My friend Dick Mills
by Parris Bailey
Psalm 32: 7 “Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance.” Selah
Dick Mills homecoming at the age of 90 is a God story. I am sure he was special to all of us, but somehow he made Frank and I feel like we were the only people on the earth. He ended up being one of the very few folks that “stuck it out” with the Baileys for over 40 years. I first met him when I was seventeen, newly born again, newlyweds and attending bible school with Frank (yes, the 70’s). He gave me a beautiful word about having songs in the night and songs of deliverance. I had just left everything I knew, my family, the south and headed to the west coast. Peace describes exactly God’s word to me. Dick found us again when we went to New Orleans in 1978 and I would easily say came to visit us every year or so at our church for THIRTY YEARS! His typical question was always this, “Frank, where do you see yourself in 5 years?” By the end of his visit he would treat us and our kids to a gift from the local Bible book store and say, “I am so proud of you guys.”
He could really embarrass me with comments like that dress looks really good on you. He meant well of course but it was just Dick. One evening while at dinner, he grabbed a paper napkin and drew a house and simply said in one year, God is going to give you a house like this and worth a certain
amount. I wish I still had that paper napkin. Exactly within the year, someone gave us a house just like the diagram and worth the amount he said. We really didn’t think much of that little napkin drawing, but Dick always seemed to nail it right on the head.
In January 2005 while at Copeland’s Restaurant in Metairie, he started talking about a prophecy that someone said about a great flood destroying much of this region. I remember that I really challenged him and basically said “thanks a lot” and I remember really having to sort it out in my spirit if such a thing like he described happened I would have to “just trust Jesus”. Once again we really didn’t think much of it, until Hurricane Katrina burst the levees and yes we had to “trust Jesus”. You just had to know Dick.
One of our children really had a rough time in life, and Dick and Betty said they begin to pray for him daily in their prayer time. This particular child went through years of bad choices. I am thankful for those prayers, I believe those prayers kept my child not only alive, but brought salvation.
Just over a year ago, Frank and I were able to fly to Hemet, California to personally visit with Dick and Betty and family. They wanted our church to purchase his library. I wish he could see his books in our “Dick Mills Research Library and Laymen’s Library” that we have made available to so many to study, research and enjoy. In fact, Frank and I made it our offices!
He has gone home, but the moment we open those doors into that precious library, in our world, Brother Dick is larger than life.