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About me - Rich Huffstutler

About me

A Testimony Journey of Faith

I wish to share with you a testimony of the power of God in one man's lifea man who came before God and agreed with Godno matter what You wanted, it would be done. It is a story of faith. It is a story that allows others to know that God is alive and well here on planet, EarthGod is real and His Word is true.

I have completed two walks across this country and each one God has shown me what He can accomplish through faith. It is my desire to share first hand experiences what God can accomplish through faith in Him. My first walk started on January 1, 1984. I spent two and half years walking over 1,800 milesbeginning in Blacksburg, Virginia, onto Savannah, Georgia, then across to the Panhandle of Texas. I began the walk with only fifty cents in my pocket and faith in God. Faiththat God would take care of all my needs, if only I made myself available to Him. I never had to ask for anythingGod provided all my needs. My second walk began in Hastings, Minnesota on June 1, 1997. I walked 1,380 miles in nine months, ending the walk at New Orleans, LA. On neither walk, did I ever have a need that God did not supply.

God has used events in my past to not only to mold me, but also that He may be glorified. Even as a child, God watched over me though I did not realize that thenI was born in Torrance, California, (a suburb of Los Angeles) on November 21, 1962. I was the third of four children. My parents divorced after my father had sexually abused my sister. I had been named after my father so when he went to prisonI received the brunt of the anger and hate from my maternal grandparents and from my sister. I was a constant reminder of my dad for them and what he had done. Edna, my sister, tried to drown me once in the bathtub. My grandmother locked me out of their home and even threw ice water in my face. As a child, it was difficult to understand their actions towards me.

Edna, my sister, later was placed in a mental institution and then shuffled in and out of different foster homes. My older brother, Norman, had had Spinal Meningitis which caused a learning disability. He may have been slow at learning, but he always had the biggest heart. He, too, was placed in foster care. I remember the day he was taken awayneither Martin (my youngest brother) or I understood why they were taking our big brother awaythey had already taken our sister awaynow our brother?

When Jim was drunk (which was most of the time), he would be very abusive. Mom, Martin, and I hid in the closet when Jim would come home from the bars, because we knew not only would he be drunk, but also violent. We would wait in the closet until he fell on off to sleep. Mom, at times, would want us to call him "Dad." I never could, to mehe was always "Jim." One day when we were driving down the road, Martin and I were in the back seat playing and fighting, as two young boys would do. Mom turned and looked at us and said "Boys, I have to tell you, we are going to put you in foster homes."

Later, when I was in high school, I lived at Leroy's Boys Home in Lavern, California. At Leroy's, we were required to go to church on Sunday or we had to stay home and sweep the drivewaysso I began attending a small Nazarene Church. At this church, there was a time during the service the alter would be opened up for the people to come and pray. I did this every Sunday, mainly because I thought it looked good and I thought that was my religious duty. This continued until I met a man at the church, John Braswell. John and I began talking at a church function, and to tell you the truthI cannot even remember what we had talked about that day. The very next Sunday, I remember walking down to the alter againJohn got up out of the choir and came down to where I was and prayed with me and I accepted Christ into my life that day.

When I left the boy's home, I went to live with my sister, Edna, who at the time was dating a drug dealer in Dallas. Edna and I butted' heads and she kicked me out of her house. I decided then to go to Ohio to visit my father. I had not seen him in 11 years, but when I arrived, he wanted nothing to do with me. I left Ohio never knowing who he was any more so than before I had gotten there.

I returned to California and joined the Navy. When I got into the Navy, I developed a very negative attitude. Many in the Navy, at that time, were going to the clubs, getting drunk, and drugs were everywhere. I wound up going AWOL from the Navy and stole a friend's car. I was gone thirty days before I turned myself inhad I been gone longer it would have been considered desertion which would have been Leavenworth time. My friend decided not to press charges on me for stealing his car. When I returned to my base in California, I continued with the same negative attitude. I was offered a Project Upgrade, which was in essence the Navy politely asking me to leave. I accepted and went back to Dallas once more to live with my sister. This time, I was into the same things.

I, too, had begun taking the different drugs and was selling drugs to the strippers and clientele at the strip clubs. I cared about no one, not even myself. Life, for me, was nothing more than a very dark existence. I had even gone as far as placing a barrel of a shotgun in my mouth, I never pulled the trigger, but I sure wanted to. Life continued like this; until I witnessed a friend (drugged up) decide to run across the interstate in Dallas on Central Parkwayshe never made it across to the other side.

This made me stop and take a good look at my life. I opened my eyes and saw that if I continued down this path, I would wind up dead or in prisonneither of those choices looked all that good to me. I took a good look at my life...I looked around and told myself, "Well, Rich, you have tried to lead your own life and do things your own way, and this is where it has gotten you, you have done a great job, haven't you?!" I realized I had notand that God had to do a better job than what I had done. I came before God and told Him that I had made a mess of my life, and that no matter what He wanted I would do, because He had to be able to do a better job than what I had done with it.

I took my Bible out and began reading. I remember God talking to my heart and asking me, "Will you really follow Me, no matter what?" and that scared me! I did not know what God would ask of me, but I had decided my life had to better in His handsso I answered, "Yes, Lord, no matter what." As I continued to readI read Luke 10, and I read how Christ sent out the seventy disciples and told them to go forth into every city and place where He, Himself was going to come and to prepare the way for His coming because the harvest was great and the laborers were few. He sent them out on faith, faith that He would provide all their needs. God told them to take the message of Christ with them. I said, "Well, surely God, You can't be talking to me? What will I eat? Where will I sleep? How will I survive?" I began to read moreGod showed me, Matthew 6, where He talks of the fact that He feeds the birds of the air and He clothes the lilies of the field, and if He takes care of them how much more will He take care of us, only if we seek His kingdom and His righteousness first, then all these things will be added unto us. It said don't worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will take care of itself, just be sufficient for the things of today. So I said, "OK, God, You're the Boss."

So began my first walk, I started in Blacksburg, Virginia, with fifty cents in my pocket. I had only gone about a half mile when I stopped at a store to get a soft drink with the fifty cents and as I was there, a man came out of the store. He asked where I was goingI shared my testimony as I told him what I was doing walking for Jesus.' He said, "Well, that's great, where did you start?" I answered, "Ohabout a half mile back." He then shared with me that he was a youth pastor and asked if I would stop in the town down the road and speak with his youth. I said sureI had never spoken before a group before this. God used me to have an impact on the youth there, as well as others who heard my testimony in the next 2 years after that afternoon.

I wish I could say that after that time, I never fell again, but I cannot. I can say though that God's promises remain true. I will be the first to claimI am only human, forgiven, and loved by Christ. This walk' with God is a relationship, a daily walk, and sometimes we do fall. When we do though, we can stand on the fact that God is always there. All we have to do is look to HimHe is a parent, friend, companion, Lord, Savior, fortress, a place of shelterHis love knows no bounds. Paul wrote that the three greatest things are faith, hope, and love. I have found them all to be very powerful tools, gifts, and promises. I have seen their power in my lifeGod's word is true.

When I had finished the walk, I joined an international Christian ministry. I enrolled in their Leadership Developmental Institute. It was a place where one lived, worked, and studied on the grounds in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It was a great organizationstill is. I found though that I had many who would come to me and tell me, "Rich, I really feel God wants you to learn this in your life" and another would tell me, "Rich, I think God wants you also to learn this in your life" I had so many people trying to tell me what God wanted me to learn in my life, I tried to do all they had told me God wanted me to learn in my life. I found out I couldn't do it all over night. Every time I opened my Bibleall I saw were more things God wanted me to learn. I had listened to others so much that I had not really been listening to the things God wanted me to learn. I quit really spending time with God and I became empty again, eventually ruining my testimony at that time.

I started working at another restaurant, one of the nicest places to work in the Cincinnati area, the Waterfront in Covington Kentucky. I was making great money, serving celebrities, sports' stars, CEO's of large companies, etc. The people I worked with were great! Then in March of 1997, Cincinnati was hit with its flood. The Waterfront had to close during that time. I had two choices: I could either sit at home and watch television or I could get out and help. I helped open and run a relief shelter in California, Ohio, a small suburb of Cincinnati right on the river. For the next ten days, I was there close to sixteen hours every day and once again really got a chance to see God use me to touch other lives. When I went back to the Waterfront, I was still making the same great money, still working with the same great group of people, but I really did not feel like I was making a difference.

I prayed about it and decided to yet do another walk. This time, I would walk the length of the Mississippi Riversince it ties together the Northern part of the United States as well as the Southern part along with the East to the West. There were those that said I was nuts to leave a great job, just to go out and walk. They said to me, "Now, Rich, you're not the same as you were fourteen years ago, and this country is not the same." I said, "Yes, but God is still the same."

I began in Hastings, Minnesota on June 1, 1997. On the first day out, I walked sixteen milesoh I was so sore, blistered, sunburned, and told myself this was the stupidest idea I had ever come up with. I decided that I really didn't want to do this walk after all. I was kicking myself for all my bravado. "Oh yes, I was going to walk the river," I had told everyone. To tell the truth, now that I was thereI had no clue what I was doing there.

It had starting to get dark; when I topped a hillI had dragged myself up the hill and could walk no farther. I had no idea where I was going to stay that nightand then on top of the hill was a farmhouse across the road. After knocking on the door; a gentleman answered and asked, "Can I help you?" I told him what I was doing and asked if I could use his barn for the night. He and his wife invited me in, fixed me a hot dinner, let me use the shower, and offered me the use of the guestroom for the night. The next morning, they fixed me a hot breakfast and the gentleman told me "By the way, I have a backpack you might like to use." He gave me a backpack. I left thereknowing without a doubt God was in on this walk. I received a letter from this man latertelling me how when I had left, he had cried, because of the faith he saw in me, and he had told God he wanted that same kind of faith.

I walked another fifteen miles down the roadcame to Red Wing, Minnesota. I did not know it at that time, but Red Wing was the home of Red Wing Shoe Company, who just happened have made Vasque hiking boots, which were some the best hiking boots. The friendly folks at Red Wing gave me a brand new pair of Vasque Hiking Boots. I did try to break them in over the next sixteen milesjust a note never do thisfeet were so sore and blistered. Next, I arrived in Winona, Minnesota. I was able to speak at a church and through that I was able to get a tent. So once again, God had supplied all of my needs according to His riches and glory.