Ruth's Photo Album

Click the right arrow for the next photo. Click the left arrow to go back to the previous photo.

Life Story of
Ruth Eva Foxall (née Balisky)

Ruth Eva Balisky was born on March 14, 1927, at the family homestead on Emerson Trail, 12 miles west of Sexsmith, Alberta.

Her father, George Balisky, emigrated from Ukraine in 1907, first to North Dakota and then to Canada in 1911.  He walked from Edson to Grande Prairie (before any roads or rail) in 1911 and then scouted and registered his homestead on SE 18-73-7-W6th on 24 June 1912. Her mother, Nellie Zarek, joined George on the homestead after they were married in North Dakota on 9 July 1924.

Ruth was blessed to be born into a Christian family and remembered a very happy home life with God-loving parents who encouraged their ten children to follow the Lord.  

During the Depression, Ruth's parents didn’t have much materially, but they decided to serve Christ with everything they had. The family worked hard yet remembered fun times together. George and Nellie encouraged their children to bring friends home for amateur rodeos in the summer and skating parties in the winter.

It seemed every visiting missionary at their church stayed at their home, so from early childhood, the Balisky siblings heard about the need in far-off countries. George and Nellie encouraged their children to pray for their daily needs and for others, especially for missionaries. Eventually, seven of their children would also serve as missionaries “overseas”.

Ruth and her siblings went to the rural one-room “Canuck School House” three miles (4.8 km) from the homestead for grades one to nine. There were usually 30 students with one teacher who was perhaps under 20 years old.

Ruth accepted the Lord Jesus as her Saviour at the age of nine at an evangelistic meeting held in Scenic Heights schoolhouse.

Ruth remembered great times at the Bear Lake Bible Camp every summer. At the age of 12, upon hearing a missionary speak of the spiritual needs of those in Africa, she felt God was leading her to become a missionary. She was baptized at the camp when she was 15 years old.

At Grande Prairie High School, Ruth worked for her room and board for two years with the Nelson family. Then, in Grade 12, she boarded at a dormitory in a renovated army building.

She often spoke about the lively youth group at the McLaurin Baptist Church in which she participated.

Ruth attended Peace River Bible Institute for three years (1945-48).  The mission emphasis for those 3 years molded her life to follow the Lord wholly.  Most of her siblings also attended PRBI. While at the Bible School, she applied to the Sudan Interior Mission (SIM) to go to Nigeria.  However, a visiting SIM representative encouraged her to get a vocation because of her young age.  

She went on to train as a registered nurse in Victoria, British Columbia, from 1949 to 1952 at the Royal Jubilee Hospital, where she boarded in the Nurses’ Residence. Those three years were special training for her future ministry. Her younger brothers helped pay for a plane trip home for one Easter holiday.

Ruth attended SIM candidate school at Bluewater Bible conference grounds near Wallaceburg and Chatham, Ontario, in the summer of 1952. It was there that Ruth met her future husband, George Foxall, who had also grown up in a farming family in Alberta. Ruth and George had separately decided to serve as missionaries in Africa. They fell in love very quickly and were engaged in December 1952.

From Ruth’s Diary: 

“George and I met and fell in love very quickly. Tommy Titcombe who was our SIM leader there encouraged our relationship. The first day that George arrived, Uncle Tommy said to me in his booming voice, “Ruth, you are on the ground floor so you must work fast.” How embarrassing that was to me. George and I got to know each other as we worked together for two months.  Also, we had a lot in common coming from the West and from similar Bible Schools.”

Because they were not yet married, SIM would not allow them to travel together to Nigeria, so George sailed on February 7th, 1953, on the HMS Queen Mary from New York. Ruth followed him on February 19 on the HMS Queen Elizabeth from New York, arriving in Southampton, then flying to Kano, Nigeria, on March 4, 1953. She was 25 years old when she first arrived in Africa.

Ruth was looking forward to seeing George when she arrived, but alas, he had already been sent to Minna language school, and she was sent to Katsina, 250 miles away, to the Baba Ruga Leprosarium, where she would learn the Hausa language and about leprosy.

From Ruth’s Diary: 

“The first night at Baba Ruga Leprosarium I was going to the little one-roomed house which would be my home for the next five and a half months, a huge black cobra slithered across our path. Some men killed it, however, it was a frightening experience for me as it was the first snake I’d ever seen. It took quite a while for me to get to sleep, then when I did, I was awakened terrified by something cold slipping down my back. Reaching for my flashlight, to my relief it was the cold thing that slipped down my back!”

“Next day I was introduced to the leprosy work. The patients had many ulcers on their fingers and toes due to trauma. I found language learning to be an extremely humbling experience.”

After nearly 3 months in Minna, George was allowed to visit Ruth so they could make their wedding plans. George returned to Katsina three months later for their wedding.

On August 12, 1953 Ruth and George were married in the leprosarium chapel with 25 expatriate friends and missionaries and 300 leprosy patients as their guests.

From Ruth’s Diary: 

“Our Nigerian Wedding, August 12, 1953 — At last after 6 months since I arrived in Africa and learning the Hausa language at the leprosarium.  George arrived the day before from Minna where he was learning the Language.  He had ordered the wedding cake from his uncle who was a baker in Scotland and it arrived safely a few days before. Our friends who represented my parents assembled the three-tier cake on pillars, but alas it rained that evening so it was very damp. At night Wynne Bingham heard a loud bang. She ran to the kitchen and found the top tier on the floor. What to do! The pillar had sunk down. Thankfully she was able to repair it with more icing, so no one knew about the episode.

I was concerned about the contaminated floor in the church as we had 300 leprosy patients and 25 expatriates as invited guests. My borrowed wedding dress had a long train, so I didn’t want it contaminated.  The nurse of the leprosarium said “No problem, I have a large bolt of cloth which we use for patients who die, for their burial cloth, so I walked to the front of the church on a carpet of burial cloth.  George was at the front already with the minister waiting. 

When the minister gave our vows in the Hausa language and said “Until death do you part” there was an audible gasp from the Muslim audience. Muslim men can divorce their wife at any time of disagreement, or if the wife doesn’t cook well, or if she doesn’t produce a child, especially a boy.

However, all went well at the end and everyone congratulated us as Mr. & Mrs. Foxall, “Amarya” & “Ango”. Our reception was special with Nigerian food outdoors for our leprosy guests. Our 25 expatriate guests ate a turkey dinner (special for Nigeria) & indoors out of the sun.

The pilot of the SIM plane who sang at our wedding then flew us to Zaria where we spent 3 days at a lovely government Rest House. The plane then returned to take us to Miango, the SIM Rest Home for 10 more days.”

Ruth and George were then moved by the mission to their first “station” in Moriki, an isolated sandy outpost near the Sahara Desert and many arduous travel hours from their nearest missionary colleagues. Moriki was 60 miles from Gusau, their supply center, and 45 miles from Gatawa, their nearest neighbouring SIM mission station.

The majority of the population was Muslim, and there were very few visible results of people coming to faith. The heat, loneliness, lack of fresh food, difficult medical cases without a doctor’s advice, and the propensity of bugs made life difficult and, at times, discouraging. The work was demanding. In addition, Ruth also dealt with patients in the segregated leprosy village. For Ruth, facing these many medical challenges and the decisions that needed to go with them was greatly demanding. George spent much of his time trekking in the villages to distribute medicines and seeking opportunities to talk to Muslim village elders about the gospel. However, George & Ruth’s awareness of their mutual calling to missions, their steady and tenacious personalities, and their love for the Nigerian people enabled them, with God’s help, to meet the daily challenges.

From Ruth’s Diary: 

“Two single ladies orientated us for a week, then we were left on our own. No one else spoke English. These were the most difficult 3 years of our 40 years in Africa, yet they were the most meaningful as we had to depend on the Lord for everything.”

“Often, we were lonely and homesick. I didn’t see another white woman for 3 months. These were the colonial years so British officers would stop in to see us once in a while. The climate was hot and dusty. We had no fridge for 6 months and no electricity or fans. Local vegetables available were only onions and squash; meat was available in the market once a week. We were sometimes able to buy tinned vegetables and fruit from our nearest town 60 miles away.”

“The medical work with tropical diseases was different than I ever encountered. How do you diagnose tetanus, malaria, filaria, spinal meningitis, many types of intestinal parasites without a lab? Some days we would have up to 300 patients coming for treatment at the clinic. Many of these had tropical ulcers mostly on their feet and legs. We also had a leprosy village about a mile away with over 100 patients to attend to.

“George trekked to many villages either by foot, horse, or motorbike.  We didn’t have a car.  He took medicine and the Bible with him. Most of the people were Muslims.  They were glad to receive medicine but not too eager to hear about the Lord.”

“Our first Christmas was difficult emotionally for us without family or close friends.  We did not know what culture shock was, and we were very homesick and discouraged.” 

Ruth and George faithfully served in Moriki for over three years. In April 1956, their only child, David, was born. He came three weeks early and they didn’t make it to the hospital in Jos. Instead, he was born in a missionary’s home in Gusau, 60 miles from Moriki. They thank the Lord for His mercy as the umbilical cord was around his neck and in a knot. A week later, they were able to continue on to Jos, where they enjoyed some cool weather and rest.

In December 1956, the mission moved Ruth and George south to the small agricultural town of Kwoi. Ruth was again assigned to head a medical clinic, and George taught at the Hausa Bible School. They were welcomed by a small community of missionaries and a large population of Christians in Kwoi.

From Ruth’s Diary: 

“Our first Sunday at the Kwoi church there were over 1000 in the congregation. I wept thanking the Lord that He was working after all.  It was as though we came from darkness to light. Christianity made the difference as Kwoi had the Gospel for many years. Formerly the people were animists who believed in idols then many became Christians. Christ made a radical change in their lives, but it took many years of sowing and reaping by the missionaries. Schools were started in the early years so people learned to read and write and get a good education.”

Their next 18 years were fulfilling serving the people and students at Kwoi. Ruth managed a daily 250-patient outpatient department, trained health workers, conducted minor surgery, and worked with over 2,000 leprosy patients in nearby villages. Ruth enjoyed teaching health sciences and Christian home life at the Bible school. The people in the village affectionately called her Maimurna, which means ‘joyful one.’ Ruth also began the Girls’ Brigade program at Kwoi and various villages. Years later, she would meet many of these well-educated girls who had become nurses, lawyers, Government ministers, judges, and bank managers. These were very special years in their missionary career. It was here that George & Ruth and their son David faced the great challenge of separation as he went to boarding school.

After 18 fruitful years in Kwoi, God called them to serve in the city of Kaduna. It was here they would spend the last nineteen years of ministry. Ruth’s ministry changed from caring for people’s physical needs to caring for their spiritual and emotional health. Ruth’s ministry was largely hospitality, managing a guest house for church staff and missionaries.  She also hosted and led women’s Bible studies and provided counseling and support to expatriate women through her involvement in the International Women’s Club.  Ruth is remembered for her generous hospitality in providing travelers, visiting pastors, missionaries, and aid workers with home-cooked meals and always a listening year.

After 40 years of faithful service in Nigeria, George and Ruth “retired” in 1993. They settled in Three Hills, Alberta. Once again, God opened up opportunities for Ruth to use her God-given gifts where many were blessed and encouraged with her genuine hospitality, listening ear, and being the example of a godly woman. Ruth was fully engaged with her church, Senior Outreach helping other seniors, TOPS, Hospital Auxiliary, family, and many friends.

Ruth and George enjoyed their home on 6^th Avenue North for 21 years and traveled to numerous countries before moving to Golden Hills Lodge in August 2014.

In 2022, Ruth suffered a major stroke, which hampered her memory and speech. She was moved to St. Mary's Long Term Care unit in Trochu on 2 June 2022. George also moved to the St. Mary's Lodge so that he could be with Ruth each day and help feed her at each meal. In 2023, Ruth and George were able to move to the Westview Care Community in Linden to be closer to their family and friends.  Her son David and daughter-in-law Justine were also able to rent an apartment in Linden to help George with his medical appointments and to care for Ruth. George battled with cancer and then suffered a major stroke at the end of December 2023. He died on April 5th with family at his side. Ruth passed away on June 5th in the company of family.

Ruth is fondly remembered for her enjoyment of connecting with friends and family on Facebook and faithfully phoning, emailing, and texting friends, family, and especially her nieces and nephews on their birthdays. She is remembered as a faithful prayer intercessor and encourager for many.  

Ruth and George are survived by their son, David, their daughter-in-law, Justine, many nieces, nephews and their families, and a community of believers worldwide who were inspired by their life and ministry. We celebrate the homecoming of these faithful servants who lived by the belief that serving God and his people was the highest calling. Ruth and George's life of service together was a beacon of God's love, and their legacy will continue to inspire future generations.