Beautiful Feet

“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger bringing good news.”- Isaiah 52:7

I could never be a model of the latest toe-rings or nail polish. My feet are far too ugly for that, malformed, disproportionate, and calloused. However, this summer it is my hope that they will be transformed into something beautiful.
After I finished my two exams on Monday, I stopped by the computer lab to check my email. The surprise I found in my inbox placed a smile on my face equal to the satisfaction I would have had from ace-ing the two previous tests. My friend from Guatemala had written to tell me that everything was in order for this summer’s trip and of our task at hand. We would be journeying to the poorest towns and villages of an already impoverished Guatemala, areas with names like Zacapa, Pacayito, and Tesharte. Our mission is not unlike that written in Isaiah: to bring the good news to those on the mountains (or on the volcanoes or in the small villages tucked away in a forgotten corner of the world). We take nothing with us except supplies and bedding, a few trucks, and a message of hope. Some of you might wonder why go through all this trouble just to “share your religion with some poor Guatemalans?”
The reason is more profound than such a simple phrase. I refrain from using the term “religion” for I feel it implies a definition of a self-edifying social organization instead of the true implication of a sin-stained sacrifice hanging on a two-beamed alter to bring everyone a message of hope and salvation. It is the very feet, nailed and dirty, that graced that wooden altar that will bring my feet in contact with the precious, God-formed feet of the people I will meet this summer, calloused-feet from walking miles, dirty feet from daily working in the fields, and perhaps broken feet, wearied by the load and hardships of life. These same feet will hear of a message of one who not only washes such feet but also washes away the despairs of life.
Just the thought of such an opportunity elicits a feeling of awe and excitement from within me. If I could hop a plane tomorrow, I’d do so without a second thought. I cannot wait to serve my Lord in such a way and to see the faces of some of those who were there when the Spirit first planted the seed in my heart for long-term missions in Honduras in 2003. As my friend wrote in the email, “The work of the Lord this summer will be incredible.”
So I ask your prayers that God may make my feet beautiful this summer, fresh with a life-saving message and uncalloused from my own burdens and shortcomings. We will also be blessed with a Cuban doctor who will provide medical treatment to those we encounter. We will need money to be able to buy needed-medications for this trip, so if you’d like to help in this way, let me know.

I pray that God gives you beautiful feet and guides them where to go!