According to Simone Gordon, “Staggering data shows that food insecurity and poverty disproportionately affect African Americans more than their white counterparts. As it stands, African Americans experience food insecurity at 19.1% while Hispanics experience it at 15.2%, both two times the rate for white non-Hispanics.” In this episode, you’ll learn how Simone became the Black […]

Shop my Amazon bookshelf! Learning through reading is one important way to gain new perspectives and shape our hearts and minds with empathy and love for others. As such, I’ve listed some of my favorite books across various categories we often discuss on this platform! As a reminder, I’m an Amazon Associate, which means I […]

What does it mean to love our neighbor?

It’s a question James Barnett from Neighborly has spent 10 years exploring. I’ve known James for a couple of years, and I’ve learned so much from him about what it means to love our neighbor. I’ve come to understand that loving our neighbor can often look many different ways, but it very often involves stepping out of our comfortable routines to enter into the margins with the people Jesus loves. It’s the thread tightly woven into what Neighborly is today, and in fact, it’s where it all began.

I find James’ story and that of Neighborly so interesting and unique, because it indeed started with entering into the margins. James sold all he had and intentionally chose to live homeless for 2 years as a way to commune with those living in poverty, get to know them, become their friend, and most importantly, to love like Jesus loved when he walked this earth. The perspective he found under bridges and in cardboard boxes during those years lead him to the beginnings of Neighborly – which he launched while still living on the streets! It’s a story that James can tell much better than me of course, so I’ll link to more from him at the end of this story!

One of the top 5 most memorable experiences I’ve had in my life was meeting our sponsored child in person. I mean, look at him! Isn’t he cute?

His name is Dawensley and he’s 11 years old. He lives in Figuier, Haiti. His favorite color is red. He lives with his grandmother, while his parents are working in Port-au-Prince. He has 7 siblings. In his spare time he likes to play soccer and help his grandmother with dishes (yep, that’s what he told me! Chores are part of what he enjoys doing in his free time.) He’s in the second grade and he wants to be a doctor.

Perhaps these are all things I could have learned through The 410 Bridge or by writing letters back and forth, but I actually got to ask him questions in person! I got to see his reactions, mannerisms, and facial expressions. I got to hear his soft voice.