TURNING POINT

PROLOGUE

A number of young Christian summer workers come to Guatemala each year to help Señor Barry build buildings, which would be used for school and church services. This year he had six young men and five young ladies. David, his friend and helper came with his fiancée, Caroline. They planned to marry at the end of the summer and to come back to work in Guatemala later. The other five men were an assortment ranging from, red haired Chuck who was training to be a doctor, to Eric who was dark-skinned and kept to himself. Of the five girls, there was Caroline, who became the leader of the women, to Julie Ann who requested to come at the last minute.

Senor Barry shook his head in dismay. He wondered why he let Julie Ann come. She was a good worker but was also a distraction with whom he’d fallen in love, along with most of the other young men.

He thought that with his father’s help, he’d set up a good screening system so no one who might cause problems could come, but Julie Ann came, and she brought trouble. She didn’t mean to bring trouble, but he fell in love and that was trouble enough because he wanted to hold her hand, or hold her in his arms.

He made the rule, himself, that there would be no interaction between the sexes but he didn’t realize that when he fell in love this rule affected him.

Senor Barry’s heart flipped when he first met her. His heart flopped and broke when he discovered that she wasn’t a Christian. He blamed God for the situation, but God knew what would happen. In the end, she accepted Christ as her Savior.

Julie Ann and Marybeth, a very ill co-worker, went to a hospital in Houston, Senor Barry was surprised how lost and lonely he felt. He knew he loved Julie but he didn’t know if she felt the same. He wished he could have told her of his love, but now, he felt it was too late for wishing. She was far away.

Señor Barry is a short man, hardly reached five foot seven inches. His hair is dark as are his eyes, and during the summers he let his beard grow. It become black and bushy until Julie Ann suggested he trim it, which he did, and he admitted that he not only looked better, but felt better. Because of his energy and dynamic personality, one soon forgot his short stature and any short comings he might have.

He is the missionary, the one who started this work in Guatemala. He loves the type of work he carved out for himself. Previously, he worked at a preacher training school in Mexico . The school trained the young men, sent them out to start church groups and to build buildings. He found the summer workers could usually build two or three buildings during a summer and the young preachers could use their time to develop the church, without the burden of working on a church building. He spent a lot of time teaching preachers and parishioners alike and he loves the varied activities this entails.

CHAPTER ONE

Señor Barry arrived back at the village where his summer workers stayed. He had just taken Marybeth and Julie Ann to the local hospital and subsequently sent them on to the States by Air. He took Marybeth’s mattress out and burned it, as the doctor suggested. The mattress was a large bag made of mattress ticking and stuffed with dried grass. By the end of the summer, the mattress was flat and hard. The dry grass would normally be burned and the mattress ticking washed ready for the new bunch of workers the next summer.

Señor Barry sat and watched the mattress, ticking and grass burn, praying all the while for the two girls. He was told that Marybeth was sick with some contagious, tropical disease and that she might not live. He didn’t want for Marybeth to die although he was sure she would. He was more concerned over losing Julie Ann.

A misty rain that came most mornings and brought the insects down from the trees, started, but he continued to sit and plead with God. This camp was in the rain forest, so a rain could be expected most days. Unless it was a hard rain, it filtered down as a misty rain through the canopy at the top.

“If Julie Ann dies, Lord?” Senor Barry stopped his words. Julie Ann couldn’t, wouldn’t die. He must keep his faith and courage up, so he sat and prayed.

He looked at his watch and found that it was time to ring the gong that would wake his workers up. He was soaked to the skin by the rain, and his face and hands were covered with insect bites. He, foolishly, didn’t bother to change or medicate the bites.

The girls knew something was terribly wrong immediately they awoke. Both Marybeth and Julie were missing, and Marybeth’s mattress was gone. When they gathered for devotions, the girls thought their worst fears were confirmed. Señor Barry’s face was gray, haggard, and drawn. His clothes were wet and his face and hands were swollen from insect bites. They were sure Marybeth had died during the night. All of the girls knew that Marybeth was feeling ill although some thought she was faking it,
Abigail was openly crying.

Abigail was Marybeth’s closest friend and the two together ganged against Julie Ann, yet Abigail was glad to see that Julie Ann was taking care of Marybeth, leaving her free to go to the festival in the village with the other girls. Julie Ann was a little peeved that no one asked her if she wanted to stay with Marybeth. She would have liked to go to the festival also. Last time, she held Señor Barry’s hand for a short time. She would like to do that again.

Señor Barry was silent until everyone gathered. “Both girls have been taken by air to the States,” he told the group of six young men and three young women. “Marybeth’s condition is very grave,” he continued.

A number of audible sympathetic sounds were heard above Abigail’s weeping.
“The doctor thought Marybeth has one of the contagious tropical diseases that are common here and said that all of you should go home before you come down with it,” he then paused before continuing. “If any of you want to leave, I’ll take you to the airport, but it’s my belief that God can, and will, protect us.”

After a time of discussion concerning the symptoms and causes of the different diseases, the group decided to stay with the exception of Abigail. She wanted to be with her friend, but when told that her friend was in isolation and she wouldn’t even be able to see her, much less to visit with her, she decided to stay with the summer workers. Señor Barry thanked her but wondered if he’d be able to get much work from her. It was Julie Ann who proved to be the worker, setting the pace that few of the girls could follow.

Señor Barry picked up his Bible. “We’ll spend our devotional time in God’s word and in prayer for the two girls,” he said. As they prayed, peace descended on him, a peace he’d not felt in a long time. God was in control and all problems could be left in His capable hands.

Señor Barry drove into town every day to phone the hospital in Houston for a report on the two girls. When, at last, he reported that Marybeth was getting better, everyone’s spirits improved.

“You keep reporting about Marybeth. What about the other girl?” redheaded Chuck asked.

“Julie Ann?” Señor Barry looked at the eager up-turned faces wanting to hear about the girl they loved. He remembered that David told him once that they all loved Julie Ann. David was engaged to Caroline and Senor Barry was sure that Jack was falling for Abigail so there were just the four plus himself who loved her. As far as he was concerned, the four didn’t count. He loved Julie Ann and he hoped the feelings were reciprocated, but he didn’t know.

“She’s fine. She didn’t get the disease, but as she was placed in the isolation ward, she must stay two weeks so she won’t be back before you leave.”

He was thankful that he’d not have to share her with the others, yet he missed her presence. He missed her laughter and her smile. All joy seemed to have flown with Julie Ann gone.

Abigail needed counseling which Señor Barry gladly gave. She was loaded with guilt and remorse for not taking better care of her friend.

“Don’t keep blaming yourself,” Señor Barry told her. “You didn’t do anything that brought on this illness.”

“I should’ve known she was ill and told you before it got so bad.” Her tears started to flow again.

“I know. I keep berating myself for not seeing the signs of her illness sooner. Even when Julie Ann told me that she was running a high fever, I thought she was suffering from a migraine. We let other things distract us, but Marybeth is a grown woman. She could have, and should have, told one of us how ill she was. She had to know before we could see it.”

Señor Barry knew why Abigail was distracted. She and Jack were falling in love but he wasn't going to put the blame on Julie Ann. He knew he was at fault.

On closing day, he took his crew to the airport, and then returned to the village. The new preacher was already there with his wife and children, getting settled into the recently vacated girls’ dorm.

Mari was moving her family into the boys’ dorm. It was too soon to start calling the houses something different. Later, he would know them as Mari’s house and the Preacher’s house.

Señor Barry looked the village over and wondered why he selected this village for his summer workers. There was no electricity or running water. The water in the stream was infested with water leaches. He shivered, and wondered how he could have brought Julie Ann to such a place, but of course he didn’t know her then, or that she would be in this group.

He knew why he chose this village. God directed him to it and it was the right place. God wanted him here as all the villagers accepted Christ as Lord and Savior. Most, if not all, of the villagers claimed that Julie Anne’s influence caused them to find the Savior.

He smiled when he remembered Julie Ann’s explanation before she became a Christian on knowing Jesus as Lord. The very last question she was given asked if she knew Jesus as Lord. She remembered a song from her childhood that said ‘the little Lord Jesus lay down his sweet head.’ She then marked the square that said she knew Jesus as Lord, not realizing that only Christians recognized Jesus as Lord of their lives.
The village was like many in the rain forest. The houses were on stilts, about five feet from the ground. The walls were made of webbing that for the most part went only three feet up. He prepared camp cots and mosquito netting for his crew but the people of the villages didn’t use either. The family slept together on a raised platform in one corner of the open room. Farm animals, such as chickens, goats and pigs, often occupied another corner at night.

Señor Barry thought it would take several days before the two families would be able to get into their homes but they were already settled so he felt free to leave for the States. He was planning on a Sabbatical year and was turning the work over to David and Caroline. He was sure that when Julie Ann was out of the hospital that they would marry. He felt his future was planned and he was pleased and happy with himself.

The one thing he wanted to do before he left was to arraign with Marie to send her money each month.. Julie Ann discovered that Mari’s daughter, who was only thirteen, would be getting married because Mari was expecting again and couldn’t support the girl. Mari was the cook for the summer workers. She also boiled the water for drinking, kept their clothes washed and the dorms clean.

One either sent their children to the city to work or married them off in the village at an early age. Girls sent into the city often ended up on drugs or prostitution or both, so marriage seemed the better choice. Julie Ann said she wanted to send Mari some money each month so the girl could go to school and not have to get married. He determined to do this until he cleared the matter with Julie Ann.

When Señor Barry phoned the hospital in Houston his spirit was high. He thought he would soon be there and have Julie Ann in his arms. A smile was on his face as he dialed the number. When he was told that Julie Ann was dismissed that morning, he felt a little stab of impatience but he had her home address and phone number so he would go there. He changed his flight to Dallas, thinking he’d rent a car and go to her hometown, a two-hour drive away, but decided to phone instead. The operator came on the line, telling him that the number he dialed was no longer in use. He asked that the number and address be rechecked. He was still told that the number was no longer in use. Disappointed, he headed home to Atlanta.

"TURNING POINT"

ISBN 978-1-4500-8476-5 hard cover
ISBN 978-1-4500-8475-8 soft cover
ISBN 978-1-4500-8477-2 kindle