Hope Stout died recently from osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer.
Amazingly, she leaves behind a million-dollar legacy for other
seriously ill young patients. It's amazing because Hope was only twelve
years old.

When the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Central & Western North Carolina
offered Hope an opportunity to have a dream come true, she asked how
many other local children were waiting for a wish. She was told there
were one hundred fifty-five on the list. Hope expressed the desire to
see every one of those wishes come true.

Make-A-Wish determined it would cost $1,000,000 to fulfill all 155
wishes and Hope's hometown began fundraising. On January 16th, this
goal was surpassed at a "Celebration of Hope" fundraiser.

In December a radio interviewer was moved to tears as
Hope described how her family supported her during her hospital stay
while some of the other young patients didn't have family with them.
She talked openly about how her family's faith in God was helping them
through their ordeal.

One young girl's lovingly super-sized dream sparked a campaign to
ensure that all 155 wishes become a reality. Hope's dream did not die
with her. It is comforting her family and touching more lives
nationwide than she ever imagined. She believed that anything is
possible with God and that her illness could become an encouragement
and a blessing to others.

Children have an endearing, unsophisticated faith that God can often
use to direct adults back to the simplicity of faith in action. In this
instance, he used a girl named Hope.

  Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in
  believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy
  Spirit. (Romans 15:13)

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  (c) 2004 Jan Price <janprice02@...>.