A Dark Place ... Until the Dawn

By Keith D. Godbey and Donna Godbey Raysik

In 1944, while World War II still raged, a husband and wife left the comforts of America to move to Africa. Headhunters and cannibals roamed the jungles of “the dark continent,” as the land was still called then, and witchcraft and juju held people in the grip of fear and superstition. But dawn was about to break. In the midst of chaos, a story of love, dedication, commitment, hope, and encouragement began to unfold.

This is the true life story of two people who dared to trust the God who called them. As you enter these pages, be prepared—you will find joy and tears, tension and suspense, raw terror, and good followed by evil of the darkest kind. You will walk with this couple as they were forced to make searing decisions in the presence of starving children. You’ll be by their side through the dark night when evil was prepared to kill. But most important, you will see the hand of a loving Heavenly Father guiding them every step of the way.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu Publishing Services
• Release date: Feb 22, 2016
• ISBN: 9781483446714

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Falley

A Dark Place …

Until the Dawn

KEITH D. GODBEY AND DONNA GODBEY RAYSIK

Copyright © 2016 (c) Impact Ink, LLC All rights reserved.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted by any means—whether auditory, graphic, mechanical, or electronic—without written permission of both publisher and author, except in the case of brief excerpts used in critical articles and reviews. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this work is illegal and is punishable by law.

Scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, Copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible ® Copyright © 2003, 2002, 2000, 1999 by Holman Bible Publishers. All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-4834-4670-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4834-4671-4 (e)

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Lulu Publishing Services rev. date: 2/17/2016

CONTENTS

Preface

Foreword

Chapter 1   Boot Camp

Chapter 2   The Flip of a Nickel

Chapter 3   A Turn in the Road

Chapter 4   A Land Far, Far Away

Chapter 5   Twenty Dollars and a Prayer

Chapter 6   Stepping Into Beyond

Chapter 7   The Daily Experience

Chapter 8   Furlough 1947

Chapter 9   The Battle Begins

Chapter 10   This Is the Place

Chapter 11   Furlough 1951

Chapter 12   I Set Before You…

Chapter 13   Have a…What?

Chapter 14   Like Hungry Dogs

Chapter 15   His Juju Is Bigger

Chapter 16   The God of Impossible

Chapter 17   Furlough 1956

Chapter 18   Answered Prayers

Chapter 19   Furlough 1964

Chapter 20   Winds of Change

Chapter 21   Run for Cover

Chapter 22   It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over

Chapter 23   The Steps of a Righteous Man

Chapter 24   This Could Be Serious

Chapter 25   God Makes No Mistakes

Chapter 26   Oh, God, Where Are You?

Chapter 27   Be Careful What You Pray For…

Chapter 28   Pastor’s Postscript

Chapter 29   Seeing Light in the Darkness: Memories of Brother Godbey

Chapter 30   Invitation to Meet Jesus

Chapter 31   Video - An Interview with Missionaries Ken and Jeri Godbey

Chapter 32   Making of a Missionary

Only one life, ‘twill soon be past,

Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Excerpt from a poem written by Charles T. Studd

Missionary, China Inland Mission

A member of the Cambridge Seven,

students who became missionaries to China

PREFACE

In many ways, our father, Ken Godbey, was an unconventional man. When he said yes to the call of God to be a missionary, he did whatever it took to fulfill that call, even when it came to buying an automobile.

Never mind that in America, people drove on the right side of the road and sat on the left side of a car to drive. Because he wanted to take a vehicle to the British colony of Nigeria with him on his second missionary term, he ordered a brand-new 1948 Chevy that came with the steering wheel on the right.

Americans weren’t used to seeing cars like that on the road back then, especially in Colorado, where we lived while on furlough. So, for us kids—a ten-year-old boy and four-year-old girl—it was great fun to watch people’s expressions as Dad drove through town with what appeared to be a toddler at the wheel or no driver at all.

One day while we were riding with him in Fort Collins, Dad happened to pull up on the left of another vehicle at a stoplight, putting him right next to the driver of that second vehicle.

When the other driver happened to glance our way, his facial expression was priceless, but what he blurted out was even better. After several moments of silent confusion, he leaned out his window with a serious look and asked, Are you drunk, or am I?

Right then the light changed. Dad smiled politely at the poor gentleman and drove on. The stunned man was still sitting at the intersection by the time the light turned red again.

How Dad loved telling that story! The unconventional approach that he and our mother used in taking the gospel to Nigeria resulted in many wonderful stories that included tremendous victories, along with numerous struggles. Yet their desire was always to point only to the Master they had served so faithfully and never to highlight their own personal accomplishments.

We have that same goal in sharing with you this intimate and detailed history that covers the lifetimes of Kenneth and Geraldine Godbey, including more than fifty years dedicated to full-time ministry.

The personal and public records supporting the facts in this book lay buried in a storage container for almost sixteen years after their deaths. When we uncovered the treasury, we found handwritten notes that progressed into typewritten, then mimeographed documents—with spontaneous scribbles, letters, articles, and more—all providing a highly accurate and detailed account.

Especially thrilling was when we’d be working on the manuscript and encounter gaps in the timeline, such as missing names or dates. Then suddenly we’d discover another bag or box of records, providing the information we needed. Call it what you will—we called it God’s provision.

(This paragraph applies only to the Apple iBooks Store version of this book.)

One of the features of this book is how rich it is in media content. You will be able to listen to the passion of the missionaries themselves through four videos—105 minutes total—that bring to life the words you read and provide an immersive experience you will remember.

At first we planned to remain anonymous. Our goal was not to bring any glory to ourselves or to our labor of love in compiling this record. But then friends urged us to reconsider. Who better to affirm your parents’ integrity? they said. The fact that you are able to share the good times with readers, along with the struggles, lets people know that Ken and Jeri were down-to-earth people who, as faithful servants who never looked back, accomplished great things because they were willing to be obedient to God’s call.

So we reconsidered and allowed our names to be known. Nevertheless, we remain committed to pointing only to Jesus as we share this book with you. May it be a challenge to every reader who may possibly consider the Lord’s command to Go!

Working our way through the archives brought to the surface another side of memories. One memory was being left behind—twice—while Mom and Dad followed God’s call. Another memory was how one of our missionary ladies, Betty Frink, died from blackwater fever, a complication of malaria. Then there was fellow missionary Ralph Cobb, who died the day before he was to leave on furlough, and our grandfather, who passed away just days before Dad returned home to see him.

The adage, Freedom isn’t free also applies to God’s work.

But should that surprise us? A great cosmic battle is constantly being fought, and any battle results in casualties. Some ask, But the kids? We respond, Why not the kids? Don’t the children of Christian parents right here at home face battles of their own? The challenges that missionary kids face may be different, but in many ways, the rewards are also greater. In either battle zone, the challenge is to remember that this world is not home and that we are merely pilgrims passing through on our way to our eternal destiny.

In return for the times of loneliness we experienced while Mom and Dad labored, we were blessed with great rewards, such as witnessing lost, fear-filled, superstitious people burning their jujus and idols in joyful testimony to the freedom that only Christ can offer.

We are grateful for the heritage of daily watching the call of God in action and that we will one day be reunited with countless precious African friends, brought into God’s kingdom through our parents’ dedicated efforts.

Yes, missionaries are called, but in some small way that only God truly understands, maybe MKs (missionaries’ kids) are also called to their own unique challenges. Maybe the sharing of our lives in this book, recounting the faithfulness of God to our whole family, is what God prepared us for after so many years. What an honor God bestowed on both of us, allowing us to be born to Kenneth and Geraldine Godbey. This book is because of God—we were only the tools he used.

As you enter these pages, be prepared. You’ll find joy and tears, good followed by evil of the darkest kind, tension and suspense, life and death, and yes, raw terror. But most important, you will see the hand of a loving Heavenly Father guiding every step of the way.

The title of this book was inspired by 2 Peter 1:19 (NLT): "A lamp shining in a dark place—until the Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts."

Welcome to life as only God could orchestrate it.

Keith D Godbey

Donna Godbey Raysik

FOREWORD

In my opinion, the greatest challenge we face in the church is misplaced priorities. Our values, our lifestyles, our cultural materialism, our motivation for the accumulation of things all seem to combine in an effort to make the subject of unqualified commitment almost foreign to this generation.

And yet we can’t ignore the fact that Jesus Christ, the Lord of the harvest, told us not only to go into the world but pray ye the Lord of the harvest that he will send forth laborers. Paul says that God uses us to do the sending. It was also Jesus who said that he who is sent is not greater than he who does the sending [John 13:16], letting us know that those who go, and those who send and support, are all part of the great missionary enterprise. In other words, the frontline troops that we love to call the missionaries, are expected to make a commitment no greater than those of us who have the responsibility of keeping them supplied and sent.

Ken and Geraldine Godbey tell us what we certainly need to be listening to about this business of unqualified commitment.

Pastor Howard Cummings

CHAPTER 1

Boot Camp

SECTION 1: THE EARLY YEARS, 1910 to 1951

William Godbey and his wife, Elma, lived on the western edge of Nebraska in the sleepy little settlement of Mitchell, named after the historic Fort Mitchell. In 1902, with the westward arrival of the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad, Mitchell had incorporated. By 1910, a census recorded a whopping 640 inhabitants. That included the Godbeys, who operated a prosperous blacksmithing business. On June 2 of that year, a baby boy arrived at their home. They named him Kenneth LeRoy Godbey.

A little less than one year later, roughly one thousand miles to the east in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, a baby girl made her debut in the home of William and Meta Monrean. They named her Geraldine. Only the future would reveal how the paths of these two children would cross and the effect they would have on the lives of thousands.

Life in Mitchell was good. With a blacksmith for a dad, Kenneth had the latest of cool things that every boy needed simply because his dad could easily build it. His scooter, complete with a steering wheel, was his favorite.

In 1924 Kenneth entered Mitchell High School. Typical of his western heritage, he had joined the Boy Scouts and earned every badge up to the Star and Life Ranks. During his sophomore year he discovered the thrill of track. In his junior and senior years he earned numerous ribbons and his track letter for Mitchell High.

Looking toward the future, he decided to enter Colorado A&M (now Colorado State University) in Fort Collins, Colorado, to obtain a degree in Electrical Engineering. The discipline and work ethic his dad and mom taught him as a teenager in Mitchell proved to be a solid foundation for the rigors of college life.

One newspaper clipping from the Scotts Bluff newspaper stated:

WINS TRACK LETTER - ’29

Kenneth Godbey placed first in the mile run in the track meet at Fort Collins between the Aggies and Greeley, Colorado. He also placed second in the 440. These victories won for him his letter in track, an unusual honor for a freshman to win.

The skinny kid from Nebraska was hitting his stride, and the future was looking