Fingerprints: Ricardo
Ricardo
There are some people from our past that have left an imprint in our lives who never spoke much but said a lot. Our actions often speak louder than words and that was the case for Ricardo Flores. Ricardo was meek and strong, always gave of himself and his time and never once did I ever hear him complain, he was a friend to everyone, he was a family man and he loved kids, and he could always be found at church when the church was open. The first several verses in the fifth chapter of Matthew in the Bible are called the “Beatitudes.” The beatitudes say that blessed are they that have been like Ricardo and that they will inherit the earth, they will be shown mercy, they will see God and they will be called the children of God.
In the early 1980’s after my parents separated we moved to El Paso, Texas and lived there for almost ten years. We attended an Assembly of God church and soon my brothers and I were involved in the Royal Rangers program at the church. Ricardo was my group leader or outpost leader and right from the beginning I knew that there was something very different and special about him. He had a very humble spirit and always did things to help and better others. He was always positive and encouraging, he was the kind of individual that makes you feel better about yourself after being around him. It was not just him, it was really a group of men who were mentoring boys for Christ. At that moment in my life I didn’t have a father at home and these men like Ricardo and Mario Escobedo were the father figure and example of godly men in my life. They taught me to be a young man for God and love and respect my neighbor and to do unto others as I would have them do to me. They taught me everything from camping skills to cooking skills and from being courageous to sharing my faith. Some boys from that group of Royal Rangers which they ministered to on a weekly basis some have turned out to be pastors, missionaries, bible school professors and men of God that had been changed and transformed by men like Ricardo and Mario. When I look at my life I can see Ricardo’s and Mario’s fingerprints in my soul to this day. They have helped to shape my life and helped to make me the man of God that I am today.
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