Visitation

Tonight I went to the visitation for our former pastor, Dr. Russell Rice. I don't think there is anyone who ever knew Dr. Rice who doesn't smile when they think of him. He was a people person extraordinare. Tonight he was dressed in his best "preaching suit," with his hands crossed, his Bible in one hand and his glasses in his other, and he looked so natural that he could have just gotten up and gone to the pulpit.

I remember telling him once that I needed 15 minutes to discuss some missions matters with him. Two hours later, I finally had to get him to stop telling stories as the kids were out of school by then! Or when Mike was in the hospital with back surgery, and he was telling stories so intensely that he didn't notice when Mike's supper tray came. . .and the food started cooling. . .and got colder, and colder. Dr. Rice was oblivious, he was having such a good time talking to Mike and me one on one.

I remember Dr. Rice's love for the Monterrey missions work, and will never forget watching him hand out Scofield KJV study Bibles to a hundred or so Mexican pastors during the Bible conference in 1998 that we took about 30 people to Mexico to participate in. People were his love, his heart, his ministry. He had no need at all to extol his own virtues and was not out for himself. He was a great man.