My first post on this blog told of the "Little Lights" Home for children of lepers. I mentioned that these are, without a doubt, the most marginalized persons in this part of India. Today, Akhi, the orphanage director, arranged for us to visit one of the numerous leprosy clinics run as part of his overall effort to show Christ's love to "the least of these" through basic assistance like cleaning and dressing ulcers affecting residents of the leper colony (this one was called 'Bharathapuram').
In speaking with Akhi, we learned that if a person is diagnosed with leprosy, regardless of their previous education or station in life, they are immediately shunned by their family. In fact, the leper colony we visited today is fairly near the leprosy hospital. I'm told that the colonies tend to pop up near the hospital because once a diagnosis is made; these people thereafter have nowhere to go.
I also learned that when leprosy is diagnosed and treated, it can be completely cured, although no progression of the disease can be reversed. It is not contagious when treated, flat out. However, don't try convincing anyone else of that, since the stigma remains very strong. Unfortunately, even if the disease doesn't transfer to other family members, such as children, the stigma does transfer to children and grandchildren.
To children whose grandparents had leprosy, others outside the colony can tell, because the stigma ends up getting 'hard wired' into their psyche, and they can help but project it outwardly, and they are shunned even when they are outside the colony.
This is the type of work they do, cutting away dead calloused skin from the bottoms of their feet, treating them with dressing, and wrapping them in Gauze.
Ahki's ministry also makes special shoes for these residents, since the progression of the disease before they were treated has left many without toes, or with shortened and malformed feet.
There is a bit of Catch-22 for these lepers, as well. Many have ulcers on their feet, the only remaining vestige of the disease. Unfortunately, the ulcers can only heal if they remain off their feet for something like 6 weeks, but because their only means of survival is begging, and them must walk to where they can situate themselves to beg. Having no sensation of pain from walking on these ulcers, the healing process can never really even get started.
We relished the opportunity to pray with them, but honestly, I really just wanted to put a hand on their shoulder to give some kind of affirmation. I know that in His day, Jesus had compassion on lepers, and he touched them when no others would. We all know how affirming a simple touch on the shoulder or a pat can be, but these people received very little, or no touches at all. I was honestly hoping that doing this would be a very small example of affirming them, as Jesus would have done has He been there (or, was He?).
We also met and prayed for a very cute older woman, Kanakmani, who communicated to us, not in English, that in no uncertain terms, she was a Christian, our sister in the faith.
When was the last time you thought leprosy was anything other than an obscure disease that only existed hundreds of years, and only in the Bible? I think I can answer; never.
Okay, you might want to skip this next part.
I asked Akhi if these treatments were at all painful, and he said generally no, since the nerve endings are destroyed by the disease, starting with the extremities. As he was describing that at times, the ulcer can progress into the bone, and when that happens, it can be painful.
As if on cue, the next person up to get treatment was just such a person. In this case, we observed as the left ankle bone of an elderly patient was being tended to, the clinician discovered that the inner portion of the wound was maggot-infested. She poured hydrogen peroxide on the wound to dislodge the maggots, and then proceeded to take forceps to dig out the maggots, which appeared to be a rather violent action (akin to a bullet being pulled out of a wound in so many Western movies). Apparently, there was some beginning stage of bone softening, but this woman was not feeling it.
This was quite difficult to observe, but it underscores the situation they are in, and speaks all the more to the incredibly compassionate work that is being done with Akhi's group in their overall leprosy ministry.
Another of the YWAM ministries in Chennai is called Project AIDS, to work amongst those with AIDS/HIV as well as their families.
According to J.D. Wilson, the director the ministry, they offered to minister in the AIDS hospital, but because the chief AIDS doctor was Hindu, and they were Christians, he did not want them to have contact with the patients. Mr. Wilson told the doctor the ministry would help in any way they could, so the doctor told them they could:
After 2 years of faithfully performing these tasks, the doctor realized they were okay, and allowed them to begin to minister to the patients, many of them in the process of dying.
Seeing the impact on the families, a home for children having lost one or both parents to AIDS, was established, and we had the opportunity to visit with the children and staff if the AID/HIV home today.
This is presently home to 2 women, and 13 children. 10 of the children have lost both parents to AIDS, while 3 of the children have either a mother or a father, but none of who are able to care for them.
All of these children are HIV positive, with the majority of them on antiretroviral medication.
This is a new little friend, Monika, who turned 9 years old about a month ago, and who lost both of her parents to AIDS about 2 years ago. Notice that Monika has dimples, just like me, and a very special twinkle in her eye.
Wilson and his dedicated staff are making sure that Monika grows up knowing the love of Christ, and getting the education she needs to go beyond the stigma.
Man, I am exhausted. How about you?
In speaking with Akhi, we learned that if a person is diagnosed with leprosy, regardless of their previous education or station in life, they are immediately shunned by their family. In fact, the leper colony we visited today is fairly near the leprosy hospital. I'm told that the colonies tend to pop up near the hospital because once a diagnosis is made; these people thereafter have nowhere to go.
I also learned that when leprosy is diagnosed and treated, it can be completely cured, although no progression of the disease can be reversed. It is not contagious when treated, flat out. However, don't try convincing anyone else of that, since the stigma remains very strong. Unfortunately, even if the disease doesn't transfer to other family members, such as children, the stigma does transfer to children and grandchildren.
To children whose grandparents had leprosy, others outside the colony can tell, because the stigma ends up getting 'hard wired' into their psyche, and they can help but project it outwardly, and they are shunned even when they are outside the colony.
This is the type of work they do, cutting away dead calloused skin from the bottoms of their feet, treating them with dressing, and wrapping them in Gauze.
Ahki's ministry also makes special shoes for these residents, since the progression of the disease before they were treated has left many without toes, or with shortened and malformed feet.
There is a bit of Catch-22 for these lepers, as well. Many have ulcers on their feet, the only remaining vestige of the disease. Unfortunately, the ulcers can only heal if they remain off their feet for something like 6 weeks, but because their only means of survival is begging, and them must walk to where they can situate themselves to beg. Having no sensation of pain from walking on these ulcers, the healing process can never really even get started.
We relished the opportunity to pray with them, but honestly, I really just wanted to put a hand on their shoulder to give some kind of affirmation. I know that in His day, Jesus had compassion on lepers, and he touched them when no others would. We all know how affirming a simple touch on the shoulder or a pat can be, but these people received very little, or no touches at all. I was honestly hoping that doing this would be a very small example of affirming them, as Jesus would have done has He been there (or, was He?).
We also met and prayed for a very cute older woman, Kanakmani, who communicated to us, not in English, that in no uncertain terms, she was a Christian, our sister in the faith.
When was the last time you thought leprosy was anything other than an obscure disease that only existed hundreds of years, and only in the Bible? I think I can answer; never.
Okay, you might want to skip this next part.
I asked Akhi if these treatments were at all painful, and he said generally no, since the nerve endings are destroyed by the disease, starting with the extremities. As he was describing that at times, the ulcer can progress into the bone, and when that happens, it can be painful.
As if on cue, the next person up to get treatment was just such a person. In this case, we observed as the left ankle bone of an elderly patient was being tended to, the clinician discovered that the inner portion of the wound was maggot-infested. She poured hydrogen peroxide on the wound to dislodge the maggots, and then proceeded to take forceps to dig out the maggots, which appeared to be a rather violent action (akin to a bullet being pulled out of a wound in so many Western movies). Apparently, there was some beginning stage of bone softening, but this woman was not feeling it.
This was quite difficult to observe, but it underscores the situation they are in, and speaks all the more to the incredibly compassionate work that is being done with Akhi's group in their overall leprosy ministry.
HIV/AIDS shelter for women and children.
Another of the YWAM ministries in Chennai is called Project AIDS, to work amongst those with AIDS/HIV as well as their families.
According to J.D. Wilson, the director the ministry, they offered to minister in the AIDS hospital, but because the chief AIDS doctor was Hindu, and they were Christians, he did not want them to have contact with the patients. Mr. Wilson told the doctor the ministry would help in any way they could, so the doctor told them they could:
- Clean up and maintain the landscaping around the hospital which had been neglected
- Keep the sewage system clean and in good working order, and
- (If you can believe this) Run the wild pigs, which routinely made their way into the hospital, out from among the patients.
After 2 years of faithfully performing these tasks, the doctor realized they were okay, and allowed them to begin to minister to the patients, many of them in the process of dying.
Seeing the impact on the families, a home for children having lost one or both parents to AIDS, was established, and we had the opportunity to visit with the children and staff if the AID/HIV home today.
This is presently home to 2 women, and 13 children. 10 of the children have lost both parents to AIDS, while 3 of the children have either a mother or a father, but none of who are able to care for them.
All of these children are HIV positive, with the majority of them on antiretroviral medication.
This is a new little friend, Monika, who turned 9 years old about a month ago, and who lost both of her parents to AIDS about 2 years ago. Notice that Monika has dimples, just like me, and a very special twinkle in her eye.
Wilson and his dedicated staff are making sure that Monika grows up knowing the love of Christ, and getting the education she needs to go beyond the stigma.
Man, I am exhausted. How about you?
I appreciate how the posts have progressed, longer each day! Interceding for you daily brother!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great job you're doing being God's hands and heart!! Love you!
ReplyDelete