The Shadow
Garland Humphries, owner of Highlands Realty located 433 E. Ridgway Street in Clifton Forge, has had a lot going on lately apart from the business he’s run since 2014. What you may not know about Humphries, known affectionately as “Mr. Boo,” is that he and his friends, Michael and Angie Lomasney, take a yearly mission trip each October to visit the good people in Liberia. There, they work with a married couple named David and Lucy Kiamu, Liberians, whom the Lomasney’s met in back in 2018.
The Lomasney’s, advocates for “Word of Life” since 2018, join Humphries each year on a medical mission trip made possible by both “Word of Life Ministries” and “Covington Bible Church.” The medical clinics are then set up upon arrival and are free for the people of Liberia. Humphries said, “We go to meet their physical needs, but we also go to share Jesus with them.” On one trip, a young child who had never before been able to see was finally given the gift of sight thanks to a simple pair of glasses. The glasses were one of many things which had been donated by generous outsiders to assist in the yearly medical mission trip.
The good people of Alleghany County also play a big role in their missions. Whenever locals give to “Metal for Missions,” a project started by Michael Lomasney, they are helping to fund these mission trips and various other items that aid the people in Liberia. “I collect scrap metal and sell it right here in Clifton Forge at the recycling center,” Lomasney said. “And what we’ve used it [monies raised] for in the past is to fund two young Liberians to go to Liberia Baptist Theological Seminary.” “It’s their college,” his wife, Angie, stated. “So, we paid for their college.” According to Humphries, the young Liberians will be graduating in December and one of them wishes to join “Word of Life Ministries” going forward to help future missions.
There have been several local donors in the area who have helped with “Metal for Missions,” alongside a few major donors who have helped raise funds, such as “Buyers Incorporated,” the Iron Gate Fire Department who donated a vehicle they’d destroyed, and “A&D Glass.” The funds raised from “Metal for Missions” has gone toward several items in the past which help with their medical mission trips, as well as completing these two young Liberians college education. According to Angie Lomasney, it just depends on where the need is, where that money goes. If anyone wishes to donate metal for this cause, send a text to Michael Lomasney at 540-855-8801. “If it’s metal, we take it!” Lomasney said.
Some of the money has aided in their past medical mission trips. The last one they took was in October 2022. During that annual “Word of Life” trip, something happened which tugged at the heartstrings of Garland Humphries. “I really fell in love with the people… their musical talents are just out of this world!” Humphries said, smiling as he spoke fondly of the Liberians. “They would come to the door and ask, ‘Can Mr. Boo come out and play?’ so I would play with them. Then they would say, ‘Mr. Boo, I’m hungry,’ and I was forbidden to take food out of the house we were staying in because it can create a crowd, but I did anyway because I started to learn that these kids may get one meal a day. These kids were choosing to play with me probably rather than eating supper.”
It wasn’t long before the gears in Garland Humphries’ head began to turn, and he started to ask himself how he could help the children and the people more. Soon, he came up with the idea for the “Fishes and Loaves Nutrition Program,” a nonprofit organization that goes into effect on Monday, November 20, 2023. The program will help these children to have food at least 3 days a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, but it is the goal of Mr. Humphries to eventually be able to provide them with one meal a day.
“My nonprofit is going to be volunteer driven. The only expenses that we plan to have are: I have to pay an accountant and there are fees to sending money over there. As of right now, I think that’s the only expense we’re going to have. It may change, but I really want to keep it at bare minimum operating costs meaning I will do a lot of the clerical duties,” Humphries said.
For those who wish to participate in any way in Humphries’ nonprofit, you are encouraged to call his office at 540-862-4414, visit fishesandloaves.info or stop by Highlands Realty at 433 E. Ridgeway Street in Clifton Forge. They are always looking for volunteers, metal, and any donations to help support the “Fishes and Loaves Nutrition Program,” moving forward.
