Rev. R. LeRoy Eberly, Jr.
Transcribed
Introduction
As I stepped across the threshold of the second decade of the 21st century, I became aware of the fact that my life has been measured more by decades than by days. Maybe that is because time seems to move by faster as we grow older. But as I stop to reflect, I still have days when I wonder when this day will end, not so much now because of the extreme workload, but rather because of the apparent lack of work or responsibility. Nevertheless time moves on!
As I look back over the years on what God has done, I remind myself that the apostle Paul said he did not glory in what he had done, but in what God had done through him–as it is with us, as well. The cross gets all of the glory for what God has done in our lives.
In reflecting upon my life and the ministry God has called me into, I have discovered several great and unfailing truths. First, God has a plan for each of our lives. We are unique; but in our uniqueness, there is this wonderful opportunity to discover the life plan God had in mind when he allowed conception to happen in our mothers’ wombs (Psalms
139:14 KJV).
In order for Judy and I to discover God's will for our life, we did not need Sanborn's Travelog, or AAA Trip Tik or GPS–Global Positioning System. All we needed was GPS--God's Precious Spirit! For decades we have walked together on this “terrestrial ball.”
Secondly, God’s timing is perfect. As I have looked into the Word, I have thought much about “What does the ‘fullness of time’ look like?” or “At just the right time, God…” In other words, to me, these expressions say that God has a unique time for every event that happens, both in our lives and in the lives of others. Of course, when we can see that, we see the hand of God.
Look at Mary, whom we celebrate as the virgin mother at Christmas time. “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law.” Galatians 4:4 (KJV) He accomplished His purposes at just the right time. As a young person, these phrases didn't mean as much to me as they do now. I can see what God was doing, and it helps me understand what He is still doing. God is always at work.
And I am reminded now, that in the times of adventures I had in those days, God kept using critical times and actual happenings. He used things that I had seen and talked about. Amazingly, He often used us to accomplish His purposes “at just the right time.”
(The original introduction was written in 2010 when I thought I had “retired from ministry.” I was 67 years old. At the time of completion, 2020, I have now seen nine decades. My writings will be about the first eight.)
[Editor's note: LeRoy only lived 11 months in the ninth decade.]
Decade of the Forties--Formation
(My age in the “Forties” was Infant to 7 years old)
At this writing, I have now traveled through nearly all of eight calendar decades and, as already mentioned, I have just crossed the threshold of the ninth decade in this year 2020! I was born in 1942, a little more than six months after Pearl Harbor. I imagine my parents were happy, but at the same time doubtful that their first son would ever grow up before the “Second Coming” or “Our Lord's Return,” which we talked and sang about almost daily.
LeRoy 6½ months old
Memories from that first decade are of “welcoming” twin brothers into my life, just 15 days after my first birthday! All at once, everything that was mine as a firstborn had to be shared. Maybe the Father was beginning to teach me how to be generous, compassionate and considerate of those who have little or nothing, and yet lose what they do have (to natural disasters, government actions, or other calamities). I would have to say, though, that I was a long time learning, and the Father used my earthly father to help me learn!
The songs, teachings and conversations that shaped my early life were set in a framework of community–a community of young farming families that loved the Lord, His Word and His people. Their love for the Lord was demonstrated by their personal disciplines in attending His house; love and respect for His Word by the commitment to teach and preach; and a love for His people by the submission of one to another in the fear of the Lord. Those days at the little white church on the hillside in Duffield, Pennsylvania, were wonderful (New Guilford Brethren in Christ Church).
Leroy and the twins Robert and Ronald--1944
Decade of the Fifties--Preparation
(My age in the “Fifties” was 8 to 17 years old)
Much could be said of the formal education that began in 1948 at the Fayetteville Elementary School, and of teachers--Sunday school, as well as public school.
But now, into the second decade of my life. This decade spans my life from midterm second grade to January 1 of my high school graduating year.
A very significant event occurred during this decade that formed the focus for my future. At ten years of age, I felt the call of God on my life to go to Cuba. It was at a Women’s Missionary Prayer Circle meeting at New Guilford Brethren in Christ Church. Let me give you a little background.
In February 1953, Camp Freedom, in St. Petersburg, Florida, held its very first camp meeting. Several Brethren in Christ preachers attended the camp that year, and were ignited with a desire to have a mission work in Cuba. After camp, they visited Cuba, did some research, and were able to acquire property from another sister church there. They came back with their story, and were now traveling to churches and talking in Women’s Missionary Prayer Circle meetings about this new ministry in Cuba. As I recall, there were four preachers: Dale Ulery,
Bishop Charlie Byers, Harry Hock and Paul Martin, Jr. This was all prior to the start of the Cuban Revolution.
That Wednesday night at the missionary meeting, I really sensed God say to me “LeRoy, will you go to Cuba with me?” I said, “Yes, Lord,” and any time after that, when I thought about doing missionary work, I had the sense that God had definitely called me to go to Cuba, even as a preteen boy. It was a strong impression, and I felt like I made a firm commitment. Throughout my teen years, I did some work for the Lord, like teaching Sunday school, but it just did not seem to meet that standard of the kind of commitment that I had made. In high school, I was preparing to go on to Messiah College. I knew that I was going to be a missionary in Cuba, and I wanted to have proper preparation to do that and do it effectively.
I did not know then how my plans would be altered by Fidel Castro when he overthrew the Cuban government in January 1959, and gained total political power in July 1959. This was the summer before my senior year.
During this decade, I learned much from decisions, responses, disciplines and prejudices that would affect my whole life.
● Decisions: I made decisions to follow the teachings of my parents and my spiritual advisers--to follow even when they ran counter to my culture. And I made decisions to answer affirmatively to the voice of the Spirit of God as He invited me to partner with Him in a lifelong ministry to others!
● Responses: It was in the spring of 1954 when those visionary preachers visited New Guilford Brethren In Christ Church and this young boy was awakened to the adventure of being on vision with God in Latin America and, more specifically, on the island of Cuba. My ready response was “Yes, Lord,” like the song; or as the child Samuel of whom I had heard and read so many times “Speak Lord, for thy servant heareth.” I Samuel 3:7-10 (KJV)
● Disciplines: During that decade I learned disciplines in study, in diet and in obedience; for yes, they still used the “Board of Education” hanging in the principal’s office!
● Prejudices: As Mexican farm workers came to our area each summer to pick tomatoes, peaches, apples, etc., I learned how their lives differed from ours. I had opportunities to work alongside them, see their diligent work ethic, and appreciate them.
Robert, Shirley, Ron, Larry, and LeRoy Eberly
Decade of the Sixties -- Cultivation
(My age in the “Sixties” was 18 to 27 years old)
Decisions concerning the choice of a life's companion and ministry preparation at Messiah College were two of the things that happened in the 1960s. Having finished my secondary education, it was now time to choose a career or a ministry. In my 1960 Greencastle High School yearbook, you would find my picture amongst all the seniors. I was quoted as, “Dreams of doing mission work in Cuba.” That fall, I enrolled at Messiah College. I took Messiah’s first year's courses that year--1960 to 1961. To fulfill my dream of mission ministry in Cuba, I knew there would be lots of preparation. I was familiar with missionaries and nationals in Cuba, and they were added to my prayer list: Juana Garcia, Howard and Pearl Wolgemuth, Dale and Betty Ulery and John and Ruth Pawelski. These fervent workers in God’s Kingdom became part of my prayers and thought disciplines more regularly now.
Fidel Castro came into power on January 1, 1959, and by 1960 life in Cuba had gotten a bit topsy-turvy. The Pawelskis were expecting their first baby, and the Brethren in Christ World Missions office decided that it might be better for Ruth to be in the United States for the birth. So they came home in April, while the Wolgemuths stayed until October of that same year.
The Wolgemuths sent their daughter, Judy, back to the states for schooling. She started at Messiah College in the beginning of my sophomore
year. Judy Wolgemuth was in my Spanish class and I got to know her. It was mostly through her that I learned what was happening in Cuba. The revolution had ended and Castro was in power. With Judy’s parents still in Cuba, we heard first-hand about things that were happening there-who was for America and who wasn’t, who wanted Fidel Castro and who didn’t. There was a lot of political upheaval. The information we got came straight from Havana to Judy.
Our Spanish professor was Mary Kreider. She was actually a German professor at Messiah. But in 1960, she was offered an opportunity to go to Cuba to visit the Wolgemuths, and spent six weeks there. She came back with a tremendous burden for the new church in Cuba. She was really challenged with what she saw there--the openness of the people and the hunger for spiritual food.
Messiah had just developed a Spanish course, and because Professor Kreider was licensed to teach language, she was asked to also teach the Spanish class. She was a tough teacher and she graded on a curve. I was in a small class with several very smart and well-prepared students. Two of them went on to medical school. I was just a farm boy from Franklin County with no Spanish background, and I was afraid I would not make the grade. But God had called me to Cuba and I was determined to do my best! I finished in the middle of the curve, but I had received the foundation I needed for what God knew He had called me to. I learned a lot of grammar, but then I put my book away because, after that year, they brought the missionaries home from Cuba. They were not allowed to be there. Ultimately, the Wolgemuths and the other missionaries came home and the mission (as far as the presence of missionaries was concerned) was closed for a major period of time. That is the big picture of what was happening in Cuba and the Brethren in Christ Missions. God had seemingly closed the door on the calling He had given me.
I was in a lot of turmoil. What should I do? Where should I go? I was not getting a lot of encouragement from my family. In Franklin County, you were born and raised by your parents, and they helped you set your visions for your life. Mostly, it included working for the family, sticking around to raise children and grandchildren and become part of the
family business. I just did not see myself going there. I still had that tug in my heart; I had heard from God. I decided I would become a teacher, and I would teach Sunday school. That’s how I would carry out my ministry. Thankfully, God did not let me stop there, but that’s what I wanted to do at that time.
As I reflect on life, I realize how important it is to encourage our children and grandchildren to, first of all, have a heart that hears God, and then, if they work for the family, that is perfectly alright. They should expect to hear from God.
Another defining event that occurred that year involved a relationship with a girl I met at Messiah who lived in Kansas. She was planning to be a missionary to Africa. We had a pretty committed relationship and wrote many letters over the summer vacation. But during the summer, she went to King Solomon’s Camp out there and had a tremendous spiritual experience. When she came back to school, I could tell something was very different and it was affecting our relationship. Finally, one evening, she told me that she couldn’t go out with me anymore. She never gave me a reason, but was firm in her decision.
We had classes together that year, and it was very hard for me. I finally went to her and said, “Look, you want to go to Africa to be a missionary.”
And she said, “And you’re headed to Cuba.”
I replied, “No, I don’t have to go to Cuba. If you want, I can go to Africa with you. It’s not a problem.”
And she answered, “Yes, it is.”
I now realize that she responded with the wisdom of God. I could easily have been detoured to who knows where. The songwriter was right when he wrote, “the hand of God in all my life I see….because the Comforter abides with me.” I have been calling that Comforter my little
GPS genie--God’s Precious Spirit. If it weren’t for that, who knows where I’d be now. But that year was tough.
I was somewhat frustrated with the required classes at Messiah College. Messiah required liberal arts classes the first two years, but I was focused on getting as good a preparation as possible for missionary work. When I spoke to the registrar, I said, “I would like to have this Bible course, and this one over here, and this one here.” I had a list of them. The missionaries who were teachers were home and some of them were teaching courses. Anna Engle was teaching and I wanted her. Dr. Climenhaga was also president at the time, and was teaching “New Testament” and “Introduction to Old Testament.” And there were other good Bible teachers as well.
But he said, “You can't take them.”
I replied, “But that’s why I came here. I want the Bible courses, I want to go to the mission field.”
He responded that it didn't matter. “You have to take what we tell you to take.” So the first year, I kind of got sour on that.
The second year, I went ahead and took the courses that they allowed me to take. In addition to that, I took my own courses. They allowed you to do that if you maintained a certain grade point average. So that is how I ended up in two years with 69 hours of studies. I took the Bible classes in addition to what I was required to have.
[Editor’s note: A normal college semester has 12 to 18 hours. Two years would equal 48 to 72 hours.]
Finances were also a challenge. I was responsible to pay for my college education. I sold my car to pay for my first year of college (that would never happen today!), and spent my second year living on-campus, and working off-campus, while taking classes. I was able to pay most of my bill by the end of the school year, but it was very hard.
With the missionaries in Cuba returning to the United States, I was left in a quandary as to future plans. So in the end, I left Messiah College after my second year. I worked in my Grandpap Hawbaker's peach orchard, traded several cars, dated 15 or more young ladies, but I was not serious. As one can see, those were unsettled days for me.
In 1962, I was to turn 20 years old. After an exhaustive search in an effort to find a suitable helpmate to join me in discovering God’s will for my life, and having just about abandoned the thought that any young lady would want to serve with me in a foreign Cuba, I buried myself in work at my Grandpap Hawbaker’s peach orchard. I was the one from my family chosen to run the orchard. My grandpap had trained me and groomed me to do that. None of the rest could stand the peach fuzz. So guess who ended up with the peach orchard. And the peach–Judy!
That first summer, after two years at Messiah, I got an old car. You had to have a car to get around in. So I bought an old 1953 Pontiac that needed a paint job, but ran pretty well. I got an Earl Scheib paint job-$29.95. I thought I had a pretty hot car! It was a standard transmission-a straight 8. It made a lot of noise when you left off the clutch.
A young lady named Judy Rubeck, and her parents, lived right across from the orchard and down over a little hill. Their property bumped up against the orchard. Judy was still in high school, and I didn’t know her at that time. But when I was through in the daytime, I would try to get out there, for sure, shortly after the school bus went because I knew that, if it was good weather, she and her cousin would both come out in the front lawn carrying blankets to sunbathe. I would disc that corner by her house on a very regular basis that summer. That ground was very well prepared. I think that’s where we grew our biggest produce!
Every day, I worked the orchard and when it was time to go home for the night, I drove the 12 miles back to Greencastle. I would start down
that road in my old Pontiac and I would get it wide open in second gear, then pull it down into third. There was a concrete bridge across the Dickey Run next to Route 75, and when I would get right on top of that concrete bridge, I would throw it up into second and pop the clutch. You know what kind of noise THAT makes! Judy said her mom would go to the window in her house trailer and say “Who in the world is that crazy nut?” And later, “There goes that crazy Eberly boy again!” That “crazy nut” turned out to be her son-in-law before long.
Judy tells about the first time she came to the orchard, the summer of 1963. She wanted a job to make a little money. So she came up to the peach orchard to the packing shed to see if she could find somebody to apply for a job. I was on the 800 Ford that we had, discing the orchard. (Of course, I was making my turn again, to be sure to get that in!) But she found me in the orchard before I found her at home. I came out through the orchard trees, and was coming up along the road, and there she was, standing in the driveway. I was not expecting to see her in the orchard! I had never gotten any closer than the distance between the orchard and her front yard. I guess that was my comfort zone. She came walking toward me. I was so nervous I forgot how to stop the tractor. Can you believe it? A farm boy like me did not know how to stop a tractor! Judy just walked alongside the tractor talking to me until I figured out how to stop it.
It turned out that she was not a tractor driver, and I am not sure if she knew how to prune peaches or thin them in the summertime. But she did get a job with my folks then. She ran our fruit stand on Route 75, and we got to know each other. I am not sure that my parents were excited about all of that, since Judy was so young, but it was convenient for them because I could run the orchard and they did not have to come up every day. They had their own building business down in Greencastle, and did not need to worry about the orchard.
A couple of weeks later, my brother, Bob, and his girlfriend, Darlene, were teasing me about not having a girlfriend. I thought to myself, “Here I am 20 and don't have a girlfriend!” After Judy had come by the
