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I’m not sure what day of the week it is anymore, so I will just number them… We’ve been posting our blogs from the business center of a neighboring hotel. Right outside the door in the lobby I can see a copper elephant god statue that is draped with flowered leis and illuminated by a single candle. (It definitely one-ups the Sherpa manequin ) This morning we rode 2 hours by bus where we toured a leper colony of about 900 people. Not everyone there has leprosy; many are family members of lepers that are shunned by society just by association. All of the leper colony buildings are painted Pepto Bismol pink so there is no wondering where the “zone” begins and ends. The Pastor we visited today, is doing significant ministry in this community, which has to be self-sustaining. We saw the small doctor’s office, poultry farm (which is currently empty due to the bird flu), school (there are 300 children living there and just 2 teachers), and meeting hall. We also saw the loom mill where the lepers spin their wool and make beautiful “blankets” (they are more the thickness of table cloths). We basically bought out all of their blankets - our small gesture of support - and we will give these out during the rest of our trip. You might think this is not the best idea in the middle of a 90+ degree springtime, but these items are used as carpets to cover the cement floors in the orphanages, and also as bedding for the children. We were able to sit down with the lepers in the meeting hall and hear about their need for a new water system. They barely have running water now, and people will surely die of dehydration if this huge problem is not fixed before summer. We are bringing back all the facts we have and their proposal.

After touring the leper colony, the Pastor brought us into the slums where he runs a school in a room no bigger than a bedroom for about 100 kids. And yes, he pays rent for this space in the middle of a slum… It was shocking to walk through it. There were naked children in the alleys, flies swarming everywhere, random starving dogs, goats and other unidentifiable rodents scattered around. I can’t believe his heart for this dark place. He has a goal to start even 2 more schools in this area. The Pastor himself was raised until age 5 in a leper colony (his dad had leprosy) before he was taken into an orphanage.

I have to hurry up as my minutes are getting used up… the last thing we did with the Pastor was visit a plot of land where he hopes to one day have his own orphanage for 50-60 children. He has a great vision for this land and community; God drew him to the location, and he does not yet even know whether it is up for sale. He is praying for 5-6 million rupies (maybe $125,000?) so that he can get the broker and purchase the land. A normal reaction might be to think that he is off his rocker to think this is possible, but I58 Projects has seen and prayed over empty plots of land that now house buildings, thriving children, and growing churches. The Pastor’s faith reminds me of something our friend/pastor/guide said yesterday over breakfast: “If you tell someone your vision and they do not laugh out loud, you are not dreaming big enough.” He himself has a vision to see his school in serve 1,000 children next year. As of today, he has signed up 11 students.

I can’t wait to see the Pastor’s school and orphanage tomorrow. We are leaving at 6 in the morning and it will take us until about 9 at night to get there by bus. We are stopping at an orphanage along the way. Please continue to pray for us. Thank you for all of the Comments you have posted, and we are so privileged to be here to share the funds you have helped raise with these amazing children! Love, Allison

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 8th, 2008 at 10:45 am and is filed under Allison Stockton . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.