Shaking Hands

Curious about the strangers touring their leper colony, men, women and children came out of their little huts and followed Brother Hari and his team around.

What the brothers witnessed during this initial survey was beyond anything they had imagined. The living conditions in this colony, located outside a major city in Bihar, India, were shocking and appalling. Though a medical facility was available, most of the patients did not receive adequate care, and many had pus oozing from their sores.

Knowing how outsiders reacted to those infected with the dreaded disease, the residents kept their distance.

But suddenly something so unexpected happened that the colonists would never forget it for the rest of their lives. Brother Hari and his coworkers approached them in greeting, with absolutely no reluctance … and reached out to shake hands.

At first the lepers were hesitant to place their hands—many deformed, or covered with sores and soiled bandages—into the outstretched ones of the brothers. But when the missionaries insisted, they complied. That's when something wonderful took place: They felt the same touch of compassion those lepers of 2,000 years ago experienced when Jesus touched them.

Moved by the missionaries' love and concern for them, the lepers opened up their lives to the brothers. These first handshakes became the doorway for Brother Hari and his team to share the love of Jesus and the message of salvation with these precious people.

In the meantime, the team was able to establish a regular outreach ministry to this colony as well as three others. In addition, they set up tutorial centers to assist lepers' children with their studies.

Leprosy

Leprosy is one of the world's oldest known diseases. Tragic disfigurement, social ostracism and a slow death also cause it to be one of the most feared. Though leprosy is completely curable today through a multi-drug therapy introduced in the 1980s, the stigma and terror attached to it from ancient times are still very much alive.

Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by bacteria and transmitted during close contact with an infected person. The disease attacks the nervous system, particularly the nerves of the hands, feet and face. The sufferer loses sensation, leading to unnoticed injuries that in turn become infected. In advanced cases, gangrene sets in and the patient's flesh will rot.

The spread of leprosy can be stopped, and deformities and disabilities prevented, if the disease is diagnosed early and treated immediately. However, most cases of leprosy occur in remote, poverty-stricken areas where patients are often not treated early enough.

Thankfully, the disease has now been wiped out in 98 countries, and more than eight million patients have been totally cured. However, the World Health Organization estimates that there are presently 830,000 cases of the disease worldwide, 64 percent of which are in India.

Marked for Life

It would be wonderful if all those cured of leprosy could integrate back into society and live normal, productive lives. Unfortunately, in most cases this is only possible for those cured without a disability.

Those with visible deformities are marked for life. Along with their families, they are subjected to a lifelong discrimination that forces them to remain in the leper colonies even after recovery. Depending on their disabilities, they will try to make a living by farming or begging.

During the deadly riots between Hindus and Muslims earlier this year in the state of Gujarat, one such colony was attacked four times. Eventually it was destroyed and burned to the ground. The former leprosy patients and their families lost everything.

When the members of a local Believers Church heard about the attack, they visited the colony and brought food packages containing a week's supply for each of the 40 families. As they shared the love and compassion of Jesus, the residents were grateful for the provisions and the fellowship they experienced.

Today, the students from the nearby GFA home Bible school conduct regular Sunday worship services in the colony, and many of the people have received Christ as their personal Savior.

Since then, our missionaries and Bible school students have started working in 36 leper colonies in 19 states of India. They have already planted five churches. Besides their main purpose of sharing the Gospel and planting churches, their outreach also includes medical camps, tutorial classes for children and food distribution.

GFA plans to expand this new ministry to several hundred leper colonies over the next few years. To accomplish this we want to set up a Bible school in 2003, dedicated to equipping future missionaries for this particular ministry. We will also produce Gospel literature in 15 languages specifically designed for leprosy patients.

Each colony in which we work has its own needs. In some it will be essential to open medical clinics and primary schools for children, while in others we must provide adult education, vocational training and food banks.

Our leper ministry gives us the privilege of literally touching the untouchables with the love and compassion of Jesus Christ, while at the same time reaching the most unreached with the Gospel.

Click here to find out more about GFA's leprosy ministry.