Baby Girl

Happy Birthday Nicki,its hard to believe that you are twenty years old! It seems like not to long ago that we made several trips to the hospital to have you ( for those of you who do not know it, I was in labor with Nicki for 4 days thanks to some incompetent people at the hospital ). Of course I should have known then that you would be impatient to see the world. You came to us a month early and from the time you hit the ground you ran without stopping. You have never been good at waiting for other's to do for you what you can do for yourself. You have always demanded attention. And even now people know when Nicki is around. It shows in everything you do and how you carry yourself. You were my sunshine child ( I joke about the fact that I birthed night , day and evening ), without fail you would wake up bright and early in the morning eager to see what the day offered. You seemed to be the one person who could get your brother and sister up and going in the morning. Sometimes its hard for me to let you go and be you. Partly because you are my baby, but also in part because I know that the day is coming when you must stretch your wings and fly. My wish for you and your siblings is that you fly and soar with ease, but that you all remember that if you ever need to return to the nest that we are here waiting with open arms. I know that God has a special plan for your life. Do not forget where you come from in your eagerness to get away. Remember God is always with you and will be there to direct your path. Keep your mind stayed on him and honor him in all that you do. You know that you can do all things through Christ Jesus. We love you and wish you a very special twentieth birthday.

Gail

May 15, 1954-October 19, 2005

Women In Touch Ministries is all about women helping women to be empowered through their personal relationship with Jesus Christ. If ever there was a woman who exemplified exactly that, it was Gail.

Ms. Gail was a woman of integrity, she was honest, loving and a woman of her word. She held you accountable for your words and your actions. She wasn’t about a lot of foolishness and unnecessary mess. Say what you mean, mean what you say, when you are right speak out and when your wrong say so, apologize, forgive, and move on. If you have a problem with someone or something, pray and ask God what you should do, and then do that. She didn’t believe in asking people for a lot of advice, when you could ask God and get the right answer. She believed God had a purpose and a plan when she was diagnosed with cancer. Her mission: seek God for his purpose, follow his plan, let her life be a witness to knowing God and make God known to others.

Gail said God wanted to use her so others can see a living testimony of no excuses: believe, trust, praise and glorify God in all you do, no matter what your condition of existence. Gail loved to laugh and have fun. She loved to eat and she loved to be with and around people. So when you combined praise and worship with food, fellowship and fun that would be her heaven on earth.

Gail had pain, suffering and changes in her body and mind because of the cancer and treatment. But she never let that keep her from serving or praising God with everything she had. She was always ready and willing to help whenever and wherever she could. And she was always ready for a road trip. If we couldn’t get our plans together fast enough she would make up her on travel plans. And if no one else could make plans to go well you know the song “I’ll go if I have to go by myself.”

Gail had so many children I have lost count. She raised more teenagers to adults and adults to be better adults than any of us could ever count. One of those children sent Rev. and Gail an anniversary card this past week to celebrate their 13th year of marriage. In her card she said that Rev. and Gail had taught her one more lesson about love. I really believe that we all could learn a lot from their relationship about real love. One, that Rev. and Gail both loved the Lord, two, that Jeffery loved him some Gail, and three, that Gail loved her some Jeffery. We witness this so much so that we often asked Rev. to give classes in being a good romantic, thoughtful, special dates remembering husband, affectionately named Husbandry 101. Rev. would just laugh it off and tell us we were funny. But later on, probably during a Women In Touch meeting Gail would tell us the secret to having such a wonderful, and romantic husband. If you want a loving, wonderfully, thoughtful, romantic husband, like Jeffery, you would have to be a wonderfully, romantic, giving wife, like Gail. And she would proceed to tell us in detail what to do. Usually the R-rated version. ( With fingers in ears : "2 much information, 2 much information" ). Gag, gag. We are women of God, and as women of God ….. we took notes, detailed notes and asked for graphics and diagrams. Gail loved to make us laugh, she enjoyed a good joke. We love you Gail.

Gail was talented and wrote many songs, poems, special writings for Dear Friends and Family members. We, Women In Touch Ministries, were honored by her love for us, individually and collectively, and she expressed this in the poem she wrote for us that is printed on the program. She also wrote our ministries theme song, Women In Touch. We, the WIT Wives, have learned many lessons through Wiley’s illness. The biggest one we learned is that we need to be together and together we do great, awesome, and miraculous things with God, for God.

Gail was an awesome teacher and as any good teacher will tell you at the end of a lesson there will be a test. Are you ready for your test?
1)If you knew Gail raise your right hand (That’s the one that’s not your left hand ).
2)If knowing Gail made a difference in your life raise your left hand. (That’s the one that’s not your right hand ).
3)If you knew that Gail loved the Lord stand on your feet.
4)If Gail’s life witnessed to you about the love of God and the importance of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ your Savior, shout halleluyah, shout glory.

Her mission: seek God for his purpose, follow his plan, let her life be a witness to knowing God and make God known to others. Gail mission accomplished. Amen. Amen. Amen.

Written by Teresa H ( WIT Wife )

This page is dedicated to a very special friend who fought a good fight even to the end. Gail I know you are in a better place and that you are smiling down on your WIT Wives. Thank you for the warmth and love you gave to us all while you were here with us on earth.

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True Purpose

Many times I talk about what a great hubby I have. How he puts up with all of my Disney stuff. Including several trips to the world every couple of years. Not to mention the tons of scrapbook items I use each day. He is very supportive of most everything I have ever tried to do. From Mary Kay to Lady Remington, to Creative Memories ( yes, that's a whole other issue ). Four years ago we joined a great church and my husband an I seemed to switch roles. At one point in our life I spent most of my time in several ministries at our former church. You name it, I seemed to be involved in it. From the womens ministry,dance,drama,choir to the upper room ministry ( which entailed setting up for banquets held at our fellowship hall ). When we moved on to GMZ I felt as if I was emotionally and physically drained. So I went on a "sabatical". The one thing I didn't give up was music. Music seems to keep me in check. When I feel myself pulling away from God, I turn on my cd and immerse myself in worship with him. Brings me back everytime. But a part of me still refused to get involved at church. Granted I would show up for events and the usual services, but part of me was guarding my heart. Leaving our last church was very painful, and it took me a long time to heal. A year ago Marc became the youth director at our church and despite my best efforts I began to become involved once again in ministry. Over the years I have tried to define what my "calling" was , and though I do not consider myself a teacher ( or a preacher...I leave that to hubby thank goodness ) I knew that God had a purpose for me. The problem was that I kept trying to label it. I even took those test that tell you what gifts you have. In the last few months I have let go of finding out what that gift is, and instead I am trusting that God will reveal to me what he has in store for my life. I'm finding that by letting go and letting God lead me that I am now finding ministry to be a blessing and not a burden. Of course check back with me after this months long list of activities and see how I am doing ( just kidding ). So todays blog is dedicated to my great hubby who seems to keep it together no matter what the situation. Now that's showing True Purpose.