On our second day of ministry, our team sat together in the living room of the team house, ready for the day. We began to pray for the day, for the people we would meet, for good reception at the leper colony, for relationships to be built quickly… for God’s love to be shared.
When we arrived an hour later, a lady came out and said to Connie that just that morning they’d said to each other, “Remember the group of people who came to visit us?” (talking about us) “I wonder if they will come again?”
Probably about the same time we were praying.
We asked if they knew we were coming, if Victor had told someone at the leper colony to expect us.
Nope.
Connie told them that the fact that they remembered us that morning wasn’t coincidence. It was God. That we knew we were coming and we had been praying to the One God about them. And that He’d brought us to their minds so that when we came, they would know that He sees them and that He loves them.
Well, if no one else’s was, my mind was blown. Again. (This was 2 days after Stuthy’s birth).
We were able to go to the leper colony twice, armed with nail polish, bubbles, and laughter. I remember looking around that first day, just overcome with how much beauty I was surrounded by. We all sat together on cots in the shade, American and Indian, leper and non-leper, dressed in bright, vivid colors. It was too much to take in.
It was so great to see them again and to see how their families are doing, how their children have grown. I was so happy to see Patima, who I call “Maa” (Mother). She saw me and a huge smile filled her face, which usually contains a no-nonsense expression. Despite her bad hip, she hobbled over to me and touched my face, then pulled me into a hug. The next day, she invited me into her home to escape the rain, where she let me sit on a cot and she told me through motions about her left hand, which was electrocuted when she was plugging something into a socket. It is gnarled, twisted, and she is unable to use it. She let me pray for her hand as well.
*Photo on left by Connie Rock.
The second day, it rained a lot. So they invited us into the temple, where they have a shrine for the Hindu gods… and a Christian cross. A few years ago, they added the cross, which was huge… because it was an acknowledgement of our God. Now we are praying that they will one day recognize our God as the One True God, the only one. The below photo is of our team praying for the women of the leper colony while in the Hindu temple, right before we left on the last day.
*Photo on right by Connie Rock.
I believe it will happen. Will you pray with me about this?
