In a small community in the Philippines, a local church was committed to seeing more people come through its doors. They devoted their energy and resources to this goal. But after completing the first module of TCT, they realized that God called them to show love to their neighbors without expecting anything in return. So they decided to try it. 

They identified Perlah, a single mother raising a son with special needs. Perlah didn’t have a latrine. She and her son had to rely on neighbors – braving rain and darkness just to meet their basic needs.  

The church members decided they would build Perlah her own toilet. They gathered the necessary materials by each bringing what they had available. Those with construction skills volunteer their time to build the latrine. When they told Perlah about the plan, she was nearly in tears, rejoicing that she and her son would no longer have to go out in the rain and at night. 

The impact didn’t stop there. The community leader and local police visited the church to express their gratitude. 

They admitted their surprise at seeing a church care for the community in such a practical way. They also celebrated the fact that now only eighteen households in the area remain without a latrine. The church is already exploring how they might help meet those needs too. 

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When we hear stories like this, we want to cheer and tell everyone what God is doing. But sometimes we wonder if the significance is grasped. Maybe you’re thinking, “So what? It’s just a toilet. The lady had another one available nearby.” Or “It’s just one person. It doesn’t solve the injustice, the wars, and the poverty that plague our world.”

We get it. At first, we too struggled to see the full impact. We were impressed and humbled by the efforts churches were making to love their neighbors, but it was hard to imagine it ending poverty. It felt like trying to fill the ocean by dropping in tiny pebbles. 

But then communities DID start moving out of poverty, and we noticed it didn’t start with big programs or big ideas or big acts. It started with tiny Acts of Love. It began with a shift in belief that said, ‘Hey, maybe we can do something about the problems in our community.” It started with one small act in response to one small idea. 

And suddenly, a widow had food to feed her children. A roof was repaired. A sick person was taken to the hospital. A small garden was planted. 

In the next reports, the acts were a little bigger. A whole house was built. A road was repaired. A school was fixed up. A community was growing more of their own food. A few pigs were born to generate income. 

And the snowball continued to grow. More children started attending the newly repaired school. A community could finally take their produce to market and earn more. Parents could feed their children. Whole communities moved out of poverty. 

This year, God is challenging us to rejoice even more in the work He is doing around the world. So we’re not waiting for the end result. Despite the injustices that still weigh heavily on us, today we’re rejoicing because Perlah and her child have a bathroom to use. 

*name changed for privacy