The Colony

Yesterday I went into a Leprosy Colony.  I will admit I was a bit nervous about what I would experience there.  

Right as we pulled in a man named Karu greeted us with his hands raised to the sky shouting praises to the Lord. He is a very skinny man with a wide grin ear to ear.  All his fingers are missing on both hands and only a stub remains for a foot.  His eyes are glossy and he appears to be blind.

What is it that compels this man to be so happy? I wondered.  He has nothing.  He is sitting out in the middle of no where with the heat of the sun his only devout companion, yet here he is welcoming us like we belong to him.

As our group unloaded the van he hopped anxiously in excitement as if each one of us were a pile of money.

When he could see we all gathered he began to sing and dance.  I didn’t understand a word he was singing but it was clear he was thanking God. Tuesday night at dinner Becky Douglas told us his story so I had an idea of what he was doing.

She told us He was blind for over 18 years and he begged the Doctors to try an operation on him  To make a long story short he got the operation and can see now!  He sings praises to the Lord, hands held up high, every time volunteers go to his Village.  

As I listened to him sing with a huge smile on his face my thoughts went to my need of the same God he has.  This man is my brother and he knew God loved him.  He knows it enough to sit at that tree and wait for the Americans to come so he can hug them and tell them his story.  This man is ONE LEPER returning to give thanks to Jesus for healing him.

He can see, and he is alive and thats all that he needs to LOVE life.

I’ve decided that Karu has NOTHING as the world defines it but EVERYTHING in the eternal scheme because he knows GOD.  

I understand why is so happy!  God offers this to all people, we just have to accept it.

I love India!