The Sunday before a special weekend full of students (6th-12th grade) serving the community called, MyNeighbor Mission Weekend, the second message in the Lent: The Life of Surrender series entitled, Stay Compassionate, was given as the students and leaders were commissioned for the following weekend.

The message touched on The Good Samaritan specifically. A big point was if you see or know of someone suffering, it is your responsibility to help out in any way you can, even if it means simply praying for that person. Prayer is a crucial part of restoration for others and oneself. A lot of the time, it is easier than it should be to look beyond the people who are hurting because of the focus being on ourselves. Oftentimes, the instinct is to tell ourselves that “someone else will come along and help this person” or “there is nothing I can do for them.” This is so far from the truth, and if we take the time to just listen to those in need, we may learn something and find we can do more than we ever thought.

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
“What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”
He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
Luke 10:25-37‘

The best actions to take are to first, LISTEN to the needs of a person and then, walk alongside them until they are sturdy enough to walk on their own. Along the journey, ask what would make their lives better, and as possible, give them practical steps to take to reach their goals. If they don’t know what may help them, provide encouragement and assist them, however you are able, by equipping them to be independent but also know they always have a God in Heaven who NEVER fails his children!

The beauty of being a part of a church family is I have a place to go to develop in my faith and knowlege of how to not only face the world the other 6 days of the week but be the LIGHT of Christ that this world so desparately needs.. Because we all belong to the Body of Christ, when one hurts, all should hurt. We as believers, must build each other up and soak up the time we are given to worship and gather together on Sundaqy mornings and anytime we are in fellowship with one another. When we go into unfamilliar territory or environments that don’t feel as safe to express out beliefs, we must remember we carry the Holy Spirit within us and allow him to work through us to help others!

The morning of this service, this verse from Matthew 18 came up in one of my devotionals. There was a time set aside for intercessory prayer from our prayer team. The words “Where 2 or more are gathered, you promise to be there” was a part of what the prayer warrior spoke to God about on behalf of my dad about to have surgery on his heart. While my mom and I were kneeling and being prayed over, I felt such a relief comforting me. When we pray, God listens. When we pray, the Spirit moves. When we pray, we have the power of Jesus inside our veins. When we take compassion on those who don’t have the words to speak on their own to God, and we pray for them, we are that Good Neighbor Jesus has called us to be.

My Neighbor 2023:
I had the immense privilege to serve on the Saturday of the three day mission weekend. My team of students were assigned packing peanut a butter and jelly sandwiches for a center that provides assistance with food, clothing, baby, and hygiene items to those without a home or the resources to to survive. After the students packed up the sandwiches with other food items, there was a small church service within the center. The message was inspiring to say the least!

The minister spoke about seeking God and not allowing the enemy to get the best of you. She used some analogies that I found impactful:
“God doesn’t play hide and seek! You have to continuously seek him to know his voice because the enemy can disguise himself as God. If you don’t know God or his voice you could fall into the enemy’s trap and believe his lies. When we sleep, our souls are resting with God. We are unconscious and are trusting Him to keep us safe and wake us up. Thank Him each time you wake up.”

The other task my team was given was to visit a sweet widow from our church and help her clean out the leaves from her yard and garden. She was so appreciative and told us her story of her time at Asbury Church so far. She thanked us all so many times. It felt good to know that we helped her in a way that may seem little to most but meant so much to her.

The main point of the message Stay Compassionate and theme of MyNeighbor was to learn what it means to be Compelled to Care and Choose Action over Complacency and Comfort.

Below you can see a picture of me wearing the shirt from MyNeighbor on that Sunday after serving. I was so filled afterwards.