I was able to visit with Sukij at the hospital briefly on Monday and Tuesday. He was pretty tired on Monday but showed more energy on Tuesday. It was a great privilege and joy to see him and hug him. We have been friends since we met at the Dale Carnegie Training about 12 years ago.

I doubt that Sukij has ever told his friends how famous he became in that 12 week course. Every week there is a vote for the best speaker and at the end there is a vote for the best overall speaker. Sukij won more awards than anyone else and he took the top honor on the final night. When he spoke he captured everyone's attention, his humor was sweet and never sarcastic. His stories were self revealing, intimate, and heartfelt. He was in a word--amazing. I made it a point to meet him and make a friend of him. Which you know is an easy thing to do.

In the course of our conversations this week we spoke of life, mission, and purpose. I asked him if he'd completed his mission, "did you do it? Did you do what you set out to do?" he answered me "Yes, I did do it. I was not perfect but I did my best" He pointed to his Bible on the window sill and asked me to bring it to him. He reminded me of the time we sat and worked out a mission statement for him many years ago. Then he told me that he had a mission statement from when he was young (in high school) that he had written in the front of that Bible. I opened the Bible and read out loud what he had written there:

Lord, I give up all my own plans and purposes

All my own desires and hopes

And accept Thy will for my life.

I give myself, my life, my all

Utterly to Thee to be Thine forever.

Fill me and seal me with Thy Holy Spirit

Use me as Thou wilt, send me where Thou wilt

And work out Thy whole will in my life at any cost now and forever.

By:Betty Scott Stam

He said the author had written it better than he could have said it. I don't know about that but I will say this:

My Dear Sukij, you have lived it better than anyone could have written it.

You are the inspiration and enthusiasm and love of God as alive in one human man as it can be. Thank you for letting me be your friend.

As I promised you: We will all pray you home tomorrow. Sukij's flight will take 24 hrs. He is worried about having the strength to get through the journey. I told him I would pray all day for him so he could borrow my strength and reach his goal. I know all of you will join in that mission on Thursday.