Day 13: Who is my neighbor?

It was 4:00 Thursday afternoon and I and a friend were sitting at Barnes and Nobles coffee shop. She is having her usual Latte and I am having my Grande, extra hot, mocha with no whip (I do the no whip because it makes me feel like it is fat free) We are in total different business worlds but the common thread is that not to much is happening right now. Our conversation quickly went to the disaster in Haiti.

I stayed up last night to hear Night Line on the relief efforts that were taking place only to hear that there was little being done. The commentators kept saying over and over again, “We hope the aid gets there before it is too late.” Hospitals were knocked down, children and adults were turned away from what little care there was. But the thing that got me the most was neighbor assisting neighbor. Neighbors were pouring through rubble to help those still pinned a day after the earthquake. Neighbors were trying to comfort those that lost loved ones and trying to show love and compassion to others in the midst of holocaust.  What a testimony to the human spirit.

On my way home I met a young man named Xavier whose car broke down. I don’t pick up kids walking down the road but a neighbor is a neighbor. What a great kid he was! I got to take him to the other side of town to his mother’s house. He asked if he could give me some gas money. I just smiled. We programmed in his address into my GPS and off we went. He had never seen one before… I didn't tell him my sister gave it to me at Christmas time and I didn't know much about it either. Neighbor helping neighbor!

My neighbor knew it was icy on my driveway and came and brought my trash cans in. Another friend shoveled my driveway. Neighbor helping neighbor!

Well tonight as the day comes to a close and I sit in front of the fireplace with my warm blanket I am thinking about a man that came to Jesus and asked, "Who is my neighbor?" Jesus turned to him and told him the story of three men that saw man beaten badly and tossed on the side of the road. Two of his own people walked right on by but the third, a stranger, stopped and bandaged his wounds (like the Haitians treating each other), put him on his donkey (like the Haitian’s had people resting in their car because there was no where else to go), and took him to an inn and paid the innkeeper to care for him…  

Who is our neighbor?

So again, here is the link to the Red Cross to donate to our Haitian neighbors.


Jon Mullender
Summit Fence Supply
jon@summitfencesupply.com