Over the years my father helped such a variety of people with his ministry. As he counseled many of them, according to God's word, his message and his love had a profound impact on their lives. One of those people was a young man who was part of a very prominent family in Minnesota. He was a sweet, very generous, big-hearted person who was greatly misunderstood by many. He was like a big kid and he loved to have fun and travel. He became like a big brother to me and we spent lots of time together. My mother became like his own, whom he had lost to cancer when he was young. They would talk for hours on the phone. My mother had such a loving and gentle spirit and had a heart of understanding for him, as she would her own son. It was a beautiful relationship.
Being he liked to travel, he would invite my family to travel with him, as his guest, every so often. Many times it ended up being my mom, my sister and I. My dad needing to stay behind and take care of more pressing things for his ministry. Sometimes he invited other mutual friends. We went to many beautiful places we would have never had the opportunity to go. Some of those trips are the greatest memories of my childhood. He was incredibly grateful for my family, and for the truth my father shared with him, and how it had changed his life for the positive. This was one way he showed his gratitude. At one time we called him the “Dream-Maker" because he most certainly made dreams come true! He took us on several cruises over the years. It was such an experience to be on a big boat like that in the middle of the ocean. Wow. We had never seen anything like it. It was one of my mothers most favorite ways to travel, after she was introduced to it. It was so nice that the meals were included, there was entertainment nightly and plenty to do on board. She just loved it.
While on one of the cruises, we got a shore to ship call in our cabin. My mother sounded very quiet and pensive on the phone. When she hung up, she told us my father had a heart attack and was in the hospital. He had been home alone doing a Bible study when it happened. Our friends down the street had come to his aid and taken him to the hospital. He was going to need by-pass surgery immediately. We were toward the end of our trip thankfully and would be home in a couple days. This was devastating news. The operation would be extensive. They would have to take a vein from his leg to use for his heart. So he would be operated on his leg and his chest area. Recovery would be substantial. It most certainly put a dark cloud over the remainder of our time on the boat, knowing he was suffering and had struggled in our absence. It deeply affected me, knowing that he was in our home alone when it happened. I wished I had been there. I wished he wasn't alone.
When we arrived home it was devastating to see him in the hospital. He had a giant scar on his chest and on his leg from the operation. After many days we took him home to recuperate. He would have to lay low for some time and adjust to medications he would have to take. This obviously had a profound impact on the tone of our household. My mom took great care of him and we kept things more subdued in the weeks that followed. You could tell he was contemplating a lot during his recovery. He was quieter and more serious, than usual, as he rested. You could tell he was in great thought. He wondered how much time he would have left and realized it could be over a lot sooner than he anticipated. After all, his mother had died at the age of 62 from heart disease. One day, out of the blue, he made a statement to us, very much like an announcement: “It’s time to focus on the basic message of God's truth." He knew that it was the message that would save lives. It was the message that mattered in the end. He had to get it out to the people. You could tell how serious he was and how important it was to him. It was something pressing on his heart and mind. He had previously spent time doing extensive research on things that complimented his biblical studies and reinforced his case for God. He felt the time for that was over. The clock was ticking. He had a new-found urgency to spread God’s message of truth. We knew he enjoyed the research he did and it had been a big part of his life, so this was a very big statement. We we're both surprised and happy to hear this new found resolution and we fully supported it.
He slowly recovered from his surgery and it most certainly had long-term affects on his physicality and capabilities. He had issues with the circulation in his leg afterwards and sometimes was found to be limping. It also had bearing on his energy level and strength. He was told he would fully recover and we were counting on it. It was unthinkable to even consider that he wouldn't. He was at the core of our lives and our faith, we counted on his spiritual guidance and wisdom, as our minister and as our father, so did hundreds of others. There was simply no one like him and certainly no one could take his place. He was the passion and strength behind the ministry. He was the driving force. There was no one more dedicated to this cause, spending their life promoting this truth and helping others the way he did. He had given everything he had to this cause and sacrificed so much personally for it. He had so much left to do.
He was tested with distraction, in his new-found direction, but it was obvious nothing could squelch his desire and drive to go forward with what God had shown him. He was more determined, than ever, to share God's message with anyone and everyone that would listen. He feverishly worked on new Bible studies and articles, for his newsletter publication, and was looking for new ways to reach people. He was even looking into television. His brush with death was an eye opener and an awakening that deeepend his resolve. He had to make the most of his time and did just that. I was so thankful for my father’s heart…in more than one way, and so incredibly grateful that God had chosen to spare it.
♥️LGOF