Who Is My Neighbor? (week 1, 2011)
May 10, 2011
So…Here we go, our first official blog post for the Canton Trip!
I am thrilled that each one of you is coming on the trip this summer. I know that Canton may not be the first place that pops into your minds when you think of a missions trip, but I think that God has a lot in store for us this summer and the fact that we are staying in close to home only adds to what God can teach us and how He can use us! And it all begins with us reading our book and meeting on Sunday mornings.
So let’s begin…Each week I will have a couple questions on here for you. Please take a few moments and respond to them below by leaving a comment (so that I can know who is posting please include your first name and last initial on the comment). Along with answering the question posed here take a few moments to also go back to the previous week’s blog and read what other’s have written and respond/interact with them. Be honest when you are responding to your teammates thoughts…and take your time. This time should allow us to build relationships and trust in each other. There is no limit in how much you have to write (so write lots!) but please take your time …the more you think through it, the more it will help you be prepared! 
For this week’s reading…Think of a time in your life when you were suprised by someone like Matthew Fowler was (pg 29). What was your initial reaction? And how did you leave the situation feeling?
Take some time to think about how you respond to people who live in poverty and to homeless people in light of what you read this week. What do you think the 6 stories this week tell us about who our neighbors are? What is something that stuck out to you?
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The neighbor girls across the street mean everything to me, but the only problem is that they do not know Christ. They know sooo much about Christ, but they live in soo much fear at the same time. They are such nice people so my first reaction is to want to hang out with them, but at the same time they do some things that God might not approve of. I feel like it is my calling to tell them about Him, and help them become closer to Him.
Before I went on the boston trip, I have to admit that I thought homeless dudes were kinda freaky, but after how much time I spent with them through the week in Boston, I started to realize that aren’t any different than us.
I liked when the book said that God listens attentively to everyone because sometimes I do look at a homeless dude and think WOW he sure ruined his life, and wonder what he did. But really, that guy is just as special to God as we are, and we have no room to judge him by the way that he looks.
It’s amazing how when you meet the person or sterotype your whole view on them changes.
Em- I like that you admit your true thoughts at times. I think everyone has those thoughts. But you are so right in the fact that we do not have any room to judge and that homeless man is special to God (just as special as we are!) I hope that as we continue to read your thoughts and feelings will continue to be stretched even further…
I can kind of relate to you situation. My dad is not a christian, but my family and I pray for him daily and ask God to approach him. Also, I do admit I am nervous for the trip, yet again I think this will be a great opportunity to connect with others and God.
oh my goodness I go the same monster as last time!! dang it!!
nice
nice monster
When I went on a missions trip to Mexico three summers ago, I was very surprised to establish a relationship with a couple of laymen masons with whom I was working to put the finishing stucco on a newly constructed house. I speak limited Spanish, but I decided that I would begin to talk with them as we worked together. They were teaching me to mix mortar, use the proper technique, and finish the house. I never thought that I would get to know anything about these men or that I would establish a connection with them. Through my broken Spanish and their broken English, we were able to come to understand more and more about each other and the stronger bond that brought us together, that being our relationships with Christ. By the end of the week, we were praying together and talking about the Bible. It was one of the coolest experiences of my life.
I grew up in a family that did not have a lot, so I would like to think that I have both compassion for those in poverty and work to help them, but I cannot say the same for those who are homeless. At points in my life, I have held on to negative views of the homeless and have even feared them. Many diverse experiences in the past few years of my life have helped me to grow in this area, but I know I have more growing to do.
The thing that stood out the most to me in the readings this week was the manner in which all the storytellers were open to the experiences in which they found themselves. Even those who had initial apprehensions opened up to the experiences and were able to learn a lot. That is amazing.
One thing that you said at the end about people being open to the situations they found themselves in stuck out to me. Because its like if God put that situation there for a reason it wasnt just luck. I think Joel said something about this one time.
I agree with sometimes having negative views on homeless people and being afraid of them at times, but at the same time, we know that God loves them as much as he loves us.
Yeah. We just went to D.C. and our social studies teacher kept warning us about pickpockets. She made it sound like everybody was out to get our money.
Josh,
While reading your story about the people you worked with in Mexico, i couldnt help but smile. It is totally a God thing. No matter what language, He can bring us closer together. That’s really awesome.
yes. people do tend to not even try to get along with others just because it istoo hard.
so for a while I judged people a lot and that ruined any possible frienships with them. Evuntally I go over that and became friends with them and I saw them for who they really are inside not just who they want others to think they are. I saw that eachperson has a story and just needs to feel loved. this is how i have such a varity of friends.
When I think of helping the poor I think of just helping the kids because the adults ruined lots of peoples lives so they dont deserve my love. Now i see tho that the adults need help and love too as well as the kids. and that God loves all ages.
One thing that I didnt get about this chapter is the story about how alcohal led this dude to Christ.
I can relate to the part with judging people. I do that even kind of subconciously sometimes. It can ruin friendships, but you’re right that each person has a story and just needs to feel loved.
Jess- I think that when he says that alcohol led Rey to Christ it could be because of a few things. The book explains that Rey found Christs love and grace through being an alcoholic. This could be because he was in this program that Jordan is speaking about and the people that were a part of the program showed Rey the love and grace that he needed in that time. Or it could also be because Rey was so down that God was the only place he knew to go at one point in his life and from that point on he followed Christ.
Either way…As Jordan says he is not advocating alcoholism (nor am I) but “Rey knew God’s grace” and he “got it.”
Unfortunately, its human nature to judge others but important to remember that God warned us about judging people and to love people just the way they are.
I also tend to be a very judgmental person. I usually try to justify my judgments, especially in regard to spiritual matters, by referencing Jesus’ warning to us that we will know a tree by its fruit. However, in regard to simply opening up to people and having genuine relationships, judgment should not be my first reaction.
In regard to your comment about alcohol– my dad was a an alcoholic before becoming a Christian. He came to Christ because he was so low that he had no where else to turn. He knew he needed to change to be a better father, and God placed the right person with the message of the gospel in front of my father, and he received Christ.
that is the attitude that would have been what jesus wanted. looking through the bad and seeing the good
I have friends that mean a lot to me. In the past, I thought differently of the friends that didn’t go to church. It turned out that they were great people and meant just as much as those of my friends that did go to church. I now understand that those friends that do not go to church deserve the same amount of love as those friends that do go to church.
I actually invited one of those friends to the sleepover at our church, last year. I left feeling good about it (despite the fact that I ended up being sick because of the lack of sleep) I felt like I helped someone grow closer to God.
I feel that the homeless can share God’s love with us like we show God’s love to them. Although it won’t be in the same way, they can show us God’s love in other radical ways.
I think that the six stories tell us that our neighbors are the people that care about us and show us God’s love.
One thing that stuck out was the fact that God loves everyone just as much, even if they are sinners and ruin their lives. Just like in Jessica’s post, the man being drunk leading him to God truly amazed me.
I know what you mean when you talk about thinking of friends differently. There are these kids on our street who aren’t Christians and I have always been kind of freaked out by them, but maybe I should be nice to them.
I agree how you said that friends that don’t go to church deserve the same amount of love.
When we went to Boston I was a little scared at first to talk to the homeless people, but as I got to know them, I realized that they are no different than us. Homeless people are people just like the rest of us, but they are going through hard times. I was expecting them to be a little creepy and difficult to talk with, however I was very wrong. After that situation my heart really goes out to all the homeless people out there.
I like how the book showed that neighbors are not just the people who are living in the house next to you, they are the people all around us. Neighbors are anyone that you come in contact with. They are people just like us who we can connect with and talk about God with.
Something that stuck out to me was that those guys would go and eat pizza with those random homeless men. I thought it was cool too how the homeless guy said, “Thanks for breaking the bread with us.” It really made me reflect on doing communion at church. I will think about that every time I do that now.
Of course I got the strawberry.
Koty-
The story of the guys eating pizza stuck out to me as well. I liked that Caleb said that we should share food and share experiences about God with “the people society tells us we should be staying clear of.” That was so impactful. Because like you stated in your first paragraph I believe that a lot people feel similar to how you did before traveling to Boston.
The time that i felt like Matthew Fowler was when I was in Boston. We talked to a guy who just didn’t look so great and we were giving him that gift bag thing. He told us about his life and stories and it was actually very interesting. He had so much to tell and so many bad things happened to, but so many good things also happened. Ever since then I’ve always looked at people like him differently. It also made me feel really good giving him the gift bag and actually paying attention to his story.
After I read this chapter this week it made me feel bad for all the times I ignore or just walk by people in need or homeless. I’ve always been shy of walking up to new people and strangers because I don’t know them and I don’t know what to do or how to talk to them so I just sorta walk by. I view homeless people and people in poverty a lot differently after this reading and after boston.
Something that stuck out to me from the reading was the thing with Matthew Fowler. A lot of times I feel like him because I just don’t want to talk to them and just keep going but later I realize that I was rude or just not very nice and I feel ashamed.
I think our monsters are supposed to be the same.
yeah I just figured that out too!
Aw, I remember that guy. I like how you said that it made you feel bad for walking away from people and I completely agree. It always makes me think twice, and I try to think of how I would feel if I was that person and it makes me feel terrible if I just try to avoid them. People sometimes think they just want to beg you for money but really, I think they just want someone to talk to or show that they care.
Now when ever I think of this book or something about poverty I think of Boston and all the people we met there.
We just went to D.C. and I found out that there was this girl in my room that I wasn’t particularly friends with, but by the end of the trip I felt like I knew her better. Jess told me the other day that weeds are flowers when you get to know them (I think she said Eeyore said that) and I didn’t belive her, but I guess she was right.
When I think about poor people I have this strange idea that it’s their fault their lives are all messed up. That’s probably true for some of them, but most people are probably homeless because of situations beyond their control.
I think that these stories tell us that our neighbor is anyone who needs our help. Or maybe it’s saying that when we help help people we are being a neighbor to them. Or are those the same thing? I’m not sure.
One thing that stuck out to me was when the author talked about that one guy understanding Jesus because of alchohol. That doesn’t sound correct.
Katie-
I like that quote that Jess shared with you. Sometimes we don’t like to accept that because we don’t want to get to know someone better but just like your example with D.C., we never know until we actually try to get to know them what kind of a person (or flower in this instance) they are.
katie, I like when you said that homeless people might have done this to themselves, but sometimes it is true that most of the problems are out of their control and they just have to trust that everything will be alright.
It’s pretty sad that when we see people like Ron in matthew fowler’s story. We rush to move along and ignore them, but doesn’t Jesus say that were supposed to be rushing to help them not ignore the people who need us. That’s what stuck with me this week and now I feel bad about all those times I have seen a homeless person and not stopped to help because I was embarrassed or worked they would waste the the money on alcohol or drugs.
I often am hestitant to give money to other people as well for fear of what they might go use it on. One time a friend said something interesting to me about those fears. He said, “Once I give the money away, it is no longer mine. If God lead me to give it away, I shouldn’t be concerned any longer how the person uses it, because the money is not mine any longer.” I found that to be a very interesting perspective.
In Boston on the Bam project we had to give someone a gift bag and we didn’t give out to much money we gave them items because we to were afraid they would spend it on the wrong thing.
And is this the day we are supposed to post or is it next saurday
Noah…this is the Saturday you are suppose to have an initial Post up. And then by next Saturday you should have another post and have replied to(commented on) a couple of your friends posts on here. Does that help?
It was in Boston wher I felt like Matthew Fowler. When we went there our little group met a homeless guy name Mike. All he was wearing was brown and he also told us about himself. Just when we walked out of Starbucks a women walked up to mike and hugged him. He said he knew her and it was a touching moment.Ever since then I look at homeless people as normal folks with some friends.
I like how the book describes how a neighbor isn’t the people that live next door, a neighbor is anyone you meet. A neighbor is anyone who can conect with you and god.
Something that stuck out to me was in the chapter: Pizza: The Lord’s Supper. It was when as they were leaving one of the homeless guys said,”Thanks for breaking bread with us.”
you said that a neighbor is anyone you meet. That is so cool, I never thought of it that way!!!
Jacob,
I love hearing that story of Mike. You should feel really blessed to have been able to meet someone like him. I really liked when you said ” i look at homeless people as normal folks with some friends.” It seems really simple, but it’s true!
There’s this boy at my school, his name is Mitch. He is always getting picked on. I always hear the comments and choose to ignore it. But one day, I could not bear to let Mitch take those insults for no reason so I decided to say something to the other boys who were picking on him. To me, it was just common courtesy to tell those kids to knock it off. But Mitch really surprised me when he stopped me after class and thanked me for sticking up for him. It made me really proud to know that the littlest things can make someones day and i had just made a difference in someones life. I walked to my next class feeling extremely encouraged.
To be perfectly honest, I think I have always considered homeless people to be lower than me. Not as important and just smelly people on the streets. Now, I realize, that is ridiculous. They’re people too. Sheila McKechine says ” People who are homeless are not social inadequates, they are people without homes.” I think these 6 stories show us that people we stereotype and ignore are our neighbors too. They need love just like any other human being.
The story “The Lord’s Supper” really stuck out to me. I have never thought past the wafer and little cup of juice. I really liked the part that said ” Instead of merely taking part in a two century old tradition, let’s also share food and talk about our experiences of God with the people that society tells us we should be staying clear of.” I think that statement sums up our Canton trip. We’re giving our time to those we wouldnt usually be with, not “our” people.
Leah,
I like the quote in your blog saying, “People who are homeless are not social inadequates, they are people without homes.” It’s a really good quote, because most people think that homeless people are not as smart as we are. The real truth, is that they are simply people that don’t have a home. Thanks for bringing that up
thanks Leah for this story, I know when I was in middle school like you are I was that kid, I was relentlessly picked on and I made a point that I would try to help those same people who dealt with the same issues, I would stand up for them. Thanks for being that light in the darkness
The first time that I felt like Matthew Fowler was also when I was in Boston. When my group went to the Boston Rescue Mission, we knew we were going to be around people that were drug addicts, alcoholics, or were once homeless. It was at one point when Chrissy, Leah, and Koty were taking out trash that I was all alone in the kitchen. I felt uncomfortable at first because, I am a shy person in general, and I for some reason felt that they were not as good as I was because of what they had done. To be honest, I was scared just being there. Then there was a lady who came along and sat next to me and started talking to me. She asked what our church was doing in Boston, and after that she told me about how she became a drug addict. She told me, she started using drugs as a teenager, and now she was done and wanted to start a whole new life for herself. To me this fits in with the song “Boston” by Augustana. The verse goes, “She said I think I’ll go to Boston, I think I’ll start a new life, I think I’ll start it over, where no one knows my name.” This reminds me of her and how changed I felt after listening to her story. It made me realize that everyone makes mistakes, and nobody is close to perfect.
Our neighbors are anyone around us at any given moment. They can be the person that is standing next to you, across the street from you, or living in a completely different part of town. They most importantly are the ones that care for you, and show kindness and compassion towards you. They are the people you have to show kindness and compassion to as well.
The story “Ashamed” stuck out to me a lot. This was the story that summed up what the stories told in this chapter. Most all people put stereotypes on others. To all, homeless people are smelly, dirty, people that screwed up their lives with drugs and alcohol. What really matters is underneath that and who they are on the inside rather than the outside. I personally feel horrible, because yesterday and Friday I had many encounters with homeless people. The first one wasn’t a beggar, but he was standing alone in dirty clothes, and was talking and yelling to himself. Then there was another man who was walking strangely down the sidewalk holding a soup can. This last one makes me upset the most. My mom and I went to get something to eat during my break at my volleyball tournament. As we are walking down the sidewalk I don’t notice this man until he said something to me. (I wasn’t trying to ignore him, I was just looking at the ground the whole time) It was just when he asked “Could you ladies please give change, God Bless America” that I looked over and was shocked at who was there. It scared me so badly, but I am easily scared. I think I made the wost decision when I made my mom walk on the side nearest him on the way back. I was trying to avoid him. It the wrong thing to do, he is a person too. To me, this story is one that I will always remember when I see a homeless person on the street.
I think that when we are the most vunerable is when God can work in us the most. When we are down and in a world of hurt he sends his unworldly grace to those willing to accept it. It doesnt seem to make sense why someone could be led to Christ because of addictions until you realize that when we have tried to do everything on our own and we have failed and have no where else to go we are sometimes more open to his work in our lives just like Ron.
When it comes to people who we dub as less fortunate than us we see it as people who have less money or no home or have destroyed their lives through alcohol or drugs or whatever the case. They still have been given a beating heart and breathe in their lungs. God has still created them unique in his image and has purpose for them here, otherwise they would not be alive. God would not make people without purpose. The people that we call less fortunate are the ones that Christ came for, he came for the downtrodden and the ones who need help to live this life not the ones who think they have it figured out and can do it on their own. He came for people like Ron who realize they cant live without him. Can you live without him?
I enjoyed reading these stories because this is the kind of stuff I think about constantly because we build up these walls and boundaries in our lives about how we think about life and how we think about people and things but God is about breaking boundaries and pushing us to reach people beyond our comfort level. P.S I also like it because its short, like my attention span which can be comparable to a gold fish. It keeps my attention lol
I was at a restaurant with my mom and my sister having breakfast. We had a waitress and she seemed really impatient, grouchy and completely overworked. Not knowing who she really was, a person would assume she was just a nasty person. Instead of my mom just being rude in return, she asked the waitress how things had been for her lately. The waitress looked completely shocked and right then, her entire mood turned around seeming as if that was the last thing she would expect to hear from someone. We spent some time talking to the waitress and getting to know her. We discovered that she was a single mom, working two jobs and still somehow managing to handle school and taking care of her child. The lady seemed really shut in to herself at first but my mom’s simple question made a difference in her day and ours. It made me realize that there’s so many people in the world with tons of different problems, and we’re so quick to judge them, despite the fact that we have no idea what is happening in their lives at this time. I loved and hated that moment. I felt so much guilt overcome me for trying to assume who this lady was, yet, I was grateful that I was wrong because it taught me that people aren’t always what we expect.
I love how the authors in this book are completely honest with the readers. They admit to being scared, afraid, and nervous in unusual situations they aren’t used to, which most people won’t confess to.
Hi Emily (:
I think it’s really cool that your mom asked about your waitress. I know I wouldn’t have the courage to do that, but she sure was being a great neighbor! Great story(:
Sometimes just a little comment can make a huge difference in someone’s life. I know it has happened to me; someone took the time to care, and it really lifted my spirit.
Some times we just need to step outside of the norm into the uncomfortable ya kno? I love this story because it shows that sometimes all people need is for someone to care, thanks for sharing
When we went to Washington d.c this last November i realized how bad i felt for the homeless people. So i made a promise to everyone i see i would donate 75cents to each one. With that they can go to circle k and get a hot dog or poler pop. They may smell and look a lot different but inside they are just a typical American. In chapter 1 the movie crash is going to represt a lot of which happens on all 3 of these trips. I hope the trip is fun and we get to help a lot of people while we are on it.
People tend to look down on homeless people as less than themselves because it’s obviously their own fault for ending up homeless. Maybe if they didn’t make bad decisions then they wouldn’t be homeless. Plus most people assume that all homeless people have a drug addiction (alcohol and tobacco included). Most people use excuses like “Well I’m not going to feed their drug addictions so I’m doing them a favor by not giving them any money.” I see two major problems in this excuse. 1: it over generalizes homeless people as all of them being washed up drug addicts wasting all of their money on drugs. 2: Homeless people are people who have no home. Thus the word “homeless”. Does it say anywhere in the bible that you must have a home in order to be loved by God? (The answers no in case you were wondering) God takes us as we are. There’s no checklist of things to complete in order to be loved my God. Christ died for homeless people too. If you don’t want to feed their drug addiction, don’t give them money, give them a gift card to subway (I’m relatively sure they don’t sell drugs) or giant eagle. People look down about homeless people in order to hide their own insecurities.
There was supposed to be more to that but I hit submit too soon so I guess that’ll be fine.
One time I was suprise was when I was at Refuge of Hope cooking for the church luncheon. When we were done a homeless man walked in and asked if there was something he could do to help out, to earn some money. There was a ton of food there, he could have easily just asked for something to eat. But he started cleaning the kitchen and was so happy to do it, to be working. I talked to him for a few minutes and i could tell he loved to talk and be listened to. And when we left, he came out and waved at us as we drove away. I was suprised about the pure joy the man had dispite the conditions he was in.
This is Josh Duffie’s week 1 entry:
A time that I have expirienced something like Matthew Fowler is when I went to the refuge of hope. We were praying and this guy had a prayer request. Earlier he had spilled his coffe and to me he looked wierd. So what he prayed for was that he was alive to see another day in the creation of God. When I wake up I dont even think to even pray sometimes. And this guy didnt even have much to live for. In fact he probably had to go on without eating. He saw that God loves him in spite of all the bad things going on in his life. If that were me I would have been soo mad at any little thing just to have an excuse to be negative. But this guy was happy unconditionally. he sees the little things like our extra change to be his income. We take so many things for granted that we couldnt count.
Neighbors are people that help, love, and respect each other.
when we weent to bosten and my group of people met mike the homeless guy in the boston commons i was not scaredd to talk to him because i knew he was just like you and me the only thing different is that he is goojng through some bad times
i left the place thinking i dont think i would ever have done this by my self but i left felling GREAT about myself
I liked when the book said that God listens attentively to everyone because when homeless people pray god does not just blow them off because they dont have a home he listens to them like he listens to me and you
I dance at a studio that teaches people with mental disabilities and people that are handicapped to dance. I really wasn’t friends with most of these girls, mostly because they were in other classes. I used to think they were different, but they actually love dance and enjoy it the same way I do. One girl, Jenny, was always happy and helpful to anyone she met and loved to dance. Looking back at the time I met Jenny, I feel bad because I was so judgmental of her but I felt good because I was able to establish a great friendship with Jenny.
I think our neighbors are people who take time to care about you and to help you in bad times. One thing that stuck out to me in the stories is the honesty of the authors who experienced it. I like how they aren’t afraid to confess their true feelings in the book.