SMALL THINGS WITH GREAT LOVE
Gary Morsch is the founder of Heart to Heart in Kansas City. As a physician, he has done magnificient work around the world taking medical supplies to low income people. Several years ago, he took a trip to Calcutta and Mother Teresa's House for the Destitute Dying. He took 90 volunteers and 12 million dollars worth of medical supplies.
As he made the trip, he thought to himself, "A lot of these people don't have to die. I can save their lives, and maybe we can turn it from the House for the Destitute Dying to the House for the Hopeful Living." He was going to make that happen.
When they arrived, Sister Priscilla began to assign everyone their tasks. As this was happening, Gary put his stethoscope around his neck to let Sister Priscilla know he was a doctor. Everyone got their assignment and Gary found he was the last person. And he said, "OK I am ready Sister Priscilla, what do you have for me to do?"
She directed him to come with her. They went to the woman's unit and didn't stop to help anybody. They kept going and went to the men's unit and he thought this is where he was going to begin to help. But they walked through that unit and he thought there must be people who are even more severely sick in need of help.
But instead, they walk into the kitchen. He asked, "What do you need for me to do here?"
She said, "Just follow me."
They walk out the door, and he sees a huge pile of putrefied trash. She hands him two plastic buckets and a shovel and saw. "What we need you to do is haul this garbage to the city dump just down the street two blocks away. You can't miss it." Then she smiles at him, turns and walks away.
He standing there and thinking, "Did she not see my stethoscope. I'm a doctor! Doesn't she understand what I can do with these hands?" In a silent shock and a bit of self pity, he began wondering what to do. But there was only one thing to do. So all day, he carried bucketfuls of putrefied trash to the city dump, and by the end of the day having moved that entire pile, he was a sweaty, sticking mess.
He walked back into the building and saw this sign from Mother Teresa: "We can do no great things, only small things with great love." He said, "At that moment, my heart wilted. On this day, Mother Teresa pierced the armor I had worked so hard to construct. And my life was changed by the act of hauling garbage down the street and becoming a servant for others in need."