A Tribute

I found out this morning that a man that I love dearly passed away. This brings to mind the old saying "life is short." While this is true, I still feel that there are a few things that people should know about Pastor Jack Wallace, as a tribute to him, his wife & the life that they lead for many years.

I met Pastor Jack when I was 8 years old. I had been living with my aunt & uncle for two and a half years and during that time my uncle sexually abused me. Pastor Jack wanted to talk to me. He wanted me to know that it wasn't my fault. I wasn't dirty. I wasn't ag bad person. He wanted me to know that not all men were bad & He wanted to help me.

I was afraid of him. He was a big man (of course when I was 8, who wasn't?) with lots of books sitting on his shelves. He sat in a big chair behind his big desk. His voice was loud. I started to cry. I couldn't look at him. I was so afraid to tell him what had happened to me. But Pastor Jack loved me anyway. He put his arms around me and he let me cry. He prayed for me. He loved me in the purest form of the word. Then, he asked me if I wanted to talk with his wife.

Gael Wallace was the epitome of what every young girl at Phoenix First wanted to be. She had long blonde hair, a slim figure, and the sweetest smile you could ever imagine. She came to my house twice a week for as long as I could remember. She used to talk to me, and love me. She encouraged me constantly. She taught me how to be a real woman of God. She taught me, through her actions & the way she lived on a daily basis, what the Proverbs 31 woman was.

When Pastor Jack & Gael were trying to have kids, they told me "When we have a little girl, we want her to be just like you." I've never forgotten that.
My whole life I felt like I was never good enough for anyone. I felt unloved, wronged and dirty. They made me feel like I was worthy of love. They made me understand God's love, and what it was to love others & be unselfish.

Pastor Jack accepted a job in Detroit & they moved with their little baby Kaitlyn. I was 9 years old, almost 10 at the time. I saw them every year when Pastor Jack would come back to speak at Phoenix First, or at the Athletes Conference or for a visit for Pastors School. I looked forward to those times more than any other guest Preacher we had at Phoenix First.

Pastor Jack & Gael never forgot who I was. I never forgot who they were. Jack Wallace's memory will live on in my heart, and when I am blessed enough to have children, I hope that my little boy is just like him. I want everyone to know how special the Wallace Family is to me, and remind you to please keep Gael, Kaitlyn & Hannah in your prayers. They kept me in theirs for a long time, when I needed it most.