Morris and the foot tickling

"God is great, I live to celebrate. He came into my heart and tick-tick boom! went the chains. Tick-tick boom! went the chains."

That is a song that two girls wrote the lyrics to when they were here visiting. They taught all the kids at the school how to sing it. So you constantly hear the little kids and the big kids singing it while they play. They also sing songs about being set free because Jesus set us free, being mad for our King and becoming undignified for Him, and that God remembers them. I love listening to all of the kids singing with their very heavy Ugandan accent singing songs I already knew and songs they taught me. I have been going to the school every school day*except for Independence day) since I have been here with this ministry, and every day I am blessed more than the first. I love tutoring Janet and Gilbert and playing with the little kids outside and helping serve lunch to them. And I love the way they all call me "Teacher" (well, sometimes they call me teacher and sometimes they call me by my name.. but with their accents it sounds exactly the same). The other day Carissa, Alena and I arrived on bodas, and as soon as we got to the school area all the kids yelled "MUZUNGU!!" and they ran over and almost knocked us over because they all wanted to give us hugs. I love it here!

Not only do I love it at the school, but I love being home! I love Little Sam, Esther(Little Sam and Esther aren't the kids that Katie and Mallory took in. They live here with their mother), Sam(he's not big by any means.. he's just bigger than the toddler), Morris, Bwanika, Ivan, and Emma. And I loved meeting Timothy, Richard, Fred, Fahad, and Edwin the other day(those 5 go to boarding school). They are all hilarious and so much fun to be around!
I was thinking about my relationship with them and how to describe it. I thought maybe it's like a brother-sister relationship. But then decided that wasn't it. But then I thought well, it's most definitely not like a mother-son relationship. So how can I explain it?? But then I realized. They all call us Auntie Teisha and Auntie Carissa, and that is exactly the way to explain it. I love to pick on them and play with them, and yet I have authority over them, but not authority like a parent. I feel like their Auntie Teisha!

The other day we were playing outside in the front yard with the boys(we as in Carissa and I) and I had bigger Sam on my back. But then he pushed off the side of the porch with his foot and made me step my one foot into the really gushy, gross mud. We all laughed really hard for a long while, but then as soon as the laughing was over, I realized what in the world am I supposed to do about this muddy foot? I looked at Morris and teasingly asked him if I could use his shirt to clean it off and he looked at me like he had this bright idea and held out his index finger in the air, signaling for me to wait. He's not all that great at English, he's still working at it, so I just assumed he misunderstood me and I walked into the grass to try to wipe some of it off. A minute later he came out with a cup of water and looked at me like I was supposed to do something. I looked at the cup and then up at him and asked, "What?"
Because he isn't great at English and apparently he's not a huge fan of speaking Luganda either (his native language), he usually just makes hilarious sounds and gestures. So he looked at me and made this hilarious sound and used his index finger to make a circle in the air, signaling for me to turn around. So I turned around. Then he held out his hand like I was supposed to put something in it. I gave him an I-have-no-idea-what-you-want-me-to-do-look and he pulled my leg up and held my foot in his hand. At first I freaked out because I really don't like people touching my feet. I thanked him for the willingness to wash my feet, but held my hand out for the water and told him I could do it myself. He put the water behind his back and told me "no" and held his hand out again for me to put my foot in it. I was really going to have to let him clean my foot, wasn't I?
I took a deep breath and put my foot in his hand and closed my eyes because I knew this was going to be hard. He started to pour the water over my foot and he started to wipe some of the mud away and I freaked out and laughed so hard because it tickled. I looked at him one last time and reassured him that I can very easily do it myself and he looked at me like I was crazy. So I took an even deeper breath and tried it again.
He very faithfully and diligently cleaned off all the mud from the bottom of my foot and between my toes. I will not deny the fact that I was laughing wildly the entire time and was very anxious for it to be over. He looked at me and gave me a huge smile and turned around and headed to the kitchen to put the cup back. I yelled "thank you" to him as he headed back, though I'm pretty sure I would've been more thankful if he had just let me do it myself.

A little later that night when I was in our room reading my Bible and writing in my journal just before bed, I couldn't stop thinking about Morris and what he had done for me, and I wasn't really quite sure why. He had just put me through all that torture and tickled me beyond what I would've been comfortable with, so why would I sit there, thinking about it as if he had done something great for me? Then I realized that he had.

If anyone I knew had stepped in that mud(other than a kid) I would've been the one to grab them a cup of water and make them do it them self. Feet are really gross to me, so why would I sit there and clean off a dirty one when they can just do it? Then I realized two things. One thing is that Morris used to live on the streets, so he probably could care less about touching my feet and would probably stick my foot in his mouth if I had asked him to. I also realized that Morris was being a servant. These boys here have such a respect and are so willing to serve all the aunties and uncles here, even Carissa and I who are only here for 2 and a half weeks.
Looking back, I wish I would've been more thankful and not as sarcastic. He served me in a way I wouldn't have been that willing to serve him in. And now thinking about it, it blesses me so much! My pride is too big and I still have a long way to go as far as learning humility and servant hood. And I am so thankful for all of these children and these people here who are teaching it to me! I need to be washing people's feet just as Jesus washed His disciples' feet(physically and metaphorically). I need to learn to be a servant of servants, just as my Jesus was.