GODSEND

Willie Raphael Riviore, the only son of Alice Faye Grayson, was born 23 years ago in Richmond, California. Being raised as many Black youths, without a father figure, Godsend faced adversity at an early age. His destiny began to take shape in year 2000 when he decided to accept Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior. Armed with the understanding of the free gift, Willie offered himself for the work of the heavenly Father and prayed regularly that God would someday send him. Willie soon adopted the name “Godsend” as a reminder of the power of answered prayer.

In 2002, at the suggestion of his (then) youth pastor, Godsend penned his first rap song “Righteous Rebel “ for a church youth event. Much to his surprise, Godsend found that he was blessed with a gift to express himself through the hip-hop/rap medium. He began honing his craft via “free-style” street battles throughout the Richmond area and quickly found himself rapping more outside the church than in it. However, in 2003, the Spirit of God moved again in his life, and within a year, Godsend was rapping with the Bay Area based group, Turf Ministries. After two years of work in the trenches, Turf Ministries came across a ministry and a pastor that challenged their thinking about life and the Word of God. Little did Godsend know that Pastor Eric P. Williams and the teaching ministry of Bay Area Word of Faith Fellowship, would produce a profound change in the way he saw himself and deeply affect his attitude towards life in general. Looking back on that pivotal moment, Godsend says, “Initially our objective was to hook up with Pastor E and the Zoe4Life Recording Studio to see if he could help further Turf Ministries. I never thought that meeting would significantly impact my life in the way that it did.” He was so moved by what he heard and saw that he decided to attend Bay Area Word of Faith Fellowship’s annual Men’s Conference soon thereafter. It was during the conference that he first learned about kingdom living. His wife Erica is a major inspiration, “She represents all that is the best in me and that inspires me to be the best I can be. The kingdom life is successful living--hundred-fold living.”

“Once I could understand what the will of God is for my life, I began to clearly see that we (believers) are not mere men and women.” ~GODSEND