Every morning before she was ready to leave, we would take some money out of the change jar to give as an offering to that small country.

To my surprise, one morning as I was pulling money out of the jar to give her, she looked up at me with words that could shake the mountains.  Monica said, "Daddy, why is it that we just send money to people who need it? We need to go to Mozambique and take the money to them and tell them how much we care about them and find out what else we can do for them."  

As loving tears filled my eyes I told her that was a great idea. I told her that if it was okay with her we would wait till she was a little older, but that in the meanwhile there were plenty of people we could go out and tell we care right here in Knoxville.

Monica and I just went on her first mission trip with one of the Compassion Ministry “In-side\Out” teams to Knox Area Rescue Ministries, a family homeless shelter downtown.

May God give me the wisdom to be the father that he wants me to be.

– Monica’s dad