Touch
Monday
I started a
new vocation today. I became a
manicurist.
We started
our week at Compassion Family International, a drop-in center for impoverished
children, run by Peter and Elizabeth Abera.
CFI, as we call them, is the main organization that Hope for His
Children supports. Each morning this
week, as we have on past trips, we will spend the morning at CFI. Some of the team will conduct Bible school
activities with the kids. They’ll do
Bible story, craft, snack, and recreation.
The kids will all also get a new pair of shoes with new socks. Some of
us work with the mothers of the children.
We try to teach them a craft, something perhaps they might be able to do
to make money for their families. We
talk and laugh and share time together.
This morning
was our first day of Bible school at CFI.
CFI is in a new facility, which is smaller than their last. So rather than having all the mothers come
every day, with a new activity every morning, half the mothers came this
morning and half will come tomorrow. One
lucky half will get to come again on Wednesday, and then Family Day will be
split between Thursday and Friday. The
new building can’t accommodate all the kids with all their parents/guardians,
so half will come on Thursday and half on Friday.
Before we
went to CFI, Michelle read to us the story of the leper healed by Jesus. A leper no one would touch was touched by the
Son of God. He told Jesus, “If you are
willing, you can heal me.” Jesus said,
“I am willing,” and He touched the man and healed him. An appropriate way to start a week where many
dirty and diseased children will be begging for our touch.
As the kids
arrived at CFI this morning, I picked out familiar, sweet faces, hugging and
picking up children, smiling and calling out names. Four trips in, I’m now able recognize them
and call them by name. As mothers
arrived, I recognized some of their faces as well. Last year was our first year to do activities
with the women, so I don’t know them as well as the kids, and I’m horrible with
names, so I couldn’t call any of them by name, sadly. However, some of them recognized me, too, and
we were able to kiss cheeks, left, right, left, right, shake hands, and bump
shoulders in the traditional Ethiopian greeting that I love.
Last January,
we took one day to do manicures for the women.
There were over 30 of them attending by the end of the week, and we had
only three team members working with women, so doing manicures for 30 women
took some time. Because we were working
on another project that day as well, we got only a few of them done. There were many disappointed, although
gracious, mothers at the end of last year’s women’s ministry.
We started
with manicures this year. Our first day,
with a much smaller team and only two of us working with the women, we started
doing nails right away. While we worked
with finger nails, the ladies made beaded bracelets. For the manicures we start with a simple bowl
of cold water and wash the women’s hands.
We then use lotion and give them a quick hand massage. Finally, we finish with painting their
fingernails. We don’t do cuticles, base
coats or top coats, or filing. In a
country where most folks don’t receive basic medical care, common issues like
nail fungus and infected cuts are common and untreated, and more serious issues
like AIDS/HIV and hepatitis present much greater risks.
It is
utterly humbling and a privilege to be able to minister to these women in this
way. Hands that are calloused and dirty,
that care for children and other family members, that work so very hard and are
rarely if ever held or caressed or stroked were placed in our bowls of
water. Immediately, every woman began
washing her own hands. Gently, we shake
a finger to indicate “no”, and point to ourselves, and say, “Please let
me.” They don’t understand English, but
they get the message. They are utterly
dumbfounded by the experience. Some
laugh nervously. Some sit silently
without moving. Some refuse to meet your
eyes. But none of them refuse the
touch. We gently but firmly rub the
lotion into their skin, covering each finger, massaging their palms with our
thumbs, and gently stroking the backs of their hands. Then we point to the row of polish, 6 small
bottles of various shades of pink, and indicate that they should choose their
color. With the completely wonderful but
strangely uncomfortable experience of handwashing over, they laugh, look at you
shyly, and pick.
I cannot
begin to explain to you how blessed I am to be able to serve these women in
this way. We gave everyone name tags
today, so I was able to call each woman by name, inquire through an interpreter
about her child/children, pray for her silently when the interpreter was called
away, and ask them at the end if they liked their new look. Many of them were posing for each other
afterward, laughing and spreading their hands across their scarves or in front
of their faces to show off their beautiful new nails.
Before we
had started this morning, I told them the story of Jesus washing His disciples’
feet. What an honor to be able to say,
“I am a follower of Jesus Christ. Jesus
tells us to serve one another. Jesus was
the Son of God. He came to earth, and while
He was here, He washed His disciples’ feet.
He told us to serve each other, like He served. We are here to serve you today. You are mothers, daughters, sisters, and
daughters of God. We would like to honor
you by washing your hands and painting your fingernails.” They nodded and smiled.
How
appropriate that story seemed the day after Easter. How perfectly fitting that activity was
following our morning devotion. These women of hard life, dirty hands, and
frequent disease were longing, just as the leper who approached Jesus, for a
gentle touch. Like Jesus, we were willing
to give it. Following His example, we
laid out a towel, dipped our hands in the bowl, and washed the hands of
another, a sister, a precious daughter of God.
Jesus was
right. The least is the greatest, the
servant is the blessed, the privilege truly is in the washing, not in being
washed.
“If you are
willing . . . “ We are willing, Lord. We will wash more hands, touch more hearts tomorrow.
God bless you!!!!! Those women are seeing the light & love of Jesus through your gentle loving touch.
ReplyDeleteTo God be the glory!
Love,
Denise
Lovely indeed! Praying for the team tonight, not too far away:)
ReplyDeleteCatching up on reading about your trip and I remember one prayer event at NBC that involved hand massage- it was a very moving experience of servanthood for me and I am know that it is for these women as well. Blessings from both sides :) I am praying for these women (&Children) and will continue to do so. Safe travels!
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