I find it quite amazing how different neighborhoods can be. I grew up about 200 miles further north from my current location on Minnesota's Iron Range. When I first moved here on our hobby farm, I was not a believer. One thing is certain. A major contributor to my conversion came from the Christian witness in my neighborhood. I'll share some examples.
Shortly after moving here, my neighbor from diagonally across the road, Dan, who was renting my farmland at the time, stopped by for a visit and invited my family to visit his church, which is the church I later joined and am a member today.
Throughout the first 12 years living here my wife and I remodeled our old farmhouse including digging and putting a basement with footings and block walls under a large section where there was none, installing drywall, and other work. It seemed there were always neighbors around willing and eager to help out, which was great since I had now prior experience. One neighbor brought his backhoe and another brought his skid loader to do our basement. There were about a half dozen here to help pour the footings and build the cement block walls, and others that helped with the poured concrete basement floor. Of course, I have helped out with some of their projects as well.
A few years ago I was having some issues with heartburn. But, one day my heartburn was particularly bad and I couldn't seem to get relief. So, on my way home from work that day I figured I stop in at the clinic to see if they had any suggestions. It was after hours for both the regular clinic and urgent care so I just stopped in the ER. I walked in and said, "I've got this pain in my chest..." and that was all I could get out. Immediately I was given aspirin, placed in a wheelchair, and brought to a bed where they hooked me up with a bunch of sensors for overnight observation. The final diagnosis was just heartburn and I was prescribed a prescription strength antacid. It was in the fall of the year and I was about half done with my fall moldboard plowing. One of our neighbors, Tim, got wind that I was in the ER and when I came home the next day, I caught him in the act of finishing my plowing for me. What a beautiful thing to do! I don't even know how they found out that I was in the ER.
Last year I was out blowing snow with my tractor and snowblower and noticed the school bus stuck on the road. It was on the crest of a hill and the snow likes to drift there with NW winds. I drove down there to see if I could help with my M Farmall and my neighbor, Nate, was already there with his payloader digging the bus out. Once he got done, I used my snowblower to open up a path through the deep snow so people can get through if needed.
My neighbor, Dan, also owns another farm directly across the road from me and rents it out to a middle-aged divorcee and her four children. After opening the path through the road where the bus was stuck, I went down her 1/4 mile long driveway and opened a path for them as well. I didn't take the time to clean it out perfectly figuring Dan could do that when he got the time.
Thursday this week we had a snow storm move through here and although we only got about 4" of snow, it was very windy that day and Friday causing a lot of drifting snow. Saturday I tried to start my tractor to blow the snow drifts off our driveway but with the daytime high at only -8° F. and -35° F windchill, I wasn't able to get it started. I burned up the starter switch in the process so now I would need to make repairs. I was talking on the phone to Dan about our choir practice at church Saturday afternoon and in passing I casually mentioned that I wasn't able to start my tractor and would have to work on it Tuesday after Christmas. He asked if we needed to be blown out and I told him that it wasn't necessary since we can get out. In fact, my wife had gone to town to pick up a few groceries as evidence of that. Well, a couple hours later our dogs started barking and I looked to see who was in the yard and to my surprise he was out there with his snowblower clearing our drive.
This is what our neighborhood is like. We are always helping each other with various projects and farming needs, etc. Neighbors are always helping each other and nobody asks for a dime of payment. I recently helped a neighbor from about 10 miles away that I had never met before install a water softener and repair the electrical connection on his septic system. My wife works with him and she found out they were looking for someone to install the softener so she volunteered me. When he asked how much I needed I told him, "Nothing. It's just neighbors helping neighbors."
This to me is how Christians should be treating each other.
Now the flip side. My 82-year old widowed mother-in-law lives alone and is barely able to get around. She walks with a walker and it can be quite risky for her during the winter. She lives on the iron range where I grew up in the country about 8 miles from the nearest town. She does not have the equipment to move snow off her driveway and even if she did she wouldn't be able to operate it. Do you think any of her neighbors, including the contractor next door, would consider running in and out of her drive to move some of the snow for her? No, not without charging her over $200.00. I know if I lived up there with my little M Farmall, it would take about 10 minutes for me to do it. She's been trying to find someone to open up her drive for the past four days and has not been successful.
Shortly after moving here, my neighbor from diagonally across the road, Dan, who was renting my farmland at the time, stopped by for a visit and invited my family to visit his church, which is the church I later joined and am a member today.
Throughout the first 12 years living here my wife and I remodeled our old farmhouse including digging and putting a basement with footings and block walls under a large section where there was none, installing drywall, and other work. It seemed there were always neighbors around willing and eager to help out, which was great since I had now prior experience. One neighbor brought his backhoe and another brought his skid loader to do our basement. There were about a half dozen here to help pour the footings and build the cement block walls, and others that helped with the poured concrete basement floor. Of course, I have helped out with some of their projects as well.
A few years ago I was having some issues with heartburn. But, one day my heartburn was particularly bad and I couldn't seem to get relief. So, on my way home from work that day I figured I stop in at the clinic to see if they had any suggestions. It was after hours for both the regular clinic and urgent care so I just stopped in the ER. I walked in and said, "I've got this pain in my chest..." and that was all I could get out. Immediately I was given aspirin, placed in a wheelchair, and brought to a bed where they hooked me up with a bunch of sensors for overnight observation. The final diagnosis was just heartburn and I was prescribed a prescription strength antacid. It was in the fall of the year and I was about half done with my fall moldboard plowing. One of our neighbors, Tim, got wind that I was in the ER and when I came home the next day, I caught him in the act of finishing my plowing for me. What a beautiful thing to do! I don't even know how they found out that I was in the ER.
Last year I was out blowing snow with my tractor and snowblower and noticed the school bus stuck on the road. It was on the crest of a hill and the snow likes to drift there with NW winds. I drove down there to see if I could help with my M Farmall and my neighbor, Nate, was already there with his payloader digging the bus out. Once he got done, I used my snowblower to open up a path through the deep snow so people can get through if needed.
My neighbor, Dan, also owns another farm directly across the road from me and rents it out to a middle-aged divorcee and her four children. After opening the path through the road where the bus was stuck, I went down her 1/4 mile long driveway and opened a path for them as well. I didn't take the time to clean it out perfectly figuring Dan could do that when he got the time.
Thursday this week we had a snow storm move through here and although we only got about 4" of snow, it was very windy that day and Friday causing a lot of drifting snow. Saturday I tried to start my tractor to blow the snow drifts off our driveway but with the daytime high at only -8° F. and -35° F windchill, I wasn't able to get it started. I burned up the starter switch in the process so now I would need to make repairs. I was talking on the phone to Dan about our choir practice at church Saturday afternoon and in passing I casually mentioned that I wasn't able to start my tractor and would have to work on it Tuesday after Christmas. He asked if we needed to be blown out and I told him that it wasn't necessary since we can get out. In fact, my wife had gone to town to pick up a few groceries as evidence of that. Well, a couple hours later our dogs started barking and I looked to see who was in the yard and to my surprise he was out there with his snowblower clearing our drive.
This is what our neighborhood is like. We are always helping each other with various projects and farming needs, etc. Neighbors are always helping each other and nobody asks for a dime of payment. I recently helped a neighbor from about 10 miles away that I had never met before install a water softener and repair the electrical connection on his septic system. My wife works with him and she found out they were looking for someone to install the softener so she volunteered me. When he asked how much I needed I told him, "Nothing. It's just neighbors helping neighbors."
This to me is how Christians should be treating each other.
Now the flip side. My 82-year old widowed mother-in-law lives alone and is barely able to get around. She walks with a walker and it can be quite risky for her during the winter. She lives on the iron range where I grew up in the country about 8 miles from the nearest town. She does not have the equipment to move snow off her driveway and even if she did she wouldn't be able to operate it. Do you think any of her neighbors, including the contractor next door, would consider running in and out of her drive to move some of the snow for her? No, not without charging her over $200.00. I know if I lived up there with my little M Farmall, it would take about 10 minutes for me to do it. She's been trying to find someone to open up her drive for the past four days and has not been successful.
there’s this sociological term social location. One’s view of life is shaped by it. Mine seems to be permanent outcast but now in Christ…