The Timeshare Beat: Jerry Sikes; With Regard to Faith

"Be faithful to that which exists nowhere but in yourself- and thus make yourself indispensable." -Andre' Gide-

According to the book it was early in the spring of 1750 when on the eighth night the firstborn of Omors & Binta was carried in the strong arms of his father for the purpose of completing the naming ritual. In the moonlight at the very edge of the village Omors lifted his baby son up with his face to the heavens, and said softly, "Behold - the only thing greater than yourself." Thus began the saga of Kunta Kinte as related by his maternal decedent Alex Haley in "Roots". Of Kunta's infancy and his parents' FAITH, Alex would write: "Sometimes Omors would take his son away from the women and carry the blanketed bundle to his own hut....... And alone together in his hut, Omors would talk to Kunta of the fine and brave deeds his son would do when he grew up." "Finally he would return Kunta to Binta's hut .... and he always fell asleep either with Binta rocking him on her lap or bending over him on her bed, singing such a lullaby as:

"My smiling child, Named for a noble ancestor, Great hunter or warrior
You will be one day, Which will give your papa pride. But always I will remember you thus."

It was late summer in 1937 in a small clapboard house near Palma, Kentucky that a midwife assisted the firstborn son of Wilma and Lola Sikes into the world. The very next morning out on the back porch, sitting on the stoop in the sunlight, this proud and loving father looked into his son's eyes and said softly, "I believe in you, because I know you and I know what you're capable of." Thus the code of faith was passed from father to son. Never for a moment in my life have I ever felt that FAITH wavered and I have always tried to live up to that legacy. How could I not?

I am sure that each of us has a different comprehension of what FAITH actually is. Many will only think of it with religious connotations, others push it to the limits in tests such as jumping off towering bridges with a rubber band attached to their ankles. Now those are really "leaps of faith!" Few have ever considered the world of Timesharing or Vacation Ownership to be an exercise in FAITH, however, the reality is that it's all about FAITH.

There is a degree of FAITH shown by the Developer at the very beginning, FAITH in the entrepreneurship that led to the risk, FAITH in the numbers that factored the possibilities, and FAITH in the system that had been tested by others. There is a degree of FAITH exhibited by the lenders, by the city planners, the regulators, and all the other stakeholders in the venture. Of course FAITH is exhibited by the marketers that the market is deep enough to deliver to the sales center the prescribed number of qualified tours at the designated times for the duration of the project, FAITH that the prospect will actually show and the client will agree that they met the qualification standard so the marketer will get paid. Then there is the FAITH demonstrated by those charged with the responsibility to convert the prospect into a buyer. FAITH that the qualified prospect will actually have potential rather than being a mooch, FAITH in the approved pitch and FAITH that once the sale has been consummated that their commission will be forthcoming, eventually. Now none of these FAITHS have any religious connotations, none of them (well, maybe sales commissions) approach the "bunji jump" adrenaline rush, and none are the same kind of FAITH that Pop had in me.

The real "Leap of FAITH" is that exhibited by people like Mr. Mrs. John Q Public. It seems that a couple of years ago Sally was out shopping at the local mall and took a short break for a tall Café Latte. Just across from her bench was a mall kiosk displayed a banner inviting registration for a Free Vacation in Paradise. Being somewhat skeptical, Sally sat and observed several people stop at the booth and actually fill out the form provided and they seemed none the worst for doing so. Sally finished her latte and decided, what the heck, I'll just do it and she did. Returning to her search for just the right gift for her neighbor Mary's baby shower, she promptly forgot all about the short stop at the kiosk.

A few weeks later as John, Sally and the kids sat down for dinner the phone rang and when Sally answered she was advised that she had actually won the opportunity to receive that Free Vacation in Paradise. All she and John had to do to become eligible was to make an appointment for a tour of a new Resort in the area. John was not all that enthusiastic about the deal but Sally said, "what the heck, let's have a little FAITH and do it."

The following Tuesday John and Sally arrived at the Resort Sales Center at their appointed time and were invited to have a seat in the reception area and to complete some paperwork. One of the forms asked a lot of personal questions such as how old they were, did they own their home, how many kids they had, what they did for a living, how much money they made, how often they went on vacation and so on. Both John and Sally were somewhat hesitant to provide such detailed information about themselves on blind FAITH, however, they thought, what the heck, we've come this far let's go the whole distance. Let's go for that Free Vacation in Paradise. Shortly thereafter, a well-dressed lady approached them, introduced herself as their tour guide and led them into the pressure cooker.

Final Thought

Unfortunately, what happened to John Q and Sally Public during the sales presentation has happened to hundreds of thousands, yes even millions. They came away from that first encounter much less naive, much less venturesome, much less trusting. Sally let her desire for a chance to do something nice for her family overcome her hesitancy when she accepted the lure of the Free Vacation in Paradise. John didn't want to disappoint Sally so he agreed to accept the new Resort tour. They demonstrated absolute FAITH in each other when they provided details to strangers about themselves, then bravely resolved to go forward into the unknown with the BELIEF that whatever lay ahead, they could handle it together. Why were John and Sally so disillusioned? They had overcome their trepidation and trusted that in the end they would walk away whole, with their Free Vacation in Paradise. Little did they know that there were surprises in the fine print.

Oh ye of little FAITH, change must come and those who practice to deceive will be converted!