Gen 17:16; “I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be of her.”

I am currently on a European flight looking out over God’s creation, and can’t help but think about one of His greatest creations: Hazel Hoskins. I have to be honest with you, as I think upon Hazel and her life, I am struggling to process and cope with the earthly absence that we now have since her passing. It was only two weeks ago that we were laughing and joking together as she thanked an intern for helping to clear out some of the ‘junk’ from Bob’s office. And if you have seen inside Bob’s office these items are more like artifacts than junk. Such was her humor. So permit me to share some thoughts on this marvelous woman.

Anybody who knows me well has probably heard me say these words over the years, “It doesn’t matter what Hazel asks me to do. The answer is always ‘yes’, before she even finishes her question.” Varying from requests of prayer, to dressing up as a gecko, the answer was always ‘yes’. Why was this so? The answer is simple; Respect and Honor. They say that Respect and Honor are ‘earned’, and although this is true, I prefer to say it is ‘given’. Hazel never did things to ‘earn’ respect and honor, she simply received it from others because of how she lived her life.

For those who never knew Hazel, they missed out. In Hazel, God had created a spiritual colossus of a woman. A faithful and prayerful soldier and loving mother. Faithful, because when God asked her to do something her answer was always ‘yes’. I would be surprised if she missed the will of God on any matter during her life. Prayerful, because she not only believed but knew nothing could be built for the Kingdom of God without prayer. My mind is taken back to my early days of working with OneHope over a decade ago. I remember that Hazel decided that we needed more prayer than we had previously had before. She set up a ‘prayer rota’ in the library and the staff would go there, sign in and pray around the clock in 15 minute segments. As a young man this left a deep impression in me that has never left. Hazel was also a loving mother, not only to her own flesh and blood but to everyone she knew.

When I think of Hazel, I think of Sarah. Sarah, which means princess, (and when we speak of Hazel, we do indeed speak of a royal princess of the King) was told by God that she would be a mother of nations. Hazel, who reached over 1 billion children around the world with God’s Eternal and Holy Word, truly became and spiritual mother to a multitude of children. To know that she is not only being blessed by God Almighty for reaching these young souls with the gospel but to know that she will also share in the rewards of the fruits of their ‘Kingdom Labor’ as they fulfill their own destiny, is both mind-boggling and awe-inspiring at the same time. Seldom has there been a ‘mother’ like Hazel Hoskins.

Although I never sat down one-on-one to have mentor-ship time with Hazel, she did indeed unknowingly mentor me over the years. One had to simply observe and learn from her life, her character and her words. Hazel set the bar of sanctification very high for those around her, by simply being herself. Never once did I hear an ill-spoken word leave her lips. Never once did I see a ‘chink in her armor’ concerning her character. She unknowingly challenged me to be better in every way.

No thoughts on Hazel would be complete without a mention of her humor and wit. I’ve already mentioned her humor involved in our last conversation, but this was not unusual. Her humorous spontaneous interjections of wit were a constant presence in all of our lives. Her ability to light up a room with a ‘one-liner’ was a gift and will be sorely missed.

I am well aware that my feelings of loss and depth of memories, pale in comparison to those who knew and loved her the most. And at this time our prayers should be with Bob and Hoskins family. They surely will need our support during this time of grief.

For a lady who loved the Word of God (KJV preferred) and loved to worship Him on the piano, I will adapt the words of an old hymn. “Hazel clung to the old wooden cross in life but has now exchanged it for a crown in the next.”

Beloved By All…