Noel Rivera gets notifications on his cell phone when someone comes to his front door. He was upset when he checked his phone and saw a video of two women walking away with his children's Christmas gifts.
“The fact that it was for my kids that's kind of what bothered me the most about it,” Rivera said.
He got another notification the very next day and what he saw this time brought him joy.
Members of his church, River of Life Christian Center, brought his kids gifts to make up for the stolen packages. Rivera says he had just finished explaining to his 4-year-old son that his presents had been taken.
“When we walked in the front door and those gifts being there he stood there puzzled,” he said. “We explained to him that our church knew that somebody stole from us, and they didn't think that was fair. And, they wanted to help us, and he was with a huge smile on his face.”
Rivera is grateful for those he calls his church family because they brought to his home more than just gifts, he said.
“For me it let me know that my church loves and cares about my family and the community. But for a 4-year-old it let him know that even though he lost something, it was replaced tenfold, and I think that's the biggest lesson for me in all this situation,” Rivera said. “It's not about the gifts, it's that people are going to take care of people.”
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