Lepers Fund
			The dreaded disease of leprosy still destroys bodies in the developing world. I Was Hungry is reaching out to a leper colony in southern India with Christ's compassion.

Leper Colony in India

On the outskirts of Koratty, India, there's a dirt road that leads to a place of forgotten people. There aren't many visitors to this 56-acre compound, and as we step out of our car it doesn't take long before we are spotted. Shadows inside concrete buildings begin to shuffle out to greet us. Some are hobbling, others are using crutches, and many keep their arms crossed and their hands tucked under their arms. They're lepers. They're hiding gnarled limbs that are missing fingers and toes.

Leprosy attacks nerve endings and destroys the body's ability to feel pain and injury. So lepers unwittingly injure themselves with burns and cuts, and suffer infections that result in tissue loss. Fingers and toes become shortened and deformed as cartilage is absorbed by the body.

Leprosy is not nearly as contagious as most people think. In fact, 95% of the world's people have a natural immunity to it. And when a leper receives the proper medication, within two weeks his disease is no longer contagious. But in India, when someone is discovered to have leprosy, their own family members consider them cursed, and they are driven from their homes and disowned. Worse, no one will associate with a family that has a leprous member for fear of being contaminated. No one will marry a child of a leper. Even though a treated leper is no longer contagious, lepers are shunned for life.

We're at the Koratty Leprosy Colony to distribute lungis (a long cotton cloth that is worn around the waist) to all 325 residents. Our host is a hero. His name is Johnsen, and he ministers the gospel here all the time, not to mention the fact that he plants churches and runs an orphanage (supported in part by Orphan's Tear).

Johnsen (pictured right) is following in the footsteps of his father, a former photojournalist who witnessed a restaurant owner pour boiling water on a leper who was begging in front of his establishment. Johnsen's father ultimately persuaded the government to provide lepers, the very lowest on the Indian social ladder, some basic human services. Johnsen has led many of the lepers here at Koratty to the Lord, and they love him dearly, just as they loved his father. Johnsen's ministry is regularly supported through the Lepers Fund of I Was Hungry.

As we enter the first concrete building it takes a few moments for our eyes to adjust to the dim light. Frail bodies are lying on wooden beds. This is the Advance Ward, where lepers wait to die. Thankfully, because of pastor Johnsen, most of them know what awaits them. They are looking forward to receiving their new, whole bodies in heaven.

We listen to many stories. One is that of 68-year-old Dhamodharan (pictured below). He was diagnosed with leprosy when it had already progressed significantly. He was only 18 years old then, but he continued to work as a tailor, keeping his disease a secret, and he even got married.

After his marriage he revealed the truth to his wife. She told her father, who demanded that she divorce him. She refused, and she and Dhamodharan had five children. Neither she nor their children contracted leprosy. However, when their children were old enough to marry, Dhamodharan left his family so his children could find spouses. Had he stayed, there was no chance his children would ever have been married due to his disease. He is grateful for the fact that he has a place to stay, and most of all that he knows what the future holds since he has become a follower of Christ.

As we continue our visit, we are presented with many needs. Some men lift the legs of their trousers to reveal their homemade prosthetic legs that are falling apart. Others point to their sandals that are coming apart at the seams. They tell us that the government will provide them with leather, but they need a heavy-duty sewing machine to make footwear for themselves. (They each receive 150 rupees a month from the Indian government, the equivalent of about $3.50.) Because of your contributions, I Was Hungry has just provided a $600 heavy-duty sewing machine that will sew through leather.

The last place we visit is the women's ward. The women are not as shy as the men. Most of them are Christians, and they have daily Bible studies and worship God. As we are about toleave, they ask to sing us a song. Translated into English, here are the lyrics:

How wonderful and loving is my Jesus who takes care of me every day.
I will praise him all through my life and will glorify him wherever I go.
Even if my family and friends leave me, I will serve him, and he will take care of me.
The day is coming, my master is coming,
I will hear his trumpet and he will take me to the land of no tears or sorrows,
And I will rejoice with the angels!

Through the Lepers Fund, I Was Hungry is partnering with respected Indian pastor K.V. Daniel to give these brothers and sisters in Christ some comfort in their trials by providing food, clothing, medicines, shoes, artificial limbs, and surgical cottons. Most importantly, these lepers are regularly visited by teams of Christians who build their faith through God's Word despite them being lepers.