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Just weeks after his wife and ministry partner Dr. Lois Evans was laid to rest, Texas Pastor Tony Evans released a video in which he thanked supporters for their prayers and shared details about his wife’s final moments.
“I just wanted to take a moment to say thanks. So many of you prayed for my wife, so many of you sent cards, so many of you gave encouraging words. It was a long journey,” Pastor Evans said in a video published on his official Facebook page.
“While God didn’t give us exactly what we wanted, which was total healing of course, He did extend her life beyond what the doctors said that she would have given the rare nature of this particular disease,” he added.
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As Faithfully Magazine reported last month on the news of Lois Evans’ death, Pastor Evans had revealed in an Instagram post in October that his wife’s biliary cancer had returned and that “chemotherapy and radiation are no longer options” for her.
At the time, the Evans family said they were looking to God for “a miracle.”
However, just days after Christmas, the megachurch pastor announced that his wife and ministry partner had died. Lois Evans celebrated her 70th birthday on December 1, 2019.
Pastor Evans revealed in his Facebook video final moments from his time with his wife before her death.
“Yes on December 30, 2019, Lois Evans went home. And, oh, did she go home well,” Evans said. “As things got closer, she asked me to let her go because it was clear that it didn’t look like God was going to bring about the healing we wanted on this side. But as she got closer to heaven, she said, ‘They want to give me an award. They want to give me an award. They’re just waiting to play the song.’ So she got a little glimpse of forever, and even that was supported by your prayers.”
Despite the loss of his wife, Evans wanted supporters and ministry partners to know that their prayers have been “keeping me strong.”
“Your prayers sustained us through the ups and downs, through the struggles and stresses, through the pain. It was a difficult season and life does hit us that way sometimes. I just want you to know what your prayers are doing for me right now,” he said.
“I still trust God. I don’t always understand Him, but I do trust Him. And I choose to believe, even with the loss of Sister Evans, my precious wife of 49.5 years, that He is still good, that He still knows what He’s doing,” The Urban Alternative ministry leader said.
Pastor Evans went on to quote Habakkuk 3:17-19, to express that just because he doesn’t always understand a situation, like the Old Testament prophet, he will confess that “He is still the God of my salvation and I will rejoice in Him.”
“I want you to rejoice in Him, too. I want you to keep trusting Him and keep praying to Him,” Evans told supporters.
He closed out the video message by telling of how, as she neared the end of her life, Lois Evans encouraged her husband to not let her illness “stop the word of God from going forth.”
“That shows you what kind of woman she was, what kind of wife I had,” he said. “I’m so grateful that we have friends alongside of us like you.”
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On January 6, the Evanses celebrated the life and legacy of their matriarch with a homegoing ceremony at the home church, Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship.
Hundreds of guests attended to offer their condolences to the family and to testify of Lois Evans’ remarkable character and work as a pastor’s wife.
While Tony Evans himself did not make any remarks during the hours-long ceremony, his four adult children-—Chrystal Evans Hurst, Priscilla Shirer, Anthony Evans, Jr., and Jonathan Evans—paid tribute to their mother.
However, it was remarks made by the youngest, Jonathan Evans, that seemed to strike a chord with those looking on, both in person and online via a livestream.
During his rousing and transparent remarks Jonathan Evans, 38, told of how he questioned God about his mother’s death.
“I just want to tell you that my thoughts over the last few days, I was wrestling with God. Because I said, ‘If we have victory in Your name didn’t You hear us when we were praying? Didn’t You see the people who were walking around my Mom and Dad’s house like Jericho trying to make sure that they can knock down the walls of this cancer?’” he said.
After questioning God about He managed to miss “a great opportunity that we can tangibly” show His glory, Evans revealed that what He learned from God gave him peace.
“Because of the victory that I have given you, there was always only two answers to your prayers,” Evans said he learned from God. “Either she was going to be healed, or she was going to be healed. Either she was going to live, or she was going to live. Either she was going to be with family, or she was going to be with family. Either she was going to be well taken care of, or she was going to be well taken care of. Victory belongs to Me!”
Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship shared Lois Evans’ biography with her obituary, emphasizing her legacy of commitment to God, family, and serving others.
Faithfully Magazine is a news and culture publication centered on Christian communities of color.
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