A Smiling Neighbor

There is a Chinese saying, "a neighbor close by is
better than a relative far away."  Indeed, how
wonderful it is when we have someone in our vicinity
who can readily and willingly offer their hands in our
times of need.

What about those seafarers?  Who is their neighbor
when they travel far away from home to distant parts
of the world?  To whom can they turn when they need
someone to help or just someone to talk to?

When we serve these seafarers, we bring them joy.  I
know this is true because whether we bring them cell
phones to use to call home, take them shopping for
groceries or electronics, or just sit with them to
hear their stories, they will break into a smile.  We
sometimes visit the same ship more than once during
its short stay in Portland.  One time, on my second
such visit to a Chinese ship in the same week, one of
the seafarers came to me and put his arm around my
shouldes, treating me like an old friend.  We both
broke into smiles.  Another time, one of the seafarers
made an observation: "wherever I go in the world,
there will be Christians like you spending your
precious time to visit us and to show your loving care
to us."  When I heard this, I broke into a huge smile.

In the Bible, Jesus challenged us to be a good
neighbor in the parable of the Good Samaritan.  A good
neighbor is not someone who is more concerned about
oneself than others.  A good neighbor is one who is
willing to make the effort to help others and share
lives and smiles.

John Wong