It’s 6:30am, Hollis and I packed early,
put on our rain jackets, backpacks, and headed out the front door.
Marina came out of her room, put on her boots, a coat, and grabed
the guitar from my hand. She wouldn’t even let me carry the guitar.
It’s so muddy outside that every step we took our tennis shoes sank
in several inches into the ground. We made it down the hill and cross
a little creek by a make shift wood plank bridge. But as I headed up
the hill to start the long walk across the field to the bus stop, she
stoped us – by hand motions and noises. We don’t speak the same
language, but Hollis and I knew what she was saying. I was so
hesitant. I absolutely did not want to stop and do what she wanted.
But Miranda was persistent.
She first grabbed Hollis feet, and
scrubbed hard all of the dirt and mud off her shoes. And then it was
my turn.
feet. I couldn’t believe it. She stepped into the creek up to her
ankles, pulled out a rag, and scrubbed hard to wash away all the dirt
and mud off my shoes. I just couldn’t believe it.
As she lifted my leg onto her knee,
dumped the rag into the creek, and then wiped off the mud from my
shoes, I felt more honored in that moment than my heart could take. I
literally felt loved. Because I didn’t deserve this. In fact, I came
to serve her. I came to Romania to be a blessing to her family and
this village. But she knelt to her knees, dirtied herself, to make me
clean. I think this was as close to feeling maybe what the 12
disciples of Jesus felt when Jesus washed their feet.
It was only 30 seconds but it was one
of the greatest displays of love I have ever felt or been given.
Marina finished washing our shoes, grabbed the guitar again from my hand, and walked all the way
with us across the field to the bus stop. She then waited with us. We
couldn’t speak much to each other. But she waited. She stood and breathed out
the same freezing cold weather. Marina talked to the bus driver to
make sure we would get to our diestination. Marina simply was
Marina. And it was so powerful.
She doesn’t live in a big home, in
fact, it’s small. She grows her own food, raises her own livestock,
and works from about 6am to 11pm. Her husband is working in other
cities to make money. And Marina raises Mihila, her beautiful 3yr
old daughter, who I personally latched on to with all my heart for
that week. We had a very special bond.
It still makes me stop and smile, in
awe. Marina, a 21 year old mother, wife, and friend.
because it’s who she is and what she does.
