Rachel Elizabeth Wait Ekenseair

RACHEL ELIZABETH WAIT EKENSEAIR, 33, of Little Rock passed away to a much better life on Aug. 22, 2018. In her own words, she "beat cancer" and is now in the arms of Jesus Christ. Rachel is a beloved teacher, daughter, sister, wife and mother. She was inspired by the words of the late Stuart Scott, an ESPN commentator, "You beat cancer by how you live, why you live, and the manner in which you live." Those words stuck with Rachel and she embodied that very message. Rachel refused to let cancer get her down. She continued to live life to its fullest. She was an inspiration to her friends and family in so many ways, long before her 7-year battle with cancer. Rachel loved her family and friends completely. When cancer kept her from having children, she prayed God would allow her to adopt, specifically adopt boy and girl twins. That prayer was answered earlier this year with Gabriella and John Jr. The twins were a dream come true for her and John, the love of her life. She lived to love people and tell them about Jesus. Her influence was wide-ranging. She graduated from Ouachita Baptist University (2008), where she was a member of Tri Chi Women's Social Club and the Ouachita Student Foundation. She earned a degree in Christian Studies and a minor in Studio Art. Rachel loved working on arts and crafts, where she filled her home with her God-given talent. She doted on her children and her pets, Noel, Dixie and Lady. She lived her life well. As an 8th grade Biblical World View teacher at Little Rock Christian Academy she mentored and touched hundreds of lives with a quick smile, a hug and words of encouragement that changed children's lives. While doing that she earned a Master of Divinity degree in 2018 from the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Her whole purpose in life was to know more about Jesus and to pass that knowledge to others. She did that in life all the way to the time of her death. Her final post on Facebook, the day before she passed, was a witness to that: "The Lord has made clear that this is Rachel Ekenseair's time to go home to Jesus. There is great joy and peace found in that reality…. because there is victory in Jesus – death no longer has its sting. So let's celebrate." While Rachel will be missed, her family is celebrating that she will no longer suffer the pains and inconveniences of cancer. They celebrate her victory over cancer and in Christ. Rachel was preceded in death by her grandparents, Jack and Donna Wait of Shreveport and Paul and Velda Barnard of Little Rock. She is survived by her loving husband, John; two five-year-old children, Gabriella and John Jr.; her parents, Bernard and Beverly Wait; and brothers Brett (Jill) and Stephen (Brooke), all of Little Rock. Visitation will be held Sunday from 5-8 p.m. at Roller-Chenal Funeral Home in Little Rock. Funeral services will be 10 a.m. Monday at Immanuel Baptist Church in Little Rock. An interment following the service will be held at Riverwood Memorial Gardens in Maumelle. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to Arkansas Baptist Foundation, 10 Remington Drive, Little Rock, Ark. 72204, for Rachel Wait Ekenseair Women's Ministry Scholarship at Ouachita Baptist University or to Ekenseair Children's Education Fund, 19010 Cantrell Road, Little Rock, Ark. 72223, or online at www.littlerockchristian.com/ekenseair.