Christian Reflection and Prayer

The two Amish girls, seven and 12 years old, were
watching the family's roadside farm stand in Oswegatchie,
New York. When a couple pulled up and invited them to
see their puppy, the girls jumped at the opportunity.

They went to look at the puppy, and then they
disappeared. They disappeared for an entire day.

Eventually, the girls showed up at the home of Jeffrey
and Pamela Stinson, a couple who live about 15 miles
from the spot from which the girls had been kidnapped.
The cold, wet, hungry girls ate a small watermelon and
then asked to be taken home.

The Stinsons debated about getting the police involved,
but then thought it best to honor the girls' request.
Thinking back, Jeffrey Stinson explained: "We never
gave it any thought about implications or dangers. We
knew those girls had to get home." And home those
girls went: home to joy, tears and welcoming arms.

And that, my friends, usually would be the end of the story.

It isn't. You see, the grateful Amish family heard the
Stinson's garage had burned down while they were on
vacation. Wishing to show their gratitude in a tangible form,
the family promised to give the Stinsons a "garage raising.
" For those of you who don't know, a garage raising is like
a barn raising, but smaller.

And so it was, the two girls who had been kidnapped, their
11 brothers and sisters, their parents, grandparents, and
relatives all came together and a garage went up at the
Stinson home. A garage is there, a visible token of
appreciation for an act of kindness.