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Dr. Wayne Carlson is motivated by his dad's example

On November 24, 1964, the BBC reported a story that shocked the world. Simba extremists in Stanleyville, Congo, had shot and killed a young doctor and missionary from southern California named Paul Carlson. Within days the Christian physician's face was on the cover of both Time and Life magazines.

Dr. Wayne Carlson, now living in suburban Chicago, was only 9 years old at the time of his father's murder. Because of a growing insurgency in the Congo, he along with his mother and younger sister had been evacuated months earlier to a safer location across the river in the Central African Republic. Since the mission hospital in Wasolo was understaffed, Wayne's 36-year-old dad felt compelled to return to care for critically ill patients.

"Even though it's been 40 years, I can still recall the events of that time," Wayne says. "My dad crossed the river by dugout canoe to check in on us before he was captured. I had no idea it would be the last time I'd see him."

What played out that unforgettable November day was the culmination of a dramatic call to ministry. Fresh out of medical school, Dr. Paul Carlson received an invitation to do a short-term assignment in the Congo. Moved by the physical needs of the Congolese people, he realized God could use his professional skills in that country.

Carlson returned to the Congo with his wife, Lois, and two small children as career missionaries. Supported by the Evangelical Covenant denomination, he oversaw a primitive 50-bed hospital in addition to making house calls on motorbike and performing surgeries by flashlight.

Eighteen months after arriving in the Congo, Carlson was taken hostage in Stanleyville, where he was tortured physically and mentally. Ironically, he was killed an hour before Belgian paratroopers liberated the area.

Besides the painful memories associated with his father's death, there is one other thing Wayne Carlson cannot forget. "When it all is said and done, I want my life as a Christian physician to make a difference in the lives of people just like my dad's did." In honor of his dad, he plans to return to Africa this winter on a medical missions trip.

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