a dazzling tapestry: lessons on how to love my neighbor

Jesus said, "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. 
This is the greatest and first commandment. 
The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
- Matthew 22: 37-39

As a young child I have fond memories of kind and welcoming neighbors up and down my block. Cups of ice tea offered, soft hand me down clothes shared and my first exposure to pop music. A plentitude of young girls my age made way for seemingly effortless friendship.

Decades later, when Matt and I bought our first home and moved into a new neighborhood, we hoped and dreamed of fellowship and friendship with our neighbors. At that time Josephine and Coryn were small, 4 and 2 years old. 

The following summer friends reached out who had discerned moving from the East Coast to the Milwaukee area. The husband was looking for a job teaching high school German. Lo and behold, our local public school had an opening. Our friend interviewed and was hired. Their family of three moved in with us over the summer as they looked for their own home. Our weeks together brought back memories from my own childhood: cool glasses of ice tea and lemonade shared as little ones played together.

Not long after that summer, a new family moved in two doors down from us. The wife accepted a job at our local library as director of the Children's department, where our family often visited and lingered. She was newly remarried and had two teen daughters from a previous marriage. Between our shared love of books and the blessing of sweet and playful babysitters for our growing family, a casual, neighborly relationship began to blossom. 

Seven years ago this month, our family drove to Louisiana for the first time. We came down to "come and see" Family Missions Company. While we spent hours on their website, watching testimony videos and reading missionary blogs, it was due time to see for ourselves if God was indeed calling our family to become missionaries. Over the course of a few days, we met missionaries, shared meals, prayed with strangers and were both welcomed and united as a family like never before. The Lord gave us peace to apply to the upcoming missionary training that would begin in September 2018. 

We didn't know it then, but another family applied before us. They too had followed the promptings of the Holy Spirit and prayerfully discerned becoming a full time missionary family. Their family went on a mission trip with Family Missions Company to Mexico and confirmed the call. They were prepped and ready to join missionary training at Big Woods. Then an unexpected medical diagnosis for their youngest son changed their plans. The husband called the director of FMC at the end of May and shared the news that their family would not be joining after all. 

The very next day, FMC's director called us to share there was an unexpected opening for our family to join missionary training in three short months. One family's sacrifice provided the opportunity for our family to begin our journey info full time missions. Only God knew that one day, our families would become neighbors in Abbeville.  

A little more than two years later we began to hear about this family from our former teammates. A hurricane was heading to Big Woods and several single missionaries were in need a safe place to wait out the storm. Saul and Jan welcomed them into their home in Jackson, Mississippi. Their hospitality and joy was a tremendous gift to refugee missionaries. 

A few years later, Matt and Saul met for the first time and became friends straightaway. They are both passionate about loving Jesus and sharing His love with every single person possible. They were partnered up to represent FMC at the annual SEEK conference in St Louis. Both of our families were in the process of moving to Abbeville to work on staff at FMC's mission base headquarters. Saul had accepted a job as the new Director of Mission Advancement and we were joining the Member Care team.     

Right around the time that Matt and Saul met, we were rekindling our relationship with our neighbors back in Wisconsin. The Lord had ordained a time of rest and renewal back in our family home and our beloved neighbors warmly welcomed us with homemade soup. Rosalie, the eldest daughter of our neighbor, had graduated from college and moved back home with her parents. She was struggling with what to do next. I was struggling with homeschooling Gloria with Daniel and Gwen underfoot. 

I asked if Rosalie might be available to play with Daniel and Gwen so I could focus on homeschool with Gloria. Rosalie promptly agreed to come over weekday mornings and brought over bags of hand me down clothes for our older girls. Daniel and Gwen were delighted each morning Rosalie came to play with them. They became fast friends with outings to the park and singing silly songs together. When Rosalie shared that she had an art show, we all went together to see her artwork and went out for Asian food. Rosalie's mother's thoughtfulness and generosity humbled us. She offered the keys to her Prius so Josephine could learn to drive on a more manageable vehicle than our 12-passenger van. 

As I look back now on these moments of neighborly encounters, I begin to see a dazzling tapestry. God is a Master Artist who weaves my own story into the hearts of those who are open to His Spirit. 

Rosalie and her family sacrificed their free time to provide loving care for our children. Saul and Jan sacrificed their dream of becoming a missionary family, to provide the opening for our family to join FMC. Both have taught me how to love my neighbor as myself. 

 A few short months ago Rosalie's mother reached out and asked me to call. The Holy Spirit had put her on my heart that very day and I was wondering why. I stepped out to take a walk around our new neighborhood here in Abbeville and dialed her number. She shared with me that Rosalie had taken her own life. Rosalie had recently been diagnosed with bi-polar disorder and was waiting to meet with a doctor. I asked if I could pray with her and she said she was hoping I would. 

Matt, Josephine, Coryn and Mallory lifted up Rosalie and her family at the Shrine of Our Lady of Knock on the day of her funeral. The rest of us attended Mass here in Abbeville and sent up love notes and purple balloons to say goodbye. We ordered a few of our favorite pieces of Rosalie's artwork and have them displayed in our home. We are heartbroken and still grieving the loss of Rosalie.

Yesterday we were given an unexpected day off from school. We traveled with friends to New Orleans on pilgrimage to the shrine of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos. Fr. Seelos was a missionary priest who left his family and homeland to bring Jesus to immigrants in the USA. He traveled extensively to preach missions (even in Milwaukee!) and was known for his zeal for Christ and good cheer. At his shrine we offered prayers for family and friends who have asked for healing. At the top of our prayer list is Saul. 

One month ago Saul learned he has a large inoperable tumor in his chest. More tests followed which confirmed that Saul has stage three cancer. He started chemo yesterday. Please join us in praying for Saul, Jan and their six children.

At the shrine, our tour guide shared her own testimony of miraculous healing through the intercession of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos. She encouraged us to make Blessed Seelos a new friend. She said Fr. Seelos still desires to bring people to Jesus because he is like the friends who persevered in bringing the paralytic man to Jesus when it seemed there was no way:

When Jesus came to Capernaum, many gathered together so that there was no longer room for them, not even around the door, and he preached the word to them. They came bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. 

Unable to get near Jesus because of the crowd, they opened up the roof above him. After they had broken through, they let down the mat on which the paralytic was lying. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Child, your sins are forgiven...that you may know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth, 

I say to you, rise, pick up your mat and go home." 

He rose, picked up his mat at once and went away in the sight of everyone.

- Mark 2:1-12

 Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos, pray for us.