Joseph Howell Barker was born on May 21, 1957 in Seneca, South Carolina, to Ted D. and Myrtle Barker. He was saved and baptized at the age of nine at Glendale Baptist Church in Mauldin, South Carolina, a church his father founded. Joe grew up with a love for the Lord’s work and served Him as a bus worker throughout his late teens and twenties, in Florida. He attended Florida Baptist Schools in Lakeland, Florida, straight out of high school. He went on to graduate from Landmark Baptist Institute in Mauldin, South Carolina. It was there that he surrendered to preach. He was later called as a missionary to Paraguay, South America and was ordained and sent out by the church his father then pastored, Forrest Avenue Baptist Church in Apopka, Florida. In 1991, Joe married Antonia Couoh and they became parents to three children, daughter, Eliana, son, Sam, and daughter, Paz. When Joe first moved to Paraguay, he worked alongside one of his brothers, Ted C. Barker in Ciudad del Este. Several years later, Joe and his family would move four hours away to begin a mission work in the city of Villarrica. Through his many years of service to the Lord in the country of Paraguay, Bro. Joe or “Pastor Jose” as his church members called him, was instrumental in seeing churches begin not only in Villarrica, but also in the towns of Santa Ana and Iruna. It was in the 1990s that Joe contracted the rare disease, Elephantiasis in his legs. It slowed him down physically, but never slowed him down in spreading the gospel! Over the twenty-five years that Joe was a missionary, he would spend much time in the hospital and each time, would see souls saved, which often included doctors as well as nurses. Unfortunately, Elephantiasis began to spread throughout his body, taking over his lungs, other organs and finally into his heart. On October 13, 2016, Bro. Barker died on the mission field, in his beloved Paraguay. He not only entered heaven where he was reunited with his earthly Joseph Howell Barker May 21, 1957 - October 13, 2016 Missionary to Paraguay father, and was free from the daily pain he fought for years, but was as he would say was his greatest joy, he saw his Savior face to face! Bro. Barker is survived by his wife, Antonia, daughter Eliana, age 18, son Sam, age 13, and daughter Paz, age 11. He also leaves behind his mother, Myrtle Barker of Apopka, Florida, brother, Missionary Ted C. (Lume) of Cd. del Este, Paraguay, brother, Pastor Scott of Apopka, Florida, and sister, Amy McCarver (Glenn), missionary wife to El Paso, Texas. He also had nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews who loved him dearly. He was loved by all who knew him and was a family oriented man, but his greatest desire was truly to see one more soul saved!