Every Saturday at around 4:30pm, a group of missionaries
and their children arrive at the main square of Cochabamba and start unloading
their supplies. They have tents, large water jugs, shallow tubs, buckets,
towels, soap, and lots of clothes. They have one purpose and that is to wash and
re-clothe as many homeless children as possible.
Setting up the Washing Tent
This past Saturday, I got a chance to help with this
ministry. My assignment was to help in the “washing tent”. This is where the moms/brothers/sisters
bring small children, usually ages 1 to 4, to be washed with soap and shampoo.
I was teamed up with Beau Cheek, another married guy on my squad, to man one of
the washing tubs (Beau and his wife still need to raise some support so please
check out their blog by clicking here).
I was not really sure what it was going to be like
actually washing the kids. I had never washed a kid that young in my life! I
was pretty nervous and unsure of what to do, but as the first dirty, homeless
child entered our tub all of that uncertainty was washed away. Here was a
beautiful child of God that needed to be washed. With tons of feet caked with
dirt and the cutest smiles in the world, my heart was taken by these children.
I did not care if I stayed there all night; I wanted to help as many of them as
I could. This was definitely going to be the only bath they would get this
week.
Child waiting to be washed
Although all we did was physically washing them, that
action showed them that they are all precious and loved. We were showing them
that they all are princes and princesses in the Kingdom of God!
