We've taken our kids on some pretty cool vacations including Universal Studios and Disney World, but we've not been able to match the enthusiasm and excitement they have after going on a mission trip.

My daughter, Jenna, went to Vroom Street Church in Jersey City last week with her youth group. They partnered with the church to put on a Vacation Bible School for the kids who live in the neighborhood. When we picked up Jenna from the airport she looked tired and pale. It turned out she had picked up some kind of flu. Although she had lost much of her voice, we couldn't keep her quiet as she vomitted information at us so fast it was hard to follow how many different stories she was telling and which direction she was going with each of them. Of all the stories she told over the next few days, the one that stuck with me was about a little girl.

At some point during the week, a young girl about 5 or 6 pulled Jenna aside. She was a tough little kid and she said she had some questions for Jenna. Jenna gave the girl her full attention and said, "what would you like to know?" The girl asked in a loud and commanding voice, "what color is your hair?" That's not the question Jenna was expecting, but she answered, "black." The little girl barked back, "WRONG!" and slapped Jenna's face. Then the girl yelled, "Why are you sitting on the floor?" Jenna was surprised, but the slap didn't hurt so she replied with another answer, "because there's not a chair here." The little girl replied, "WRONG!" and hit her again. This went on for several questions before the little girl was either tired or satisfied by Jenna's reaction. What really surprised me was Jenna's interpretation of the situation. Without my feedback Jenna said she felt sorry for the little girl, because she guessed that's how someone at her house treats her and she's probably replaying the events that happen to her.

Jenna is thirteen years old and fairly mature for her age, but I didn't expect her to assess the situation as well as she did and the fact that she was able to immediately see past herself to understand what was going on in the mind of this little girl overwhelmed me with pride and admiration. I've heard other parents talk about how fun it is to watch their children develop into the people they are growing up to be and I've experienced some of those incidents, but this was a highlight for me as a parent. My daughter is not one to blend in with the crowd and I didn't know until recently that to some of our neighbors, I'm known as the mom with the daughter who died her hair black. I admit I was nervous when she wanted to start dying her hair and getting her ears double pierced. I wasn't ready for her to grow up so fast, but we talk a lot...about everything. Black hair is a very small price to pay for the really cool relationship we have. I could not be more proud of her than if she was going to Harvard Law School.

So, thank you Jenna for being an awesome, giving, caring, loving daughter. I know you are and will continue to be a great contributor to the good of our society. I love you.