He washed feet so I will too

I woke up that morning and knew that it was going to be a powerful day - I knew that we would be working with Sole Hope -- an organization that goes into villages and removes jiggers from kiddos feet and then gives them new shoes to sport.

The process of getting the team up and ready to go out was a good one, a great morning devotion followed by breakfast and prayer. On the bus I started listening to worship music because I needed to get in the presence the best way I knew how before getting on the field. I opened my bible to look up the verse about washing feet and read it aloud to the team--

When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly
so, for that is what I am.  Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. John 13: 12-17

The process of removing a jigger is a foot washing, then a needle and cotton swabs to remove the jigger and next is a bandage-- then the shoes. Not knowing what I would be doing I knew that feet washing was in the options. The buses pulled up at the school where we would be working and the kiddos ran to the field knowing that the 'muzungus' were their to visit them. So we brought out the parachute, turned on the music and waited for the Sole Hope team to set up the stations. Then it was go time -the children got directions on how to participate and the volunteers found their stations. Some of the team went to shoe fitting, some went to jigger removing and some went to feet washing. I chose feet washing.

I put on my apron, sat down at the bench in front of a bucket filled with clean water, a scrubbing brush and a blue bar of soap and looked around at the rest of the team getting ready for their stations and then I saw the children lining up. It was go time, they brought the child to my station and I looked at him with a big smile, he sat on the stool and placed his feet in the water. I picked up each foot and scrubbed. I placed one in and picked up the other to clean it-- I looked down and the water was dirty. It was brown water from one child. I got done with his feet and he sat until someone came to pick him up to move him to the next station.

As the next hour went on I had about 20 children throughout my washing station, I had to change the water after every 5th child simply because the water became muddy water. I greeted every kiddo with the same big smile. They all knew to sit on the stool, but when it came to the part when I would put their feet in the water some splashed them in there, some were hesitant and some just stared at the water. I could hear their thoughts by the way they looked at me, looked at the water, looked back at me and then slowly let me place their feet in the water. 'Why are you placing my feet in such clean water?" "Why are you washing my feet?"

Of course they never verbalized anything we just smiled at one another, but I silently responded with a prayer for each child and a simple, 'I'm washing your feet because I love you and I love your creator. I love how dirty your feet are and I would wash them everyday if I knew that it was helping you in someway. I would listen to your little giggle because the brush tickled your foot and I would doctor the booboo on your foot that is making you wince everytime I touch it. I would guide your tiny dirty feet in the clean water any second of the day. And then I would hold you and let you cry as they removed jiggers from your feet. I would hold you so tightly that the pain goes away and then I would dance with you when you get those new shoes.'

The jigger removing process was brutal. Some children had up to 20 jiggers in their feet and as I watched for just a few seconds and I saw the strongest kids I'd ever seen in my life. They didn't cry. Some didn't budge. You would hear a man who works with Sole Hope come by and say 'you are strong' this is something you hear a lot of over there. The young boys and girls have to be adults at such a young age. They can't cry- its a sign of weakness. So they learned to push through.

This day has yet to hit me fully. It was one of the best days of my life. I learned so much while washing feet. I loved being there. I loved their joy. I loved their shoes. I loved the looks they gave you when they put on their new shoes. & I loved how much I thought about Jesus washing the disciples feet.