The Ultimate Foot Washing….Sole Hope

After spending years ministering to the lost, sick, and brokenhearted, as His last act of love before allowing Himself to be taken prisoner, Jesus chose to wash the disciples feet.  He knew it was going to be his last act of public ministry.  He could have preached to a multitude, he could have performed miracles, but He chose to wash His disciples feet instead.  He served a few knowing that those few would go back and tell a story that needed to be shared.

This is a story that needs to be shared.

The outcast, the most severe cases, are brought to the outreach house.  Most who come have never heard of this place of hope. They choose to trust a stranger who promised them they would get help.  In their desperation, they are willing to leave their home and begin their jigger removal journey.

Some kids come alone, not knowing anyone. Why would a parent send their child to a place that they don’t know just so their jiggers could be removed?Because they can’t do it themselves.  A child gets one, you take it out. No big deal.  They get a few, it’s a little harder, but it is probably manageable. When one of my children gets a tick or a splinter, I take care of it right away.  It’s not a big deal {although my kids make a big deal about it}.  Imagine your child getting a foreign object in their foot, and just when you take it out, they get 3 more, then 10 more, then 50, then it’s too many to count.  It’s not just one child, but all of your children.  You can’t keep up.The situation quickly becomes hopeless.

A mother of 5 came to the clinic last week and as she was telling us her story, she expressed her concern that when she gets back home she fears she will get them again. There is a man that lives in their house that is covered in them.  He doesn’t believe he can be helped.  He has been outcast from his community, so he lays there and the problem just perpetuates itself.  On top of trying to survive as a single mom and keep your children fed…how can a mom keep up with an infestation that multiplies….she needs help.

Sole Hope is that help. They are the only jigger removal clinic in the area, in fact, as far as they can tell, they are the only jigger removal clinic in Uganda.  The thing about jiggers is that it’s not just a parasitic disease.  It’s a disease that is taboo.  If a family is infested with jiggers, they are made fun of and outcast by their community.  It is something that children learn to hide because of the stigma associated with it.  If they go to a medical clinic, they may remove 1-2 jiggers, but they won’t spend the hours it takes to remove an infestation of them. Even the medical community doesn’t acknowledge jiggers as a problem.  It’s an epidemic that the government chooses to ignore.  The crazy thing is that it is a problem that can be solved.  It is a problem that could be eradicated, but it is going to take a collective effort to acknowledge the problem and address it from multiple angles.

When I first heard about Sole Hope, I thought they went out into the community to remove some jiggers, give people shoes. Not just any shoe though, one that was cut out of old jeans at a shoe cutting party and sent to Uganda where a team of Ugandan tailors turns them into a supportive, closed toe, durable shoe that keeps jiggers away from their feet.  Little did I know that what Dru and Asher have done far exceeds my previous assumption.  They have built a sustainable, legitimate, complete approach to the jigger problem.  They have built an outreach clinic that brings the widows, the children, and the elderly affected with jiggers and have created a team that surrounds them with love and compassion.

When each person first comes…

they are given baths {sometimes for the first time in a long while}.

They are given clean clothes.

They are given simple medical care.

Then they gather them together,

and like a well-oiled machine,

a team of social workers, nurses, volunteers, and staff surround them.

Their feet are washed.

Their jiggers are removed one-by-one. This is not like taking a splinter out or pulling off a tick…

Please excuse the graphic nature,

but this is a reality we need to face.

They literally have to dig out each and every jigger

and it’s sac full of eggs that it creates in it’s wake.

The effect is a cavernous whole.

The young cry and scream in agony.

What if this was one of my children? Tears come to my eyes as I imagine what if this was Savannah, Caleb, or Daniel. Anesthetic blocks are too traumatizing and don’t last long enough.  In Uganda, there is a very limited amount of drugs accessible to hospitals.  The only thing readily available to help with the pain is Tylenol and Ibuprofen.

Volunteers do their best to comfort them, and  everyone silently prays… calling out to God the Healer and ultimate Comforter is the only thought that pierces through the weight and emotion of the moment.

Remember many of these children don’t have a parent with them, they find themselves needing to be strong all by themselves…but there are these volunteers that keep holding them, trying everything they can to comfort and encourage them.

With each jigger removed, you hope that it is the last..but you know there are more.  These kids perseverance is profoundly humbling.  The older children wince and writhe in pain trying to keep every ounce of pride intact.

 the adults sit silently…not one emotion, not one reflex of pain…

They have grown accustomed to the pain.  They have weathered worse.  They know it needs to be done.  They are thankful for the gift of relief.

But there is the moment…

that the bandages are applied, fresh clean socks are given, and a pair of shoes are slipped onto their feet.

The look of joy is evident with their brilliant smile.

They stand up proudly, peering down at their freshly loved feet and walk into a new way of living.

They will stay at the outreach house and receive food, clothing, and basic education…

until they are completely healed, and social workers create a plan for re-settlement.

The house is full of moms with multiple children, elderly men and women, and lots of children by themselves. Sole Hope can only serve 35 at a time at the outreach house, but the hope is that those few will go back to their home and villages and share the good news.

Jiggers are something that can be treated, something that can be removed, and something that can be prevented. 

Jigger removal is the ultimate act of foot washing.

Not only is Sole Hope physically washing their feet, but they are laying hands and healing the sick, they are loving the poor and caring for the outcast.  This isn’t just a great idea that Dru and Asher decided to turn into a non-profit organization.  They are pioneering a way for generations to know a new way of thinking, a life free of jiggers.

Jesus is coming back for his bride, the church. I really hope He finds a bride that has been doing the very thing that He did during His last days…I really hope that He finds a church that took time to literally take care of the hands and feet of His people.

So how can you help?

1. First….Like, Share, and Comment on this post.
2. Subscribe to Sole Hope’s updates.  A generous donor will give $1 for every new subscriber in the next 30 days.
3. Check out their latest fundraising campaign at Pure Charity. It’s a God sized dream, so every little bit helps.  They have purchased the land, and now they need money to build a permanent and secure place for Sole Hope.
4. Host a Shoe Cutting Party. If you don’t think your pair of jeans can make a difference, then I’m certain you’ve changed your mind. Every pair matters, it matters to every person who has believed that they are cursed because of their affliction, it matters to every child who walks with a limp because of the pain of jiggers, it matters to every mom who watches her children suffer and can’t do anything about it.

What are you going to do to help?

Photo Credit – Gary S. Chapman