Who is my neighbour?

Tuff question or not? I never use to think so, You know, its everyone right? But who’s in need the most. How do you support them? Shopping on Monday doesn’t feed the kids by Friday. Money only last so long. But then If you do support someone then they are doing better, when do you stop? Do you punish them for being sensible and using their money wisely or do use still support them even though there are people worse off? What about aid distribution, how much how often who to? Who’s really in need of it, who just doesn’t want to work?

A lot of questions sorry.
So I’ve spent the past few days with Paul and Angela who run the Smile centre (smile is an international aid agency/Christian mission organisation across the world with a centre in Gjkova) There task has been to visit some of the widows on their ‘adopt a widow’ program to assess their needs, see how they’re doing, report back to the people that support them. So they have to asses who’s still in need, if they still fit the criteria and what the next steps are. Imagine the scene. A village in Kosova, Krusha. 113 men and boys killed in one day. All rounded up and butchered. This is a fair place to carry out mission work, right? I felt like I was in that 2pac track, ‘trading war stories’ but this time it’s not plastic getto gangster stories of shoot outs and court cases its stories of actually war, actual death and actual reprocutions. But then 10 years on, should you still be helping the families that have done ok. And do you carry on helping those who seem to be living week to week, hand out to hand put. Such are the decisions these guys have to make. It’s a tuff job but someone has to do it. It’s been really good to see these guys operate. They’re not part of one church or denomination, they don’t try to do their own thing, They look at what’s happening, who’s involved in what and seek to help in any way they can, support, aid distribution and encouragement. I recon this is a really good way to operate.

Today we brought like 200 boxes from there loft (4 floors up, off a landing with a glass ceiling) to the ground floor so leaders from churches, aid agencies and people doing good work in the city can come, find the stuff they actually need and facilitate the correct distribution. Good work people of smile. And thanks to Paul and Angela for looking after me, feeding me a load of information on the country and the struggles it faces( and getting kebabs and ice cream) . Its weird, I guess its coz I’ve got a really small brain, but I came here to work with Faton and Victory church coz I love the guys here and I’m constantly amazed by what they do. However I didn’t even consider what else is going on really. And it’s really good to see that there’s other good things happening. I think the next step is a bit of unity. Apparently that’s not as straight forward as it sounds though?

So, wots the answer to the questions. I guess ‘’...If one man has 100 sheep and one wanders away, will he not leave the 99 and go looking for the one that wandered off’’

Everyone hears is poor. God loves them all and is crying out for them to come back to him. I guess if that’s the goal and everyone is our neighbour its a place to start, but From there though. I’m not sure?