LITTLE JENNIFER'S MIRACLE

LITTLE JENNIFER’S MIRACLE

Last month I asked Jennifer to tell me her story because it was so remarkable.  I thought it would be wonderful to have it recorded so that people could hear Jennifer telling her own story.

Jennifer is a stunningly beautiful student at Rising Star Outreach.  She is ready to graduate this year.   Looking at this beautiful girl, whose eyes shine with the excitement of living, one would never guess at what her story had been.

When I met Jennifer, she was already stunning as a baby.   She had the biggest and most expressive brown eyes I had ever seen on a baby.   Her skin was a beautiful rich creamy brown—the color of Southern Indians.   It was quite jarring, however, looking at that beautiful face, to realize that there was one small flaw in that creamy skin—a small area on her nose where her skin was losing its natural pigment and had turned white.  Her right shoulder was also disfigured by this bizarre whiteness.  It was quickly apparent to us that Jennifer had the first stages of leprosy, a stage that is called dry leprosy.

Baby Jennifer, suffering from dry leprosy

Fortunately Jennifer’s leprosy was discovered early, before any disfiguring disabilities had occurred.  At this point, leprosy is typically easy to cure.   We told Jennifer’s mother that we would return with proper medical treatment for her daughter.  In Jennifer’s case the leprosy was easily cured with one packet of a multi-drug therapy put out by the World Health Organization.  Ironically the packet cost only $1.50, yet made such a drastic change in little Jennifer—the dread disease was arrested!

Jennifer’s trials were not over, however.  Life in a leprosy colony can be very challenging for mothers.  At one point Jennifer’s mother became overwhelmed by the challenges of trying to provide for herself and a young daughter as well.   Eyes downcast, Jennifer softly and hesitatingly continued her story,

“One day, my mother decided she didn’t want me any more.  She threw me into a dustbin and said, ‘We don’t want to live with you any more.’”

Tears streamed silently down Jennifer’s face as she recalled this dark time of her life.  She began to sob.  No matter how much suffering we encounter in India, stories like these are like a punch to the gut.  Tears streaming down my own face I put my arms around Jennifer and gently pulled her to me, trying to mitigate this pain.

Dustbins in India are large outdoor heaps of trash.  Very frequently dogs tear apart whatever they find on these trash heaps as they fight for their own existence.  Tiny little Jennifer was at risk for her life.  She began to scream in terror.

Rejected by her earthly parents, little Jennifer was still not alone.  I believe God knew of her jeopardy.  Within moments her grandfather “happened” to pass by this very dustbin as he was returning from begging in the village.  He heard the frantic cries of a terrified child.   His limbs had been crippled by leprosy.  Even though he had difficulty walking, he followed the desperate cries and struggled to climb to the top of the putrid trash heap.  He was stunned to find his own dear granddaughter there.  He rescued her.  Gathering her up into his deformed arms he stumbled back down the mountain of trash and took her to his own humble home.

Cured of leprosy, but still living in a leprosy colony,
Jennifer holds a picture of herself on the front
of our pamphlet

This grandfather who was very disabled from leprosy, but enabled by love, tried his best to care for this abandoned child.  The challenges were huge. Struggling to provide for her, he approached the director at Rising Star Outreach to see if there was any possibility of admitting her to our school, to our Lower Kindergarten program.  We had a large waiting list by this point, but most concerning to us was that she was only three years old.

The day Jennifer was admitted to the Rising Star Pre-school

Miraculously a spot opened up, and given the unusual circumstances, Jennifer was admitted to the school, where she lived full-time.

Jennifer blossomed at the school.  She became an excellent student and a great leader as she grew.   Today she is a beautiful young woman ready to graduate. 

Jennifer is getting ready to graduate this year.  She is hoping to get one of the medical scholarships offered to our students who qualify for medical school.  Last year we unbelievably had four of our ten graduating seniors qualify for medical school.  Jennifer is convinced that she can make the cut this year.  She studies constantly.

Today Jennifer is preparing for graduation!

She told me that she wants to be an eye surgeon so that she can treat the many leprosy patients who suffer from eye problems.  I laughed and told her that leprosy patients wouldn’t have much money to pay her.  “Oh no Auntie”, she said. “ I don’t want money—I just want to be able to help them in their suffering.”  I wanted to pick up this beautiful girl and hug her!

THE INCREDIBLE POWER OF ONE

THE INCREDIBLE POWER OF ONE

My dear friend and next-door neighbor, Ellen Burt, died after a brutal 6-month battle with cancer.  The day after her funeral, her husband, Jerry, brought me Ellen’s two wheelchairs, saying he figured I could use them in India.  I was thrilled to get them and thanked him profusely.

On my next trip to India I tried to check the two wheelchairs to India.  The ticket agent said he was willing to do it but warned me that India would charge me $200 each to bring the chairs into the country.  I couldn’t believe my ears!  I also didn’t have $400 with me.  Not willing to give up, I sat my bottom in one of the chairs and said casually, “I need this chair—check it through to India for me.”  The agent looked at me, comprehended immediately, smiled and said, “Yes Ma’am!”

What that meant was that the airline had to meet me at every port with a wheelchair and wheel me to my next destination.  On that particular trip I was meeting my daughter, Dianna, (who was coming from BYU), in Chicago and we were to fly to India together from there.  When Dianna saw me being wheeled through the Chicago airport she rolled her eyes and said, “Oh for the love!  Mom, what in the world are you doing?!”  I tried to hush her.  Quietly I explained what was happening.  She thought this was the stupidest thing in the world and made no bones about making fun of my idea all the way to India—as only a teenage daughter can!

When we got to India we finally went to visit the leprosy colony that I was saving the wheelchair for—the Mulgavadi Colony.  This colony is in the middle of nowhere.  It is eighteen miles from the nearest leprosy hospital.  Leprosy patients are not welcomed in regular hospitals—only in leprosy hospitals.  This was a huge problem for these colonists.   Since they have very limited ability to use their feet, due to terrible ulcers, the members of this colony weren’t able to get to the hospital when they needed help.

When we arrived at the colony, the first couple that recognized our car, Krishna and Saroja, excitedly came running to greet us.  The only problem is that both of them had lost limbs to the disease and were unable to walk.  They were running on all fours—like animals.  Their gait was unusual because their surviving limbs were of different lengths.  The husband, Krishna, had recently had an amputation on one of his leg stumps.  It had not healed up yet and he was leaving a bloody trail in the dirt.   Krishna and Saroja were trying to call welcome to us, and also call to the other members of the colony, “They’re here!  They’re here!”  I have to admit, it was a gut-wrenching sight. 

Krishna, with his new hand protectors to keep his hands from injury
as he pushed his new cart with wheels, made so he could scoot himself
along without having to crawl on his legs.

Dianna was completely unprepared for this and nearly came undone.  She was standing next to me.  She grabbed my arm, squeezed it and said, “Oh Mom, I’m so glad you brought that wheelchair!” 

The colony was actually very grateful to get the wheelchair.  We had been told that previously when they needed an amputation, they had a critical life-threatening problem, being unable to get to the leprosy hospital.  But now that they had this chair, they could push the patient to the leprosy hospital, get the amputation and then push the patient back again.  The whole colony rejoiced at the sight of the wheelchair.

Saroja receives food from one of our young volunteers

I have thought about this a number of times.  It was only one wheelchair.  One thing.  Yet this one thing changed the quality of life for an entire colony of leprosy-affected people!

We have since this time brought many wheelchairs into India (Yes, all registered properly!)  Each chair has brought with it, improved lives.  Each chair has made a remarkable difference.

We have a never-ending need for wheelchairs!

Through our work in India we have learned that there is a great power in “one”.  One volunteer can change a patient’s life.  One medical treatment at a critical time can save a person’s life.  We have even witnessed one packet of the multi-drug leprosy therapy save a child from the ravages of leprosy.  The pack cost a little over one dollar!

Saroja & Krishna with other colony members, as well as our medical clinic personnel & their family

Krishna talks to our director

The greatest power of one is manifested when one person decides to stand up and make a difference.  Mother Teresa impacted tens of thousands of lives in the slums of India.  Gandhi, through practicing the principles of non-violent protest gained independence for all of India without a war.  In South Africa Nelson Mandela stood against inequality and gained equal rights for native South Africans.

At Rising Star Outreach we like to tell our volunteers that each one of them has come for a reason, that each one of them will write a page in the Rising Star Outreach history.  We challenge them to find the one student or the one patient, or the one family that they can impact in a meaningful way.  It never seems to fail!  Each volunteer leaves an indelible mark in at least one life of those we serve in India.

A BEGGAR'S BLESSING

A BEGGAR’S BLESSING

At Rising Star Outreach we often bring volunteers to India to assist us in the work of caring for the leprosy-affected.  Usually they have learned about Rising Star’s work and are eager to help lift those whose lives have been decimated by leprosy.  But every now and then we receive a volunteer who is reluctant to engage.

“Lisa” was just such a volunteer.  She had come to India with a group from her high school shortly after the devastating tsunami hit the coastline in India killing more than 10,000 people.  Lisa’s school had raised more than $100,000 to help those victimized by the tsunami to start a new life.

Bullis kids with some of the boats they replaced after the tsunami

With the money raised from the school children at the Bullis School in Washington DC, we were able to help purchase new fishing boats and nets for several fishing villages along the Coast that had been decimated by the tsunami wave.  Lisa and thirteen other friends came to visit the villages and see firsthand what they had been able to do.  Because of their generosity, several fishing villages, involving thousands of people, were put back to work.

The week was spent working with those affected by the tsunami, but then, with an extra day, we took the volunteers to a leprosy colony to visit some of our patients.  The other students were very excited, but Lisa had real reservations.  When she looked out the bus window and saw the leprosy patients gathering to greet us, she was struck by the fact that they didn’t have hands or feet.  Some were blinded.  Their faces were distorted by the disease.

Lisa was afraid to get off the bus.  I put my arm around her and told her that she was welcome to stay on the bus.  I had noticed earlier that Lisa had shrunk back in fear when approached by a leprosy-affected parent of one of our school children.  Don’t worry, I told her—we’ll only be a short time.

While we were working with the people in the colony, I was surprised to look over and see Lisa.  I was shocked to see her and the other girls busily braiding the hair of some of the female patients.  Stunningly, there was Lisa in the midst of them, braiding a woman’s hair, named Saroja.  She seemed perfectly at ease and was even laughing with Saroja.  I had noticed earlier that Lisa was often braiding the volunteers’ hair while we traveled on the bus.  I guess as she looked out the window and saw the others doing this activity, she gained the courage to venture out.

An hour later, as we were finishing up our work, I was one of the last to get back on the bus.  Lisa was sitting in her seat crying.  “Oh dear”, I thought.  She must have gotten traumatized.  I eased on to the seat next to her and put my arms around her.  “Are you okay?” I asked rather gingerly. 

She turned a tear-streaked face to me.  Barely whispering through her tears she said, “Saroja gave me her blessing.”  “How did she do that,” I asked.  “She put her hand—actually it was just a little stump of a hand—on my head and gave me her blessing.  I don’t know why it made me cry.  Looking at her house I thought to myself.  How can she give me anything?  I could buy her entire house and everything she owns with just the change in my pocket.”

Saroja gives her blessing to a volunteer

This conversation reminded me of a clip I had seen several years earlier of a person who had come to work with Mother Teresa.  This man had made a similar statement about a person he served as the man was dying.  As with Lisa, the dying man had given this volunteer his blessing.  I smiled and said to Lisa, as I hugged her a little closer, and repeated Mother Teresa’s answer to the man helping to care for the dying. “Yes, my dear, but you couldn’t have bought her blessing.  Only she could give you her blessing.  No amount of money could buy that!”

There is a belief in India that it is a special blessing from God to receive the blessing of a beggar.   In this case, it was a special blessing indeed as the heart of a young woman was touched for life.

I personally believe that there is indeed a great blessing that comes when a beggar gives someone their blessing.  It means that there has been an exchange of love.  Someone has reached out to help them.  They are grateful.  Having nothing else to give, they give a piece of their heart.

I also believe that these acts are recorded in heaven.  God, who sees the smallest act of kindness, does indeed bless those who stop to lift and help people who are helpless to help themselves.  His blessings are no match for the gifts we give each other here on the earth.  His blessings are great and eternal.

Who's blessing who?

I also believe that every small act of kindness, reaps a blessing, whether someone actually utters a blessing or not.  Each of us have the opportunity every day to reach out and touch someone’s life with an act of kindness.  I believe these acts, small and large, are recorded in the heavens and will bring blessings beyond our wildest imaginations.