To serve or not to serve...

 

This past December we celebrated our yearly Baja Missionary Retreat at Palomar Christian Conference Center. It was good to see Aida coming home from college for Christmas break. All of the MK's seem to be so much taller and so grown up. Our retreat was a time of silliness, fun and experiencing servant leadership.

 

We wore silly hats, welcomed the New Year and had some wonderful times of worship and renewal with our colleagues.  One of the highlights of the retreat was a service of foot washing. Now I have never really liked the idea of foot washing because if you say no, you appear to not be truly spiritual and if you say yes, then you have to deal with the discomfort and the intimacy of caring for someone else. Foot washing is one of those things that really pulls you out of your comfort zone.

 

Well, we started off with a Bible Study led by Virgil Nelson, retired missionary from the Congo. It was truly a time of learning and openness to the Spirit of God. Then Virgil explained the whole process and we all participated in getting the basins, hot water, and salt. 

Rick washed my feet and I washed his. It was truly amazing and life affirming to watch my boys wash each others feet. This was love and servanthood at its greatest. Aida (our daughter) and Michelle Schellinger Gutierrez washed each others feet. Afterward we put lotion on each others feet and people spontaneously went around giving each other neck rubs. Tears came to my eyes as I watched Tim Long rub his baby grand daughter's little toes and she squirmed and loved it.

 

We all received so much as we ministered to each other and I kept wondering why was I so resistant to this experience. Jesus washed his disciple's feet to show them what it meant to be a servant leader. My prayer is that I can continue to learn at the feet of the master what it means to serve and to love.

 

Home Assignment Update:

This has been a year of many changes and plenty of travel. I have been to New York State, Nebraska, Puerto Rico, Seattle, Vermont/New Hampshire and will soon be traveling to Iowa/Minnesota and West Virginia. I will also be at the Biennial in Puerto Rico this coming June. We have also traveled to visit churches in California and Arizona that are within driving distance.

 

If anyone wishes to learn more about our ministry in Baja, please feel free to be in touch with us and we will do our best to schedule a visit, a phone call, a Skype session to accommodate you.

 

On a personal note it has been a year of transition on many levels: Rick lost his brother Matt and we continue to grieve his parting. On a happier note Richie will be graduating from high school on June 2nd and will be departing the nest to go to the University of Chicago. Aida is finishing her second year at the University of Virginia and Joshua is finishing elementary school and heading on to junior high in the fall.

 

Throughout all of the highs and lows of this year, we have felt the presence and comfort of our God; sometimes not understanding but always feeling loved.

 

We continue to be in need of support and could not do what we do without all of the community of believers in our churches. Please pray and consider supporting our ministry on a regular basis. God bless you all! 

 

Mercy and Rick Barnes