I was a stranger and you invited me in.
It was Christmas Eve, 1964 and I was a young captain aboard the Altair, one of the two small freight boats in our family fleet. We had gotten a job shipping cucumbers from Marsh Harbour, The Bahamas to West Palm Beach, Florida. The Altair and four other small boats from Roatan were working this run, as small freight boats worked best for this particular route.
On that day, we were in port and tied to the dock in Marsh Harbour. The engineers were below deck in the engine room, cleaning the engine as they had done many times before. Back then, gasoline was the most commonly used cleaning solvent for an engine block, as it quickly cuts through grease. So with a bucket of gasoline and a paintbrush in hand, the Second Engineer brushed the engine with gasoline to dissolve the buildup. In one pass of the brush, the bristles touched the starter on the engine and created a spark. That spark then ignited a small fire. That little fire, however, quickly caught the bucket of gasoline on fire. The Chief Engineer ran to get the fire extinguisher and at the same time the Second Engineer grabbed the bucket and began to go up the ladder with it. While on the way up, the heat of the bucket became too intense and he dropped the bucket, spilling the burning gasoline. The fire quickly spread throughout the entire engine room. The Chief Engineer got back and saw the massive fire. Then, in a panic, he dropped the fire extinguisher and ran straight through the flames! He was severely burned from head to toe as a result.
I was above deck in the wheelhouse and realizing what was happening, I grabbed another fire extinguisher, and began to make my way down to the engine room. There was a grate separating the decks that had been moved earlier, and not realizing it was gone, I made one step and began to fall to the deck below, when out of nowhere my First Mate grabbed me by the arm and pulled me back in a split second! He saved my life. Because had I fell, I would have likely burned to death. I would have probably gotten knocked out by the fall, and no one would have known where I'd went. That is if I had survived the fall at all! This experience is the closest that I've ever had with death and something I'll never forget. I believe he was used by my guardian angel that day because there is no other explanation for his quick reaction and his appearing, seemingly out of nowhere.
We all then quickly made our way off the ship, and within a matter of a couple of minutes, the whole wooden structure of the ship was ablaze! It burned like a match. The next morning, my crew and I were without food, clothes, or a place to stay. We were at the mercy of strangers that Christmas day. But on the islands, even complete strangers treat you like family. The kind folks of Marsh Harbour took us in, fed us, and clothed us.
A few days later, my brother Meade came on the Judy (the second family ship) to take us home. The Chief Engineer spent several weeks in the hospital recovering from his burn wounds. Thankfully, he healed without any scars and to know him later on; you would never have known just by looking at him.
Christmas 1964 is one I'll never forget. I may not have gotten or gave any gifts that day, but I got the best gifts of all by experiencing God's presence twice. Once when being saved from a fatal fall and when through the kindness of strangers I felt His love and mercy. It was also the first time (and last time) that I've ever eaten "Whelks Soup"!
"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me." Matt. 25:35-36
