Photo of the fire taken from the 5th floor of our residence hall.

Our neighbor's home caught on fire Monday.

I'm working with some students to learn more about the needs of those impacted. We're hoping maybe we can help with the clean up and maybe raise a bit of money.

It's interesting, though. When another student and I went to talk to the fire victims, the initial response we received was one of skepticism and disbelief. Culturally, it is not very common to help neighbors in that way here.

However, at the core of the Christian faith is the command to "love your neighbor." For several students, this has become a time to see what that looks like in practice.

It's interesting, though. Jesus upped the stakes for followers of the Way when he said, "Even Gentiles (non-Jews) love their neighbors. I tell you to love your enemies."

As I look at my Facebook feed on the anniversary of the Sept. 11 Terrorist Attacks, I am both encouraged and saddened by my brothers and sisters' answer to Jesus' call. The path to radical love is, obviously, not an easy one.

Please pray both for the families impacted by the fire as well as our students -- that, through this tragedy, we can demonstrate what it means to live in the kingdom here and now.