Puerto Rico Is My Neighbor

The past few days I have been observing the destruction and devastation that has taken place in Puerto Rico. Hurricane Maria left Puerto Rico in its wake with homes destroyed, not to mention that the entire island's power grid is destroyed. Shortages exist everywhere - from power, food, water, and gasoline to medicine and many other basic human necessities. People are stranded at airports, have not been able to talk to family members in days because there is no phone service, roads are filled with clutter and debris, and one wonders what the health situation will be with waste water, lack of electricity, and collapsed food supply.Puerto Rico is not often on our radar. Neither are the US Virgin Islands and other places in the Caribbean - people tend to think of these places as vacation paradise. Well, hell has hit paradise.Our caring reach needs to move beyond our borders to help all who find their lives destroyed. Whether or not you believe in climate change, we have recently witnessed many places - South East Asia, India, Bangladesh, Mexico, and, of course, the unbearable drought in the Sudan - who have become victims of mother nature and people have been left dead, or homeless, starving, and practically helpless as a result.Jesus once told the story of the Good Samaritan in response to the question, "Who is my neighbor?" We live in a global neighborhood. The people of the world are our neighbors. May we be a good neighbor.MEH