LINCOLN, Ark. (BP) — It’s the simple gestures and acts of kindness that sometimes mean the most and can brighten someone’s day — like receiving a handwritten note in the mail.

That’s what Allison Bond realized. But little did she know the impact she would have when she started writing encouraging notes to people all around the country. Bond enjoys writing handwritten notes to people she’s never met and probably never will. She says it’s her way of sharing God’s love and kindness throughout the world and letting complete strangers know that someone cares about them.

Born and raised in northwest Arkansas, Bond suffers from mild cerebral palsy and wanted to find a way to make a difference in the lives of others. During a time of isolation caused by the pandemic, she knew the mission that God was calling her to and was inspired to start her Kindness Through Letters mission project as a way to bless others.

“I started this back when COVID started and God laid it on my heart that I could make people happy by encouraging them,” Bond said.

She was inspired by her grandmother, who passed away in 2015, and told her to “always do good.”

As her way to honor her grandmother, Bond took pen to paper and started writing letters to offer hope, encouragement and to tell people that God loves them. To date, she has written over 6,000 notes of encouragement to inmates, soldiers, sick children and people from various walks of life who just need their spirit lifted.

As people post on her Facebook page and contact her with messages to let her know that they would like to receive a letter, she responds with a reply. It’s not in the form of an email like most people would do. She enjoys going the extra mile by taking the time to write notes and even the act of putting them in the mail. 

Bond says she never wants to miss an opportunity to reach out and show kindness to others. She writes to every single person she hears about as she goes to great lengths to make sure they receive a personalized response. Because this is such a detailed-oriented project, her church family at Liberty Baptist Church in Lincoln, Arkansas assists in various ways as needed and often provides donations to help fund postage and card supplies. To pull off this project, she admits it takes a village and has 27 volunteers who assist her with this ministry.

She recently expanded her efforts to include a new role — as director of letter stewardship for The Long Road Home project, a 220-mile horseback ride across Arkansas that raises foster care awareness. In that role, she received letters that would be delivered on horseback to the Arkansas State Capitol from children, families and professionals impacted by foster care.

“I have helped so many people in this country and so many of them truly needed it,” she said. “I love spreading God’s love throughout the world.”

(EDITOR’S NOTE — Leann Callaway contributes to a variety of faith-based publications.)