An inspiring story
Names over his heart
What do you take with you when you go far away?
Francis Xavier spent ten years travelling through India, Southeast Asia and Japan, thousands of kilometres from his friends. Letters took a year or more to arrive. When they did come, he cut out the names of his fellow Jesuits, written in their own hand. He carried those little paper names with him wherever he went, close to his heart, so that he never felt alone on the road. Why? Because even the boldest missionary needs friends.
He died in 1552 on an island off the coast of China, far from everyone. But not alone: his friends' names were with him.
Two are better than one… If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.Ecclesiastes 4:9-10