Years ago I moved to College Place in the Walla Walla valley as a student going to Walla Walla University. Home for me was Vancouver, Washington and much of Walla Walla was very new to me. I didn’t know a single person here, nor did I know anything about this area.
As I began my Collegiate career I was fighting to simply stay afloat. Between the schooling, the part time work, and the volunteering, I was so busy I couldn’t expend more energy into getting to know my area well. I had several of hundreds of neighbors but only knew a few. But I had someone who reached out to me, his name was David, in fact he provided me with off campus housing and showed me more of Walla Walla than I thought I would ever have seen. I met new people and learned how to serve and how to grow with my neighbors. From a few known neighbors, I grew to knowing hundreds of neighbors.
What sets me back is the power of one relationship. Because of my David, reaching out to me, I was enabled and equipped with the strength and encouragement to meet and better know my own neighbors. From my relationship came great opportunities to pour into the people around me. In fact, in many cases David ahd challenged me to better know my neighbors in practical ways, and now to this day I still continue to practice loving my neighbors.
- Mitchell Powers