Hannah's thoughts

While the overall experience of World Impact Italy was undeniably eye-opening, there is one specific moment from the trip that I will never forget. One souvenir that I got from my visit to the Italian hospital was a very stylish nose cast. I was given very strict instructions not to get this cast wet. Unfortunately, this meant that I couldn’t wash my hair. At first this wasn’t so bad, but after four days of running around outside, in blistering heat, I did not feel too good. Instead, I felt quite sticky. Yuck! Giovanna, another woman who helped out with the camp, offered to take me to her apartment so that she could wash my hair in her sink. I could tell from her persistence that she truly wanted to do it, even though her schedule was packed with additional preparations for camp. She wasn’t offering merely because it was a nice thing to do. Personally, I wouldn’t want to touch someone’s dirty, unwashed hair, and I was shocked by the fact that she did. She perfectly embodied the spirit of Jesus, when he washed his disciples’ feet. I’m sure that the disciples’ feet were pretty gross from walking on Jerusalem’s littered city streets; yet, Jesus got down on his hands and knees and scrubbed them clean. Giovanna and Elena, who helped her out, set an incredible example of Christ-like service. I was humbled by their willingness to get their hands dirty in order to help me! From watching Giovanna and Elena serve, I am challenged to adopt this same attitude of self-sacrificing service towards others so that I too can serve like Jesus did.