In December 1992, he went back to Jamaica with the hope of renewing his student Visa and return to continue graduate studies and Metropolitan State University, MN.  His visa renewal request was denied, and this resulted in him staying in Jamaica another 1 1/2 years.

While in Jamaica, he was asked by the Principal of Alston High School, Clarendon if he could join the staff and help the Grade 11 business students finish their preparations for Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) and Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examinations.  Their teacher had just left the classroom for a job in the private sector.   He accepted the invitation and joined the staff on February 1, 1993. Little did he know that this would be the beginning of the Youth on Fire for Jesus Ministry. 

While teaching at Alston, Mr. Richards was reoriented to what life was like for poor Jamaicans and his life was transformed from asking the question; "what will you bring back to the young people of Jamaica”?  Now he was asking himself "What will you do about it?"  He would ask his students what they wanted to become in life, and they would share with him their dreams, but he knew in his heart that many of them would never achieve their goals because of the poverty and economic hardship in which they found themselves.

Mr. Richards came back to the United States in 1994 to continue graduate studies. While teaching his Sunday School class at Peace Presbyterian Church, Minnesota, he asked his students the same question he asked the Jamaicans and most of them responded; "well, I plan to take a year off after high school, enjoy life a little and maybe go on to college.  When asked, Mr. Richards recalls experiencing internal pain triggered by these three concerns.

1. In Jamaica there are young people wanting to go to college or get a job, but they see no way out while here in America there are young people taking the vast array of opportunities for granted.

2. Young people need to decide where they are going in life. Young people without focus or who are not productive are themselves a social drain on any society.  The corporate world is dependent on them as future employees, the church is dependent on them to become future leaders and their own future depends on them to make the right decision and become productive citizens.

3. The urgency of the gospel requires us to equip our young people with the tools necessary so they can play their part as; "reapers of the field that is ripe and ready for harvest."

In 1995, with the help of Peace Presbyterian Church, the Youth on Fire for Jesus Ministry was born. The goal of this ministry was to evangelize, educate, and train young Jamaicans with skills to help them secure gainful employment.  With this outreach effort, the ministry conducted four youth retreats with Jamaican and American young people, 2 of these in Jamaica, in 1995 and 1998, 1 in Minnesota in 1996, and 1 in Grand Cayman in 2000.  From these retreats, 16 youths were given financial scholarships to attend college and 3 received scholarships to attend vocational school for Computer Technology. A number of these scholarship recipients are gainfully employed in Jamaica the United State, Canada and the Caribbean.  Thanks to all those who have helped us to accomplish this milestone.

On one of those retreats there was a physician serving as chaperone for the young people form the United States.  He said to Wayland, “You know Wayland, I don’t mind coming to Jamaica to paint walls and repair desks and chairs, but I am physician, and I would love to get opportunities to use my medical skills to help Jamaicans.”   This then began the process of restructuring the organization to meet the needs of the young people in Jamaica and providing meaningful service opportunities for those who have a heart for missions and a desire to help Jamaica.

This gave rise to the establishment of the Organization for Strategic Development in Jamaica (OSDJ). In 2002, the OSDJ was registered in the State of Minnesota and received IRS 501(c)(3) Status in 2003. OSDJ is also a registered non-profit in Jamaica. 

Since then, OSDJ has focused its resources on short-term mission trips to Jamaica, healthcare outreach and conferences, computer skills training centers, establishing a community-based chicken farm program, creating a community base micro loan program, assisting with the establishment of the Mandeville Hospital Dialysis Center and in 2015 partnered with the Jamaica Ministry of Education and Youth (MOEY) to launch the Jamaica Music in Schools Program. OSDJ is also partnering with Davyton United Church, Manchester to build the Davyton Community Outreach Center.