“And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.”
In Belize, most expatriate Americans notice and remember each other. Sundays were my busiest days during export season. The ship sailed on Monday, so Sunday was the day that we would harvest and pack the produce that we shipped to the U.S.
I went to a restaurant, owned by another expatriate American, to get some burgers to take to my managers while we were packing. There Pastor Jay and Linda were eating lunch. I spoke to them and asked what they were doing."
“Just came here after church,” replied Jay.
I said, “Oh, you go to church?”
“Go to, yes, the Lord has blessed us with a church here in Orange Walk.”
“I didn’t know that Pastor Jay was a missionary, and may not have visited with him if I had known. We continued to visit while I waited for my burgers. I believe that Pastor Jay knew that I was in and out of Belizean jails quite a bit, due to bribing the police concerning competitors.
He asked me if I had a Bible, and I told him that I did. He asked me to read Acts and think about it. Upon reading Acts I was moved by how much time the disciples spent in jail, their toughness, and their dedication. I was actually able to identify with them. During that later visit Pastor Jay asked me if there was anything he could do to help. At the time, my wife was pregnant and I was working 18 to 22 hours each day, so I asked him if he could check on my wife. He came by often, checked on her, and answered all her questions referring to the Bible.
Pastor Jay and Linda caught me off guard, showed me things in the Bible I didn’t know existed, ministered to my wife and I, and after a few months we were saved and he baptized us together in the New River in Orange Walk, Belize. Our lives have never been the same.”
Pastor Jay writes, "After our chat at the restaurant my next encounter with Dana was at a garage where I had my vehicle serviced. We got to talking and I invited him to come to church, which he did every now and then when he wasn’t working. Dana had already asked us to go by and check on his wife which we did from time to time. After awhile, his wife MaAva started coming to church.
One afternoon we went to visit Dana and his wife and they readily accepted Christ as their Saviour. Dana’s wife was expecting and she brought forth a baby girl. Afterward, they started coming to church regularly. Dana would come when he was not working, but MaAva and their children came on a regular basis.
Then Dana and MaAva wanted to get baptized. One Sunday after church we went down to crocodile-infested New River here in Orange Walk Town, Belize, Central America where I baptized both of them.
Dana and MaAva were both faithful to the Lord until the day that they moved. It was a sad day for us, but the Lord had so graciously let Dana and MaAva come into our lives for awhile. What a blessing they were to us. We still hear from them now and then.
I thank the Lord that we had the privilege to meet and win Dana and MaAva Heacox to the Lord and to have been able to have fellowship with this wonderful family of God."
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