The Sisterhood: Care Packages for "Neighbors in Need"

"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view […] until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."

--Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee)

I live in a small town, enough in the country and away from the city that, for the most part, means I experience "small town" things as part of my norm. We know our post office and library ladies on a first-name basis now, and the kids eagerly anticipate the treats we will get when we stop by. I always see at least 3-4 people I know in our town grocery store. And our local hardware store looks like something from"The Andy Griffith Show." Idyllic, right? And our family is working on developing good relationships with our neighbors - you know, the ones who live in our neighborhood. It's not easy, and I'm personally not very good at easy hospitality, but I've been working on it.

Yet every time I think of the story of the Good Samaritan and the lawyer's question to Jesus, "Who is my neighbor?" I can't get certain people out of my mind's eye. They're the ones that we pass

on a regular basis as we're driving into "the city," standing on sidewalks and street corners with their signs and backpacks. My lack of familiarity with homeless people means that I usually try to avoid eye contact, especially since I never have anything to give them. Because, I mean, who wants to smile and wave ... and nothing else? I feel terrible the whole time. And not because of some emotional urge to make myself feel like a good person, but because I always hear that question, "Who is my neighbor?" Driving past these people is a somewhat- regular occurrence. So yes, they are my neighbors.

Jesus, through a question, allows the lawyer to see who is being the true neighbor: "the one who showed him mercy." I remember

someone telling me that part of mercy is the compassion that comes from "putting yourself in other peoples' shoes." It's what Jesus literally did for us. I can't always do that physically speaking, but God has given us the gift to imagine, I believe, so that sometimes we can do just that: put ourselves in the place of others - imagine what they are feeling and why they are doing what they do. Even if I don't always understand it.

So, over the holidays I remember seeing an idea on pinterest for some "care packages" that you can pass on to anyone you run into that has a need - even as quickly as handing it out the window while driving. I didn't act on it then as I should have. But after another reminder at last night's ladies' Bible study (on reaching our neighbors with true hospitality), I knew it was time to act. Below in pictures is what I hope will be a means to show love to my neighbors in need that I pass on the street corners (one of which came up to me in a parking lot the other day looking for food). I tried to put myself in their shoes to see what the needs might be - and if anyone has more ideas to add to this, please feel free to let me know! I hope we can start overwhelming our neighbors with love in caring for some of these needs.

Note: most items included are hygenic in nature, because what I have heard from friends who work with the homeless a lot is that these hygenic items can be somewhat expensive and hard to come by (we all know how this stuff adds up). Most items are from Target/Aldi/Dollar Tree.

CARE PACKAGES FOR "NEIGHBORS IN NEED"

Contents

Care packages all laid out

socks
3 granola bars
shaving cream/razor
toothbrush/paste/case
washcloth/soap
shampoo
flushable wipes
gum
water bottle
lemonade packet
hot beverage pack (tea, hot cocoa)
chapstick
lotion (girls only)
Feminine pack (girls only)

TOTAL COST: about $6 each

Additional items not in packages: Hats, gloves, handwarmers (to pass along as needed)
Also going to print off little notes to go inside - with encouragement and some info about our church's food ministry.