“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’” – Matthew 25:31
Our family met Roy Curry through Grace Klein Community delivering food to him in the fall of 2009.
During the past five years, our relationship with Mr. Roy has changed how we think about many things. You see, there are some who might think Mr. Roy is poor, but we know that he is wealthy beyond measure.
“Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which He has promised to those who love him?” – James 2:5
Mr. Roy is retired and lives alone. His life is a beautiful example of how God can use brokenness and suffering to advance His kingdom. Mr. Roy’s background is filled with pain, suffering and addiction. When my husband first met him, Mr. Roy was just beginning his life again.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” – 2 Corinthians 5:17
Through God’s prevenient grace, Mr. Roy was starting a new chapter in his life. With a smile that would brighten your day and a heart filled with worship and the joy of the Lord, we watched Mr. Roy begin to serve Jesus in everything he did. He started and led a bible study at a drug rehabilitation facility, while providing donated Bibles to all who attended. He was faithful (and still is) to meet each month in Kelly Ingram Park just after sunrise to pray for the less fortunate in our city. Mr. Roy also shops for shoes with his own money at thrift stores for the needy. He prays God will point him to the right people in need. I watched in awe the unlikely, yet beautiful, relationship growing between my husband and Mr. Roy. Tim would pick Mr. Roy up for men’s small group once a week and I could tell how much they valued their time together. Some may have thought Tim was simply being kind or ‘helping’ Mr. Roy, but I think Mr. Roy was an inspiration to Tim.
They began delivering Grace Klein Community food boxes together in 2010. In 2011, Mr. Roy took on a route of his own. He has faithfully delivered numerous boxes each month ever since. …And most of that time, he delivered without even owning a car. It’s hard for me to put my mind around that. I’ve found lame excuses not to deliver boxes for a dozen different reasons, but not Mr. Roy. Since he began food delivery in 2010, Mr. Roy’s never missed a single month. In the past, he would enlist the help of relatives, friends, and brothers in Christ to provide transportation, but we later learned he has paid others to drive him for food delivery. “As long as I have breath in my body, I will deliver these boxes. This is my way of giving back to the Lord for all he has done for me,” says Mr. Roy.
It only takes a few minutes discussing food delivery with Mr. Roy to see his love for the families and individuals he serves monthly. “I would drive by these homes, and you could never know from the outside how much pain and suffering and abuse was on the inside.” Mr. Roy shared about one particular food recipient. After a few months with them not being home, he beat on their door relentlessly and determined he wouldn’t leave until someone came to the door. When it was finally answered, the husband shared his wife had recently had surgery to amputate her leg. Mr. Roy stayed, visited and prayed with them. He is faithful to pray with each family to which he delivers food, and we know those families are blessed beyond measure by his friendship. Mr. Roy is a beautiful picture of the body of Christ…the hands and feet of Jesus. Our family is honored to call him friend.
“For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.” – 1 Corinthians 1:26-29
– Renee Linderman