Texas Farmers Take 'Love Thy Neighbor' Literally by Harvesting Crop of Farmer Sick With Leukemia

When West Texas farmer Greg Bishop was diagnosed with leukemia in September, he didn't know how he would be able to harvest his cotton crop while undergoing treatment.

He didn't have to, thanks to his neighbors.

On Monday, dozens of neighboring farmers showed up on Bishop's doorstep ready to harvest his crop for him, knowing he couldn't do it himself.

They hauled millions of dollars’ worth of machinery to Bishop's farm and harvested about 450 acres.

"We started around 10 o'clock this morning and a little before 3 we were done. I mean we had that many people," Robert Nixon, helped organized the effort, told CNN affiliate KCBD.

Aaron Hendricks, General Manager of Floydada Co-Op Gins has known Bishop for more than 20 years, and told CNN that 80 or 90 people came to help. He said Bishop is a well-loved member of the community.
 
"He would not have asked anyone for help, but he would have been the first one out if somebody else was sick," Hendricks explained.

The farmers finished with approximately 1,200 bales of processed cotton worth about $420,000.

Hendricks said if Bishop tried to harvest his crop on his own, it would have taken him about "two to three weeks."

The massive effort caught the attention of evangelist Franklin Graham.

"I think that's great! They saved him a great financial loss, and I can't even imagine how blessed he and his family were by this outpouring of love," he wrote in a Facebook post.

Graham also believes the story says a lot about the biblical principle of loving your neighbor.

"Let's think about our own neighbors (close by and far away) who may need our help today. What if each of us didn't wait for them to ask, but helped them out when they were in a hard place or needed a hand," he shared. "Maybe they just need to know that someone cares. Ask God how He wants to use you as a good neighbor today."