Feasting with the Lepers!

Looking on with great anticipation, our leper friends watched as we prepared the feast. For the first time, they were the honored guests at this banquet. Plates loaded with rice, curry chicken, yogurt sauce, chicken winglets, desserts, and more were placed around the table. In India a flower garland is only placed around the neck of honored guests. Greatly honored, the lepers thanked Pastor Mary Pat as she placed a garland around each of their necks.

Our team acted out the parable of the wedding feast from Luke 14. Andy and Pastor Bill shared the Father’s heart in preparing a wedding feast for His bride, the church. Dancing to the song,  “A Little Longer,” Amy and Theresa expressed a heart of worship and adoration for our King. The words of the song talk about stopping, waiting, and drawing near to the Lord.

We were also able to bless them with a list of verses describing who they are in Christ in their language of Telegu.  As they meditate on these verses, we believe that the love of God will remove the lies that they are unwanted and cast out and give them a deeper understanding that they are sons and daughters of the King of Kings, Jesus.

 Experiencing today’s feast with the lepers both honored and humbled our team. We felt honored by the Lord that we could be a part of blessing such wonderful people. We also felt humbled by such a privilege. How can you see the Lord touching such precious people and not be moved to compassion? Our feast with the lepers is certainly one of the highlights of this trip for the team. In a society where they have been outcasts for so long, Jesus is breaking in with the truth of His love and compassion for them and they are receiving His love.