Truthfully I do not even know where to begin and the feelings I feel words can’t describe. I missed blogging yesterday because we traveled 5 hours away to go to some leprosy colonies that had never been visited before. It was an overnight trip and they were the best two days since I have been here. The first colony we went to everyone was lined up waving at us at we drove in. They were so grateful and were so willing to help us carry all of the medicine. Seeing these people run inside to sit down was like seeing kids in a candy store; the difference was they were so happy to get treated. Matthew and I did hypertension on 50 different people and they were thrilled looking at the numbers go up and down. The way everyone shows gratitude is by putting their hands together as if they were praying and they nod their head. I was so excited when I looked over and saw a bunch of little kids sitting down staring at me… or so I thought. The truth is they were just intrigued with my camera! I sat down and started to play with them showing them how to take pictures and they ATE THAT UP. All of the children here thrive off of taking pictures and then looking at themselves. Something as small as a camera is like getting a free ticket to Disneyland. After we finished at the clinic I started dancing around outside and the kids began to follow me. This moment was priceless and something I will never forget. We were all having so much fun playing follow the leader and these boys can dance like I have never seen. The smiles on these kid’s faces can heal any wound or broken heart. Christian Morte was a little boy who actually goes to school at Rising Star and is the smartest kid I have ever met. He was directing all of the adults with leprosy where to go and spoke great English. He received a letter while we were there from a family who is sponsoring him and read the entire letter out loud they had sent. It was so neat to see his face light up and learn the people’s names that were supporting him. I have never seen someone as smart as him. The generation today is one where children are helping teach their parents who have not had the same privileges as them.
After this colony we went and ate at our hotel, which I found out, was only 10 dollars in American money. Granted you can’t escape from the Indian toilets here but besides that it was a nice hotel. Hearing this did not make me too happy because the first night we landed in Mumbai the guy told us it would be 140 dollars in American money and it was a HOLE in the wall. We got ripped off so bad; I guess I know now why people say, “Stupid Americans!” Bless us. Anyways, when it comes to food in India lets just say I feel like I am eating the same thing over and over again just in different shapes. It isn’t bad at all but after a while I could really go for a Pizza. My favorite thing to eat here is Chapata with Masala; this is pita type bread with red sauce. Everything they eat here is basically rice or tortillas with different dipping sauces.
Waking up this morning I was not expecting what happened to happen. Everyone met for breakfast and of course they knock on our door to ask why we weren’t in the lobby. Let’s just say Audrey and I have no sense of time here, luckily it takes 2 seconds to get ready here, NO MAKEUP, just a simple brushing of the teeth. After my tortilla with sauce yet again, we drove to the next colony.
Every moment since I have arrived in India has been one I will never forget. This was a different colony than the one we visited yesterday, yet they were also there to greet us with huge smiles on their faces. I immediately got out of the bus and started asking everyone’s names and hugging them. There were many older folks and a lot of children. Today I took pictures of every person before bandaging them to see if the ointment we put on their wounds showed any difference. We did 100 people today. Matthew and I had an assembly line where he would write down their names and I would take the pictures of their faces and feet. The wounds they have are like nothing I have ever seen. They are huge open flesh wounds with rotting skin. Flys were swarming all over them while I washed their feet and bandaged them up. One man had rotten skin on his thigh and Audrey and I couldn’t tell where the smell was coming from. We lifted up his skirt and the flys were hovered over his wound. He was so happy we had found it so that we could wash it. One man had a wound so bad that his elbow was literally the size of a tennis ball.
Leprosy can also make it so their eyelids don’t shut anymore which drys out their eyelids. Many have become blind because of it. Washing the feet and hands of these people has taken me completely out of my comfort zone and it is so touching when I see how patient and loving they are. I feel so awful when I am cleaning their feet because I can’t imagine how painful it would be. The crazy thing is that they have no feeling sensation so it doesn’t hurt them. I have been thinking about Jesus and the 10 lepers that he healed. I never want to complain about any sore muscle on my body because these people are saints for everything they have gone through. This man had a little seat with wheels on it that he would scoot around with because he was not able to walk.
One old lady dragged me to everyone in the colony and made me take his or her picture. She loved the idea of a camera just as much as the children. I found myself discovering a new passion. I started taking a bunch of photos of just individual people and their faces. I learn something just by looking through each person. After I pronounce my name to everyone they all repeat it back to me and are so happy they got it right. Once they get it they begin to say it over and over again! My heart sinks into my chest every time I hear it. These people have nothing but are so giving and kind. They gave each one of us a coconut drink straight from the tree!
This moment I am about to share is the moment that made me whole. I met a little boy in the colony while we were there names Cartee. Cartee had a huge smile and sweet spirit that changed me for good. I am crying just thinking about the fact that I may not ever see him again. He is 10 years old and we instantly hit it off, yes you could say we were in love ha. Cartee helped me throughout the whole day and did not speak much English but we could understand each other pretty well just with our eyes.
All of the children call me Auntie and once again kept begging to take pictures. Every time I would look over at Cartee we pointed to each other and smiled. I taught him how to pound it with our fists and he loved that. I began to dance with all of the children and they literally just stared and laughed. I looked like an idiot but I didn't care. They all joined in and had a good time. I taught each of them the handshakes, (a Sailor went to sea sea sea, and down by the banks). I was sitting on the other end of the circle as Cartee and he yelled, “Auntie!” and patted to come sit next to him. There was something about him that made me want to take him home from the second I met him.
Children teach me so much about life and how I want to always strive to be. They are slow to anger and quick to forgive. They love everything about life and do not hesitate to love everyone. I understand why Heavenly Father says be like children. Leaving was the hardest thing I had to do today. While hugging everyone goodbye they asked if I would be back. What do you say to that? Cartee ran onto the bus and gave the, “I love you!”, hand sign to me. Today he taught me something about life and myself. I feel so alive and happy. Life is amazing and if you ever want to truly know a persons soul just look into their eyes. Every person whose eyes you truly look into you will be able to find the child inside of him or her. The wounds of these people did not affect me once I looked into their eyes and saw their beautiful smiles.
The drive home was long and it still amazes me how different every part of the world is and what people are going through. I stared at the moon and realized how neat it was that so many people I love are in different places of the world but we can all look at the same thing. I hope the world can remember to look into the eyes of everyone around us because it will be easier to love and not judge. Count our blessings and remember that it is a choice to be happy. Learning to love oneself is the first step before we expect others to love us. There are opportunities to serve all around us. Don’t let these moments pass by!
