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?
2 comments:
I don't think I am the neighbor I truly want to be....I loved reading this blog! Just the other day I sat outside with husband and we spoke of how close our neighbors are to us and we have no contact....we are pretty young and bought a house in a more mature neighborhood and I have noticed we don't speak much to them...
Upon moving in, my immediate neighbor began to pick things to argue about...where wewere parking our how out front yard looks...I never stooped her level because I always felt there was a greater reason why she was upset. On Saturday of last week..her soon died, in the house, of a drug overdose and with those news I found out that two months prior to us moving in her husband had died of a heart attack. Could that have been the notice of her actions....was she really upset with me or just distraught from the death of her life partner?
I ask myself if I was a good neighbor...and I don't thinkso...I have not extended my help to her nor have I tried to reach out..
Thank you for this blog posting because I have been trying to figure out exactly how to break the ice between us....this is just what I needed a little realization of generosity! my goal to make that attempt! Thanks!!!
Our church has been involved with an initiative called Building Blocks for the past few years here in Denver...it basically encourages people to take Jesus literally when he said to "love your neighbor". Here's a link to a video about it: http://artofneighboring.com/about/ It's been real challenge at times to step out of our comfort zone and engage the people living around us, but we have seen a lot of fruit from it and are really fortunate to have built some close relationships that have been incredibly supportive.
Great post!
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