Unleashed – As You Go – Pray

“Do not forsake your friend or a friend of your family, and do not go to your relative’s house when disaster strikes you—better a neighbor nearby than a relative far away.” Proverbs 27:10

How could a small city such as Crosby, North Dakota make the national news headlines? There wasn’t a presidential debate in the city. There were not political protests or social unrest occurring on Main Street. Much to the dismay of everyone in town there was not a grand opening of a new Chik-fil-A!

No, what made the headlines were actions taken that showed what living as community is all about. Neighbors and friends coming together to help someone through a tragedy.

Lane Unhjem suffered a heart attack while working on his farm. Transferred from Crosby to Minot and finally to a Minneapolis’ ICU, the Unhjem family was facing a devasting loss of their livelihood. Without Lane there was no way the family would be able to get the crops harvested. That is until neighbors heard of their plight and came together for a “Harvest Bee.” Sixty farmers pulled onto the Unhjem’s farm piloting 11 combines, 11 semi-trucks with trailers, and several grain carts with tractors to begin harvesting the crops spread across Lane’s 1,000 acres farm. Seven hours later the crops were harvested and safely in the storage barns.

However, there were more headline making actions to come. The next week another group of farmers came together to haul in 714 large round hay bales that will provide the feed to get the cattle through the coming winter months. Meanwhile a “cooking bee” produced a month’s worth of meals that were put into the freezer for the family. Neighbor and friend Don Anderson shared that “the outpouring of support for Lane and his family is not surprising for those of us who live here. We have a long history of helping people in our community when they are faced with tragedy or hardship.”  He went on to say, “when friends band together to help you when you’re down, that’s something money can’t buy.”

Crosby, North Dakota is a great example of a Kenyan proverb that says, “In times of danger it is important that people act together.”  I understand the importance of neighbor helping neighbor having grown up in rural Oklahoma.  I grasp the depth of “better a neighbor nearby than a relative far away” after years of living in Africa. I hope that all of us understand the importance of being part of a loving church family as we follow the pattern of the early church in Acts 2 “they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need.”

Unleashed has been FBCPTC’s “harvest bee.” In August 2017 we pulled our “combines and tractors” into the field to get rid of an overwhelming debt. Week after week, all working together determined to finish this “harvest of debt.”  Together we have done what no one person could have done alone. Only as a focused, determined, church family have we been able to bring ourselves closer to being Unleashed. The field is almost cleared to allow us to focus more resources on other Kingdom purposes. We can do it!

“If you want to walk fast, walk alone;

If you want to walk far, walk with others.” (African proverb)

God is great,

Pastor Lynn Burton