Ledger photo / TIM GULLA Acquilla Littlejohn, at center in striped sweater, wipes her eyes while surrounded by friends and family members at a Wednesday night candlelight prayer vigil for her daughter Verlisha who has been missing since Nov. 28. More than 100 people joined the Littlejohn family in praying for Verlisha's safe return and in pleading for people with information to come forward. It's admittedly not much.

But Lerkeshia Littlejohn hopes the $500 reward she scraped together will help bring her younger sister home.

She dipped into her 401(k) retirement account to come up with the cash, which she hopes will entice someone to come forward with information about Verlisha Littlejohn, who has been missing since Nov. 28.

"I just want you to come home for Christmas," Lerkeshia said during a powerful and tearful plea at a candlelight prayer vigil outside Concord Baptist Church on Wednesday evening. "I don't want a new home. I don't want a new car. I just want you to come home for Christmas."

The vigil brought more than 100 people together Wednesday to pray for Verlisha Littlejohn's return to her family.

"She never hurt anybody. She made everybody laugh, everybody happy. I know people are afraid and people are scared. If you know anything, somebody please, please call." - LERKESHIA LITTLEJOHN Her mother, Acquilla Littlejohn, has reached the point that she just wants Verlisha back, one way or another.

"It (the prayer vigil) uplifted my spirits a lot," Acquilla said between hugs and heartfelt embraces from supporters. "It's been terribly hard."

Acquilla last spoke to her daughter Nov. 28 during an extremely brief cell phone conversation. "Momma, I...." were the last words she heard before the call was disconnected.

"I hope my baby's alive," she said. "(But) in my heart, something's telling me something's not right."

The Littlejohn family's spirits were sunken further in recent days upon news of remains found in Troup County, Ga., along a roadway. Georgia investigators were looking into whether the remains were those of Verlisha, but there's been no word.

Acquilla said she could not comment on media reports that she was asked to provide a DNA sample to investigators to see if they could match the remains to Verlisha.

Lerkeshia Littlejohn said she believes in her heart the remains in Georgia are not those of her sister.

"It's not her," she said. "I'm positive it's not her."

Leading Verlisha's family, friends and coworkers in prayer, Dr. Michael Bridges, pastor of Concord Baptist Church, prayed that Verlisha is unharmed, for strength for the family, and for people to come forward with help.

"Prayer does change things," he told the crowd. "Verlisha helped so many people, now it's our time to help her."