A group of pastors invited the mayor of their city to discuss his dream for the city, along with the issues that were hindering that dream from becoming a reality. The mayor came with a list of pervasive issues that the pastors in this group were eager to address: at-risk kids, elderly shut-ins, dilapidated housing, and hunger.
But before addressing these issues the mayor said to the gathered pastors:
“After thinking about all of these things, it occurred to me that what our city really needs are good neighbors….The majority of the issues our community is facing would be eliminated or drastically reduced if we could just become a community of people who are great neighbors.”
To this statement one pastor responded:
“Here we are asking the mayor what areas of the city are most in need, and he basically tells us that it would be great if we could just get our people to obey the second half of the Great Commandment.”
To read the rest of this story click: Becoming a Community of Good Neighbors
GRACE & PEACE 
Boy does this ring true….I love it…As that’s what we need. Had a great discussion with my Son Paul in AZ last week about short term missions vs local community missions. I always felt many times when we think of missions we don’t think about it a local way. Doesn’t Acts 1:8 start at home ?
The other side as my son pointed out is that cross cultural experience helps prepair people & their hearts to understand the need even at home, and if planned right, can really help in the long run.