CHARLEVOIX, MI -- We have proof that the smallest act of kindness can make a world of difference.

Here’s the story of a local girl whose letter giving hope back in 2004 still touches an entire country.

Seven years ago, Maggie Hamilton was in the same class of Charlevoix Elementary third graders she talked to today. 

“You can really change somebody's life and make them a lot happier," she told the class.

Now just 15, she told them the story of a letter she wrote in third grade that did just that.  Maggie and her classmates wrote letters in 2004 to children who were victims of devastating Indonesian tsunami that killed more than 280,000 people.  Pat Carland was Maggie’s teacher.

“We needed to do something to show we cared," she said.

She assigned her class to write letters, never believing they'd hear back.  But she was wrong.  Maggie’s letter stood out.

“I will continue to pray for you, your country, and your church.  Your friend, Maggie," she read.

And was so touching, the Indonesian Ambassador picked it out and set it aside.  He shared it with the Indonesian President, and he gave it to a small, eight year old girl named Nada whose entire family was killed.  The Indonesian Ambassador came to Charlevoix in 2005 with Nada's message.

“He delivered the letter to me, he delivered some pictures of her," said Maggie.

“I was so happy and my heart was touched to receive the letter you sent us," the Indonesian President read aloud of Nada’s letter.

The Indonesian President read Maggie and Nada's letter to then-president George W. Bush.

“I think the world will be a better place if all of us start to give actions and have conversations the way Maggie and Nada did," said the Indonesian President to President Bush.

Maggie was invited to Indonesia three years ago to visit the girl whose life, and an entire country, she touched.  It was an emotional meeting.

“It gave her hope, it gave her strength to move forward, and just knowing that one little thing could help her move forward, that's life changing," explained Maggie.

And last week, the American girl who gave hope to an entire country was honored at the Indonesian Embassy in Washington DC again.

“It wasn't just nada and I, it was everyone that did it," said a humbled Maggie.  “If you reach out to people, stuff like this could happen all the time."

And the simple message to a devastated little girl and country can speak volumes and give a life lesson to all of us.  That’s what makes Maggie Hamilton this month's Your Town Hero.