As I write this, I am about 24 hours away from home. I left K-land this morning in the midst of the biggest snow storm my city has ever seen. It was beautiful. The past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind of visits and goodbyes. I have had so many great opportunities during the past year and 10 months. There are so many experiences I will never forget. During my time there, the Father has been working on my heart perhaps more than anyone else’s. He brought me there for so many reasons, many of which were for my own education in His ways. At times, life there was certainly frustrating, difficult, and hard, but the Father has been showing me, especially from the goodbyes of the friends I made, just how much He chose to use me, whether or not I felt like being used during those times. I certainly have made mistakes, and often display more selfish characteristics than the loving ones that I should. But the Father overcomes those things for me. And every once in a while, He gives me a good idea or two.
The night before I left, my favorite family in K-land came to visit me and say goodbye. I had told Shelly, the mom, a couple of months back that I would like to help her with her cracked and sensitive feet. I never got around to it. And I hate breaking promises. So, after much pushing, shoving, arguing, and overall forcing Shelly to sit down, I got to wash her feet. Someone else did that for those He loved. That story is in John 13 if you would like to read it. In this culture, it was super shameful for me to do that, to get down and clean any person's feet, especially a close friend’s, but I think it was much more difficult for Shelly than for me. Her culture is much more like the one in John’s story than my culture.
Can you tell how uncomfortable she is?
Afterwards, Shelly and my roommate read the other story together and talked about what a beautiful thing it is to be a servant and to love one another.
Although these were serious moments, they were interjected by many comings and goings of her children. Her youngest two ended up getting "pedicures" as well. Pepper thought it was like the best thing ever!
I will never forget this lovely lady or any of her children. I was so sad to leave them, but I know that I can leave them in His hands and He will take care of them. After all, He loves them with a love so much bigger than mine.
