“You need one of these.  It will change your life!” my friend told me. She was referring to her two-burner portable stove that runs on a tank of butane. I had never before heard anyone mention “camp stove” in their list of life-altering items.

When I think of things that have changed my life, I think about accepting Christ, meeting my spouse, losing a loved one, having babies, near misses; but not stoves. Upon reflection, though, I have other memories of which I can say “because of that, either I am different or my life is different.” Memories of time spent with friends, my first dog, a class taken, a decision made, even a conversation.

Nancy Burton holding a young boy on a recent visit to the Kimbondo Hospital/Orphanage, Congo.

Often here, we don’t have electricity or city water––for hours or days at a time. Even with a generator, everyday activities like cooking and laundry can be challenging. Eventually, we took my friend’s advice and purchased a two-burner gas stove so we could cook without electricity. We discovered that she was correct. It’s hard to explain to others how significant that stove is to us now. A gas stove may not have made my original list of life-altering items, but sometimes our “lists” are composed of big things when little things can also matter a lot.

When I walk through the neighborhood to buy vegetables and talk with people, when I visit the orphanage and hold babies or chat with the older girls, when I buy Kleenex from a street kid or meet a need that someone has, it matters. Can a stove change a life? Absolutely! So can a smile, a kind word, a lift home, a loaf of bread, or a prayer spoken. It is possible that you can change someone’s life today with just a small act of kindness. You never know . . . it might be just what they need.