Two Glory-Filled Days at the Leper Colony
When Jesus walked this earth, he ministered to and healed many people with leprosy. Here in India, there are still those who are plagued with this disease, and if they are too poor to afford medical treatment, some must go to live in leprosy colonies outside the city limits. This is a harsh reality, but people are living in it, desperate to hear the message that they are deeply loved by their Father in Heaven.
On the first day of our visit, the team spent time greeting the lepers and worshipping the Lord together in the colony’s tiny church. Pastor MP asked who had a healing testimony from the previous time the FMI team visited the colony last year. One woman testified she received prayer last year from the team for open sores on her leg that were draining due to severe infection. She excitedly testified that the sores had completely dried up, showing us the proof of what the Lord had done! Another woman testified that last year, after receiving prayer for healing, her two broken ribs completely healed. Praise God!
The other lepers in the colony listened intently as these testimonies were shared. Their own faith began to rise even more, and after a time of powerful worship, our team laid hands on and prayed for each person for healing. We encouraged them to stand in faith for their healing, and we would be back to see them the next day.
Wednesday, we returned to the colony with great excitement and anticipation in our hearts. Today our team would be throwing a birthday party celebration for all the lepers in the colony! Mark V. led the charge in decorating the tiny church with balloons, flowers, brightly colored paper and the like. As the lepers entered the church, they were all surprised at what awaited them. Not one single person had ever had a birthday party thrown for them before. The team, along with our Indian church contacts, and even our bus driver,
all worked together to prepare the food for the party. We served beautifully arranged plates of fruit salad, chicken, samosas, and even a freshly blended orange smoothie in a plastic take-home cup with a straw, so that even those without fingers and/or hands because of leprosy could easily enjoy a drink.
We sang “Happy Birthday” and that led into a time of worship and prayer for healing. Every person in the church had gold glory dust on their hands! Pastor MP asked if anyone had experienced healing since yesterday, and a number of lepers testified they had received a touch from the Lord. One woman who had fallen and broken her ankle was encouraged to exercise her faith, so she stood up and walked across the room! As she continued to walk, she testified that the pain left her and she no longer needed to hold on to the wall. Another man testified that his open sores from the day before had closed up and he no longer had to deal with the flies swarming around them. Many others testified that the pain in their bodies had left them after the prayer. The presence and joy of the Lord was so strong in this little church, and we were sad to leave the leprosy colony, but overjoyed that God’s healing power went forth, and people were impacted by the love of Jesus. We know many lives have been touched and changed!!