There are in me right now some very deep emotions and I can't really go any farther without sort of letting some of them out.

Lonea's last song touched one of them.

I have four sons and three of them

are more or less on the mission field right now.

A 17 year old and a 14 year old and a 10 year old.

One in Florida, one in Papua New Guinea, and one of them on the way to Chicago from Minneapolis

tomorrow and for a father to have four sons, three of whom have a heart for missions is a powerful

thing.

Number two is I attended my wife's seminar today and it was good.

And I'm so thankful that I married Noel.

Met her right here on this campus, 1966, which leads me to the third emotion. The last time I stood on this platform lowered about

24 inches like it is, only stood here once before, like this behind this pulpit.

Was I believe the summer of 1965, I was just finishing my freshman year here and I was taking speech in the summer school

quickie program because up until that time in my life I could not speak in public.

During high school and junior high school I refused every office because you had to give speeches,

you know, and I took C's in my civics classes because I would not give oral book reports and I couldn't. My throat clamped up,

my knees shook, I became virtually paralyzed in front of any group bigger than my family.

That summer, everybody had to take speech in those days.

And so I said, I'll take speech in those days.

And so I said, I'll take it in the quickie because there's only about 10 or 13 people in the

class and I told speeches about barbells and things like that and it was fun and I squeaked through.

Chaplain Evan Welch, toward the end of that time,

...