Do as I have done for you

We travelled 90 long, hot, dusty, sweaty minutes up the coast to Leogane to visit a home for abandoned elderly women. Our mission for the day was basically to give love and attention to these women who have all outlived their families and now  spend their days in this peaceful sanctuary that was founded by Father Reiser.    We are not here to do profound things.   But what we do is quite profound.  It is work that just doesn't get done as much as it should here or at home.  In the case of today it is work that I hope people do for me when I am unable to care for myself anymore.   

We arrived at the home at lunch time, so the ladies moved to the dining room for their meal. Typically, they eat rice and beans.  The meat sandwiches, Pringles, and Oreo cookies and fruit snacks we brought them were a treat.  Seeing them squirrel away the fruit snacks and chips so they could enjoy them later was evidence of the treasure we had brought for them.   The plan after lunch was unstructured, so what do you do to show love and attention to 50 or so elderly ladies?  We pampered them, of course! The lotion and nail polish was rolled out, the ladies took their places, and our team members (even the guys) moved among the women, giving personal attention to each one.   There was much dancing, laughter, and singing.   

In John 13:14-15 Jesus gave us a command: "Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you."   Yep, we got this.    

Laura Livermore

So, yes, we sweat when we're in Haiti.  But we also sing, and dance and laugh and love.