Wisdom and Grace: Hi-Line Hero: Gail Pollington

A hero is a person of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his or her brave deeds and noble qualities. Heroes come in many forms in life. We look up to our heroes. They are role models, shining examples of what we should be. They are selfless, genuinely good persons. Often, they are willing to risk their own life to save another.

If you are in need of a hero, someone to look up to, a role model and a shining example of what we all should be, someone selfless who thinks of others before ever considering herself and is a genuinely good person ... then look no further than Gail Pollington. Gail is a long, long time teacher, missionary, camp cook, sunday school teacher, Praise Team member, and volunteer.

Gail was born at the Deaconess Hospital in Havre, Montana, to Ernest and Berniece Pollington.

She joined her older sister, Bonnie, and the two of them would soon have a brother named Dick. Her family joined the Good family in farming, as well as numerous other Pollington families north of Kremlin. The Milk River Church of the Brethren was a central part of their lives. Her grandmother played the piano for church services.

During the school year, the family would move to Kremlin but as soon as school was out in the spring they would move back to the farm until after harvest. Two more sisters were added when Gail, Bonnie and Dick were old enough to help. These two sisters were Mary and Patty.

Gail graduated in 1961 from Kremlin High School. That fall, she traveled to Norfolk, Nebraska, and enrolled at Nebraska Christian College. In 1965, she graduated from Nebraska Christian College and returned to Montana. She wanted to teach and so she enrolled at Northern Montana College (now Montana State University-Northern). She was given a provisional teaching license and started teaching in Lodge Pole, Montana. During this time, she took night and summer classes, as well as workshops in Utah and earned her teaching certificate.

After the five years in Lodge Pole, she transferred and taught at Hays for another four years. Most of this time she taught kindergarten and first and scond grade. But whatever was needed, Gail was willing to do and her extra duties included coaching the girls' softball team, teaching adult education classes in basic English and ceramic classes (which she had learned in college).

When she was asked about what she enjoyed the most about teaching in Lodge Pole and Hays, she responded, "They appreciated anything and everything that was done for them to inspire and keep their interest. I enjoyed it there very much."

Gail's life took a dramatic change in 1976 when she started teaching in Turner, Montana. Unbelievably, she would teach there for 29 years! The first year she taught fourth and fifth graders but for most of her time in Turner she taught first and second grades. In addition to teaching the primary grades, she taught art to the junior high students. By the time Gail retired, she was teaching the children of the students she had when she started back in 1976. Through involvement in the school and as a member of Turner Christian Church, Gail made many, many life long friends that she treasures to this day.

One of Gail's favorite times in her teaching career was when she would read daily to her students. For instance, when they read the "Little House on the Prairie" series they would often have activity that would go along with the book such as cooking, making crafts or learning a new skill.

Gail's additional career as a missionary started when she was a child living with her family north of Kremlin. Through her relative Roy Good, she started her affiliation with Sixth Avenue Christian Church. As a lay preacher, Roy Good would fill the pulpit in Havre. And Noah Hall, the minister at Sixth Ave. Christian Church, would come out to the Kremlin area and preach. Her family started attending church in Havre, as weather permitted. In 1953, at Bear Paw Christian Service Camp, she made a decision that would affect every decision for the rest of her life; she accepted Jesus Christ as her personal Lord and Savior and was baptized by immersion in the Kiwanis Camp swimming pool.

And because of her decision to follow Christ, upon high school graduation, she joined Sherry Gwynn, Keith Couch and two others in attending a Christian college in eastern Nebraska. To this day, it's still not easy to get from north-central Montana to eastern Nebraska. They rode trains and buses and sometimes they would catch a ride with a student from Lewistown who also went to Nebraska Christian College.

Long-time Havre residents will remember the names of Rusty Jones and Frona Rutten. These two ladies became interested in a mission named Toronto Christian Mission (now known as Taking Christ to the Millions). During the Iron Curtain and Cold Wars days it was illegal to take Bibles into communist countries. People in eastern European countries were hungry for God's Word with no way to get Bibles.

Toronto Christian Mission's work was to somehow, someway get Bibles to those who wanted them so much. During the summers of 1976, 1977 and 1979 Gail joined Frona and Rusty at Edelweiss. Those who were taking or "smuggling" Bibles would come back to Edelweiss to rest and restock to take more Bibles to those who could not have them. Edelweiss was a former hunting lodge that had at one time belonged to the Hapsburg family. It was located in the Vienna Woods. Gail took care of the cooking. Frona did the laundry and Rusty helped with everything.

The workers at Edelweiss even made several trips behind the Iron Curtain. They would travel in a Volkswagen van and camp out, storing the materials and Bibles in their suitcases under clothes or at the bottom of a box filled to the top with groceries, or possible in bedding. Gail went two times into Budapest and on into Romania. She made trips into East Germany going through West Germany. Sometimes they took Bibles and other times teaching materials.

Taking Christ to the Millions still exists today, but since the wall came down they offer Bible classes for those who want to go back and teach.

Gail admits that at times she was frightened but she also shares that God watched over and protected not only the ladies from the Hi-Line but all the workers who worked out of Edelweiss with Toronto Christian Mission.

Mission work for Gail was not over when she left Europe. In the summer of 1999, Phyllis Hutton, a friend from Turner, asked if she would go to Africa with her. They were going to visit Phyllis's daughter Becky (Hutton) Overland in Harare, Zimbabwe, at Chidamayo Christian Mission. Gail and Phyllis helped Becky in the out bush with well-baby clinics. "A very memorable trip and experience" Gail remembers.

In 2004 Gail retired from teaching in the Turner school system. She moved to Havre and became very involved in 5th Avenue Christian Church, teaching Sunday School and singing on the Praise Team. One of the areas she enjoyed the most was singing in a quartet with Aileen Couch, Don Bitz and Mark Roseberry.

Through the years she has faithfully helped with decorations, Vacation Bible School, women's retreats. You name it and Gail is there faithfully serving her Lord and Savior ... and others.

I can not close this article without sharing one of my favorite things that Gail makes – "Scrunchies". These are crocheted pot scrubbers made from nylon. She has made thousands of them and without a doubt they have gone around the world. "They are like a mission," Gail remarked. Before I left for Myanmar (Burma) in 2019 Gail gave me a sack full of Scrunchies. The Lisu people and the students at Faith Theological Seminary loved them!

When you see Gail Pollington thank her for the life that she has lived. One where Christ and His work comes first, her family and friends come next and herself last. She truly is a Hero on the Hi-Line!

"We love because He first loved us. If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother." I John 4:19

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Ila McClenahan is a retire chaplain and activity director living in the Amos area north of Havre. She keeps busy writing, directing Christian Camps for children, volunteering and speaking at various events. She and her husband Rod have four daughters and twelve grandchildren.