"And a Little Child Shall Lead Them..."

A Message from Keith Mumma, U.S. National Director

I recently heard a great story about an ICC donor who can really serve as an inspiration to all of us. One Saturday morning, Luciene Rathwell was in the shower when her four-year-old son Rylan burst into the bathroom lugging his piggybank–a Folgers coffee can filled with about ten pounds of loose change. He announced that he wanted to give all of it to “the people who do not have money,” which Luciene, after a few questions, soon determined were the children of Haiti he had heard about at Geneva United Methodist Church in Geneva, Illinois, where the Rathwells are members. The contents of the can, gathered from the his father’s pocket change, doing odd jobs around the house, and Rylan’s Christmas money, added up to almost $150! After handing the piggybank over to Geneva Mission Committee member Mike Finucane, he asked to have it back when they were done so he could start saving to give it away again.


The spirit of giving that Rylan embodies is almost unheard of–someone who willingly shares all that he has with people in need, asking only for his empty container in return. It’s stories like this that are both humbling and encouraging to me, and I hope to you as well. As Rylan’s mom, Luciene, put it, “If a four year old can give everything, it’s a lesson to all of us.”

Jesus called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:2 (NIV)