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| Estelle, Esther, Steve 1981 Campbellton, NB |
Now folks, I have to tell you, "That was
one quiet winter on that island!"
Anyway, I told you
that to tell you this. The following year I received a phone call asking if I would be
interested in going to Campbellton, New Brunswick to continue the work that
Brother Harry Lewis had already started. I would be joining the Home Missions
team and would be under the Mission 1000 program that had been created by my
Dad, Brother Raymond Roach. Mission 1000 was a Home Missionary finance program
designed to support several church planters full time on the field. Things came
together quite quickly and we resigned the church in Campobello. We loved the people and the church and the island villagers. They were good to us!
We were so excited about this new adventure!
Mom and Dad were only an hour away in the city Bathurst, New Brunswick which
was nice too. Dad had already planted a new
church there and had built a Mobile Chapel which I had helped him build a few
years earlier. It wasn’t long until I,
too, wanted a Chapel just like Dads for the Work of the Lord in Campbellton. I found a mobile home that had been stripped
down to just a flatbed and after looking it over realized this would be a great
start for a new Mobile Chapel. It
was 14’ X 70’. My Dad checked it out with me and agreed that it would be ideal. On his advice, I bought the flatbed for
$1,400. and was able to buy enough material to frame the walls and close them in. It was during
that time that some adverse things happened and the Mission 1000 program came
to an abrupt end. I remember the day
that Dad called the Missions Team together in Edmundston to let us know that
there would be no cheque this month. I
was devastated! I wondered, What will we
do? How will I afford to live? I recall that it wasn’t but a few days later
that Dad called to tell me that he and mom were moving to Nova Scotia. He asked me what I was going to do strongly suggesting that I should think about moving somewhere else. I said, “Dad, I can’t leave here! I have an 11 month old baby. We have a nice home that we are renting. Plus, I’m right in the middle
of building the Chapel! And I can’t just
up and leave!" Once again my heart sunk
because I couldn’t understand why all this was happening! Deep loneliness and
discouragement began to set in. I found a job at a local bicycle shop building
and maintaining bikes. But it wasn’t
enough money to sustain us. I needed some reinforcements and I needed them now!
We ended up leaving the beautiful home we were renting on Dover Street because we simply didn’t
have enough money. One of our neighbours offered us a pop-up tent trailor to live
in so we moved into a camper for the summer.
As we lived in the camper, I continued to build the Chapel. My wife’s brother, Vincent, came up to give
me a hand. He was a great blessing! I remember the day he and
I worked so hard building the first 70 foot wall. We built it in two 35 foot sections and by
the end of the day we were able, with the help of Esther, to stand the wall and
get it braced! 70 feet is a long wall!! That night a strong thunder storm with heavy winds ripped
through Campbellton and when we came back to the Chapel site in the morning,
the wall that we had worked so hard to build had fallen outward onto the
ground! What a 70 foot mess! Much of the
wall was destroyed and had to be completely rebuilt. That was the day I "lost it!" My poor brother in law, Vincent, was in the
wrong place at the wrong time. As I was so overwhelmed with grief I took my
hammer and smashed it against one of the 2X4 braces. The 2X4 went flying across the
floor and hit Vincent in the arm. There happened to be a 4”spike protruding out
of the board and it left a 6”gash in Vincent’s arm! I was more devastated than
ever!! Now someone was paying the price
for my own discouragement and anger! I
literally felt sick to my stomach as I saw the blood pour from his arm. I would never intentionally hurt anyone! I think he has forgiven me but I’m sure there
is still a scar that reminds him of that day. Sorry Vince!!
Once again I was so distraught but we were
determined to tough it out! Money was very low but we were determined! There were a few faithful churches who sent money designated directly to us. For that we are so thankful!
During that time I recall receiving word from
Brother Harry Lewis that he was putting together a crew of men to give me a hand to
finish closing in the Chapel. I was so
happy. I had the four walls standing and sheathed when they arrived. He sent the crew of men over from Perth, New
Brunswick to do the roof and that was such a great encouragement! No one will ever know just how thankful
Esther and I were to have the roof sheathed and shingled! It was beautiful! Thank you Brother Lewis for the reinforcement!!
The
next hurdle was the electrical and we had no idea how we would be able to do
it. And didn’t we receive a call from
Brother Colby Churchill in Hatfield Point and he said, "We are providing the
money for the electrical and we are sending Brother Murray Urquhart up to do the
work." Brother Urquhart and his wife came to Campbellton and did all the wiring. Once again, we felt the relief of reinforcements!
The fall came and we
knew we couldn’t live in the camper for the winter so we divided the Mobile
Chapel into two sections with a wall. In one end we built a small apartment for
Esther and I and our daughter, Estelle.
It had one bedroom and the rest was an open concept with a tiny bathroom
in the corner. It was November, and winter in Campbellton was extremely cold as
I recall. We had no insulation in the walls or the ceiling. We had a wood stove
and someone had donated some firewood for us. I can’t remember how much wood we
went through but it was substantial as you can imagine. I remember that our roof was the only ‘bare’
roof in the neighbourhood! The snow had come and we kept the fire burning full
time to keep us warm. The snow would
melt as fast as it hit our roof!
Again,
a feeling of despair overwhelmed me as I knew the coldest months were yet to
come. We needed reinforcements and we
needed them now! Sure enough! God sent a “Good Samaritan”! I call him that because I know if it hadn’t
been for this man, we would have never survived the winter! His name was James Underwood from Halifax,
Nova Scotia. Brother Underwood worked
for Canada Post and was in our area doing some work for a few days. He called us and wanted to stop by for a
visit. When he arrived I think he was
shocked to think we were endeavouring to live in an uninsulated home in Canada
in the middle of winter with an eleven month old baby. Before he left
our home that day, he told us to make arrangements to go to the building supply
store and get whatever we needed to get the Chapel insulated and gyprocked! He went to the store and paid the bill before
going back to Halifax. Once again we
felt the awesome blessing of reinforcements!
I remember the incredible difference it made in our heating once the
walls and ceiling were insulated. Then my wife’s sister and brother-in-law, Helen
and Donnie Kennedy, came to Campbellton to help install the gyprock. Donnie also gave me a crash course on how to
build kitchen cupboards. They turned out quite nice!
My heart is so full today that now 32 years later, I see the “big
picture” and how God sustained us during that time and how He sent
REINFORCEMENTS just in the nick of time...EVERY TIME!
It blesses us to see that the church in Campbellton is still going strong today!!
It blesses us to see that the church in Campbellton is still going strong today!!
There may be someone today reading this, who
may be walking a difficult road and you are wondering, “How will I ever make it
through? I wish there were some reinforcements!” I need to say to you, “Don’t lose hope! Don’t EVER lose hope!! Reinforcements are on the way!” Not only will the Lord send reinforcements but
He is faithful and He will RESTORE many times over for the sacrifices you make
for Him!
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