I Love a Good Mystery
written by Cheryl Boehme
“How many more minutes until we get there?”
“We seem to be going in circles.”
These are questions you would expect to hear when you have children in the back seat on a long car ride. Children were present on this trip; however, the questions came from – the ADULTS!!
September 24, 2022 was a beautiful, fall day. My husband, myself, and twenty-four fellow church members ranging from four to “something and four” boarded one of our beautiful and comfortable church busses and headed – where? That was the question, however, no one but Mrs. Heather Jones and the bus driver, her husband – Forrest knew its answer. We were on a mystery trip!!
What is a Mystery Trip?
Pastor Peterson initiated these trips several years ago. I recently asked him his reasoning behind the trips. Several years ago, Pastor Peterson realized there were activities for many age groups in the church, but the senior saints really had no activity outlet at church. It was his idea to add another aspect of enjoyment to the activities by making the destination a mystery. Several members, who did not qualify as senior saints, wanted to enjoy the fun as well. Pastor Peterson did not want to deny them the opportunity to enjoy the fun as well.
Although many of the mystery trips are still targeted for the FBC senior saints to enjoy, there are mystery trips open to any member of Friendship Baptist Church; this was such a trip. So where were we headed? – to beautiful Beaufort, a charming town along the Crystal Coast of North Carolina.
The two-hour bus ride was broken up both ways by a stop at an iconic store in Kinston, NC – The Neuse River Sporting Goods Shop. Not only did we stretch our legs, but we also perused the enormous store with a very large aquarium, an expansive sporting goods section, and a spacious ladies’ clothing and home goods section. Longtime friends were able to enjoy spending time together, and many new friendships were inaugurated during our mystery trip. Sometimes we go to church with people who we know by face and maybe by name, but we have never taken the opportunity to have a conversation and get to know a little about them. I was the recipient of such a moment with one of our dear members that Saturday. Some of the more “North Carolina road-savvy” members on the trip kept Heather on her toes as they tried to guess our final destination. She was very careful to “not spill the beans” or let anyone see the GPS on her phone until we pulled into the beautiful town of Beaufort.
We were then told that we would be taking a boat ride to Shackleford Island to see the wild horses that roam about the island. Though we knew there was the possibility of seeing dolphins playing in the ocean, we did not spot any that day. However, that did not stop us from enjoying our forty-five-minute boat ride to view the horses on the island. There was also time to enjoy shopping in the quaint town of Beaufort, take relaxing walks, and sit by the shoreline to enjoy Christian fellowship with fellow believers and embrace the vast beauty of God’s creation.
The mystery continued when we boarded the bus again in the early afternoon. Heather told us to get our appetites ready to enjoy a mid-afternoon dinner at the Sanitary Restaurant in Morehead City. Once again, we were able to enjoy fellowship with fellow Christians over our delicious food choices.
The trip was a mystery, but the reason we were together was not. We wanted to enjoy time together as a church family, grow our relationships, and not have to plan or bother how to get from place to place. It was a great experience and, Lord willing, it will not be the only mystery trip my husband and I attend.
If you would ever consider going on a mystery trip – DO NOT hesitate to sign up the next time you have an opportunity to attend. When will we get another opportunity? – WATCH for details.