A Surprise Gift

We have some amazing partners and our supporters are awesome. I have to tell you about the most recent gift we received. It comes from an unlikely donor and just blessed us so much that it brings tears to my eyes and the story will touch you as well.

We serve the people that this culture considers the least and lowest of the region. The lowest and most rejected are the lepers who are considered worthless by the community and are even thrown out of their families and villages. It is a less than human, existence. We have a leper residential rehabilitation center called "Tamariska” which means “Dwelling Place of Kings.” It is a safe and very nurturing place for these rejected souls. The lepers who come to us for help live in the residential units and are treated as a part of our family. They receive daily care by our medical staff and it is a time of healing and emotional growth. Several years ago a leper by the name of Hendrik came to the base. He had been banished from his village for 15 years and suffered alienation, ridicule, and the physical effects of his disease. Hendrik is no longer infectious. He has lost his toes and fingers but he can walk and is just a delightful man. I love spending time with him and he loves to play UNO. He is actually really good and delights in putting a Draw Four on anyone who might be getting ahead in the game.

Hendrik recently heard that we were running low in the general medical fund. We have faced this challenge before and during those times, we just pray for the increased support. Hendrik came to the office and gave his donation of $550,000 Rupiah (about 60 USD). That is all he had. We do not even have the slightest idea where he got that amount of money. It is a big mystery and we are just in awe. Hendrik is like the widow who gave all she had—her two coins. He gave all he had to help others. I am just so touched by the generosity in his heart and I know the gift he gave was given in love, without expecting anything in return. The next time I see him I am going to give him a huge hug, and then settle down for a wild game of UNO!

Ziba

I met with Anis, one of our Indonesian staff, and reminded him that he has an important job. He is in charge of finding the lepers and bringing them to our base for treatment. I also told him he is like the servant of King David who was sent to find the lame boy named Mephiboseth. King David’s servant was Ziba. He went to a very remote place to find this lame boy hoping to bring him back to meet King David. When the boy met the King he got on his knees and stated that he was no more than a “dog” in his sight. David accepted him and gave him a place at his table. He went from rejected to one of the highest places in the kingdom. Anis has an important job just like Ziba. He is sent out to find the most rejected and bring them back to a place where they are given a place at “the table” of acceptance.

Home Sweet Home

New bricks are setting ready for the beginning of the foundation for the next leper house. This new building will be the third house at the Tamarista. These are all four-plex units which will provide homes for the lepers and their families to live.

We are in the process of filling the two other buildings with lepers from remote villages in this region. There are several lepers who have asked to come to the Tamarista. This is the stormy time of year and these lepers and their families have to take care in being transported by boat. They will begin to fill these two homes in the days and weeks ahead.

Those who suffer from leprosy can be treated with good results. They need more than a negative report on the leprosy--they need their emotional and self-esteem rebuilt as well. It can take two years of treatment to finally get a negative status on their leprosy. These families will live in clean units with a bathroom, served nutritious food, and have a daily medical care. It is an honor to move forward in the construction in order to help the least of the least.

Ribbon Cutting

It was the only day we got a reprieve from the tropical rain. It was a beautiful night for this celebration. The Tamarista, Leper Center, had two four-plex buildings completed. We were there that night for a ribbon cutting and celebration of the completion of these leper houses.

The children danced a traditional dance and we enjoyed a nice dinner. I shared the story of Mephibosheth who was a lame boy who was a relative to Jonathan. King David sent his servant to find him and then brought him to his home. Mephibosheth was a throw-away and when he met King David he called himself a “dog”. This was the very word that Hendrik, the leper living in the Tamarista, was called when he was cast out of his village. I love that about the Lord—He is for the least and lowest. He shows mercy to them. Mephibosheth was given a place at the table of King David. He was accepted and given honor. This seemed so fitting for this dedication.

Lyle Gresehover represented his “home group” who had given funds to build one of these homes. Dale and Shirley Shelley stood for First Presbyterian Church in Fairbanks who also gave funds to build this site. They cut the ribbon and we rejoiced that those who suffer the effects of leprosy can find a place where they are accepted and treated.

The remaining units will be filled soon. The team knows were there are lepers who want to come. Thank you for your prayers and support.

Seven Lepers

Our team went out to a wooden hut; they described it as more like a dog house or chicken coop. The patient was an old, thin woman. The team had come to care for her wounds as she was a leper. She told them how when she was cast out to the jungle by the other villagers when she was younger and separated from her children and loved ones, along with 6 other leprosy sufferers.

Thirty or so years later a pastor went out to find them and bring them back but she was the only one who survived. She is cured of her leprosy now but has wounds due to nerve damage. She described with tears how her family still won’t receive her or care for her wounds. She still lives as an outcast. Her family drop her off basic food like root vegetables. What a tragic life, but what a privilege for our team to help her. We have been asked by the local health department to care for the wounds of the lepers as no-one else wants to.

Esther Scarborough, IFC Medical Director, writes, "I so love our team who want to help the most discarded, infectious members of this society. I personally found it hard recently when a leprosy patient hugged me and I felt her weeping wounds against my arms. She is Thelda an old friend and patient, mother of many and pregnant again. She was on treatment but her leprosy has reoccurred since she stopped treatment, we are seeking to get her back on the program. My contact with her reminded me of the risks and sacrifices our leprosy staff makes as they care for their patients. There are many lepers on our islands untreated. This is tragic since medication is available, we just need more staff. We have a big vision, but we have a bigger God!"

Lazarus and His Wife

Lazarus and his wife live in the unit next to Hendrick and his dog. Lazarus is a leper with a wonderful quiet way about himself. He is fortunate to have his wife by his side. This is not the norm. We have seen many lepers who are just thrown away by their families. They are banished and left to their own or with a little help from their village. Lazarus has visible damage to his hands. His fingers are frozen in a disfigured open hand. He cannot close his hands. He is now receiving daily treatment and is building his strength with a good diet.

Dwelling Place of Kings

What a great name for the Leper Center — Resting Place of Kings (Taman Rista). In the middle of the jungle of Halmahera this place of rest is now being built. There is one four-plex built and second four-plex is nearly completed. A water well is now drilled next to the site to provide good water for the residents.

I went to visit the site and could see Hendrik, the first leper we brought to the base, supervising the work on the second four-plex housing unit. He sees himself as the mayor of Taman Rista. It was his job to know what is happening on this site. It also gives him purpose and someway to be valued. Hedrick quickly got down from his supervisory perch and greeted us. He had a puppy following him and he told us that was his dog. It was clear that puppy was protective of him. It is interesting to see this little dog bonding with him because for 20 years Hendrik was banished from his village—he was called a dog and other insults. He was happy and now the tide had turned. He was just a “throw away human” in the view of the villagers who abandoned him but now he was the leader of a place of rest for other rejected souls. The second thing I noticed was that Hendrik was now walking on his own power. Last February, he receives Physical Therapy from Michelle, a PT from L. A. He worked hard on the exercises she showed him and now he was walking. That is a great testimony—it showed his determination and the importance of Physical Therapy for lepers. We enjoyed seeing him and the progress for the Taman Rista. Hendrik had a new neighbor—Lazarus was also a leper. He has badly damaged hands and is joined with his wife. Lazarus lives in the unit next to Hendrik.

The Taman Rista continues to be built. This place will truly be a resting place for the most rejected people of this region. It will fill as each four-plex is completed. We will start the third unit as the funds become available. We see this as a chance not only to help the physical needs of those suffering the effects of leprosy but also to re-build the emotional and spiritual person in some ways the emotional and spiritual needs are of equal importance. I also thank all of you who have helped with this Resting Place for Kings. It is just like the Lord to take rejected “dogs” and call them kings--reminds me of the story of the lame Mephibosheth in 2 Samuel 4. He saw himself as a rejected “dog” and became a welcomed guest at King David’s table. God does what He does best—brings hope to hopeless situations.