Strange as this might be, I have a
favorite $10. It has traveled around the world with me, in a safe
place in my backpack. I know exactly where it is, and I will not
spend it on just anything. It is one of the greatest gifts I have
ever received. Ready for the story?
I was babysitting some of my favorite
kids in the world. Victoria got off the bus and came running into the
house. She is my eight-year-old best friend…seriously. She jumped
up in my lap and told me about her day at school. Then, she started
asking me questions about the Race. “Alicia, why do you have to be
gone for so long? Why can’t you just stay here with us? Why does the
world matter so much to you?� So I told her that this is a time in
my life that I can serve God and love people around the world. I said
some people don’t have families to love them like we do.
Then she started crying and said she
didn’t want me to go. I told her I would be back before she finished
third grade next year, that it would fly by and she would barely
notice that I would be gone. Eventually, we just moved on to doing
something else. Her parents came home, and I stayed for dinner that
night. They asked me about how my finances were going for the Race. I
told them I was going for sure, but that I will need more support
when I get on the field.
I left that night, and as I was getting
into my car, little Victoria ran outside. She said she was still sad
that I was leaving, but she understands about loving people. She said
that when she gets bigger, she wants to do that too. Then she told me
to look in my purse, and she ran back up to the house with a huge
grin on her face.
I opened my purse, and I found a little
guardian angel, a note, and $10. The note explained the gifts. My mom
had given Victoria that little guardian angel before she died.
Victoria wrote that she carried that angel everywhere with her so she
could have a little piece of her Aunt Jennifer close to her all the
time. She wants me to borrow it for these 11 months, so my mom can
keep me safe around the world. The note explained the $10. It was all
the money Victoria had, and she gave it to me so I could love these
people and serve God.
Wow. I will be forever touched by that
gesture of selflessness from an eight-year-old. She believes in
something, so she gave everything she had to further its
effectiveness. It breaks her heart that I left, but she still gave.
So many people could learn from that girl, my eight-year-old best
friend.
I am asking today that you match her
gift of $10. If you believe in loving people that have never been
loved, if you believe in a journey of service and answering God’s
call, I ask you to support this cause.
