Hi, my name is Neri Shalala.
I met Rob 7 years ago when I was fleeing my home in Virginia Beach because of an upcoming storm that was projected to flood the zone I lived in.
In true Rob and Debbi fashion, I was offered shelter without ever having met. I knew I’d have somewhere to sleep but what I didn’t expect was the spiritual shelter I’d receive as well.
I’ll be honest. Having to decide what to share today wasn’t easy.
Do I share about how Rob lovingly stepped into a role that had been vacant most of my life?
Do I share about how he led my now husband to the Lord after having been a prodigal for years?
Do I share about how much of a gift it was having him be the one to marry us?
A few weeks ago, while reading I came across a verse- a whole chapter really- that immediately captivated my attention.
It reads,
”How can a young person live a clean life?
By carefully reading the map of your Word.
I’m single-minded in pursuit of you; don’t let me miss the road signs you’ve posted. I’ve banked your promises in the vault of my heart so I won’t sin myself bankrupt.
Be blessed, God; train me in your ways of wise living. I’ll transfer to my lips all the counsel that comes from your mouth; I delight far more in what you tell me about living than in gathering a pile of riches. I ponder every morsel of wisdom from you, I attentively watch how you’ve done it. I relish everything you’ve told me of life, I won’t forget a word of it. *“
Psalms 119:9-16 MSG paraphrase
My family and I were just on a vacation. We arrived a few hours before my sister did so we were already at the hotel when she sent me the text,
“The taxi is taking me to the hotel now.”
A few moments later my phone pinged again. It was a screenshot of a map showing her location going in the opposite direction of the route to the hotel and another message saying,
“I don’t know if my map is wrong but we’re going the wrong way.”
I briefly but immediately panicked and thought “Great, she’s being kidnapped by the cartel.”
Thankfully my husband is much better with maps and discerned she typed in the wrong hotel. There were two with the same name but in different locations.
Why am I sharing this?
I think Rob understood something special about how we can do life and even about how we can navigate our Christianity.
I think he knew it’s not about following a long list of rules so we don’t get smacked upside the head with a bible but maybe that how we live is likened to reading a map and the importance of considering which map we’re following.
What marked me most about Rob is that he was the first person I’ve ever witnessed take every step of life with an eagerness to hear, touch, taste, see and discern what the Lord was personally revealing next.
Around Christmas time, I really felt the Lord say, “his legacy continues”. I thought, well sure it does, he’s still here.
As I look around this room at how many hundreds are gathered, in spite of his absence, I still see the legacy that the Lord promised would continue.
One that transcends cultures, families & ages. One that makes bold and loyal pilgrims out of us all who follow God into foreign lands.
But we have to ask ourselves,
Do we have the wrong map?
Can we- will we
embrace and impart this legacy to others?
I am honored to have known and loved Rob but his maverick take on how we can navigate the clashing of our world and the eternal and the imprint it’s left on me, are what I am most grateful to God for.
Robin Lee Hetrick
11/14/1958- 02/05/2024
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