LEPROSY, INDIANS AND BANDUNG

This past week we worked on a wide variety of activities.  On Thursday we visited a colony with those afflicted with leprosy just outside of Jakarta. It is estimated that anywhere from 1,000 to 1,500 individuals with leprosy live in this area.  The people live there because they no longer feel accepted in the communities they once lived in, or because they are currently receiving medication for leprosy. We talked with one woman that had lived there for over 30 years, another gentleman that had lived there for 25 years. Both individuals were married and were raising families in this community.   Many of the men and women had missing fingers or hands, prosthetic legs or facial deformities.  We saw lovely vegetable plants growing up the side of a growing box.  The children were having singing time in a small classroom. The more serious cases of individuals with leprosy were located at a nearby hospital.  One lady was to have her foot amputated the next day.  It was a very sobering reminder of the disabilities that can be caused by a disease that robs people of their dignity and most often their livelihoods.  It made me (Eileen) think of the story of the ten lepers in the Bible.  How could anyone be healed of this awful disease, and then forget to show gratitude to the one that healed them?  Am I guilty of the same ingratitude?  I know we are blessed with many things in life that we take for granted.

On Friday evening we were invited by one of our NGO affiliates (Yayasan Peduli Tuna Daksa - prosthetics) to attend a seminar entitled “Radiant Relationships with Dada”.  Dada is another name for JP Vaswani.  He is a gentleman from India.  We were able to attend with our friends, another missionary couple, Elder and Sister Lisk. We were placed on the front row in the VIP section.  The evening was very interesting to me.  It was kind of like being transported to India. We were able to hear some Indian music, see many beautiful Indian women in lovely saris and eat some very spicy vegetarian food.  We also heard some advice given by Dada on relationships.  Dada is 94 years old and seemed to do very well considering his age. 

On Saturday and Sunday we had the pleasure of going to a city called Bandung with the Lisks.  Bandung is 3 hours away from Jakarta.  It has been struggling as a church unit.  When we were there on Sunday there were only 28 members attending not counting the missionaries.  We have been asked as senior missionaries to go visit the inactive members in Bandung, get to know them better, invite them to go to church and leave them with a message.  We thoroughly enjoyed our time while there.  Much of our regular work involves finances, computer communications and brief interactions with individuals.  Although humanitarian work can be gratifying, I have missed the long term relationships that occur when you really get to know someone well and feel needed somewhere.  I think in Bandung we are really needed and wanted.   We are planning on attending church there once or twice/month until the end of our mission.  It is our hope that as we and the Lisks visit families there, barriers can be broken down, and the branch (church unit) will be strengthened.

One man that we visited while in Bandung was a doctor in his ophthalmology fellowship training.  He is originally from Surabaya. Last June he went on the hospital Mercy Ship and met a Dr. Jarstad that was there with a group from our church doing surgeries. He recently did a mini fellowship in Washington State with Dr. Jarstad, and is now living in Bandung doing his yearlong fellowship.  Last June we also worked with Dr. Jarstad and the Mercy Ship.  We discussed at that time helping out the local ophthalmology school.  Just last month we started a project with the ophthalmology school in Manado, which is where Dr. Teguh went to school.  It is a very small world at times, and interesting how relationships can develop.  Not coincidental in my mind.

MY FRIEND HERMA (ARI'S WIFE) HAD HER BABY 1 MONTH AGO. JUST GETTING AROUND TO POSTING A PICTURE.  BEING THE GRANDMA THAT I AM, I WOULD NOT LET HER TAKE A MOTORCYCLE HOME 3 DAYS AFTER HAVING A C-SECTION

WOMEN IN SITANALA HAPPY WITH SINGING PROGRAM OFFERED BY CHRISTIAN GROUP

IN SCHOOL ROOM

WOMAN AT LEPROSY COLONY

MAN AND SON AT COLONY. THIS MAN HAD LOST FINGERS ON BOTH HANDS.

LYDIA ON LEFT HAD PROSTHETIC LEG AND  BAD LEFT HAND.  GOES TO NEARBY CHRISTIAN CHURCH

ISHMAEL, RONI AND SITI AT LEPER COLONY, ISHAMEL  HAD ONE ARM THAT WAS A STUMP AND TWO PROSTHETIC LEGS, BUT WAS A VERY HAPPY FATHER

RUSSELLAND THIS ISHMAEL'S CHILDREN'S BECAME FRIENDS

REMINICIENT OF DAYS IN INDIA

DADA ALWAYS HAD A SMILE ON HIS FACE

DADA AND HIS "MASTER"  IN BACKGROUND

ElDER MONTOYA, EILEEN, RUSSELL AND DR. TEGUH

PAK JEFRI, SISTER TARUNI AND MARSEL, SISTER TARUNI MADE US A DELICIOUS MIE DISH THAT WE WERE NOT EXPECTING