My Neighbor




	WRITE 2 THE HEART Stories that are aimed "Write 2 the Heart" April 29, 2004 Cheryl Speir, Editor, moderator@write2theheart.com. Welcome to your latest issue of "Write 2 the Heart." All new subscribers will receive a free downloadable copy of the e- cookbook, "Write 2 the Heart of the Chocolate Lover." To join, send an e-mail with subscribe written in the subject line to: subscribe@write2theheart.com. Do you have a heart-touching or inspiring story to share? Send it in the body of a plain email, no graphic or colorful back- grounds please. Write 'submission' in the subject line. Don't forget to write a brief bio to introduce yourself to our readers. You may include your family friendly websites, information on your books, newsletters, and upcoming projects. Email your submission to: moderator@write2theheart.com. We always love to hear stories from new, first time writers. Until the end of June, I have a writer’s appreciation gift of a bookmark and pin for each writer whose story appears in Write 2 the Heart. There is a limit of three per author. There will be a new appreciation gift offered in July. We never know when we are going to meet our neighbor, or how. Janet met hers while collecting funds for a worthy cause. This meeting opened a door for a cross culture friendship and an opportunity to minister. Who Is My Neighbor? By Janet Seever I first rang her doorbell as a volunteer, collecting funds for the Cancer Society in April 2002. The weather was still chilly, but tulips had already poked through the ground, and were beginning to open in front of her house. The dark-haired woman from South Asia who answered the door told me she wasn’t interested. But nearly everyone has a relative or friend dealing with cancer,” I said. “I’m here as a volunteer because my grandmother died of cancer many years ago. The expression on her face softened. “I had cancer surgery over ten years ago,” she said with a heavy accent. “Please come in” She served me tea and told me her story. She and her family had been in Canada only two years and she had very few friends. A lonely woman, she seemed eager to have someone to talk with. I wasn’t at all sorry I wasn’t able to finish my collection route that afternoon. After all, she was my neighbor, just five houses down from me. “Please come back again and visit me,” Shandah* said as I was leaving. So I did. I learned about her family and her customs. She had grown up in a Muslim country as a Muslim, but had attended a Catholic school as a child. She had heard the story of Jesus in school. “When I was growing up, I wanted to be a nun,” she said with a laugh. I told her I was a Christian, which was fine with her. “All religions are good,” She said. I visited her every week or two so she had someone to practice English with, and because she was lonely. It was her custom to stay in her house. She wasn’t used to doing housework and cooking because she had servants in her homeland to do those things. To fill in her spare time, she often did lovely oil paintings, which filled her walls. Before coming to visit, I’d call her and ask, “Do you want a visit today?” to which she would respond with a cheery, “Sure, why not?” We’d greeted each other with a hug and she would bring out orange juice, cake or some type of pastry, nuts and tea. Gracious hospitality was her custom. Each visit ended with a large cup of tea with milk and sugar. When her daughter was going through severe marriage problems, Shandah vented her frustration, and I provided a listening ear. My Bible study group prayed for her and her family, which was fine with her. One time we watched the Jesus film together in her native language. Her response was that she had heard it before. “I wish Bush would watch this film,” she said, anger rising in her voice. (It was the beginning of the Iraq war in 2003.) “Because President Bush should love his neighbor?” I ventured, not certain just what her response would be. “Yes,” she responded, fire in her eye. I quickly let the subject drop and didn’t have the heart to tell her that President Bush already knew the content of the film. When she studied for her test to become a Canadian citizen, I spent several of my visits asking her questions from the handbook. She passed with flying colors. One time in the summer of 2003 she was eager to tell me about a dream she had. (Dreams have great significance in her culture). Three people in the dream put a bracelet on her arm. On the bracelet was a picture of a man with a crown on his head like a king. “Who is that?” she asked, to which the people in her dream responded, “That’s Jesus. He will protect you.” That dream had significance to her, and it was one of our topics of conversation in the following weeks. Soon after that I gave her a paper with Bible verses and ‘Steps to Peace with God.’ Just pray the prayer if you are in really dangerous circumstances or afraid you are dying,” I told her. Early in 2004, because of various family circumstances, she and her husband felt they should return to their homeland in South Asia. As they prepared, I visited her, knowing how I would miss her when she left. Then one day in February, she had trouble breathing. Her doctor did a bone scan and a lung scan, and checked the fluid in one of her lungs for cancer cells. Was her cancer back after nearly fifteen years? Wanting some way to encourage her, I went to a Christian bookstore and searched for a bracelet like the one in her dream, but none like it existed. However, I got a bracelet with the words faith, peace, friend, courage, and love on it. I also bought a Bible Promise book and marked the pages with verses on fear and God’s protection. When I showed her the topic, God’s Protection, Shandah’s eyes widened with surprise. So what she had seen in her dream really was in the Bible! I helped her with her packing as she and her husband moved out of their house. Awaiting results of her cancer test, they stayed with another family. Then suddenly, without any warning or saying good-bye, they left for South Asia. I wrote several times, but when I heard nothing from her, I called her overseas phone number. Sadness filled her voice as she answered the phone. “I’m not good,” she said. “I just couldn’t write to you and tell you.” Cancer was back in one of her lungs and she was now on chemo. Her doctor in Canada had told her she absolutely could not fly, but she and her husband had flown back anyway. I had guessed as much. The struggle she faces with her illness will be difficult. I assured her of my prayers and prayed for her over the phone. Today as I walked down the block, I noticed the tulips in front of her old house are once again up and will soon be turning the garden into a rainbow of colors. What a vivid reminder they are of my special friend, Shandah. As I look around my own house I see reminders of my friend everywhere as well. Before leaving, she gave me four of her large plants, her beautiful coffee table and end table set (because I had once made a joke about not having a coffee table), and a variety of other smaller items like picture frames, cooking pots and candle holders, all from the heart. I am sad, but my life is richer because of knowing her. Someone once asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” And Jesus followed with the story of the Good Samaritan. In my case, my neighbor was a lonely stranger far from her home culture who needed God’s love. And through that shared love, she became a special friend. *Name changed and homeland called South Asia because she comes from a Muslim country where Christians are a persecuted minority. © 2004 Janet Seever jseever1 @ shaw.ca The mother of two adult children, Janet Seever lives in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, with her husband, Dennis. She writes for Word Alive magazine and has had articles published previously on in magazines and on the Web. You can read more of her writing at www.inscribe.org/janetseever She asks for your prayers for Shandah who was diagnosed with lung cancer in early March 2004 and faces many medical challenges ahead. Pray that she will indeed find peace with God. You are encouraged to write to the authors to let them know what you think of their story. Have a comment on today's story? Send it to: moderator@write2theheart.com. Write 2 the Heart now has an affiliate program with Cognigen. They have several long distance plans to chose from; I personally use the PowerNet Global 4.5¢ Per Minute Plan. I love having my own toll free number for my family to be able to call home when they are out of town. I have used it more times than I care to remember over the last three years in emergency situations. Cognigen has more than just great long distance rates; they have calling cards, internet access, web hosting services and much more. You can check out all of their telecommunication products and services at http://ld.net/?cbspeir. Letters From Our Readers I could just picture the little boy working with intensity to put that puzzle together. That time will turn into a “his” story that he will want to hear again and again. K. C. Military Prayer Reminder As you read over this list of names, please take a moment to pray for these young people and their families: Chris Speir Tim Speir Alan Thaddeaus Todd Holland Graham William Julie Sagel Jessie Marshal Thompson Jason Eric Hernandez Kristin Danielson Ken Prieur Ryan Jonathan P. Wells Larry Miele Daniel Amy John Joanne Gary Boardwine Josh Please continue to pray for our country, our leaders, and our troops at this time. If you have loved ones in the military, or who are being called to go overseas, send their names (first and last or first only) to be included in our prayer reminder. Cheryl’s Corner Tim was sharing with me that his house will be losing two of the ‘boy’s.’ They will be graduating or just moving on. They will take with them their part of the furnishings. Tim was asking me to look out for a lamp that he could put on a desk. “No problem,” I told him. After all, I had just found one that had a lily pad for a base. “I just found the cutest lamp at….” “Mom,” he interrupted me, “We are a bunch of boys, we don’t want cute!” What a relief! I’ll keep my cute lamp and give him the one that used to be on his night stand. Anyway, Happy Birthday Tim! May God bless each on you! Cheryl Copyright © 2004, Write 2 the Heart Nothing may be reproduced or published without the written permission of the individual author or copyright owner. All rights belong to the authors.