65000. The number of damaged families’ homes in Mississippi and Louisiana from Hurricane Isaac. Are you One of them? Is your neighbor One of them? 59,000 in Louisiana and 6000 in Mississippi. Are you surprised to hear about this high number? Many are!

200,000 is the number damaged due to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita combined in 2005 by comparison. Also by comparison, “only” several hundred homes were damaged earlier this year by tornadoes.

Perhaps it’s like surgery, it’s only significant if it’s you; I don’t know. Whether it’s significant to me maybe should matter if I view it through, “Who is my neighbor?”. Not viewed through that lens to find a way to justify action or inaction, but to define deeper issues of priorities.

Somehow Hurricane Isaac has not received the response for compassion, resource and volunteerism that other natural disasters often receive. Perhaps

it’s because it happened in the midst of political conventions, perhaps there is disaster “relief fatigue”, perhaps there is a sense that “those people should just move”. By the way, how do we define “those people”? Is that another way to ask “Who is my neighbor?” There is some warranted discussion on the best rebuilding plans, as there should be. How do we all use better stewardship of assets to respond to people who are hurting in these disasters? It’s a discussion that is valid, necessary and ongoing.

In the meantime, it is always appropriate to bring to people comfort, care, counsel and concern during hardship. Loving our neighbors as ourselves is a deeper and broader subject than we’ll discuss here today, probably would take a year to unpack all of that properly. But we remember Jesus had a pretty succinct answer to the question, “Who is my neighbor?” You can read it here: “The Good Samaritan”

We’ve seen that Loving Neighbors As Yourself actions with groups partnering together locally; like churches, schools, agencies, and families. We’ve also seen volunteer teams coming from far and wide to serve their “neighbors”. We’ve seen groups like Mercy Chefs, God’s Pit Crew, Operation Barbecue Relief and Matthew 25 Ministries...to only name a FEW… serve along side CitiIMPACT in these disaster zones; in unity of purpose with common resource; feeding thousands of people hot meals, giving them cold water, washing clothers, gutting homes, praying, counseling, comforting, delivering millions of dollars of relief aid..Loving Neighbors as Themselves. Here are some examples: CLICK

On behalf of hurting people we exhort you to continue to love your neighbors! Also, on behalf of hurting people we implore you to help if you haven’t already. CitiIMPACT is there. Will you join us? We have ongoing sustainable projects in multiple states which are scheduling teams for Hope and Help already into and through 2013. Sign  up!

We’re also still in Henryville, Indiana, West Liberty, Kentucky, Joplin, Missouri, Tuscaloosa, Alabama and other locations...because of people just like you; loving neighbors! Building homes, building playgrounds, helping churches grow, helping schools…yes, love looks like that.

Everybody needs help sometime. Everybody can help sometime. What time is it for you? Which ONE are you?

CitiIMPACT Missions    HELP NOW by clicking: DONATE NOW!