ATLANTA (ABP) — Recently appointed as Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel in Belize, North Carolina natives Eric and Julie Maas serve as the directors of the Western Region Baptist Training Center. Started in the 1980s by Baptist missionaries, the 10-acre-camp hosts working mission teams, biblical training for pastors and other religious or educational retreats and conferences.
Their journey to Belize began two years ago, when the Maases were considering full-time missions work overseas. Linda Jones, missions coordinator for CBF of North Carolina visited their church and spoke with Eric, a native of Greenville, N.C., about ministry needs in the Central American country.
Julie Maas holds a weekly prayer group for women in the village of Camelote. (Photo courtesy of the Maases)
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"She planted the initial seed," said Julie, a native of Raleigh, N.C. "We were in the process of discerning where God want[ed] us to be. We thought it was Nicaragua."
Julie jokingly credits a pair of bumper stickers for jump-starting their journey to Belize. She visited her local library and saw a car in the parking lot covered with bumper stickers.
"The top left sticker said 'Belize' and the bottom right sticker, on the tailgate, said 'The answer.' Those were the only two I saw," she said.
Prayer, networking and other "subtle hints" led the Maases to decide on Belize by June 2007. By July 2008, after selling their home and nearly all their belongings, the couple moved there with their 5-year-old daughter and now 18-month old son.
The Maases have made a two-year commitment to direct the Baptist training center.
"We see it as a career move," Julie said. "If God calls us to stay in Belize or move somewhere else, we are surrendered to God's will."
Managing the day-to-day operations of the center, scheduling and assisting with group visits and caring for their own children's needs are the primary activities of the Maases' ministry.
With a background in construction management, Eric has spent considerable time doing needed repairs and maintenance to the buildings. Julie, a registered nurse, said that as they are beginning "to get the camp down pat" and starting to know their neighbors better, they are spending more time addressing the villagers' needs, both physical and spiritual.
The Baptist Center is located in the middle of the small village of Camelote amid great poverty.
"Villagers are just trying to make it day in and day out, pay their bills, and get their children off to school," said Julie. "We are the eyeballs on the ground, and pretty much wherever we look, there is something that needs to be renovated or torn down, and challenges that each family faces."
Last October, when a devastating flood with a hurricane-like impact struck Belize, causing millions of dollars in damage to crops and homes, Eric was able to deliver a large box of food and a flashlight to a pregnant woman and her family who were stranded in a remote village.
"When the detailed logistics of 'how to' were unknown and seemed impossible, especially in the dark, God delivered a boat to cross that river when we didn't know if there would be one," Julie said. "The food was enough to feed the family until the water receded."
The Maases have not only ministered in the villages, but also opened the doors of their home — the camp — to the villagers, through informal playgroups with their children as well as organized activities. As Eric and Julie work to build relationships, they seek to put Mother Teresa's words into practice, doing "small things with great love."
"One thing God has led me to do is start a prayer group with the women in the village," said Julie. "I love to pray — that's my passion."
For the last several months, nine to 13 women have met weekly at the center for an hour and a half for discussion and prayer time.
"We talk about the concept of prayer," said Julie. "I want to empower them with the power of prayer — not offer money or medicine. I want them to know that God is right there with them; they don't have to leave their home or get an education to reach out to God, draw close to him, and learn who he is and his love for his people. My prayer and desire is to empower the women, with God's help, to truly have a relationship with Christ that will cause a positive ripple effect to those around them."
The Western Region Baptist Training Center operates year-round. Mission teams that have stayed at the center have led vacation Bible schools, completed construction projects, conducted evangelistic outreach, assisted schools and churches with various needs and held medical clinics.
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Laurie Entrekin writes for CBF Communications.