On Friday January 11, 2013, a cohort in ministry passed just the way he said he wanted to go – the last face he saw in this life was his wife, Sheila, and the first face he would see in the next was Jesus.
Dean David Wilson invested Sunday afternoons and evening here on our campus teaching extension classes from Paraclete Bible Institute for almost a decade. I called him Dean because he was Dean of the school – it wasn’t his first name. He loved the Bible and relished the opportunity of sharing it with our guys. While Sheila wasn’t on campus with him, they subsidized our guys coursework and textbooks. David and Sheila made a great team.
To the end, Sheila said, David trusted God and rejoiced in the LORD – things I heard him say for years. Sheila also communicated her total agreement with David’s heart to the very end. She knows where he is today and absolutely believes God is doing all things right in their lives.
Speaking to Sheila on the phone got kind of emotional for me. She sounded so good and her words encouraged me. But hearing her heart about it all, made me think…I want to go out like David did – trusting and praising to the very last – and I want my wife to have the same confidence in the LORD that Sheila communicated to me.
I am really grateful for the life and the ministry God has given me. I very much love my life-partner (37 years and counting!) and appreciate all my associates in the work we do here at HUM. But I want to finish strong in spirit like David did.
We will miss you here, David Wilson. And thanks to you both, David and Sheila, for your example and inspiration.
Still One Day at a Time,
Pastor Gary Byers
Deputy Director