Polambaakam Colony

Today we went to the leprosy colony called Polambaakam. Once we got there, we unloaded all the supplies and set all the stations up. We had several stations: giving eye drops, taking blood pressure/glucose levels, washing their feet, oiling their feet, and bandaging.

The colony wasn't a very big one. We had around a dozen patients come through. After they went through the washing station, they came to me. My job was to trim their nails and oil their feet. I first would take off the plastic booties we had put on them and I'd cut their toenails. I would grab the heavy duty nail clippers because regular ones wouldn't do the job. Due to their condition, they had very bad nails that were abnormally shaped and very dense. I felt horrible after cutting a particular nail off a woman. It was so long that when it was cut short, it started bleeding. She could tell that I was upset and felt horrible that I had done that to her - not wanting to have caused her more pain. She said to me in her very little English, " Okay, okay. No hurt. Okay - good. No feel, no hurt." Someone told me that many of them don't feel pain down in their limbs. She made me feel better and kept assuring me that she was fine and it didn't hurt. That woman was actually one of my favorites because the entire time, she was smiling at me. I would sing to her some good ole' Temptations songs and she really liked it. I don't know how to explain it, but we definitely had a connection. You really don't have to come from the same background or even speak the same language to feel a connection of love.

After cutting their nails, I would put a little bit of oil in my gloved hands and massage their feet around the open ulcers and any area with dry skin. Their ulcers were these open holes upon their flesh and you could sometimes see layer of layer of skin. While I was oiling their feet, I would try to look up at them and smile. Some of them have also lost their ability to speak, but through their eyes and smiles, they were saying "nandri" (thank you. The doctor next to me translated what one of the men had said to me "Blessings to you! Blessings".

The last station was bandaging. Sometimes I would watch this until the next patient came to get their feet oiled. Allie was helping the Indian doctor there. The doctor would take the surgical scissors and cut away the dead skin around the wounds and place pads on them. Allie would take the bandages and wrap it around  their hands and/or feet.

When these people came out to get their treatment, my heart beamed. To me, they were beautiful. I saw those who had lost fingers or toes... or their whole hands or feet, but what was not lost was their spirit. It didn't gross me out having deformed or wounded limbs placed into my own hands. I didn't see them as "outcasts" from society. These people don't leave their colony - the exception being to go out and beg. I honestly felt like crying because I was happy! I just felt God's presence there so evidently and strong. I knew God loved those people and someday, they will be restored to a perfect body. Just as God loves these people, I do too. We are all His children and those affected by leprosy are my brothers and sisters...they are yours too.

A scripture came to my mind on our way home: "I would that ye should impart of your substance to the poor, every man according to that which he hath such as...visiting the sick and administering to their relief both spiritually and temporally" - Mosiah 4:26. I felt I helped a little to administer to their physical; temporal needs. They will not always be in this state - it is temporal. What will live on is their spirits. I hope that I helped their spirits. I know that my spirit grows when I am reminded that there is good in this world and it is full of good people. We all need help through this journey in life. Most definitely, these people have helped me to become a better person.

Julie, our director asked, "Okay, everyone ready to go?" I answered, "No," - haha cause I really did not feel like leaving at all! But its okay! We get to go to another colony on Thursday! Tomorrow, we are starting tutoring with the kids! YAY!!!!!!