Wes Enjoying The Comfort of Haiti

Here's the latest on Wes' condition. After Dad was medevac'd to The Comfort, the US Navy military medical ship, one of their doctors called me and confirmed that Wes is doing well and has been moved out of the ICU. His vitals are almost normal and he should be released in a few days. He had contracted a bacterial infection and was very dehydrated. His fever had actually peaked at 105.7. The doctor was so kind and took so much time on the phone with me. He treated me like I was the most important person in the world. He was on the deck of the ship calling me from his Satellite phone and said he would call again tomorrow. I was thrilled to hear of Dad's good condition and was relieved to let all my sisters know that he was on the mend. Heidi stayed behind in Carrefour but the doctor said they will send a helicopter to pick her up and take her to the ship to visit Dad and she can stay there until he is discharged. They will also call me sometime today so I can talk to Dad, too. The doctor had spent a good deal of time with Dad and found out about our mission in Haiti and the history of Full Life Crusade over the years. He was telling me how wonderful it was how our family has been involved in helping Haiti. It seemed to me that he was doing quite a bit to help the Haitians as well and I told him so. He laughed and said, "Well, it's your tax dollars at work."

Now that the threat of Dad dying has passed (and I really did think he might die), I have contemplated the initial thoughts that went through my mind. The first thing I thought was that this might be a great way for dad to go out...serving the Haitians and teaching the Bible, free to just be himself. He was having a great time in Haiti without any constraints.
You would think that my second thought would have been, "Oh, I wish I would have said..." or "I wish I would have done..." for Dad before he left for Haiti. But to be honest, I had no regrets with Dad. There wasn't one thing that I wanted to tell him. You see, I love him every day. He's not perfect and neither am I. But I live near him and we have him for dinner regularly and watch movies and I'm able to show him how much I care about him. He is a pillar in my life and the lives of my children. He is a spiritual giant. You don't have to spend more than a minute with dad before his conversation turns to God. He can't help it, because he loves Jesus. My husband, Bryan, has found dad a great encouragement over the years. He can discuss deep ideas, God's working in his life and end time events. They both look with anticipation for the next great move of God. Dad's excitement for God is unending and contagious.
Dad has never catered to my children and doesn't shower them with gifts, but he has a strength about him that demands respect and they love all the intangible things about him. They love to gather around him as he tells stories about his mission trips and the miracles God has done in his life. They love that he can still run fast and ride a bike even at 71 years old. He often brings a movie from the library, or junk food (when I let him) or pizza for dinner so I don't have to cook. Just a few weeks ago I asked Dad to share some wisdom about about life that my girls might not learn in the world since they are homeschooled. He gave the older girls some great wisdom and examples from his life.
So Dad can come home and he can read this blog. Maybe he'll learn something he didn't know about us and what we think of him, but I doubt it. He always has known that I love him.
Konda