I met Richard when I was helping lead the South Hollywood Church Plant. His nephew, a longtime financial supporter of World Impact, let us know that Richard was going to be released from prison soon into a halfway house close to our church. He was wondering if we would spend some time discipling him and being a community for him. My co-worker Dave Gutierrez and I followed up with Richard, and began visiting him in 2006.
While in prison, Richard had come to know Jesus after a crazy near-death experience. Since then, he had a spirit of gratitude and love for the Lord that he couldn’t contain. I enjoyed getting to know Richard immensely, and hear his stories, and wonder at the transformation that God had rendered in him.
Since I always go home around the holidays to visit my family, one of my only Christmas memories that I have in Los Angeles with World Impact involves Richard. For whatever reason, I could not get airline tickets home that year until the day after Christmas. I remember Richard living in a men’s group home at the time, and he was going to be by himself. Since I was also going to be in LA, I invited him over for Christmas dinner and a humble gift exchange. Sadly, he was under the weather that day, and didn’t feel up to going out, so I had the wonderful privilege of bringing him a meal and giving him a framed photo of a significant memory we had experienced with the church.
Richard only lived around a year after that. He had significant health problems as a result of many of his days and choices before Jesus, but he never let them steal his joy. I cannot wait until I see him again in the new earth, restored and renewed. Maybe there are others in your church or neighborhood that will be spending the holiday alone. Taking or sharing a meal is a powerful, tangible, and memorable way to love those God trusts us enough to minister to and amongst.
Merry Christmas from World Impact! Read more Christmas memories here.