And who is my neighbor?

James’s neighbor in the NICU is Rafael, who has recently come off of a breathing machine and seems to be doing better. Rafael is the youngest of nine, and his family is also our neighbors at the Ronald McDonald House. The only one in the family that speaks any English is the eight year old, Oliver. The nurses are very thankful to have Oliver around to translate, and we are thankful as well to have a nearly ever-present source of levity and friendship with this fourth grader.

Earlier in the week we commissioned Oliver to decorate the side of James’s isolette, as he loves to draw, and Rafael’s isolette was already full of his drawings. So now James has on his box a dancing chili pepper, a sombrero, and the number 1. There is also a picture of a bowl with a slice of watermelon, a slice of pizza, a plantain, a piece of chicken, an apple, and a flower. (We told Oliver that this second picture will help remind James that he needs to eat to grow big and strong.)

We have another blogger as a neighbor. I met Jamie only briefly, but spoke at length with her mother at dinner the other night, who recognized us from our picture on the blog. A friend we have in common posted a comment on their blog (www.parkeru.org) that mentioned our blog. Jamie just had a baby, too, but it is her 2 year old, Parker, who is currently battling leukemia. Her mom shared with us that even as her grandson is in a fight for his life, she was moved to read our story and empathize with our situation. Like us, the source of their strength in the midst of adversity is the anchor of hope they have in their loving God. Written on the top of their site is the verse:

Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. -Psalm 36:5

Other neighbors are Kevin & Christina, who are from New York. They were down in Florida for a conference when they had their baby at 27 weeks. We’ve gotten to know them pretty well, and we’re going to go out to dinner with them this Monday.

James had another little neighbor while he was in the ECMO room whose name was Elvis. Elvis’s father, Chad, had dedicated one of his arms to Elvis Presley-related tattoos. It seemed like Abby and I were just starting to connect with his parents at the Ronald McDonald House when Elvis died at two weeks old.

And his is not the only fatality we’ve observed.

As I’ve begun to take notice of the people around me, it’s more clear to me every day that they are in a lot of pain. This morning I read in Luke 10 where Jesus defined the neighbor not as the one who had the most in common, but as the one who showed mercy. Since we moved into the Ronald McDonald House, we’ve found that, despite appearances, we have a lot in common with those around us. Lately I think God has been teaching me that he has us there for a reason, just as he has called us to write in this blog for a reason.

I was listening to a Caedmon’s Call song on the way home this afternoon that summed it up pretty well:

We are called out; we are ransomed
We are not of the world we’re in
We are chosen; we are blessed
To bring light to the lives of men
So Father sow Your seed
Give us life in community
Wake us from our sleep
This is Your time; this is Your place
And we are vessels for breaking under Your grace
We are led by Your Spirit
You have redeemed us by the blood of Your Son
Send down your word we are eager to hear it
Ready our hearts to carry Your love

Even as the hospital staff is engaged in a rescue operation for James and his neighbors, we know that God is also engaged in a rescue operation to bring mercy and forgiveness to sinners through Jesus, and we are witnesses to this great mercy with a testimony to share. May God grant us love for our neighbors.

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