Leprosy Colony

Our Rising Star group is split into three smaller groups each week. Everyday our group is assigned to help tutor at the school, do community service or help with medical at the leprosy colonies. My first rotation was the medical service and it is my favorite! The experience of going to my first colony was the highlight of my trip so far. When I think of Leprosy I think of the time of Christ. Here we were in 2012 seeing this thousands of year old disease that I thought didn’t exist anymore. I’m not going to lie I was quite nervous going in at first. The people living at these colonies are banned from the world and their families. As soon as I stepped off the bus, I was struck with how special these people are. They are living with a terrible disease, yet still smiling and happy. I was overwhelmed with so much love that all my fears of touching them was gone in a second. It would be so easy for these people to give up on enjoying life, but their faces were so bright and they didn’t just sit there and feel sorry for themselves. I never knew that such a simple task like changing bandages or oiling feet could mean so much to someone until I saw these people show off their smilies afterwards. This is an experience I will never forget and I can’t wait to go to the next colony.