Feet

“Then Jesus poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him.” – John 13:5

The first thing I did when I got home from Zimbabwe was pick up my dogs and take them to the Eno River for a walk. I suppose that was a little crazy, as 24+ hours earlier I had been riding an elephant at the Imiri Safari Ranch outside of Harare, and we had gone straight from the elephant to the airport.  Three planes and 20+ hours later I landed at RDU.  And just over an hour after that I was standing in the Eno River.

As the water ran over my tired, swollen, filthy feet I could feel the dust of Zimbabwe wash away. I had spent the entire trip in my Chaco’s – I’ve got the tan lines on my feet to prove it! 

I discovered while I was there why foot washing is both necessary and menial work. There was dust everywhere during the dry season. By the end of the day my feet were caked with dust. Before dinner I would wash my feet in soapy water, having to scrub between my toes and around my nails just to get the dust off.  When I had the energy, I washed my shoes as well.  How little we have to think about our feet here in the US where we have close-toed shoes and paved roads and plenty of water.

Feet.  So many of the orphans we met did not have shoes on. It made me wonder about their water supplies: Where did they wash their feet?  Where did they get water to drink? The orphans often had to walk good distances to find potable water – and even then it had to be boiled before they could drink it. No wonder hygiene is one of the first things ZOE Ministry teaches.  Looking at their bare feet and their filthy flip-flops, I wondered how many of the orphans had shoes for school. You can’t go to school without a school uniform, including shoes, and shoes are expensive. And what about disease? Feet. We don’t often think about our feet.

I love being barefoot. It is one of the reasons I prefer sandals to closed-toe shoes. It is one of the blessings of my church and parsonage being less than 50 feet apart. But being shoeless is a choice I make; wearing sandals is my preference.  What a privilege!

Imagine having no shoes when the roads are scalding hot from the sun. Imagine having no shoes on those days when it is really cold.  Imagine having no shoes when it is raining and the paths have turned into mud. Imagine having no shoes and wanting so badly to go to school, even walking several miles in bare feet to get to school in the hopes of learning something anyway. And imagine having no water to spare at the end of the day to wash your dust-covered or mud-caked feet.

And Jesus poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, setting an example for us, that we should also wash one anothers feet. As I stood in the Eno River that day, letting the flowing water wash my feet, I gave thanks to God for ZOE Ministry. ZOE doesn’t give the orphans shoes like Soles 4 Souls. ZOE doesn’t buy school uniforms for orphans like Zimbabwe Orphan Care. What ZOE Ministy does is so much more powerful: ZOE empowers the orphans to provide for themselves by teaching hygiene and farming and small business skills. ZOE restores a sense of community and cultivates a faith in Jesus Christ.  ZOE Ministry teaches orphans that they (and we!) should also wash one another’s feet.