“Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. (John 13:14)”

 “Lord, what does it mean to be like you?” I asked silently in my heart as I crossed 13 time zones into the often Forgotten Frontier of Novokuznetsk, Siberia. The answer would later come in the form of a 65 year old Babushka (grandmother).

During this trip I had the joy of performing a dance that I choreographed to a song called, “Knees to the Earth,” as a ministry to the fatherless, the weary, the sick, and the poor. The song goes, “Be blessed, be loved, be lifted high, be treasured here, be glorified. I owe my life to you my Lord. Here I am.” Often times the words were not understood, but the heart and message was.

On Sunday, I attended a small Protestant church in Novokuznetsk run by Pastor Pasha Perogova. The church was very small, with seating for no more than 30 people, no air conditioning, and no bathrooms, but more of the love of God than its humble walls could ever contain.

After the worship service came to an end, I was brought up to dance. When I was finished I sat back down sweaty, breathless, and dirty, but excited that I could use what I love doing the most. Shortly after I sat down, a little old Babushka gently took me by the hand and led me to a room outback. Not having any idea of where I was going, I wondered if she was going to try to feed me again, as hospitality is an enormous part of Russian culture. But she would not.

Instead she sat me down on a small wooden bench and took off my shoes. She placed an empty basin under my feet, and began to wash them with water she had spent time heating up. On her knees, this kind woman carefully washed away the dirt that had accumulated from dancing barefoot. When she was done, she took a clean towel and dried my feet, making sure she did not miss anything.

Tears welled up in my eyes, and all I could say was, “Spasiba, Spasiba Bolshoy,” which means “Thank you, Thank you so much.” She then kissed my feet and put my shoes back on, and said, “I love you,” in Russian.

I cannot express what an honor it was for me to have this happen. I really believe that God allowed her to serve me in this way that I might really see what it means to be like Jesus. This woman took me into a separate room that no one might know what she was doing. She served me out of a simple desire to please the Lord.

What a lesson this has been for me. She showed me what it is to follow Philippians 2:3 which says, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility, consider others better than yourselves.” What a precious moment, and what a precious woman. Surely she will receive her reward for her act of kindness when one day she gets to see Jesus.