After years of working and serving, the Lord prompted me to do two major things: (1) to write reading materials to help my autistic sons learn to read (public schools did not accept them due to their challenges), and (2) to open a private school to help autistic children.
The idea was overwhelming, but I knew it needed to happen. I applied everything I learned in school to the Lord’s direction. It was a lot of work, but hard work was no stranger to us. Foundation Readers, books for individuals with autism, was created. It was an enormous success and has helped many individuals with reading disabilities.
What started as a project for my sons became a tool to help others with their learning challenges. It first began with my neighbors, and then the word spread. Other parents began asking me to help their children full-time instead of teaching in the public school system. I quit my job, and, as a family, we opened a school. Through this experience, our family has grown in compassion and stronger in faith. We feel more peace and embrace challenges with the scriptures rather than panic.
Of course, our sons are direct recipients of our service along with their peers. There are so many nonverbal children who are now growing in a learning environment of love and kindness.
Like the Nephites in Mosiah 29:38, we are “exceedingly anxious that every man [child] should have an equal chance throughout all the land.”
We do the work that very few would embrace, and we do it while living the gospel as best as we can. We do it as a family. We intend to help more, and we know the Lord will lead us towards becoming more innovative. We know that our love and labor are needed in our community, and while in the beginning we were anxious about it, we are now embracing the work the Lord would have us do.