She washed my feet!

The last thing that Elders Lucero and Webb said before we met them at the bridge to go visit and teach two families was, “I’m sure you won’t need your boots!” It was nearly 6 pm when we met and it hadn’t rained in several days.

We were late and darkness was beginning to set in. We walked together with the elders through the dirt roads of “Cow Dam” towards the tiny house of an investigator family with whom they had an appointment to teach.

The road ended, and just a narrow path continued. Suddenly, we could see only a line of boards in front of us through the swamp. We hesitated for just a moment and then carefully began our trip across the “boards” to their house. We could see the small house and Jade’s cousin, Allyson, and her family in the distance in front of us. It was a ways away.

In this photo Elder Bullock seems to be looking back wondering if we are crazy to keep on going!

As it quickly began to darken, and we all struggled to balance ourselves and walk along each long board so as not to fall into the deep swamp on either side, I couldn’t help but wonder how we were ever going to cross these same boards in an hour or so when our “visit” and the lesson were over…in the pitch black of night!

Fourteen of us were squeezed into the tiny humble living room of Allyson’s home. We all managed to find a spot so as to kneel for prayer and the lesson began.

The elders taught beautifully and the spirit was strong. The mother had read her assignment from the Book of Mormon and had taken notes. The elders were excited at her enthusiasm and receptiveness to their message.

The little 8 year old girl sat close at my side on the love seat during the lesson, and gently stroked my white toes. They must have seemed so strange to her in comparison to her dark chocolate colored ones. At the end of the lesson, she let me help her give the closing prayer as we once again all knelt for prayer.

The moment was memorable and sweet in spite of the mosquitoes that I could see darting around the room in the dim light. Jade and her 16 month old baby were there and at times added her testimony during the lesson. I know her cousin and her children will be baptized soon and hopefully the husband will follow, also.

We hugged and I kissed each one goodbye. We put on our shoes and began our careful walk back across the boards. Elder Webb led the way and I held gently to his shoulder bag just to keep my balance. Jade followed me closely while holding her baby in her arms.

Suddenly, Elder Webb made a wrong step and was down in the swamp! I was holding on to his bag, so of course, I went down, also. Jade and her baby followed…all of us down in the water and mud. I had to give a couple of firm tugs with my foot to release my sandal from the mud before I could step back onto the board. My long skirt was laced with mud, but at last we made it back to the dry path.

Jade immediately said, “Oh, let me wash your muddy feet and shoes,” and she ran into the small house that was at the side of the path. She immerged immediately with a bucket of clean, fresh water and knelt as she tenderly washed each of my feet, swishing the water carefully through each of my muddy toes and sandals. I'm sure that little house had no running water and that the bucket of water must have been their fresh water supply.

I couldn’t help but think of the Savior as he knelt to wash his disciple’s feet and how they must have felt. I said to her, “Oh, you didn’t need to wash my feet,” and her answer back to me was, “Something inside me just told me I had to do it!” I felt such a reverence and love for her. After she washed my feet, I felt like kissing her feet!

As we walked with Jade and the Elders towards her place for the meeting with her and her husband, Travis, we could see the red glow of the eyes of the alligators in the trench beside the path. One of the elders threw a piece of a pumpkin right at the alligator’s long toothy snout and it quickly snapped at the pumpkin and disappeared out of sight.

The meeting in Jade’s tiny home began with us singing “I Love To See The Temple” and we all knelt to pray. The elders talked to them about them setting the goal to be sealed in the temple.

They were very excited at the prospect of going to the temple. We promised them that if they would do all they could to prepare for it, that they would be blessed and perhaps even miracles would happen and doors would open to help them accomplish it.

After we knelt again for prayer, I snapped a photo of their photo of their recent marriage before they were baptized a few months ago.

Then, I snapped some other photos of all of us inside their tiny dark living room. This was the same home and family where we held the family home evening a couple of weeks ago that felt like we were in a little corner of heaven.

As we started down the dark, dirt path towards home, I turned to take one last photo of their home. Everything in my view finder was totally black…I wondered if anything would show up in my photo and here is what I got…one priceless-to-me photo of Jade and Travis in front of their home that is set in a little corner of heaven.

I loved how I felt when the evening was done. I want to feel this feeling again and again that I know comes from serving others and loving the people that we serve and with sharing with them what is most precious to us, the gospel of Jesus Christ. I know this is the reason that Burt and I had to serve another mission before it was too late and we were too old!