Anna Lisa’s pictures and thoughts from 2015 Healing Foot Wash at Burning Man

Each of my three years at Burning Man has been a different experience, each with different challenges and opportunities. 2013 was a year of just getting out there in that dusty, vibrating, lively place, learning that by our kind acts and loving embrace of all came by, we were living Church in an unchurchy place. Finding a spot at the outer fringes of the Black Rock City, we washed perhaps about 100 pairs of feet, and gave away a lot of copies of Science and Health, the textbook on healing spiritually, by Mary Baker Eddy. In 2014, we applied for and received “placement”, meaning our camp was recognized as being of sufficient value to have a designated spot. We were placed close to some big sound camps, and across from the Spank Bank… and interesting answer to prayer about where to be placed! Embracing the opportunity, we continued to wash feet to the amazement of many, sharing with folks who were interested what moved us to do so. We probably washed at least 300 pairs. In 2015, we were placed near the heart of the Center Camp neighborhood, and found people were both delighted and grateful for clean feet, and generally accepted the invitation to wash their neighbor’s feet. Giving them that opportunity proved a surprising and very enriching gift for many. Each day, all 16 chairs were occupied most of the day, with folks waiting (patiently) for their turn. We estimate that well over 1,000 folks had their feet washed. Most of those 1,000 stayed to wash someone else’s feet. Here are a few moments from my 2015 week.