My new friend ~ Richard

The Kansas City birthday celebration was filled with joy, blending family time with adventures. A chance encounter during a walk led to helping a lost gentleman, showcasing the unexpected kindness of strangers.

I was in Kansas City for a birthday party for the weekend. It’s always so much fun to spend time with people I love.

I live in a rural area where shopping is very limited so that is another perk of visiting the city besides time with family. We celebrated a birthday and had a few other adventures too. It was a fun weekend.

I have been trying to get in a walk each day so after the birthday party I thought I’d go out & get some steps in before settling in for the evening & watching a movie with my family.

I knew there wasn’t much daylight left so I took off walking. I was not overly familiar with the neighbourhood so as dusk was approaching quicker than I had anticipated, I knew I needed to head back to my daughters house.

Not long after I had started back there was a car slowly approaching me. I was getting a little concerned since I really didn’t know the neighbourhood very well. I decided I would just keep walking and ignore this slow moving vehicle. As the car got next to me it stopped and the window rolled down. The driver was trying to talk to me.

I was really concerned at this time. I thought, am I going to be taken against my will? It didn’t take me long to see I wasn’t in any danger. The driver was an elderly gentleman who was lost and very confused. He was hoping I could help him find his way home. Remember, I’m not familiar with this area at all so I knew I wouldn’t be of much help. And for some reason I didn’t have my phone with me. I knew this isn’t exactly a safe thing to do especially when you’re not in a familiar neighbourhood.

He was very confused and getting more upset. What I did next goes against everything I’ve been taught. I got inside the car with him! I thought if I could get him back to my daughters house there would be someone there who could help me get this gentleman safely home. With the state of his mind at this time it was apparent he wouldn’t be able to navigate this by himself.

While in his car I helped him get to my daughter’s home. I had him stay in the car while I ran inside to recruit some help. The help came from my son-in-law Braden, who is very familiar with this area. The gentleman was so confused he couldn’t remember his address. Fortunately we were able to find his address on a paper in his car.

Braden drove ahead of us while we followed. As we were driving I got to know him a little better. His name was Richard, his wife was out of town and he had been riding a horse with his grandson that day. My heart felt so bad for him. He was obviously confused and felt embarrassed about the entire situation. I tried to assure him that it was fine and we were happy to be able to help him.

We were able to get him home, found his phone and contacted his grandson who came by to check on him. We hugged him and reassured him that he was safe now and that we were grateful to be able to help him.

This definitely wasn’t how I thought our evening was going to go – it was better. I really do feel like God had me at that exact place at the same time Richard needed my help. God used Braden and I to help him.

When we got back to the house I needed to take time to process how everything unfolded. There was a lot that had happened in a short amount of time yet everything worked out. We were all safely back in our homes now.

I don’t understand how Richard ended up in this area so many miles away from his own neighbourhood. For some reason God wanted Richard and I to cross paths. I knew God had used me. I was blessed to be able to help someone in need. I pray Richard will remain safe and continue to be loved by his family.

“When we have the opportunity to help anyone, we should do it . . ” Galatians 6:10

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Author: 2faithfulsisters

My name is Barb Ninemire. I live in Hill City, Kansas, it’s a small town in the NW part of the state. I’ve been married to my husband Lon for 40 years. We have two children. Our daughter Krysten is married to Braden and she has a beautiful daughter, Klara and a rambunctious 2 year old Elliot. Our son, Lewen and his wife Ashley have two sweet little girls Isabelle and Lillian. Being grandparents has brought so much joy to our lives! I grew up in Indiana and am the youngest from a family of two children. My sister Janet was 14 months older than me. I never new life without her. We were the best of friends! You may have noticed that I am referencing her in the past tense. Six years ago we were right in the middle of preparing her for a bone marrow transplant. I was blessed to be a 100% match for her so I was able to be her donor. She lived in Virginia and I live in Kansas. That meant a lot of flying back and forth for me. I didn’t care at all, it was actually fun because I was able to spend so much extra time with my favorite person! The transplant was in June. She did amazing, and all of her numbers were looking great. I flew back to Kansas a week after the transplant. Soon after I was home things weren’t going as well as they had been. She had graft vs host which is basically her body rejecting the donors bone marrow. She lived just a few short weeks after that. I had never watched someone die before. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever experienced. I wasn’t emotionally ready for anything this devastating. I began to journal my experiences through my grief. My hope is that I can share some of what I went through and how I dealt with this great loss in my life. Life is good - but sometimes its hard. I depend on the Lord and His word for my strength during those times.

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