Another Last Day

So as it turns out, yesterday wasn't our last day, today was our last day. We had the privilege of being able to return to the village where we had previously done worked with the kids. This time, we said a final farewell to all of the volunteers and translators in the village.

We originally went there with the intent of only seeing a few of the leaders of the community, but in the end, everyone showed up. It was good to see everyone there again, especially a guy named Okaesh. At 18 years of age, he was the youngest of the male volunteers. I'm so glad that he will be continuing with the kids after we leave. He was only there for two of the days that we were in the village, but his demeanor and comfort with the kids was obvious. Most amazing were his times of worship. When he led worship, there wasn't a single kid in the room who was sitting still.

But, back to the story. Today we were going back to the village to wash feet. I had been excited about this ever since Steph had shared her experience with it on her last trip two years ago. For those of you who aren't familiar, this comes from an incredibly deep and profound moment that Jesus shared with his disciples the night they took the first communion. In that act He modeled humility for his disciples and what it meant to be a servant and then commissioned them to go and serve others.

After singing a few praise songs and reading John 13:1 - 11 in both English and Hindi, a small sermon was given explaining the passage and its significance to the leaders, and then we proceeded to wash their feet. The moment was by far one of the most touching moments of the trip. To get to pray for and commission these people who were already such great servants was a blessing to both the washers and the washed alike. I know that none of us will forget it.

After that they gave us lunch, which was, as always, amazing. I never knew how good Indian food really was until I came and had it home made; we have been blessed by some truly amazing cooks! Then we said our goodbyes again, this time for the truly last time... On this trip at least. = )