One of the things that I have come to enjoy about these weekly Words of Encouragement are those notes and emails I receive from you, the readers.
And it’s not just the comments, it’s also the emails with suggestions or articles that make it so much easier to send out these weekly missives. This week’s message comes courtesy of the "Now I Know" weekly newsletter.
Let me start off by asking: Have you ever witnessed something or read about an incident that stopped you dead in your tracks? If so, then perhaps you’ll appreciate this story about Adeola "Abraham" Olagbegi, a 13-year-old in Jackson, Mississippi, who was diagnosed with aplastic anemia in 2020.
Abraham was the recipient of a Make-A-Wish dream come true experience. For those of you who may not be aware, the Make-A-Wish Foundation is a wonderful organization that was started by Linda Pauling in 1981 after her 7-year old son Christopher James Greicius passed away from leukemia in 1980.
Prior to passing away, Christopher had talked about wanting to grow up and be a police officer. So some friends got together and on May 1 1980, Phoenix swore him in as a honorary member as he wore his custom uniform and took a tour of the city in the police helicopter. It was a great day for a young kid with few days left; Christopher passed away on May 3rd.
Recognizing the power and joy that came from witnessing her son’s dreams come true, Linda founded the Make-A-Wish Foundation and since then the organization has fulfilled over a half–million dreams for chronically and terminally ill individuals.
I am sure that many of you have read about the wishes and dreams that have been fulfilled. Perhaps it’s a trip to Disney, or like Christopher, seeing the dream of being a policeman fulfilled, but Abraham threw everyone a curve when the Mississippi chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation asked him what his wish was.
They found out he wanted some food. In fact he wanted a whole bunch of food. As the "Now I Know" email highlighted, when the local ABC affiliate learned about this, they let people know that what Abraham wanted to do with his wish was feed the homeless population at Poindexter Park in Jackson, Mississippi.
And Abraham then mentioned that his mother taught him that since “it’s a blessing to be a blessing, I just wanted to do something for other people to make it last long." So in September 2021, Make-A-Wish helped grant Abraham his wish. They handed out free food with food and supplies donated by local businesses in Jackson Mississippi.
All in, they served about 80 people that day. But here is where it gets even better. The Make-A-Wish Foundation has stepped up and has agreed to provide meals on the third Saturday of every month through August 2022.
And Abraham has stated that his dream is to start "Abraham's Table" a non-profit organization committed to continuing his mission to feed the homeless.
How unique was Abraham’s wish? According to the Mississippi chapter of Make-A-Wish, “no other child has used his or her wish to help others.”
Over the years I have heard a bunch of talks and read books and articles about “servant leadership.” Abraham is living, not talking, about servant leadership. Perhaps this is why the spokesperson for the Make-A-Wish Foundation stated: "when he so easily gives to others at a time where everybody should really be supporting him, you just have to say, that’s a remarkable young man."
So here we have a 13 year old boy teaching us a lesson that comes from the Gospel of Matthew: “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink,…" And we are reminded, “whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Looks like I have some work to do. How about you?
