Gail Lynn Klepel

Gail (Barber) Klepel was born on Oct 21, 1954, in Chinatown, Los Angeles, where her parents, Dale and Wanda, were in the process of planting a Chinese church. When Gail was only a few months old, a word of prophecy foretelling a lifetime of missionary service was spoken over her. At age 4, her parents were called to missions, first serving 3 years in Hong Kong before transitioning to the Philippines, where they would serve for 8 years planting Chinese-speaking churches. Gail held many fond memories of growing up in the Philippines and accompanying her parents on visitation and outreach. After 2 terms in the Philippines, the Barber family moved back to Hong Kong for 2 years before transferring to Brussels, Belgium to help found the International Correspondence Institute correspondence study program now known as Global University.



Gail attended high school on three continents North America, Asia, and Europe. After high school, she studied Music and Business Administration, graduating from Southern California College in 1977. In 2006, Gail completed her M.S degree in Biblical Studies and Theology with a focus on Intercultural Studies from Southwestern Assemblies of God University. At the time of her passing, she was also nearing the completion of a Doctor of Applied Intercultural Studies with a focus on Relief, Aid, and Development at the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary.



Passionate to serve both God and People, Gail first arrived in Thailand in 1979 as a 2-year volunteer for the Assemblies of God with the Division of Foreign Missions. During this time, she worked as a librarian and a teacher at the Thailand Assemblies of God Bible Institute in Bangkok, also working with her students to plant Happy Land Church. She left Thailand in 1981 to receive her ministerial ordination and subsequent missionary appointment, traveling back to Thailand in 1984 to further her studies of the Thai language and continue her work with the Happy Land Church and TAG Bible Institute.



In 1989, Gail moved to Chonburi to plant a church and teach at the Christ for Thailand Institute in Sri Racha, where she would meet fellow missionary Dan Klepel. On November 3rd, 1990, they decided to join their lives and ministries together and were married in the United States. Shortly after the arrival of their first-born son, Andrew, they returned to Thailand in 1992 to continue their life of ministry and discipleship.

The Klepel family would go on to spend 10 years serving as missionaries in Northeastern Thailand, living first in Korat, then later in Khon Kaen. Their second son, Samuel, was born in 1993 during their term in Korat. Later, after moving to serve in Khon Kaen, they would add a daughter, Katie, to the family.



The Klepel family moved to Chiang Mai in 2002 to continue their ministry of church planting and mentorship throughout the Thai nation. One city that has been particularly impacted by Gails ministry was the city of Tai Muang in the Phang Nga province, an area particularly devastated by the 2004 Asian tsunami. Gail frequently traveled to Phang Nga to minister to orphaned children and to plant the Liberty Church in Phang Nga. Gail was best known for being a gifted Bible teacher and a compassionate mentor.



On December 10, 2016, Gail was taken instantly by a sudden cardiac event. She will be greatly missed by her many friends, colleagues, and, most of all, her beloved husband and family members.