Seeing Dad Alive for the Last Time

Dad and I during one of our last visits

My father, Roger Lacroix, fought in the Battle of the Bulge in World War II, was a prisoner of war in Nazi Germany, was awarded the Purple Heart Medal for his injuries, and was blessed with a long and fruitful life. But around age 80, the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease became very pronounced.

In June 2008, he was admitted to the Veterans' Hospital because of his disease. And after that, he never went home. He had to be kept in either a hospital or nursing home for the remainder of his life. He didn't like that at all. He felt it was worse than his prisoner of war experience.

I knew that I would soon be leaving the United States with my family to serve as missionaries in Eastern Europe. We planned to remain overseas for at least a couple years before our first trip back to the US, so I knew I would most likely never see my father again. That was difficult, but we spent as much quality time with him as we could while we were there

Our children would sing songs about Jesus to him and he loved that. Whenever we would talk about my upcoming departure, he would need to be reminded that were going overseas as missionaries. He would always respond by saying something like, "I'll be dead before you come back." That was very difficult
But one of the most difficult things I ever had to do was to say goodbye to him there in the hospital for the last time. The picture above was one of those last visits I ever had with him. Visitors were only allowed to stay with him for a very limited amount of time. So I took each of my children in to see him and my wife went in to see him. I asked the nurse for special permission to stay with him longer, since this would likely be the last time I ever saw him alive. She graciously allowed me. And we had a good visit, but it was somber. Finally I had to say goodbye. I embraced him and walked away for the last time

As I left the hospital with my family, our eyes had tears in them and our hearts were sad. It was final.

Dad's Reaction to My Departure 
I got news later from my sister Claudette how Dad responded after I left that night in mid-October 2008. It surprised me to learn from her just how much he understood what was going on. Claudette wrote to me saying:

“I still remember after you left. Dad called Mom that night and told her he needed her to come visit him so they could talk about your leaving. He was very upset and told her he was going to miss you and probably never see you again.”

Needless to say, I was touched by his love for me. Dad's health continued to decline and he ended up in the Emergency Room with breathing difficulty on New Years Day. I had the chance to talk to him on the phone later on New Years Day, once he was stabilized. He downplayed his condition. I asked for his blessing, which was our family custom. And after he gave me his blessing, he said, "Pray for me, because of what I'm about to go through." Four days later on January 5, 2009, he breathed his last and went to be with the Lord very peacefully.

I know he is with the Lord, because he confessed with his mouth that Jesus is Lord and believed in his heart that God raised Him from the dead. The apostle Paul wrote: "if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." (Rom 10:9). He made it clear that he was trusting in nothing but the blood of Jesus for his salvation. He and I had many discussions about the Lord and he had prayed together with me a few years earlier to invite Jesus Christ into his heart. During his final hospital stay before I left, we confirmed in prayer together that he was ready to meet his Maker.

In the final two days before he died, my father was seeing things in the invisible realm that nobody else could see. They had wrapped some white blankets around him as he was sitting there in his room, in order to keep him warm (see video). He commented to them that he thought he had already been given his heavenly robe (photo below).

My son preaches the Bible

Dad and Mom share a kiss in December 2008

Around Christmas time, approximately twelve days before my father died, my friend Dan Prescott went to visit him at the Epsom Manner nursing home, along with his fiancé, Valerie. He introduced himself as a friend of mine, then he played a couple worship tunes.

Dad made a comment like, “Let’s clear out the room and let people know you’re coming.” He was serious and he meant that if Dan was going to be playing his guitar, Dad wanted everyone else there to be able to enjoy it, too. Val read from the Psalms, maybe Psalm 91. Dad was blessed. He seemed content and reposed throughout the visit, just taking it all in. Dad talked proudly about me, saying, “My son preaches the Bible. I’m very proud of him.” This reminds me of what my sister Teresa told me about Dad. She said he would talk about me during her visits with him at the Epsom Manner.  One time he spoke about the fact that I had taken my family to Budapest, saying, “I’ve got to give him a lot of credit to go over there with his family.He must have had a good calling.”

Dad robed in white two days before he died

Blessed are those who wash their robes 
After I left the States, I asked a friend of mine named Don Bartlett if he would visit my father on my behalf and encourage him. Don called me shortly after Dad died to tell me he did visit my father as I had asked him to do, while Dad was still at the Epsom Manner. This was right after Christmas, so it was within a week and a half before Dad died. Don said he had a good visit with Dad and read some Scriptures to him.  He prayed for Dad and had a good conversation with him.

Apparently when Don turned to visit with the man next to Dad in his room, he set off the man’s security alarm next to his bed. Don turned to Dad, who had closed his eyes to rest, and said, “Wake-up call, Roger. Wake-up, call.”  He said that Dad chuckled at that.  But Don felt like it was significant that he read these Scriptures to Dad, which are for a person getting ready to go home to be with the Lord, and he had no idea Dad was so close to his time.

These are the passages Don read to Dad: Rev 21:1-4 and 22:1-5, 14.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away." (Rev 21:1-4).

Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever. (Rev 22:1-5)

Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city. (Rev 22:14)

Isn't it amazing! Just a week and a half after my friend Don read those Bible verses to my father, he went to be with Jesus and was walking the streets of gold in heaven. There is no pain, no crying, no death there! During his lifetime on earth, my father had washed his robe in Christ's blood. And when his earthly life had ended, he entered the gates into the Holy city. And I thank God that he is in glory now. I know I will see him again one day.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. 

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Healed of Chronic Leg Pain

I met a wonderful man today named Ekale from Cameroon. He has a joyful spirit and loves to laugh. He is a professional football player, known in the US as soccer. He used to play for the junior national team in Cameroon, Africa. Then he came to Hungary and played for the Ujpest team. Today he shared with me his testimony, and I want to share it with you. He said:

“I came to Hungary and I didn’t know the Lord. I was living in darkness. I mean I went as low as you can go into sin. And I began to have chronic pain in my legs. I went to many different doctors and they tried different medications, but nothing would help me. Most of the medications just caused more health problems for me. So the doctors didn’t know what to do. None of them knew what was wrong with me. This went on for eight years! In the end, the doctors said they would need to amputate one of my legs! They said that the following year they would probably need to cut the other leg off, too!”

The photo below shows the sad condition Ekale was in for so many years. The other photos he sent me show the grotesque disfigurement that this terrible illness did to his body. He told me that it wasn't just his legs. Each day it seemed that he would notice the disease spreading to some other area of his body. It was mainly attacking his spine, but other areas of his body were decaying as well.

He went on to say, “Then a friend of mine from Ghana, who was not even a Christian believer, told me that if I want to be healed, I should go to the International Church of Budapest. I didn’t know Jesus, but I went there. I had a little seed of faith in my heart that God would heal me. At the church, they prayed for me, and God completely healed me. Later after they shared the gospel with me, I gave my life to Jesus. And now for eight years I have had no pain in my legs at all, and I am free of medication. Praise God!”

Today Ekale is a walking testimony to the miracle power of Jesus Christ. To see him, you would never know that he was once so ill. He told me that when he visited the International Church of Budapest he did not believe in Jesus. But he did believe that if they prayed for him that he would be healed. Later, a man named Ebenezer from the church continued to stay in touch with Ekale. He shared the gospel with him and Ekale eventually repented of the way he was living in darkness. He departed from his hedonistic lifestyle and gave his life to the Lord. What an amazing miracle God did in his life.

Perhaps you are in pain and need the Lord to heal you. Jesus Christ loves you and knows about your problem. If you will cry out to him right now in faith believing, He can heal you. But even more importantly than that, He will save your soul, if you will repent of your sin and ask Him to forgive you.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

My Life Was Built on the Wrong Foundation

I have had the privilege of knowing David for over a year now. As our relationship has grown and I have spent time equipping him, I have watched him grow in his relationship with the Lord. I've watched him make Jesus the priority in his life, and although the narrow road he has chosen is not easy, he's got the joy of the Lord. Here's his testimony of how the Lord Jesus changed his life during the past year, as he has submitted to the process of becoming a disciple:

"I was born into a Christian family. My father taught me a lot from the Bible and I had faith in it. I recall one day as I was walking down the street, worshiping in my heart, I heard a voice say, 'I’ll never leave you alone.' I knew it was God who told me that. Following that experience, I got baptized.

However, after that, there were not many changes in my life. My first priorities were still my future career, my love life, etc. Then on July 15, 2009, my father died of cancer. At that point, I knew that I had to change my way of living.

I was in love with a girl. But then I lost my feelings for her and began to fall in love with her best friend. The two girls were my best friends, too. They realized what had happened and they both hated me for it. Consequently, losing their friendship caused me to fall into a deep depression.

Then I met Len at my father’s funeral. He mentioned the Life Transformation Group (LTG), which seemed very interesting and attractive to me. But I was so deep in depression. Then he asked me to pray about it and see if the Lord wanted me to be equipped in such a group. So I prayed and felt ok with it.

Once we started meeting together for discipleship, my life began to change. I started to realize that my life was built on the wrong foundation. The foundation of my life was myself. And once I realized it, I gave my life to Jesus 100%. I started to read the Bible regularly and God spoke to me through it. I was set free from depression. And my life is still in a process of change. I’m very thankful to Jesus, who saved my life and called me to Himself again. And I’m thankful to Len whom God sent, and who was used by God to change my life.

God bless all of you."

Obviously there has been a major change in his life that began on the inside and is working its way out. Those who know him well can see that there has been a definite and positive change in his life.

It's interesting that the Lord showed David his life was built on the wrong foundation. I'm reminded of the words Jesus spoke when He said:

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell--and great was its fall." (Mat 7:24-27)

The two houses Jesus told about may have looked similar on the outside, but only one was built on a proper foundation made of stone. The one built on the sand represented the person who hears the Jesus' words but does not put them into practice. That house was destroyed. But the man who puts Jesus' words into practice will never be destroyed. Though the storms of life may come, he will stand, because he's built his life on the solid Rock. That's what David has done. He's begun to build on the Rock that is Jesus Christ and no longer upon his own self. As a result, the Lord is blessing him as well as others whose lives he is touching.

Attribution notice: Scripture quotation taken from the NASB. 

Author's Note: You are invited to view David's blog, called Just Me and Daddy.  And you may find my collection of blogs at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Like a Man Finding a Pearl of Great Price

A lady we know in our church, named Gyöngyi (pronounced JEN-jee), testified to a real miracle of God’s provision yesterday. She owns a flat that she rents out, in order to bring in much needed income. She explained that she is a pensioner due to a disability, and the pension alone is not enough for her and her husband.

She said, “Recently our tenants moved out suddenly and unexpectedly, leaving the place in bad condition. We prayed about this and asked the Lord to provide. Then one day as we were driving down the road in our car, my husband said, ‘The twenty thousand forints!’ He stopped the car, got out, and bent down behind the car to pick up what he thought was a single, twenty-thousand-forint bill. But as it turned out there were two of them. They were fresh, crisp bills that were folded together perfectly. It was obvious they had never been in anyone’s pocket or wallet, because they were completely new and unwrinkled. They had been lying right in the street in front of our car as we drove along!”

For those who don’t live in Hungary, you need to understand that twenty thousand forints are equal to a little more than one hundred US dollars. So this is no small amount of money.

She went on to say, “Then not long after that, as I was walking along a sidewalk, I looked down and found what I thought was another twenty-thousand-forint bill. But when I picked it up, I realized there was also ten-thousand-forint bill with it, so it was actually thirty-thousand forints! Nearby there lived a lady we know, who was outside in front of her home. I went over and spoke with her, in case this belonged to her. But she didn’t say anything about having lost any money. So I knew that this was the Lord’s provision once again. These were just like the bills we found in the street recently. They were fresh, crisp, new bills that had never been in anyone’s pocket or wallet.”

“My husband can’t understand why God answers my prayers this way and not his. I think the reason is that he always says that we must work for every forint and you can’t just expect money to fall from heaven. But I believe that God can do miracles when we pray. In fact, I once had a dog that would find money like this and bring it home to us. So I do believe that God’s angels placed those bills on the ground for us.” This was not the first time the Lord Jesus answered Gyöngyi’s prayers this way. And she definitely gave Him praise yesterday for this.

It’s interesting to note that Gyöngyi’s name is connected with the word, “Pearl”. And like when a person finds a pearl of great price, the Lord has blessed her more than once allowing her to find large amounts of money in answer to prayer when she is in great need. It’s just amazing how the Lord does the impossible to show us His love and supernatural care for His children. And I also agree with Gyöngyi that the Lord did this in response to her great faith.

I’m reminded of all the passages where we see that Jesus did miracles in response to a person’s faith in Him. If you search the gospels, you’ll see what I mean. Over and over, Jesus would say, “Your faith has made you whole,” or “Because of your great faith, you may go. Your daughter is healed.” The Lord still honors simple, childlike faith in Him. What are you trusting God for today? Do you believe He can do anything He wants in order to meet your need in answer to your prayers to Him in His son Jesus’ name? Let me encourage you to do so today.

I’m also reminded of the words of Jesus Christ, who said, “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.” (Mat 13:45-46). Pearls found naturally, rather than today’s man-made pearls, are very valuable. A wise merchant finding such a precious pearl would sell all his earthly possessions in order to have enough money to take that one little pearl into his possession. He would do so knowing it is worth more than all he owns. And Jesus taught us that God’s Kingdom is like that, too. There is a kind of discovery that you need to have, where you find Jesus. At that moment you come to know for yourself his great value to you personally. When that happens, you will forsake all else to follow Him. Have you found Jesus personally? Have you forsaken yourself and all you hold dear to follow Him?

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. The "Rare Treasure" painting by my seventeen-year old daughter, C.V. Lacroix. You can find more of her lovely artwork at A Brush with Life.

Author's Note: See my daughter's poem, called "Pearl in the Sand." I also recommend reading The Truth Set Me Free! and The Cult of Mormonism. You are invited to my collection of blogs at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

He Forgave Those Who Threw Gasoline in His Eyes

I want to boast about a man I know named Milan, who is a dear, older man in my church. Some beggars here in Hungary threw gasoline in his eyes, and for months he was blind and in pain. His eyes were constantly leaking.

When I pray for people to be healed, I sometimes ask them if they have anyone they need to forgive, because sometimes healing is hindered by unforgiveness. When I asked him if he was able to forgive the people who did this to him, he affirmed that emphatically without hesitation. We prayed for him to be healed and the pain is now gone, but his vision is still cloudy. He is still trusting God for total healing, and so are we.

I admire him for his ability to trust the Lord and forgive his enemies in the face of such tragedy. Jesus taught us, "For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions." (Mat 6:14-15).

Attribution notice: Scripture quotation taken from the NASB.