How were you able to take care of your neighbors last week? We are sure however you did it you were a blessing!!

This week we just want to share 2 stories with you about how much of a blessing it is to love your neighbor and how much it changes lives. A few days ago I got a free ride from Lyft and I used it to go into the woods to go for a hike. On the way there I encouraged the driver and I found out we live really close to each other. So I invited him to our game night the day after. He was moved by the invite and came. He had a great time getting to know the other neighbors that came and played his first bingo game. Each guest brought a small silly gift as a prize for the bingo game. So when it was his turn to win he picked one of the prices and it included a fortune cookie. He opened it and everyone asked what it said because he seemed really moved. He didn’t want to share first but then he did. It said today you will find what you were looking for. Then he said he was looking for family and he felt like family with all of us and it was something he wanted for a long time. All of us around the table were moved by it too. And it was a simple invite.

For Thanksgiving, we hosted a big meal at our house and invited our neighbor friends. Many people came and our apartment was full. We had friends from all over the neighborhood and all the different places we are connected to. We also had the full age range as well as all different walks of life from rich to poor. During the dinner time, Jen asked everyone to share about what they are thankful for. The common answer was this moment with people, sitting around this table and talking and spending time together. Someone said it was the first meal at a table with a family since home 3 years ago, another said they would have eaten at a restaurant but his mom convinced him to go and he gave us a hug later with tears in his eyes saying thank you so much. And again it was a simple open home.

We hope those 2 stories inspire you to invite your neighbors over and become friends with them. We all need a place to belong so let us create those places!!

Hey our friend

We hope your week was great!! We got back from our writing trip last week on Tuesday and it was a successful time. God really inspired us during the time. When we got back we had a neighborhood watch meeting and also a wonderful brunch. It was awesome!! We feel so blessed by all of our neighbor friends around us and our heart is to inspire others to love their neighbors too. So let’s do it!! This will also be the last week before our DTS Students leave for Outreach. Please keep them in your prayers!!

Thank you for all your prayers. You guys are a blessing to us!!

Have a wonderful week!!

Markus and Jen