If you’d of asked me what id be doing on the world race before I left, it wouldn’t have crossed my mind that I could be bathing old people in the surrounding village.
This is exactly what I’ve done now a few times.
When we got to Cambodia our hosts were giving us a generic list of things we had the opportunity to do ….painting, teaching english, bathing old people, cleaning houses, small groups… yes, we had to backtrack and clarify that nice and awkward one- bathing?
Indeed.
We had managed to escape two weeks of ministry with no further mention of this very strange (to us) ministry. And then we started week three and there was no more painting to be done and we had every morning available to do whatever came up. Yes, you guessed it- we grabbed some wash cloths, soap, shampoo, nail clippers and headed out into the community.
One thing i learned very quickly: bathing old people isn’t as awkward as you’d think. We came to our first home and there was sweet sweet grandma, so us ladies got to it. We got the water all heated up and jumped in. She needed to be cleaned and we were the ones there to do it, thats all there was to it. I didnt just want to not think about it and ‘get through’ the seemingly strange situation I found myself in. So I paid attention…I looked into her eyes and smiled and tried to communicate when I thought Id be able to. After she was washed we trimmed her finger and toe nails too.
Ive noticed more and more that Papa asks me to step out and love on people a lot when it involves touching feet…and if you don’t know: I hate feet. Ill let you imagine what the toe nails and feet of a grandmother in a Cambodian village might look like. Heres the thing – Love just sees the need and fills it. In that moment my own hesitancy didnt need to come into the picture..it would have prevented the manifestation of Love in this moment.
Even more surprising is that I found joy in these moments. I can’t tell you how awesome it was to be sitting there with these women getting to help them where I could and spend time sitting with them. When we gave a bath it opened up the door for us to pray as well, for healing, for covering, favor, strength, blessing..whatever – all of it! As far as ministry goes these are by far my favorite memories from Cambodia thus far and I’m excited that we will have more opportunities this last week here to pour out Love in this community.
I kinda wish I had a picture to share with you but at the same time I love that its just a sweet memory I get to have with these precious mamas. Their eyes are incredible… so soft, so strong…beautiful.
Ive sat there in these moments the past few days so grateful…This is what its about right here. Stop and engage with the world through the lens of Love and just see what Papa wants to do. I want my life to be colored with moments like these…overseas and in the state… pouring out His Spirit and being a part of the physical manifestation of His pursuit. Its just awesome… its His heart and it feels like home. He’s been asking me: “What do you have to lose if you step out? Will you open wide your mouth?”
