The Good Samaritan Mormon
We moved into our new apartment mid-February. Upon move in we found out that in the apartment below us there were approximately 6 Mormon elders who are all on their mission. Our first interaction with them was the night Jill and I were moving our beds along with our washer and dryer with the help of my friend Cipriano. They were coming home and saw the 3 of us struggling and immediately jumped in to help. When Tracy moved in last month they again jumped in when they saw she & Robbie carrying a table in.
It has become a running joke amongst the 3 of us as we carry heavy things or even a ton of groceries in to the apartment that one should not take a super deep breathe or grunt while carrying anything - it's like shining the beacon light for Batman. It's like they appear out of no where. The other neighbors in our building always talk about how helpful these guys are. And they are SO FRIENDLY! I have never encountered them without receiving a cheerful greeting and an inquiry as to how I am doing, and unlike most people who only flippantly ask how I'm doing, without truly caring about my response, I have no doubt that these guys genuinely care about what my answer is.
I know, I know... Where am I going with this?
Two nights ago as I pulled into our apartment complex I saw two of the guys walking up to the front office parking spaces. It was well after office hours so I was super curious to know where they were going/what they were doing. As I looked to see what they might be walking towards I realized that there was a man on the ground working on his car and they were on their way to offer help. To be honest, I don't know that I would have ever seen the guy and I certainly know that there was no help that I could have offered. But that's not the point. Daily I watch these young men be a good neighbor to those around them. It might be some manual labor, it may just be a kind word, it might be an inquiry.
In watching these guys I find that I am asking myself, what kind of neighbor am I? And so I ask you, what kind of neighbor are you?
