Pioneer YWAMer Dallas Moore dies
By Beverly Caruso
Dallas
and Larry soon began preaching in the villages every weekend,
thus beginning the fulfillment of the vision God had given Loren
Cunningham about waves of young people carrying God's word to the
continents.
Dallas often said, "The experience from doing the
construction
work has been a very valuable thing for me as a high school shop
teacher. Many times I go back and draw on some experience I had when I
was there in Liberia."
Dallas was a true hero type. Handsome, muscular, a real
Californian type, the one all the girls wanted to date. Not only was
Dallas a neat guy, he also drove a cool car, a '56 Chevy Bel Aire that
looked good, and always sounded good too. Selling that incredible car
to go with YWAM was a real sacrifice for such a car aficionado, but
Larry says, "I don't think Dallas ever regretted it.
Dallas was consistent. (Many said he was like a rock.) He
was
hard-working and understanding, always thinking of others first. His
smile was contagious, and he was always eager to make others laugh
through a joke or story he had to tell. All who knew him could attest
to his holy life, lived out in positive relationships, and he was never
in a hurry when it came to spending time with those he met along the
way. Frequently, he would share bits of wisdom and encourage others to
grow closer to God.
As much as Dallas loved cars, he loved his family even more.
Spending time with family was Dal's priority. His wife Gloria had
served with YWAM herself in the '60s in Central America. She says,
"Early each day, Dal would rise to sing throughout the house, read the
Word, journal and pray for God's blessing upon family, friends, and
people in ministry."
Their daughter, Julie Blevins says, "A special tradition we
had
as a family was our morning huddle. Before anyone left in the morning,
you came as you were for the one-minute prayer time about that day and,
of course, hugs and kisses to send us on our way." Her sister, Ginger
Maxwell says, "Dad's experiences with YWAM rippled through the rest of
his life. I'll always remember the excitement of settling in as a
little girl for an evening watching the "Liberia slides." He was a
hands-on grandpa too, freely giving of hand-truck rides, chocolate milk
and bear hugs.
He
kept his friends forever... He also tended to keep his cars forever.
The 1957 Willys truck he courted my mom in is still in the family. "As
a little girl, daughter Julie said, "I would ride standing with my arms
in the gun racks and my body tucked in behind his. What a ride! His
1962 Chevy Impala was a source of joy and memories for him. It brought
not only his newborn niece and nephew home from the hospital, but also
me, and Ginger, and even his granddaughter Nina, born two years ago.
That gave him such joy."
Dallas' three main loves came together in his chosen
profession, teaching shop for 28 years at Ventura (California) High
School. One of his students said, "He not only taught me about cars and
trucks but about what it means to be a good human being.about life and
how to be a man. I decided to venture into teaching and attempt to
become the role model he was to me." Another added, "He was a prince of
a man....kind, caring, positive, and a true gentleman. I can honestly
say that Dallas is one of the few people I've known that never uttered
a negative word about anyone." Another said, "He led by example." From
the hundreds gathered at his memorial service, one after another spoke
of Dallas as, "A family man, a godly man, an example I want my children
to emulate."
Long time friend, Tim Tice, a Doctor of Psychiatry said,
"Dallas will always be in my mind an example of a man who used what God
allotted to him wisely."
Dallas began his a last journey in early 2006, when he was
diagnosed with lymphoma. After successful chemo treatments throughout
the year, he continued to pursue the three goals of his life: serving
God, loving family, and working on his cars, until on Christmas Day he
had emergency surgery to remove a brain tumor. Despite a good recovery,
the effects of a bacterial infection, due to low immunity, took its
toll on his strong body through the following weeks. On Easter Eve,
2007, Dallas reached his final destination to stand in the presence of
the Risen Lord with the song, "To God Be the Glory" in his heart.
| Beverly
Caruso and
her husband Pete have preached and taught in over forty countries. Bev
is the author of several books, enjoys training believers to use their
own experiences, anecdotes, cultural background and language to reach
their own people for Christ.
To contact Beverly Caruso, you can send her an e-mail
at abba@across2u.com.
|
 |
For more about this YWAM pioneer go to:
http://www.ywam.org/articles/print_article.asp?aid=71&bhcp=1
http://www.ywam.org/contents/abo_his_1960.htm
