GOOD-BYE 2010

“. . . blessed are those who help the poor!” Pro. 14:21b




Dear Partner, January 2011

Greetings in Jesus’ Name!

The big thing for Full Life Crusade in 2010 was the huge 7.2 earthquake in Haiti, January 12. Personally, I spent almost a month in Haiti sleeping outside under the stars on the rubble. I can truly say it was one of the best months of my life because God was using me to actually help suffering people.

I still have not figured out why I got deathly sick, with a 105.7 fever, and probably will never figure it out. One of my jobs was cleaning the outhouse that about forty people used. It could be that I came in contact with some nasty germs there. Who knows? Doctors diagnosed my condition as “shigellosis”, which kills more than 600,000 travelers each year. I had never heard of this disease; and I pray that I never get it again.

I was drowning from fluid in my lungs for 25 hours. Great pain!

But God, in his mercy, and the love, care, and prayers from my daughters, brought me through. The Navy helicopter rescued me and flew me to the USNS Comfort hospital ship anchored in the Port-au-Prince bay. From there Heidi and I were flown to MacDill Air Force base in Tampa. I cannot say enough good things about the United States military. I’m sure that without its help I would be dead.

I was extremely weak when I finally got home to Indiana March 13, after six weeks away. I was so weak that I could barely walk across the room. The doctors had told me that it would take six or seven months to regain my health; and they told me that I had had a heart attack during the time they had worked on me.

I began walking.

I only walked in my yard because I was scared that I might faint out on the road somewhere. So back and forth I walked. At the beginning I probably only walked for five minutes at a time.

But I got stronger. At one point I ventured out on the road and got strong enough to actually walk 2 1/2 miles a day. Then I had a huge setback and a great disappointment. My left arch began to hurt so badly that I had to give up walking. This really depressed me, so I began using an alternate exercise on an aerobic machine.

All during this time I read and read and read the Bible, drawing on God’s strength to heal me.

Then, in the spring, as I was cleaning the screens on my house my back went out and I could not walk. This was a great setback!

After some chiropractic care I was able to straighten up a little, but shortly after that I contracted sinus infection for twelve days, which further weakened by body.

As though these infirmities were not enough, I noticed that a spot on my face had not healed in more than a year. My daughters almost beat on me, so I went to the doctor and had it removed. It was a cancer called “basal cell carcinoma”! I was glad for the prodding of my daughters. At times I can be pretty stubborn.

O.K., that is enough for one year!

But, no! I had one more event to endure: while I was cleaning out the gutters on my house the feet of the ladder kicked out from under me on the slippery deck and I fell eight feet onto the ladder and onto the wooden deck.

As I fell I cried out, “Jesus!”

For a few moments I thought I had broken my hip, my arm, and wrist. Actually, I might have broken my hip because I am still limping with considerable pain some five weeks later.

Well . . . then it turned 2011. Whew!

So 2010 kind of made up for the fact that I have not been in the hospital for 72 years . . . or had health insurance. I’ll tell you, I sure have more empathy now for those with illnesses.

Full Life Crusade has been so blessed this past year and our plans for the future are to continue to tell as many people as possible about Jesus. I have never had a hotter fire burning in my heart or a greater desire to share the gospel of Jesus Christ!

Printing Bibles in China, helping widows and orphans, encouraging indigenous pastors, and teaching God’s Word remain the priorities. Because I am older now I have been able to see the results of the INVISIBLE SEED that we sow into peoples’ lives. I can look back over almost 50 years and see the fact that God changes lives when His Word is sown into them. His Word is so powerful . . . much more powerful than anything we can ever say or do.

So we look forward with great joy and expectancy as we keep doing what we have done for so many years. Your help is vital and more important than you may ever realize. Please keep praying for us. FLC has another team in Haiti this month.

And thank you for your faithful and generous gifts.

May the Lord give you a blessed and abundant year in 2011.

In His Service,

Wesley Smith



Full Life Crusade, P.O. Box 398, Winona Lake, IN 46590 (574) 267-75