restoring our biblical and constitutional foundations
The Story of Maple Ridge
The story of Maple Ridge begins in 1940. I had an aunt and uncle, Bob and Claire Greve, who were martyred as medical missionaries in southern Sudan. Bob was a young new doctor, and Claire was pregnant with their first child. They were establishing a mission station with a hospital. The buildings were clearly marked on the roof with a red H. Europe was already embroiled in the Second World War, but the United States remained neutral. In the weeks prior to their death, Mussolinis forces from Italy overran the primitive Sudanese government. The directors of the mission station went to the nearest Italian military post to registrar their presence. It was emphasized to the Italian authorities that the missionaries had no political agenda, and came from a neutral country. The Italians assured the mission that they would be safe. However, within a few days, fighter planes and bombers attacked the mission station without notice. It was a massive slaughter. Every single person on the mission station, both foreigners and Sudanese, were killed. Only a young boy escaped. He ran through the brush for many miles to bring the news to the outside world. My family in Texas first heard the news on the radio. The United States governments State Department pleaded with my family to give grace to the Italian government and to allow them to disregard this action as an act of war.
I say Maple Ridge started at this event because my father, age 13, was at camp when he got the news. As a result of this news, he dedicated his life to mission work. Fourteen years later my father took his young family to Ethiopia as missionaries. At our first mission station (Bobitcho in Hosanna, Ethiopia), we had a guest house. It was a simple two room house with mud walls and corrugated tin roof. Each room had two windows. This little guest house was about 30 yards from our home. Around the outside of the house geraniums were in constant bloom. It was such a simple, beautiful place! I would work my way through the geraniums to peek in the windows. To me the rooms were so beautiful. There was a single bed, a simple table, a chair, and some candles. A picture or two hung from the wall. The whole aura of the room was one of peace and warmth. It was during one of those little visits to that Bobitcho guest house that God planted in my heart a love of hospitality.
Hospitality is a lost art today, though Christ commands His followers to exercise hospitality. We have confused hospitality with entertainment. Entertainment means showing the guests a good time. Entertainment means trying to keep the guests laughing or amazed. Entertainment focuses on the ability of the host to impress the guests. I have never been drawn to entertainment. I have been drawn to hospitality. Hospitality means sharing what God has given to me with another so that the Holy Spirit can do His work in their hearts. There is no pressure with hospitality as there is with entertainment. What I have I share, but I feel no compulsion to run out and acquire what I do not have.
Maple Ridge came to us on April 30, 2012. The original portion of Maple Ridge is the kitchen area. It consisted of one room with a fire place and a loft. The fire place was used for heating. A kitchen house was built about thirty feet away from the main house. We have found nails, called T nails, which date from 1790 to 1820, and we have also found rose head nails which date from 1810 to 1830. Based upon the hand cut wood, the method of joining the beams, and the type of nails used, it is our estimate that the original portion of Maple Ridge was built about 1810. A deep well, fully lined with stones, stands to the north side of the original portion. In approximately 1900 the front portion was built. This consisted of three rooms over three rooms with a back stair case to access the upstairs; a dogtrot existed between the front rooms and the back rooms. In about 1950 the front rooms were joined to the original rooms. A full second story was placed over the original and the dogtrot was closed in. Plumbing, electricity, and an indoor kitchen and bathroom were established. At this time, the access to the upstairs was moved to the inside, going up from the entryway. We do not know the original owners, but to the east of Maple Ridge there are three graves. One belongs to Corporal Anderson Boyd. The Boyd family was very prominent in Mecklenburg County, where the county seat is name Boydton. Anderson Boyd served as a corporal in the Confederate Army. He survived the war, and was buried in 1936 on this farm. He and his wife raised their family in Maple Ridge. He also owned the old White House that is to the south of Maple Ridge on White House Road. He gave one house to one daughter and the other house (Maple Ridge) to the other daughter. He continued to live at Maple Ridge with his daughter until his death in 1936. The other two graves belonged to his first wife and his second wife. He had children by his first wife. When she died he married again, but never had children with the second wife. It is not uncommon for the descendants of Anderson Boyd to come to the farm to visit his grave site.
We bought the farm in August 2001 from Alma and Wendell Hite. The Hites are very prominent in this area. They purchased the farm in 1945, and that was the last survey prior to our purchase. They raised four children here. These children with their descendants often come back home. It is always a delight to connect with those from bygone years who were associated with this place. When we took possession of the house in 2012, the back section was gutted. We rebuilt the downstairs room, trying to retain some flavor of the original building. We also added a porch on the back, and established two doors with access to the porch. We incorporated the back patio as the dining room, and installed air conditioner/heater units. We tried to make the kitchen as practical as possible.
A man named Robbie Dunn was sent by God to help us with the building. He was gifted in construction of old homes. He was a man full of integrity. It was a pure delight to work with him. He caught the vision of our hearts, and when I was in the hospital for weeks, he just carried on with the work, even without our supervision. How we praise God for His provision through Robbie!
God sent many others to help us. Keith Clayton did most of the plumbing. Ted and Joel Bradsher (a father son team) did the electrical and HVAC service, and many students from Southeastern Baptist Seminary did the grunt work of installing French drains, rain gutters, stripping wall paper, scrapping two hundred year old beams, establishing the back fencing, etc. Danny Chambers was sent by God to help us in many assorted ways, including hauling furniture up through the windows, placing the back gate, and leveling unsightly brick piles. In the process of the work we discovered many things that needed additional attention. So we replaced the tin roof and finished a chimney in addition to the more obvious construction down below. It was a great joy to decorate the inside of the house. I thank God for the many young ladies who offered their counsel and assistance. My mother, Betty Lapsley, sewed curtains and pillows. My daughters Karen and Rachel, along with their friends, did the laborious work of placing the vinyl stencils on the walls and stairs. The Ramiscal family was very helpful in general cleaning and encouragement. While the house was being built, the farm was also being established for the Retreat Ministry. This included clearing paths, placing roadway drains, the campground, signs, etc. The SEBTS students, along with Danny Chambers and Robbie Dunn, were the primary workers in this development.
I praise God that though I was in the midst of dealing with terminal cancer He supplied everything that was needed to envision and to guide the reconstruction of Maple Ridge and the development of the farm. He always supplied me with what was needed even until this day. In the midst of chemo side effects and the fallout of a stroke and blood clot and in the recuperation of a major surgery, God always supplied what was needed and I praise Him for that. As construction came to a finish, my work as painter par excellence came to the fore. I praised Him daily for the strength to roller one more wall and paint one more trim. By the end of 2012, most of the work had been completed. Early 2013 found us doing the final touches and beginning the process of stocking furniture, linens, and kitchen supplies. As already mentioned, I thank God for the many women he provided to help me: Kimberly Bradsher, Karen Ayala, Betty Lapsley, SEBTS students, Rachel Woodworth, Dolores Johnson, etc. God guided the process through this army of women.
Much of the furniture was purchased new; however, a good assortment was given to us new by Gods Pit Crew in Danville, Va. I praise God for their ministry and kindred spirit in Kingdom work. We were able to pull out furniture that had been in storage on the farm and put it to use. This furniture had been in the family already for 30 plus years. God helped us to get just the right colors for curtains and walls. We praise Him for his provision in every detail. One of the things that makes Maple Ridge unique is this: it is a living demonstration of the vibrant body of Christ. Maple Ridge is not the ministry of David and Becky, although we were the facilitators. This ministry is much more than simply our vision. God brought people from here, there, and beyond. Each one came with their input, gifts, and abilities, with their strength and joyful spirit. And through the work of many the vision took on form and became what you have today.
Obviously money was needed. But because so many volunteered their labor and because so much material and furnishings were donated, the financial expenditure was eased. Dollars that were needed were taken from our personal savings, from disability payments, and from the sale of properties (purchased by my grandfather 50-60 ears ago.) It is amazing to me to watch Gods provision, it is as if He had this place in His mind long ago and was already creating the needed funds for its restoration many decades ago! I praise Him that we serve a God that knows the end from the beginning, and His faithfulness expands the decades. He is faithful both to His people and to His work. It is a delight to serve such a God, and we look forward to watching His continued hand of provision in the decades to come.
The primary purpose of this home is to be a shelter for those in Kingdom work. The secondary purpose is to serve as a retreat for those in need of such. With three large bedrooms and two and half baths, it has the capacity to serve a family with six children and a baby. The dining room table is oversized, and the kitchen is expansive to serve a large family with ease. As we look to the future, we envision families in crisis or great need coming to stay for three to six months, until they have healed and are ready to return to the Lords battleground. It is our joy to provide this shelter not only for the husband and wife but also for their children. The living costs of those who come are eased through the supply of the farm. We raise cattle to supply fresh organic beef, we grow vegetables to supply not only fresh vegetables but also canned vegetables for the winter, we have fruit trees and bushes that likewise we can or freeze, and we are establishing a chicken coop to supply fresh eggs and chicken for those staying in this home. There will be no fees charged to live in this home, and we are doing all we can to supplement the food needs of the family. It will be a journey of faith to watch Him provide in every aspect.
One thing that has impressed me in the process of establishing Maple Ridge is the fact that Christian community is a continuum. To this point I have tried to clearly express appreciation to those who have been involved in giving sacrificially to the establishment of Maple Ridge. Each family that comes to Maple Ridge will bear the benefit of the labor of these people, and when the family leaves Maple Ridge, it is expected to make its own contribution to the next family. Each family arrives as a needy recipient but leaves as a willing sacrificial donor. So the family that stays here will have farm responsibilities, not only collecting the eggs from the chickens, but feeding them and cleaning the coop. Not only eating the organic beef but also feeding the cows hay in the winter time. Not only eating the fish that has been caught by others but also catching fish to be enjoyed by others. Each family arrives to a Maple Ridge that is clean and painted. And when each family leaves they are responsible to leave the property in the same or better condition than when they arrived. Magic eraser and appropriate paint is available to remove scuff and write marks on the walls. A wet-vac is available for water accidents, and routine cleaning supplies are available for general maintenance. Families that come are not coming to a Bed & Breakfast; they are coming to a home. They are coming not only to be served, but also to serve. And it will be a joy to watch the Spirit of God as He orchestrates the Body in this continuum of ministry.
October 1, 2013