Recently I received an email from a dear friend informing our friends of the need for meals and support for another friend of ours. I was paralyzed. What do I do?! The need is so big! Anything I do won’t make a difference. On-the-go hospitality is my not my strength. But then I remembered my own recent experience of friends being there for my family and me when I was recuperating. No one person met all our needs. Each person did one or two things. One night our small group brought dinner. They brought enough food for several dinners! Each couple brought one or two things—soup, salad, a large casserole, a long submarine sandwich, cookies. Another friend who lives hours away sent flowers. One friend stayed with me the morning after surgery while Gene was at work. One friend brought a frozen lasagna. Each one did their own act of kindness and mercy. Each act added up to generously meet our needs. Three different friends brought us special coffee. I would have never thought of that, but what a treat. Especially over the holidays, with kids and friends in and out, we drank a lot of coffee. This flower and the one at the start of the blog are from the bouquet my friend sent. For me flowers say “You’re special to me.” Her act of kindness meant so much. Once of felt better I made this chicken and barley soup for my family. I found the recipe in the February, 2015, issue of Real Simple Magazine. I used rice instead. Major hit! This soup is going into my go-to recipe file for hospitality-on-the-go.

My mom is having surgery this week. Usually I am overwhelmed and paralyzed when she has surgery—even though I have four sisters who do way more for her than I do. I always feel the little I do can’t make a difference. But now I know that God takes the little I do multiplies it by His love and it is more than enough. She and Dad will definitely be getting a pot of chicken and rice soup! Some of you may be thinking how elementary—who doesn’t know this? But for those of you like me—who don’t naturally think of ways to help others or have an abundance of mercy, these small acts of kindness make being a blessing more doable. Thanks so much to my friends who are Jesus-with-skin-on and show me how to love in deed!

What is one small way you use hospitality-on-the-go to make a difference in someone’s life?

Brenda Garrison is an author and speaker who empowers women with the confidence to live their calling. Brenda is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science Degree in Ministry Leadership with a Concentration in Women’s Ministry at Moody Bible Institute. She and her husband, Gene, are the parents of three young adult daughters and live near Metamora, IL.