Mr Gene and Mrs Debbie have been a big part of my life. My best friend growing up was one of their daughters, Kylie. Our parents have been great friends for many many years. Kylie and I spent so much time together, our families were like second families.
Mr Gene and I had a great relationship. The older I got the more respect I had for him. His passion for missions had a huge impact on my life. He wanted people to hear the Gospel and he wanted them to have a place to worship God. The first mission trip that I went on to Honduras was the first time that I knew that God was calling me into to missions. Because of Mr Gene and Mrs Debbie and the IMB, George and our family have a foundation to work on in Honduras. We are thankful for his faithfulness to the call on his life. We are thankful that Mrs Debbie was his faithful helpmate.
Even now as I sit and think about Mr Gene, it is hard for me to believe that he is gone that I wont be able to hear his laugh or get a great bear hug. We didnt make it back in time from Honduras to be able to talk to him one last time but I know that he knew that I loved him and that I always will. God's ways are perfect and sometimes hard to understand but I am thankful that I have a God that is bigger than me. Mr Gene loved his family, his friends, his church family, his mission work-he loved all of this because he first loved God. Thank you for the example Mr Gene, thank you for your obedience.
