It was a beautiful afternoon and we were at a Prison Fellowship function. All the ministers were gathering together and the meeting was on the way. I stood at the soda area filling a cup of soda when I was approached by Debbie Petty the coordinator of the prison ministers. She said she wanted me to meet someone. She called to her and out from the crowd emerged a bright red hair spunky little lady. "Pastor Michael, this is Wanda." There she stood in front of me, she was a 10 foot 300 pound wrestler in a 5 foot 4 110 lb frame. Hello, I am Wanda. I gave her a big hug. Debbie said, "I want you to take Wanda under your wing Pastor, she is a sweet little lady." From that day on she never left my side.
She was a sweet lady. She also was also a handful. Full of opinions and she was never afraid to tell you what she thought about anything. You can always count on Sister Wanda being there. She always wanted me to do this and that. She had some great points and some were just plain silly but of course I listened. After service you can always count on her telling me that it was the best sermon she had ever heard. "I love you Pastor Michael, that message was great." She would say as she held my hand.
"I love you guys" was always something you heard her say. The last year was probably the hardest for her and for us. The Firey red hair began to lose its fire. Her quick walk in was replaced with a walker. Of course she was in denial with that walker the first year. She would just come in with the walker so slow and then after worship she would almost trot to the front to tell me how much she loved me. This lady just loved God. She was the sweetest. Of course I would never forget the stories she told. Stories that you would find in a movie. Never a dull moment for sister Wanda.
It was not too long ago when things started to effect this strong, stubborn saint of God. No matter what happened she refused to be hurt and refused to accept she was getting old. We all knew thou and she also was told by God to prepare. I know God told her. The things she began to do was only things people begin to do only if you had a personal relationship with God.
Even while getting ready she still had that fire. I saw it the day I walked into service with a beard. "Hello Sister Wanda" was my normal greeting. A kiss on the cheek and a hug. Suddenly it was met with a finger point to the face and a sharp rebuke. "You go right back into that house and shave that off." She gave me such a hard time. "None of my men wear a beard." Boy she never let it go. Yet, it never stopped her from telling me she loved me. Even sometimes with tears in her eyes telling me she loved me, "But you still need to shave that beard off."
I remember seeing her a week before she left. I walked into the hospital and there she laid all drugged out with IV's in her arm, really tired and exhausted, she looked up and I gave her a hug and kiss and she said to me, "You still have that beard?" Every nurse that walked in, she would say, "That is my Pastor, I am so happy he is here, but he needs to shave that beard." I promised her that as soon as she gets better and comes back to worship I will shave it off just for her, that the only thing she needs to do is just get better. I put on some Christian Music and we sat for about an hour or so singing as she dozed in and out.
This beautiful saint of God, will never be forgotten. My family adored her and she just loved my kids. I won't even go into the fact that she would talk to me about how precious my family was and how lucky I was to have 5 girls and how precious they were.
I love you Sister Wanda and one thing I am assure of is you were leaning on the everlasting arms. Rest in Peace you beautiful saint of God. You will be missed.
Pastor Michael Salman
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