Some lives move quietly through business and family until a single moment rewrites the whole direction.
Richard Farris spent years in business before a personal tragedy turned his attention toward people facing disaster.
In this conversation, he reflects on what it means to show up, to care for the person in front of him, and to trust God when the answers reach beyond him.
A Calling Beyond Business
Richard describes a personal tragedy that prompted a turning point — a move out of business and into disaster response.
What had been a career became a calling, and the skills of everyday work gave way to the posture of a chaplain.
Ready to Respond
Richard serves as a Foursquare Missions International worker assigned to Foursquare Disaster Relief.
He serves through Living Grace Foursquare Church, and the support of partners helps him remain ready to respond when the next call comes.
Readiness is its own ministry — the waiting, the training, the staying available between deployments.
Kindness Opens a Door in Turkey
While serving in Turkey after the earthquake, Richard sat down to play with a little girl.
That small act of kindness opened a door — the family welcomed him and asked him to pray.
He carries the moment as a reminder that ministry in a disaster zone often begins not with answers but with presence.
Caring for Those Who Care
Richard is honest about the emotional strain disaster work places on responders.
He speaks about debriefing, about caring for the people who care for others, and about tending the tenders.
Prayer, giving, and service all have a place — not only for those served, but for those who serve.
Hope for a Child in Panama
On a separate Living Grace medical mission in Panama, the team met a severely burned child.
They urged the family toward hospital care and offered medicine and prayer alongside it.
Richard recounts her later return to school and credits God for a recovery he could not explain.
Serving Through the Local Church
Richard's deployments work in partnership with local churches, weaving relief into the life of a community that will remain long after the responders leave.
The local church becomes both a base of operations and a lasting presence.
It is a model that keeps relief from being a drop-in and turns it into a relationship.
A Place for Everyone to Help
Richard is clear that disaster response is not only for those who deploy.
Prayer, giving, and service each open a way in — and supporters help keep responders ready.
There is a place at the table for everyone who wants to help.
Final Thoughts
Richard's conversation is a quiet challenge to the way most of us move through our days.
He reminds us that readiness is a form of love, that presence often comes before answers, and that the person in front of us is the mission.
And that hope, in the hardest places, is not always a solution — sometimes it is simply someone who stays.
Key Takeaways
- 01A calling can grow out of an ordinary life — even a life in business.
- 02Readiness is its own ministry; staying available matters between deployments.
- 03Small acts of kindness can open doors that words never could.
- 04Care for the responders, not only the rescued — debriefing and prayer sustain the work.
- 05There is a place for everyone to help — through prayer, giving, or service.