Little Things with Great Love
Bway, Earth Mission’s Communication Manager, shares her smile.
I may not be able to do many great things, but I can do many things with great love.This is something I experience daily, and I am truly grateful to have encountered it in my life. When I realize that every little bit helps, every effort counts, and every smile makes a difference, I understand that I don’t need to have great things to give, help, or initiate what is supposed to be done. It’s the small acts to start with that matter most.
I’m reminded of when Jesus was with about 5,000 men, in addition to women and children, teaching on the mountain. After teaching, the people became hungry, but the disciples said they didn’t have enough food to feed such a large crowd. Jesus simply asked, “What do you have?” They had five loaves of bread and two fish. And with that, 5,000 men—and women and children—were fed. It wasn’t about the great amount of food they had; it was about what they had, and how they gave what they could. In the same way, Jesus asks us, “What do you have?”
At Rain Tree Clinic (RTC), our jungle hospital, people help each other and those in need with whatever they have. They don’t wait for abundance. They give what they can: a smile, a kind word, a hand to help, a listening ear. They share their love, their time, their joy, and their voices. The hospital might be simple, located in the jungle, but it’s not about the place or the things. It’s about the people, and the great love they put into everything they do. This is why so many people, locals and foreigners alike, love to come to RTC—not because of its size or wealth, but because of the love and care they feel there. I call it the "Eden of Joy."
From the people at RTC, I’ve also learned what great love truly looks like. Doctors, PA students, and staff all care for others and patients with such love and patience. Even when patients come back again and again with little understanding of health knowledge, they never tire. They teach with kindness and compassion, offering not just medical care but health education with a gentle spirit. They help with everything they can.
This great love they show has inspired me to do the same. To be kind and loving, especially toward those who are weak or vulnerable. One day, I had the chance to reflect this love in my own actions, and I’m so thankful for the example I’ve learned from RTC.
Dr. Mitch Ryan (baseball hat) helps transfer the injured young man to the ambulance.
It was on a night in January 2023. Dr. Mitch, the program director, and Michael, the strategy and communications consultant, were in a truck heading from Chiang Mai to Mae Sariang, where our branch office was located near the border. We were en route for field communications to RTC when we witnessed a car accident one hour’s drive away from Mae Sariang.
A young man had crashed into a truck, and he was lying on the road, bleeding from his head. The truck we rode in stopped immediately to offer help. Dr. Mitch rushed to the young man, assisted by Somkhit, our Mae Sariang site manager. Michael and I followed. Somkhit spoke with bystanders and arranged for an ambulance while Dr. Mitch administered first aid. The man was speaking in Karen, which Dr. Mitch couldn’t understand. He asked me to translate basic questions like, “What is your name?” “Where do you live?” and “Don’t move your head” to assess the man’s consciousness.
Michael, who had brought a first-aid kit for the jungle, also began treating the man’s injuries to stop the bleeding, assisting Dr. Mitch. As Somkhit returned after contacting the hospital for the ambulance, he jumped into our group and helped with translations between Dr. Mitch and the injured man, where I had to step aside from the group.
But still, I looked for what I could help with. I felt like I was needed in a specific area in this scenario. I looked at the injured young man again. I saw the pain on the young man’s face, and I noticed a slight movement from side to side; his empty hand lying on the road. Without thinking, I knelt beside him and held his hand. It was cold, so I cupped it between both of mine, trying to warm it. He was not able to move his head, so he didn’t know who was holding his hand. At that moment, his hand gently clasped mine.
The sound of the ambulance arrived shortly after. As they prepared to transfer the man to the stretcher, I had to let go of his hand. But as I did, I felt him grip mine tighter—almost as if he still needed that reassurance. And I realized that I was needed in this moment to offer this little action to this young man. I was sent to present my presence, my touch, by God in this very right moment.
That experience was a powerful reminder that God is always near, especially in our darkest moments. He doesn't forsake us. He sends people—ordinary people like you and me—to remind others of His presence, that He is always present. Our actions, no matter how small they seem, are part of something much bigger. God’s purpose for us is not to do something with great pressure to show His love to others but to offer what we have with our great love in Him. And no one is too insignificant to make a difference in presenting the great love of Him to those around us. Love has no excuses to reach out to those in need!
No act is too small when done with great love.