A NIGHT THAT CHANGED MY LIFE--THIRTY-EIGHT YEARS AGO

It was a night that changed my life although I didn't realize it at the time.   In fact, it was a night that would touch thousands of lives.  Thirty-eight years ago in the fall of 1976 Dr. Alan Neely, my seminary missions’ professor, took a group of students to a Foreign Mission Board Commissioning Service. The iconic Baker James Cauthen, retired President of the FMB and legendary Missionary to China, was the keynote speaker.  The service had a powerful impact on me.  I would soon become a pastor and missions would always be a priority in my ministry.  A new friend, Cliff Scarborough, also attended the service and it had an even greater impact on him.

     Cliff and I were unlikely friends.  He was older having completed a distinguished military career.  I was a green, non-military kid right out of college.  We connected because Cliff was from my father's hometown--Thomasville, Alabama.  

   Cliff knew that God was calling him into the ministry but it was not until that night he discerned the calling was to the mission field.

    We graduated in 1979.  I was already the pastor of a church.  Cliff applied to the Foreign Mission Board and he and Bettye were appointed to be missionaries to Belize.

    A few years later I read in the Biblical Recorder that Cliff was on a brief furlough, staying at the seminary in Wake Forest.  I contacted him about coming to my church in Roxboro and preaching.  We arranged a breakfast so he and Bettye could show slides and talk about their work in Belize. Cliff preached at the worship service and we went to our house where Joyce had prepared a delicious lunch.  

  As we were enjoying the meal and the fellowship, Cliff looked at me and said, "Ray, why don't you get a group from your church together and come to Belize on a mission trip."

   That was 30 years ago.  I'm in Belize again as I am writing this.  I’ve lost count of the number of times I have been to Belize in the past three decades, but it must be close to 50.

    I brought several groups from Roxboro to Belize in the 1980s, including Medical Teams.   The week before I left Roxboro Baptist in 1990 I was on a medical trip to Belize.  They tried their best to get me to change my mind and stay in Roxboro.  They almost had me convinced that I was making a mistake, until a spectacular sunrise with simultaneous church bells one morning reminded me that I needed to listen to a higher power!

    I traveled to Belize in early 1991 to teach some classes for pastors.  One morning at breakfast in Cliff and Bettye's kitchen in Belmopan, Cliff said:  "God has laid something on my heart, but I can't do it by myself.  I'm going to need your help and many others."

    Then he took a napkin and drew a diagram of a camp.  I have a dream of a camp where the pastors of Belize can come for theological training, where churches can have retreats and youths can come for summer camp, and where mission teams from the US can have a place to stay."

      Later that year I brought several people from FBC Lexington to Belize so Cliff could share his dream with them. Two members of that group, Austin Frye and Lonnie Davis, are no longer with us.

   We came back and shared Cliff's dream with the church.  We immediately had several men interested in a work team.  Our church has sent numerous teams through the years.  We helped with the construction of the Director’s home, the Blue Lodge and the Green Lodge.  Lonnie Davis never missed a trip in the early years.

    There was still the issue of financing.  I received a phone call one day from an older member of our church.  She asked me if I could pay her a visit later that day.  I was extremely busy, and almost begged off to another day, but this lady had never asked me to visit before.  I made time for a visit that afternoon.

    We had a nice visit and engaged in general conversation.  When I started to leave she handed me an envelope.  “This is to help with your project in Belize,” she said.

    I stuck the envelope in my pocket and returned to my office.  I was busy working when I thought of it.  As I opened the envelope I was thinking that every small gift, even $10 or $20 is important.  Enclosed was a check . . . for $10,000!

     I have been on the Board of Directors since we organized into a non-profit incorporation.  I am the only original board member still serving.  The camp is flourishing under the leadership of Eric and Julie Maas.  Pastors are being trained, Christians are being educated, youths have a place for summer camp, and US mission teams have a wonderful place to stay.  If I had saved that napkin on which Cliff drew the diagram that morning, it would be a good map of today’s camp.

     God has blessed countless numbers of people through the Baptist Training Center of Belize.  Dozens of churches and thousands of Christians have traveled to Belize to do missions.  And to think, it all went back to that one night thirty-eight years ago.  It was a night that changed my life, although I didn’t realize it at the time.

 

A BELIZEAN BANQUET WITH BIBLICAL IMPLICATIONS

        It was a simple invitation.  “We’re having a fish BBQ Saturday night and want you to come.”  My wife, Joyce, and I were in Belize for a meeting when our friend, Liz, extended the gracious invitation.  We asked what we could bring, insisting that we could not show up empty-handed.  Liz finally allowed us to pick up some paper plates and cups and some soft drinks.  We were looking forward to the evening, but didn’t really know what to expect.  Little did we realize that we were about to experience an unforgettable Belizean banquet with Biblical implications!

        We were told to arrive at 7:30, but in Belize that means anytime between 7:30 – 9:00.  Being the punctual Americans we are, Joyce and I arrived at 7:30 on the dot---only to find no one else there, except two men working the grills.  They had three of these big barrel grills fired up and it was evident they were doing some serious grilling.  We introduced ourselves and discovered that these two gentlemen were our hosts for the evening.  Their names were Paul and Sepp and their accents told me that they were not from Belize, or Kansas, or Davidson County. 

        These guys were from Austria and every summer they travel to Belize with their families for a month of fishing and laid-back living.  They fish for a week and then invite friends, neighbors, cousins, and strangers to come and share in the bounty.  Paul and Sepp were grilling fish kabobs, fish balls (nuggets of snapper, grouper, and barracuda wrapped in bacon), pork, chicken, and pineapple bites.  Liz and her family supplied the salads and sides. It was a feast of epic proportions!

        Joyce and I were the only two “Gringos” at the celebration.  But everyone went out of their way to welcome us, take care of us, and make us feel like family.  We watched in amazement as over the next hour or so, people began to wander in and join the party.  There were young people, old people, small children, teenagers, elderly men and women, and families.  There were people from every walk of life, every culture, language, social standing, and economic level.  Paul and Sepp announced that the food was ready, but rather than people rushing to the front of the line, everyone insisted that someone else go first.

        We sat down to enjoy some of the best seafood I have ever tasted, but more importantly we enjoyed some of the richest fellowship I have ever known.  We talked, laughed, and told stories.  Everyone was making sure that we had enough to eat and drink.  Joyce had cookies for the children and one by one they came to take a cookie and without exception, said a heart-felt thank you.  Everyone was so kind, so authentic, so gracious, and so welcoming. 

        In the midst of the joyous revelry, I had a true revelation.  This is why the Bible talks about a banquet and feasting when it describes eternal joy.  I looked around at the incredibly diverse gathering.   Most of the people who were with us that night will never know the level of living that we take for granted.  Very few of those people will ever venture out of Belize.  Their way of life would be so very difficult for most of us to endure.  And yet, they shared in a joy and fellowship that night that so many of us, who have all the luxuries of life, long to experience.  It didn’t matter if one was young or old, rich or poor, educated or illiterate; on that night we were one, big, happy family.

        The prophet Isaiah talked about a feast on the mountain of the Lord with the finest foods, with vintage wines, a seven course meal and lavish gourmet desserts.  And on this mountain God will banish the pall of doom hanging over all peoples.  He will banish death forever and wipe all the tears away from every face.  (Isaiah 25: 6-8—The Message)

        I had always pictured a big banquet table in heaven that would be set with exquisite china, crystal, and silver, but now I have a different image in my mind.  I see a happy group of diverse people all gathered around picnic tables while some big barrel grills are smoking incredible delicacies. Children will be laughing and playing, old men will tell stories and young people will share their exuberance.  And something tells me that Paul and Sepp will be there, welcoming all of us to this heavenly banquet.  You better Belize it!