Loving on Pastors' Wives

This past week we hosted our very first event for pastors’ wives.  We invited 39 women to come and share a day with us and a team of women from Ohio.  It was the group’s idea to take the time to honour these women, to serve them and love on them.  They had crafts set aside and a ton of gifts that we gave away.  We made a wonderful lunch full of food these women rarely, if ever, get.  But, the very best part was when the group spoke about how Christ served the disciples by washing their feet and He left that as an example of how we should be with one another.  Then, they divided into four groups, and the team members began to gently and lovingly wash the pastors’ wives feet. 

I don’t know how many of you have participated in a “foot washing” ceremony in North America, but here, much like in Jesus’ time, people’s feet are dirty because they walk everywhere in sandals – through the mud and dirt.  One woman had walked on a dirt road for over 2 hours just to attend the event.  Another, along with her 5 year old daughter had set out at 4am that morning to walk the 3 hours to the nearest bus, but was lucky to meet up with a car and catch a ride.  Many of them journeyed far to come to the mission site. 

Spanish hymns played in the background as women from the US ministered to women from Guatemala by washing and drying their feet.  But, it was so much more than that.  It was a beautiful example of servant hood.  Of the people of Guatemala, the indigenous are the lowest ranking citizens.  Of the indigenous, the women are the lowest.  These American women knelt down and took the dirty feet of these undervalued women, and in the name of Jesus, washed them.  And, by doing so, they said, “you are of worth and value in the Kingdom of God.”  How cool is that?