The Rev. Carl Myers, left, presents plaque to Bettye and Cliff Scarbrough. Emeritus missionaries Bettye and Cliff Scarbrough were recognized at Pineview Baptist Church in Thomasville by the Rev. Carl Myers, member of the board of directors of the Baptist Training Center for their missionary work done in Belize.

Serving the Lord as missionaries, the Scarbrough's were appointed by the Foreign Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) to Belize, Honduras. In August 1981 they arrived in Belize to begin a new work.

Until the Scarbrough's and one other missionary family arrived, there was no Southern Baptist influence or work taking place in Belize.

In October of 1981, their home became the place for the first church to meet. The following January they were asked to start another church in a village called Camolote. This work continued and they were able to start a third church in Santa Elena on the western border of Belize.

It was after their work in Santa Elena that they realized there was a need for a localized facility where believers could come together and worship celebrating their mutual faith, and specialized Christian leadership training could take place.

In the plans for this, it was determined that this training facility needed to be close to the

only highway in the area. This would make it easily accessible by attendees. Proper lighting and running water would be needed for overnight and extended events.

Ministry in Belize continued and in 1992, 10 acres of land was given to the mission for a training center to be built. In November of that year work began on the first building. That first building served as the home of the center's director and also a place where volunteers from the U.S. could stay and be in charge of the center's operations and minister to the people there.

Following the building of the director's house were dormitories, kitchens/dining halls and a large 'team house' which would provide a place for teams coming to work and minister in Belize.

This 'team house', had six rooms and was furnished with two bunk beds each and a bath. Next a large worship center, that could seat approximately 250 people, was built. This is the building which the board of directors voted to name 'The Scarbrough Worship Center' in honor their ministry in Belize. After the Scarbrough's retired, ministry in Belize has continued as other buildings and dorms have been built by various church groups.

Another training center has been built in the southern part of the country to reach and teach the Mayan Indians there. To date, another eight church buildings have been built to house worshippers, and a two-story, 12-classroom high school has been built. The Belize government has asked the churches to start another Baptist church and school in Belmopan, which is the capital of Belize, and another school in Santa Elena. Their desire to reach people

who did not know Jesus Christ and their unfailing commitment to the Lord to answer His calling has yet to see all what God can do. There are those obvious accomplishments that can be seen by anyone who simply look, but for every building built, every school erected, every service conducted, there are thousands of hearts and lives that were touched and changed for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ by the enduring love of the Scarbrough's.

The greatest reward for the Scarbrough's though will be when they see that real fruit of their labor standing in heaven - those people who, because of the ministry of this couple, trusted Jesus Christ as their very own Savior.

Jesus will say to them, "Well done, my good and faithful ser