Years ago Pastor Juan and I were working in the Tijuana Children's jail. This was an institution holding over 160 teens and some preteens; kids as young as eleven. They were in there for anything from graffiti to rape and murder, their sentences ranging from one year to three years. (At that time a kid killing someone got three years.)
We noticed the smell from the kids feet; these young inmates wouldn't take off their shoes, they would sleep with them on or someone would steal them. 24/7 what a smell! A lot of the kids had bad cases of athletes feet or foot fungus.
We decided to cut down the athletes feet fungus by washing their feet with Hydrogen Peroxide and massage anti-fungal cream in their feet. We sprayed their shoes with anti-fungal powder.
The two of us would walk into the large smelly toilet area with a line of boys following us for medical attention ... sometimes just attention.
Boy, I've seen my share of dirty smelly feet, and filthy bathrooms!
I remember, as we were working on feet one day, an older teen asking me "Why are you guys doing this? Why do you care about us?
I replied "We're Christians and this is what Christians do..."
How would you answer this one?
These occasions, following our teaching time, were opportunities to make an impact through example.
Others were asking the same question. "What's your motive?" "Why?"
Indeed we were teaching, but what was more important is that our "foot washing ministry" gave credibility to our messages.
Biblical? I remember Jesus starting at Peter's feet to reach his heart.
It worked for him, it worked for us!
... and we're still washing dirty feet.
