There he stood, waiting even though his body was weak and sore. Bill is a Viet Nam Combat Veteran fighting Agent Orange. Sores, much like pimples, pop up all over the body and then the flesh is eaten out, much like a brown recluse spider bite. He had just been released from the VA hospital because he tried to take his own life. He wasn’t depressed or angry: he was in pain. Real, physical, agonizing pain.
The Mission: M25 team was in Jackson, MS during a stop on Run For The Wall in 2006. Billy Woods, Mission:M25 Pointman for Southern California, had given us all a medallion to give to someone. Bill had been chosen to receive the medal but wanted me to put it on him. I did and we both shed tears together as we hugged each other.
Two weeks later Bill re-dedicated his life to the Lord. But the pain continued and health seemed to be something far away. Bill chose to send me his medal from Viet Nam that showed he was a Corporal when he was released. I wear it on my vest in honor of this hero that few people know. We have been blessed to be in touch by phone a few times.
We had talked that we would see each other again in 2008 as Run For The Wall came through Jackson, MS. We made the plans but when I called the day before, Bill was very weak and had been running a fever. To my amazement his wife, Diane, had driven him the one hour and forty minutes, one way, to “hook up with me”. It was a special time for us both. During our short visit Bill again blessed me when he gave me his Good Conduct Medal. It was an emotional moment as he told me he wanted to “ride with me” wherever I went. It is an extreme honor to wear these two medals on my vest.
A few days later I received an email saying Bill was on a ventilator and was very weak. It did not look like his life here on earth was going to last much longer. On Wednesday, May 28 at 2:00 p.m. Bill’s son Mike emailed us. He said they did not think Bill would come off the ventilator. Our hearts were broken, but we all prayed for the Lord’s will to be done.
At 5:00 p.m. the family was called back to the room in ICU. They found Bill sitting up without the ventilator and greeting them! He said he had been with Jesus and that Jesus was not through with his life here on earth. This is truly a miracle without explanation; the doctors, nurses, and even Bill’s family can’t explain his sudden recovery. His story reminds us that we serve a wonderful God who is looking for us to simply trust and obey!
– By Rev. Gary Burd, Mission: M25 Director
Original Post found at IPHC Blog
