WHO IS MY NEIGHBOR?

 

 

I began my day today with a brunch.  When my four friends arrived we enjoyed a very varied menu with a contribution from everyone – an egg, cheese and veggie casserole; an assortment of fruit; an apple pie; a pear tart and waffles.  The food was great, but we weren’t really there for the food.  We were there for the friendships!  We talked about food, families, jobs, and children.  We talked about messy neighbors and how to be a good neighbor.  We oo’ed and ah’ed, and laughed, and sometimes we were even sad. 

As few as three years ago, I would never have expected to call these women friends, not because I wouldn’t have liked them, but because they weren’t on my radar.  All that changed when I saw an ad posted by our local library announcing training for those who would like to be ESL (English as a Second Language) tutors.  At the time, I had befriended a Peruvian lady at a local restaurant and thought it might be helpful in helping us to communicate. 

So, I went for the training and received my first “assignment”.  I would begin meeting weekly with a young Japanese woman!  I was really excited, but also a little anxious, because this was new territory for me.  I had some training under my belt, but it had been a long time since I’d studied things like the parts of speech and sentence structure.  What was I getting myself into! 

What I’ve discovered (a year and 2 more students later) is that doing ESL tutoring isn’t like teaching an 8^th grade grammar course.  No, it’s more like meeting a friend for coffee and chatting about language. 

So what do we do when we’re together?  Well, we talk of course! 

As I would do with any of my friends, we begin by catching up.  We talk about what our weeks were like.  If they had significant encounters where they needed to speak English, we talk about those.  We talk about how the kids are doing at school, who’s going back to Japan this summer, how their time volunteering at the school library, or International Night at the middle school, went.

Then we do some “official” ESL type exercises.  Our town library, which sponsors, organizes, trains tutors, and then matches them with students, has a large selection of ESL books and materials.  I look through them during the week and plan for our 1 ½ hour session in advance.  When we meet we might read an article or two in the “Easy English News” a newspaper written especially for English learners that includes articles about all things American.  Last week we read about the unique stresses on internationals living in the States and how to manage the stress.  There was an article about St. Patrick’s Day and Mardi Gras in New Orleans; as well as an exercise on idioms and vocabulary.

Sometimes we’ll read a story together.  Then we’ll do the comprehension questions, followed by some questions that apply to every day life.

Occasionally, the women will have questions for me, such as when one wanted to know when to use the phrase, “Take care”.  She was curious to know if this was usually said just when someone was sick, or whether it was just something to say instead of “good-bye”.

As an older woman with children already raised and out of the house, I find myself also acting at times as a mother figure to these women so far from home.  We talk about raising kids, being a good wife, and how to establish relationships with other women.  These topics just arise naturally out of ordinary conversations.

I come away from social times, and from our more formal ESL sessions, being so thankful that I got to meet these young women.  They have enriched my life with their sweet ways, their kindness and gentleness, and their willingness to share themselves, their children and families, and their customs, with me! 

I was thinking today as we talked together about how to be a good neighbor, that these were the people Jesus had in mind when He told the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke’s gospel.  In the margin of my Bible above that passage I wrote: “If I want to be a good neighbor, I can administer mercy and grace to those in my sphere of influence.”

At brunch today, one of the women said, “I wish other Americans (would reach out to us) too.”

If you are an American, and especially if you are a believer in Jesus, look around.  You no longer need to go to a foreign land to be a missionary.  God has brought people to YOU from all over the world.  Simply be a good neighbor and show the mercy and grace and love of Jesus to those He’s placed in YOUR sphere of influence.

In Rick Warren’s book, “The Purpose Driven Life”, he reminds us that for believers in Jesus, being in this world isn’t “all about YOU!”  It’s all about others and bringing the mercy, grace, and love of Jesus to THEM. 

Who is YOUR international neighbor?  The guy who works in the next cubicle?  The family living next door?  The woman who rides the same bus to work?  The mom whose kids go to school with yours? 

Why not invite them to lunch, to a meal at your home, to a play date with your kids, or to celebrate a holiday dinner?  They will be SO happy you asked, and YOU will be abundantly blessed!