There would be a lot of people who would watch our program and hear about Operation Blessing and not know that it was the Lord speaking to Pat that created Operation Blessing. It was him, in his quiet time with the lord, which he has done faithfully every day. He was taken to Isaiah 58 and challenged to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, take the poor in, care for them.
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Having the opportunity to have sat next to him for so many years, he loved when I would come back from being somewhere in the world and tell him what things were happening, how Operation Blessing was making a difference, how peoples' lives were being touched.
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He had a tremendous compassionate heart for people in need. Pat was such a voice in our culture for righteousness, and a voice in politics for righteousness too. Often, I think people heard that and maybe wouldn't have known about the tenderness of his heart. But he was a man who really saw a need and was touched by it and moved to do something to make a difference.
To this day, tons of food every month goes out across this country to hungry families. When there's disaster relief needed, Operation Blessing is first on the spot and last to leave. And he is the one who was the catalyst for all of that, the one saying, "Get the job done." If there was a mantra for him, I think that (laughs) might be it. "Get the job done. With excellence."****
I saw in him a tremendous respect and regard for Dede (his wife). She's been quite a quiet presence on this campus over the years and I think that she was a great sounding board for Pat. You know, when you're the person at the top of an organization, sometimes it's hard to find somebody who's going to be that objective sounding board for you.
Dede was that for Pat. And Pat had the greatest regard for her as the mother of his children and the keeper of his home, you know? I think one of the fondest memories I have of him is just hearing him over the years talk about her. Dede went through some very difficult struggles in her health and issues over the years, and he had tremendous compassion for what she was going through. A lesser man could have gotten very caught up in the bigness of the issues here and not been able to get to that place. But he watched her walk with strength through those places, and had the greatest respect for her -- greatest love for her. They just were very attached to each other. It's quite a wonderful legacy to pass on.****
You know, I think if Pat could say something to all of us, I think it would be, "Carry on." I think it would be, "Press on."Â I think it would be, "Get the job done." He was a guy who saw the big picture, but took the next step. I think the thing that inspires all of us was sometimes he took the step when he didn't know how it was going to manifest itself. And because of that we sit on this amazing acreage with huge buildings that are, to this day, still turning out students who are out to change the world, who are is turning out stories of life-changing going on around the world.
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We live in an interesting day where I think we're going to be called as believers to stand up for the principles of what we believe, to provide what's needed to get the job done at a time where there might not be the same benefits there were in the past for that. And, you know, that might be our test. Are we willing?
There is that scripture Pat always quoted, "May your people be willing in the day of your power." And yes, may the answer from all of us be, "God, here we are, send us. Use us. We're here."
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I used to say to him, "Pat, wherever I travel, I wish you could know, it doesn't matter what country I'm in, it doesn't matter what I'm there for, always, always there are people who come up to me and say, 'I found the Lord through watching Pat Robertson on The 700 Club.'"