Who inspired your faith last year? Obviously, Pope Francis and Pope Leo XIV are high on our list here at GraceWorks. We especially think about Pope Leo XIV because he grew up about 45 minutes from our office in Chicagoland.
Several others have also left an indelible impression on our lives.
The Anonymous Giver who had a Physical Disability
For over 20 years, he had sent an anonymous check to his alma mater to thank them for his education. He was born with a physical disability, but this school saw past the perceived limitations and gave him a chance. At his first job as an accountant, he scraped by to make ends meet. When people saw his abilities and looked beyond his limitations, they quickly realized what a talented financial mind he had. An investment firm quickly picked him up and went onto a successful career. He wanted to remain anonymous until he died. His mother outlived him and had he privilege of sending a check from his estate to his school. The office was vey surprised to receive this amount of money from someone they had long since forgotten about. The principal went by to see his mother, and she was home under hospice care. At the visit, she said, “Oh, I didn’t want to bother anyone, but I’m so glad you came by. My son would have wanted you to know how much you did for him in this life. Even though he wasn’t able to have children, and he never married, he wanted to make sure to leave a gift for the school to be able to give future students like him the same chance he had. Thank you for looking beyond what was on the outside. We are forever grateful.”
The Teenager who Saved 16 Girls
Ainslie Bashara had just graduated from high school a little over a year ago. Like many other teenagers, she loved summer camp, and she had spent most of her years, some 12 years, as a camper or counselor at the beloved Camp Mystic in Kerr County, Texas. She and two other counselors, all recent high school graduates, were in charge of the “Giggle Box,” a fun cabin of 16 8-to 10-year-old little girls who were having the time of their lives. That is until July 4. The rain started slowly and began picking up. Around 2:00 a.m., a few cabins near the river started evacuating, and the staff told Ainslie to stay put. She knew better. By 3:00 a.m., she began organizing her little brood to prepare for evacuation. They broke through a window. She stepped into water about a foot high and guided their crew to a dry pavilion. Once everyone was accounted for, they marched higher to dry ground. The sun rose, and the waters receded. Ainsely said that the survivors just looked like ghosts. But they were very much alive.[1]
The Night Watchman of Ystad
For 57 years, Roland Borg has had one job. He climbs the bell tower of St. Mary’s church on the southern tip of Sweden. In a town named Ystad, Roland rings bells and sounds a horn to alert ships and the town from 9:00 p.m.-1:00 a.m. He and his family have been watching over the town for over 100 years. In fact, someone has been a watchman in Ystad for over 500 years. One would think that by now, the town would have developed technology to replace Roland, but instead, he has made himself almost irreplaceable. Roland said they once asked him if he could stop ringing bells and blowing horns, but he said he couldn’t. “When I blow the horn, everything is calm. When I stop blowing, there’s a problem. The people of Ystad need their watchman.” One night, Roland Borg looked out on his routine watch and saw four fires in Ystad at dawn. He alerted the fire brigade to tell them that the whole town appeared to be on fire. His one call saved people inside two restaurants, an apartment building, and a youth center. The case went onto be an international story, and it took them years to find a man known as the “Dawn Pyromaniac.” [2]
[1] https://people.com/19-year-old-counselor-helped-save-her-16-young-campers-during-texas-floods-11771045 accessed 7/21/25
[2] Eliot Stein, Custodians of Wonder, 53.