I was reading Imparting Grace’s blog post the other day and saw a picture of a plaque with a little boy and a pig on it. I was curious and clicked on the link.
Cheryl from Homespun Devotions tells the wonderful true story about a minister and a little boy’s generous donation.
Back in 1913, a traveling minister spoke at a church about leprosy in the hopes of raising money for a home for treatment.
The minister spoke with such passion that it inspired a 10-year boy in the audience, Wilbur, to buy a piglet, raise it and sell it with all the proceeds going to the leprosy home.
The pig got $25.
In 1913, $25 would pay for an entire year’s
worth of medical treatment for one person with leprosy.
The minister was so touched by the generosity of Wilbur, that he had an iron casting company make little iron pigs with slots in the top to give out to people so they could “feed the pig” and save up like Wilbur to donate to the leprosy home.
The home raised over a million dollars that year.
In the early 1900s!
Isn’t it amazing that the only part of the story that rings familiar today is the piggy bank?
Not Wilbur.
Not the pig he bought
and raised
and sold.
Not leprosy.
It’s these “lost” stories that make me wonder how fiction could ever compete with reality.
The truth always makes a better story.
If it didn’t then why does a movie trailer bother mentioning,
“Based on a true story?"
It causes us to pay attention and ponder if it happened to them
than what could happen to us?
It sparks the Wilbur inside.
Cheryl talks about how the term “spark” has taken on a negative tone in today’s media. But it could be something so positive.
A movement.
Check it out:
http://cherylsmithministries.blogspot.com/2016/09/what-do-my-actions-spark.html
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