Connecting With Rev. Dr. Barb Hanshaw

by Rev. Tony Gogue    

I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting our ADL founders in person. Sure, I’ve seen and heard some of the messages that Barb Selwa delivered over the years since my ordination, and each one was always full of profound insight. They are an encouraging reminder of why we choose to become ordained through ADL – being true to our Selves, and letting that Divine expression of Love shine through.

Since she ascended from this Earthly plane in 2011 (five years before I became an ADL minister), I never had the opportunity of meeting Barb Hanshaw. I’ve heard many stories about her, all which spoke of how truly amazing she really was.

Back in August, I was given a Founder’s Council project to digitize a rare CD from 2009 in which Barb Selwa and Barb Hanshaw discussed the purpose and intentions for ADL. I came up with an idea to turn this conversation into a video, and tried to solicit more photos of our founders. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to access as many as I had hoped.

Time had passed, and something started to happen a few weeks ago in November. I had been volunteering more hours to help in the National Office, and began sensing this presence. At first, I wasn’t sure who was trying to communicate with me, but I started noticing that one of the two photos we have of Barb Hanshaw flashed in my mind whenever I felt this presence. With that sign, I knew it was her.

She radiated an intense feeling of Love and gratitude, thanking me for all the work I had been doing. She also expresses thanks to all of the other dedicated ministers, who have been stepping up and taking on more to spread Love throughout the Universe and keeping ADL alive.

As for me finding more photos for the video project, she laughed and said, “I’d rather be remembered for my acts of Love than my pictures.”

Hopefully, the project will be approved for release soon, as it was truly uplifting listening to this talk, and I get excited for the ministry and reconnected to Love each time I hear it.