Memoirs Peek Into The Life of Hazel Hoskins

And I Sat ThereHazel Hoskins, a missionary who shared God’s Word on every continent alongside her preacher husband Bob, passed away on June 22, 2015 at the age of 81. Never being content to just “sit there” in this temporal life, Hazel now sits at the throne of Jesus.

Born October 3, 1933, Hazel grew up in Bangor, Maine, the eldest daughter of Pentecostal pastor parents Clifford and Helen Crabtree. A 1954 alumnus of Central Bible College in Missouri, Hazel married evangelist Bob Hoskins in 1959 after a long courtship.

Immediately after marrying, Bob and Hazel began their lifelong service as missionaries to the world, working on the continents of Africa and South America and in the mission fields of Lebanon and France. Hazel wrote a book about their experiences as missionaries in Africa called Honeymoon Safari, released in 1963. The next ten years were spent traveling as missionary evangelists in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

Hazel often quoted the words of Ruth to Naomi in regards to her life serving with Bob: “Wither thou goest, I will go.”  She joked that she didn’t know she would “goest” so far nor “wither” so fast, but she had incomparable joie de vivre for her unpredictable and adventurous life.

 

A new mission

In 1987, a powerful conviction from God set the Hoskins on a new mission: take His Word to every child in the world. In less than 30 years, that ministry—originally called Book of Hope, and now OneHope—has reached more than 1 billion children and youth with God’s Word in 145 countries.

A strong advocate of God’s Word, Hazel was never shy about sharing a favorite verse, always noting, “and of course this is the King James Version.” She was also known as a ferocious woman of prayer. Her son Rob often credited many of the ministry’s successes to her ardent prayer life.

 

Her memoir

After years of refusals, Hazel finally penned her memoir, …And I Sat There, in 2014. In an excerpt from the book, Hazel shared the following story.

“We were in Colorado for a missions convention and Bob, as usual, preached his heart out during a Sunday morning service. Afterward, a lady came up to me and said, ‘Your husband, he’s so wonderful.’

I agreed, ‘Yes, it’s true.’

‘How does he do all he does?’

‘I don’t know. I get tired just following him around.’

To which she replied: ‘AND YOU JUST SIT THERE…’

‘Well,’ I thought. ‘It’s nice to be recognized for what I do best, and if I ever write a book, that will be the title.’

In … And I Sat There, Hazel shares stories as a missionary after more than half a century of traversing the globe with Bob.

“I have always trusted that God would go ahead of us and prepare the way. But to actually walk down the path, then turn and look back to see the dangers He kept us safe from was a faith-deepening experience,” she said in the book.

Hazel is survived by her husband of 55 years, Bob Hoskins; sister Charlotte Crabtree Carlson (husband Ray Carlson); brother Charles Crabtree (wife Ramona Crabtree); daughter Kimberly (husband Eric Propst); sons David and Rob (wife Kim Bueno Hoskins); and eight grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her brother Reverend David Crabtree (wife Dawn McClure Crabtree).

For a free download of Hazel’s book …And I Sat There or to find out more about One Hope, visit onehope.net.

Share this article

Comments