Petra had three impressive items on her Christmas list. The second-grader wanted:
Much to her delight, Santa came through in a big way! He brought her some very cool wings to help her get started on the flying. Her parents are working with Santa on wish #2, getting her signed up for the riding lessons. As for the 3rd item on her Christmas list, Petra carefully chose Raleigh Rescue Mission. She and her mom paid a visit to the Mission over the holidays to deliver her savings account and her stuffed animals to the children living here.
Petra’s parents encouraged her servant heart early on. She has three jars in her bedroom: 1 for saving, 1 for spending, and 1 for giving. She receives an allowance for completing chores. “My payday is Sunday,” says Petra excitedly. “I divide my allowance into the 3 jars each week. I talked with my mom about my Christmas list, and she told me about Raleigh Rescue. I decided to take my giving jar and my toys to the children there because I would be helping them.”
Kevin Seitz, Dean of Academics at Cary Christian where Petra attends school, describes Petra this way: “She’s an angel. She works very hard at getting good grades. She’s diligent. You can see God exude through her.”
“We want the children at our school to see outside of their walls, to be passionate and authentic, service-minded. Petra exemplifies all of that.”
When asked if she had any questions after visiting the Mission, Petra remembers seeing the adults and children in the dining hall. She looks up with penetrating blue eyes and turns quiet. Then, with the natural curiosity of a just-turned-8 year old, and the wisdom and perception of an adult, Petra wants to know, “If my mom and dad and I were homeless, would I get to see my dad?” Petra’s mom Elissa explains in a way that only a parent can explain to her child that the building is not set up so that all three of them could be together all the time. But she goes on to express a hope and prayer that one day, Raleigh Rescue Mission will have more space so that both parents can stay there together.
With children like Petra, we may well be on our way.
If your child is interested in helping…
Fundraising is a wonderful way to get involved. To find out firsthand about the needs and opportunities to make a difference, sign up for a Discovery Tour today.
