Barbara Dowdy grew up in rural north Texas, graduated from high school and, like so many women of that era, got married, went to work, kept a tidy home, raised two beautiful and exceptional children - and supported her husband, Jerry, in his business endeavors. Revisiting together the call to mission ministry that Barbara received (and tucked away) when she was only 16 years old, Barbara and Jerry decided their success in the office equipment business would allow them to retire early and follow the path to Southern Baptist mission work in Malawi, Africa. Serving 10 years in Malawi, they tended to the basic needs of the people, ran a bustling printing and publications office, built homes, repaired and maintained vehicles - and founded and nurtured Capital City Baptist Church that still thrives today. After a brief but treacherous year-long mission stint in Somalia, they returned to live their later years in north central Texas, enjoying time with their family, including their two grown children, Peggy (and husband, Bruce) Ken (and wife, Suzanne) and four beautiful grandchildren.