"PLEASE COME HOME."
There was a girl named Christina, who lived in a dusty village of Brazil. In her late teens she was upset with her parents because she thought she was restricted. She had this dream of going to Rio De Janeiro, but her mother knew that she will not be able to take care of herself and told her not to go.
One morning, her mother woke up to see that her daughter's room was empty and she was gone. Maria, her mother immediately got all the money she had and she went to the bus station. On the way she went to a photo booth and got bunches of pictures of her. As she was on the bus, she wrote on the back of every single picture. She went to Rio and searched for her everywhere, but could not find her. As she went she put those pictures of herself everywhere she went looking for her.
Christina was staying at a hotel. She had stayed here for long time and by this time; she had lost that light of excitement that is there in a young person. She was exhausted. She thought there was no way she could go home. As she came to the lobby of the hotel, she saw the picture of her mother. Her eyes were filled with tears. She pulled out the picture and turned to see it was written, "Whatever you have done, whatever you have become -- it does not matter. Please come home!" And she did!
It is the person who is the farthest away that needs our love, and we need to be willing to go to extraordinary lengths to bring that person back into the flock.