June 2: Won't You Be My Neighbor?

June 2nd: Get to know the neighbors to build relationships and a sense of community

My dad always taught me to build relationships with people so that I can show the love of Jesus. He would say, "When you have to, use words to tell about Jesus." My mom always says, "Actions speak louder than words." How am I to share Jesus with people I don't know in a community I live in but am not rooted in yet? These are the thoughts behind today's challenge.

Trent and I have been hard at work in our backyard. We are first-time homeowners and the excitement of having a garden is almost too much for me. Every weekend we are out in the yard trying to make it the best we can be. On Sunday, our task was removing a giant bush from the back corner of our lot. We were outside working for hours! Naturally, this allowed us a chance to get to know some of our neighbors.

We live in a suburban community with fairly small lots, so we are very close in proximity to our neighbors. Our lot touches five others! We have gotten to know our next door neighbors pretty well, but haven't really seen or chatted with the neighbors who live behind us and on the corners. However, it was such a beautiful day that everyone was outside working.

We finally met our backdoor neighbors. They are a very nice Chinese family and they are growing a ton of bok choy in their backyard, among other things. The grandma of the family doesn't speak any English, but her daughter does. It was so nice to get to know them a bit more. The grandma even picked fresh bok choy and gave me an entire bagful!

The neighbors to the north of us are a nice mom and grown daughter. The daughter is quite the gardener so I have been seeking a lot of advice from her as I develop my green thumb. She was so nice, she even gave me some clippings of plants to transfer to my yard. (Truth be told, I planted them right away, but I think they are already dead!)

My challenge for June 2nd was to reach out and finally get to know my neighbors. I am working on making little treats for each family so I can personally deliver them and hopefully strike up more conversation.