Leslie Spiess Celebration of Life Booklet

Leslie Jo Spiess

Celebration of Life Phoenix, AZ June 10th 11:30 AM – 3:00 PM

​ or the earth F will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

-Habakkuk 2:14

Order of Service Opening Prayer

Pastor Dan Hoeger

Worship

Simeon Spiess

Leslie’s

Life Overview Part I - Childhood & Adolescence

Reflection I

Scott Spiess Dr. Jeff Rockow

Reflection II

Debbie McGoldrick

Hope of Resurrection

Pastor Dan Hoeger

MOVE TO FELLOWSHIP HALL Lunch & Leslie’s Life Overview* Part II - Adulthood

Reflection III

Scott Spiess Abigail Spiess

*Please feel free to raise your hand and share a memory

Leslie Jo Spiess

1965-2021

Leslie Jo Rockow was born in Southern California in 1965 and enjoyed a happy and stable childhood with her two older brothers in Phoenix Arizona. In high school she experienced a spiritual awakening where the teachings of her church upbringing came alive when she realized that she could have a daily, continuous relationship with Jesus, the living God. It changed the trajectory of her entire life. In the Student Venture club at her high school, she learned how to introduce fellow students to Jesus and how to bring the reality of God into all areas of Life. She also discovered that God has plans for things outside her American culture and homeland.

She studied at UC San Diego and later earned a master’s degree in Cross-cultural studies with emphasis on Islam from Fuller Seminary. She helped found a church in the park among homeless people in LA and developed her heart for other cultures. From this early point her heart was captured by God’s passionate love for the unreached people groups of the world to be reconciled to Him, especially those in Islamic countries where people have strong barriers to keep them from even learning about Jesus. She began to engage with God’s heart for the nations while in university with more than 5 trips overseas before she was 25. She was among the first four western students after Mao’s 1949 Communist revolution to be allowed to study in the far Northwest Province of Xinjiang in the old silk road city of Kashgar earning a year certificate in the Central-Asian Uighur language. Later she participated in and lead cultural research expeditions to Kolkata, India and Samarkand, Uzbekistan. She joined a YWAM Discipleship Training School in Hyderabad, India with outreach in Nepal.

Leslie met Scott when she was 17 at university – her best friend was his girlfriend! She later reconnected with him while at Fuller Seminary through a different mutual friend with whom Scott had lived in India. In 1993 at the age of 27 Leslie and Scott married at the historic Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego, California. The foundation of this marriage was a mutual experience of the forgiveness and love of God and the belief that every day is an adventure of knowing Jesus and making him known. They made plans to live abroad among unreached people groups. The next decade was spent in Central California as the pair produced three lovely children, Chloe, Abigail and Simeon, and built a luxury woodworking manufacturing business. They coordinated the Perspectives on the World Christian movement course 4 times in 3 cities before moving abroad themselves. This course is taught all over the world and helps followers of Jesus to understand God’s heart for the nations and how to partner with God in His world-wide, history long plan to bring every ethnic group on the planet into the rich blessings of relationship with Jesus. Leslie was passionate with this message. Leslie home-schooled the children instilling in them a love for God and a love for people of other cultures.

In 2005 the family packed up and relocated to Xiamen, China where the whole family began learning Chinese and Scott worked in an art glass factory operated by an American believer for the purpose of reaching out to local Chinese.

In response to a dream, Leslie organized and brought in a disabled Children’s ministry from Fresno, California called Break the Barriers that gave gymnastics and dance performances for the city including government officials. In 2007 the family moved again west to the same province where Leslie had been a student two decades earlier. Leslie taught ESL at the high school and college level. Scott and Leslie then opened a small woodwork factory in a village that was 95% Hui Muslim. For the next decade Leslie entertained factory workers and their families and neighbors

in the village and shared life and Jesus with villagers. She also was a mother and elder sister to Chinese believers in the region. She partnered with a British NGO for two years getting a bakery outfitted and operating that trained and employed children from a disabled children’s orphanage.

A mysterious factory fire in 2016 set the business back and caused a move to a new location. This time was also the beginning of the province becoming a police state as the government began a crackdown on one of the minority groups there eventually putting 2 million of this minority into “re-education” camps. During this time, Leslie was even taken once to the bottom of a police building for interrogation (fortunately gentle). Police checkpoints and metal detectors going into supermarkets became the norm and eventually the family was pushed out of the province with essentially all foreigners. In 2018, after a costly move of the factory across the country, Leslie and Scott, now empty nesters, struggled for two years trying to reestablish the business in East China and Shanghai. While the business did not get traction before Covid hit, this period began a renaissance in their marriage.

In December 2019 they came back to the States for elder care and only the 2nd Christmas in 14 years with extended family. After a brief return to China Scott came back as Covid was shutting down China in February 2020. In April, Leslie experienced extreme bowel discomfort and after a trip to ER was operated on the same day and diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer spread to lymph nodes and liver. The next 13 months was a period of much prayer and various medical treatments at MD Anderson Cancer Center. It was also a period of the love of Leslie and Scott growing as they fought the battle together. At the beginning of March 2021, a CT scan showed good news – some significant progress of the cancerous lesions on the liver shrinking. But in early April Leslie’s liver began to fail and not keep up with its functions resulting in progressive weakening of her body and mental

clarity. She passed into the glorious presence of Jesus Sunday morning May 2nd while Scott and the three children were around her bed at home worshipping, praying, crying, laughing at stories and loving Leslie.

We are forever grateful to the Lord for giving us Leslie, and to Leslie for the beautiful human being she became on earth.

She was a wonderful wife, mother, and friend to many. Her life exemplified the truth of the good news of Jesus – How He takes a flawed, sinful, ordinary human being and when that person believes in and receives Jesus into their heart, the Holy Spirit comes in and initiates a life-long adventure of inner transformation and co-laboring with God. She is deeply missed and grieved – we would give all that we own to have her back with us healthy. But we recognize that because she was in Christ, Leslie is not silent, still, “done”.

Instead, right this second while you are reading this, Leslie is more alive and radiant than any of us are, engaging in joyful conversation with the Lord and others who have gone on before in heaven. We who are in Christ will see her again and that meeting will be sweet and glorious. I long for that day.

Leslie would have you know, that whatever your situation, Jesus, who created trillions of galaxies and stars, who designed the 40 trillion cells in the complex systems of your body, is willing to engage with you right where you are.

He loves you. Whether you struggle with gender issues, addictions, or finding the why and meaning and purpose of your life, Jesus is there to start where you are now. You are not an orphan. You have a heavenly father and you have a savior who died and rose again to allow you to have relationship with him.

Goodness of God Verse 1 I love You Lord Oh Your mercy never fails me All my days I’ve been held in Your hands From the moment that I wake up Until I lay my head I will sing of the goodness of God Chorus All my life You have been faithful All my life You have been so, so good With every breath that I am able I will sing of the goodness of God Verse 2 I love Your voice You have led me through the fire In darkest nights You are close like no other I’ve known You as a father I’ve known You as a friend I have lived in the goodness of God Bridge Your goodness is running after, it’s running after me Your goodness is running after, it’s running after me With my life laid down, I’m surrendered now, I give You everything Your goodness is running after, it’s running after me

Great is Thy Faithfulness Verse 1 Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father There is no shadow of turning with Thee Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be Chorus Great is Thy faithfulness, great is Thy faithfulness Morning by morning new mercies I see All I have needed Thy hand hath provided Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me Verse 2 Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest Sun, moon and stars in their courses above Join with all nature in manifold witness To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love Verse 3 Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside

Jesus Be the Center Verse 1 Jesus at the center of it all Jesus at the center of it all From beginning to the end It will always be, it’s always been You Jesus Jesus Chorus Nothing else matters, nothing in this world will do Jesus You’re the center, everything revolves around You Jesus You, at the center of it all The center of it all Verse 2 Jesus be the center of my life Jesus be the center of my life From beginning to the end It will always be, it’s always been You Jesus Jesus Bridge From my heart to the Heavens Jesus be the center It’s all about You Yes it’s all about You Verse 3 So Jesus be the center of Your church Jesus be the center of Your church And every knee will bow And every tongue shall confess You Jesus, Jesus Jesus

Shine Jesus Shine Verse 1 Lord, the light of your love is shining In the midst of the darkness, shining Jesus, Light of the world, shine upon us Set us free by the truth you now bring us Shine on me, shine on me Chorus Shine, Jesus, shine Fill this land with the Father’s glory Blaze, Spirit, blaze Set our hearts on fire Flow, river, flow Flood the nations with grace and mercy Send forth your word Lord, and let there be light Verse 2 Lord, I come to your awesome presence From the shadows into your radiance By the blood I may enter your brightness Search me, try me, consume all my darkness Shine on me, shine on me Verse 3 As we gaze on your kingly brightness So our faces display your likeness Ever changing from glory to glory Mirrored here may our lives tell your story Shine on me, shine on me

Resources Donate to Uighur Bible translation https://runministries.givecloud.co/product/LESLIESPIESS/inmemory-of-leslie-spiess Perspectives on the World Christian Movement www.perspectives.org Moral Revolution https://www.moralrevolution.com/ What Does it Mean to ‘Have a Relationshop with God’ https://www.compellingtruth.org/personal-relationship-with-God. html A Few of Leslie’s Favorite Books: With Christ in the School of Prayer - Andrew Murray Edges of His Ways - Amy Carmichael A Chance to Die: The Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael Elisabeth Elliot

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