“Little things can make the biggest difference in people’s lives.” I’ve said this for years and seen the truth of this statement lived out more times than I can count. It’s because of those occurrences that I am the way I am today.
Outreach in Nicaragua
The photos below are from one of many outreach trips I’ve have had the honor of taking to the country of Nicaragua.
We were working in a village in the mountains outside of Matagalpa. The little boy in the first picture saw that I had a phone and came up to me. He wanted me to take a picture with him. This led to other kids running up from all over the village and wanting their pictures taken too. As you can see from the smiles in the second picture, they were very excited. Something as simple as taking a picture from a cell phone made a difference in their life that day.
Joy Manipulated
I think it’s safe to say that most of us aren’t impacted in this same way by a picture from a phone. I mean, buy us a new car, a new boat, or drop $100 in a birthday card and we might get excited and smile for the camera. But just a simple picture…not sure we would run all the way across our “village” for a quick snapshot.
We live in a world that has manipulated what we think it takes to bring us joy and make a difference in our lives. Because of that, it has changed the way we invest in others. It’s almost like if we can’t do something “big” then is it worth doing anything at all? I can promise you that this way of thinking causes us to miss so many opportunities to truly make a difference in “our” world.
Local Outreach
For the second year in a row, our home office team came together to provide small gifts and personalized cards for residents of local nursing homes for Valentine’s Day. Warm, fuzzy socks and simple Valentine’s Day cards were delivered by my team members Brittany Russell and Gavin Goss to residents here in the Springfield, MO community. For some, this may seem like a small and rather insignificant gesture. Although to the residents the fact that they were being thought of and celebrated on a day, where to be honest most wouldn’t, brought smiles to faces—where maybe one hadn’t been in quite some time. It didn’t cost a lot of money. There wasn’t any hoopla surrounding the event itself. It was simply taking the time to share our hearts in a way that made a difference in their day.
I don’t share either story above in a way that says, “look at me or look at what we’ve done”. I’m as humble a person as you’ll find and need no recognition for anything. I share both of these stories to encourage and inspire you. Pictures, socks, cards, encouraging messages, smiles, or just your time. The little things will make the biggest differences when they are given directly from your heart. And in the process, lives will be changed…one of which will be yours!
Learn More About RC Cares
Learn more about our philanthropic arm of Russell Cellular, RC Cares.
