Small investments can yield large returns... Pastor Steve Fleshman

I am currently corresponding with a man in Cass County Jail who has attended Life Issues meetings in the past, he has been incarcerated (again) for several months and we have had several phone calls in addition to written correspondence. At the end of a phone conversation a few weeks ago, he pleaded with me to bring him some finger nail and toe nail clippers, stating that everyone in his block (and entire jail) was in dire need of them and that he had filled out paperwork to get permission to receive them. I debated complying to such a request, but I had a vacation day coming up, in which I could feasibly drive down and try to fulfill his request, so I asked Angie to purchase some clippers. It felt awkward to even show up at the jail with these items, so I called first to verify if they could even have them, and sure enough, the deputy said that they could have them, so I drove there and handed them to a deputy who put his name on them. Later that same day I got a call from my incarcerated friend and I told him that I delivered them and he announced it to the others in his cell block and I could hear cheers even though it would be days later before the deputies could process and give them to him. About a week after that, I got a letter from this man and it was a "Thank You" note signed by 11 men. I was shocked that such a small investment could make such a large impact; I spent less than $10 and about 1 hour of my time to make a difference in the lives of others, and now I have an open door to many! This investment reminds me of Matthew 10:42, "And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward."

May we all look for and listen to the needs of others, and purpose in our hearts to meet those needs,

Pastor Steve Fleshman