The Leprosy Mission - "To minister in the name of Jesus Christ to the Physical, Mental, Social and Spiritual needs of individuals and communities disadvantaged by leprosy and working with them to uphold human dignity and eradicate leprosy."

 Namaste!

 On the 4th August at 4:30am I arrived at Belfast International Airport to meet the other 10 members of the very excited team - after months of planning and preparation we were finally on our way to India! The longer we had to wait in the airport, the more excited we got. After a short flight we arrived in Amsterdam where we had a couple more hours to kill before 'the big one'. Most of us headed straight for McDonalds were we got stuck in to our breakfast and made our last phone calls home. After a 7 hour flight we arrived in Delhi where it was midnight local time. We were met by Rajindra and Alvin from The Leprosy Mission India, who took us to the YMCA. Exhausted, we fell into bed but hardly slept. It was too hot, and we couldn't wait to start experiencing India. The next day, we were taken on a quick tour of Delhi during which we had our first taste of authentic Indian curry and met TLM India officials at their office. Everywhere we went, we were welcomed with open arms and were made to feel very comfortable. That night we left the YMCA and travelled to the train station to catch our overnight train to Faizabad where we'd be staying for the next two weeks. Actually getting on the train was really tough, as everybody was rushing around, pushing people out of the way. We had no idea where our carriage was and I remember desperately wishing I knew some Hindi! Eventually, an English speaker helped us out and showed us to our beds. Once we'd sorted ourselves out, the journey turned out to be a lot of fun! I think the people round us were shocked at how much we were laughing! Twelve hours later, we were standing on the platform at Faizabad station. Compared to Delhi, Faizabad is very rural and we found it a lot more difficult to blend in. Here, they weren't as used to seeing white people, especially a group in which the majority was white women! So throughout our time there we had to endure a lot of staring. If we stopped walking for even a few minutes anywhere a crowd of 60 people would have gathered just to have a look. Some would even follow us wherever we went. We were met on the platform by Shabeer from TLM who was one of our drivers for the time we were in Faizabad and who we ended up becoming good friends with. He introduced us to some of his favourite Indian music and we made him laugh by making up our own words to the songs! We were staying in Hotel Krishna Palace, which was a fantastic hotel. Each room had ensuite bathrooms and air conditioning - something we had not been expecting. We were very grateful for how well we were being treated there but it was unnerving when we looked out our window down at the community around us, and Rosie with The Leprosy Mission in India saw people living in extreme poverty. When travelling around Faizabad we'd use the jeeps given to us to use by TLM or by rickshaw. Our guide around Faizabad was Arun who was in charge of the Low Cost Building Projects we would be working on. We became great friends with him and are still in touch with him by email. He shared our humour and loved playing Happy Families and using Northern Irish phrases that we taught him! In return, he taught us how to count to ten in Hindi and some useful phrases. The next day, we went to see our projects. The first belonged to a man called Ram Narayan who had suffered from Leprosy. We helped knock down his house and then needed to move 3000 bricks to the site by hand to start building the new one. Once we'd established a system to it, carrying the bricks was quite fun! We sang songs to keep our spirits up and made the kids laugh that had gathered to watch us. We taught them how to say Hello and other English words and it encouraged us when they'd shout our names to us as we passed by. After a couple of hours, the pile of bricks began to get smaller and smaller but we were getting more and more tired.

Ram Narayan’s house before              and after we did some work!

The heat from the sun was intense and a few of us were finding it very hard to cope with. When the bricks had all been moved we were very proud of ourselves but there wasn't time to chill out and congratulate ourselves, we were back in the jeeps and on our way to the next project. The second place we worked at was in a rice field owned by a young man called Chetan. Most of our time was spent there and every time we arrived he was so pleased to see us! He'd have a huge smile on his face and his attitude and commitment was very humbling. As it was monsoon season, some days we'd arrive at his project and it would have been completely flooded by the rain meaning that the project would be set back by a day at least. When this happened we were deeply disappointed and upset for Chetan but he would just smile and shrug his shoulders - “It was all in God's plan. Everything would work itself out.” We were at Chetan's house on the day that Danielle and I received our A Level results. When he noticed that the group's mood was different and learned that we were waiting for this news he asked Arun to translate this message to us again. He smiled and nodded his encouragement because he didn't know the words. The fact that he was thoughtful enough to say this to us when his house was half built just made us want to work so much harder. The last house we worked at belonged to a lady called Kismati. She had been abandoned by her husband when she had been diagnosed with Leprosy meaning she had  been left with six daughters to bring up alone. She always welcomed us happily, and we were able to sign as witnesses to her application for a new house. Danielle and I were also privileged to lay the foundations to her new brick house 'in the name of Jesus'. Hopefully, now that she has a new house, her husband will return knowing she has been cured of leprosy. Some days we spent at TLM hospital in Faizabad and were able to see all that they were doing for their patients. We met men and women who were suffering from Leprosy and also were shown round the Vocational Training Centre, where we met students and saw what skills they were learning meaning they will then be able to get jobs. On Sundays we were welcome in Church at the hospital and were invited to lead devotion there one day. Sam, one of our leaders, gave the talk and we sang the Irish hymn 'Be Thou My Vision' and 'In Christ Alone'. Sooner than we wanted to believe, it was time to leave Faizabad and make our way on the train back to Delhi. In our last few days we visited The Leprosy Mission's Shahdara hospital where we met more Leprosy patients and staff. Some of the team had the opportunity to watch a Leprosy surgery in the operating theatre. The patient was having tendon transplant surgery in his hand because the Leprosy had made affected it badly. Hopefully after the surgery and physiotherapy the patient will have restored the full use of his hand. It was wonderful to know that there were now so great treatments and people suffering from Leprosy can have the chance of normal lives again. We also were lucky to fit in a bit of sight-seeing before we left. We made our way to Agra where it's perfectly normal to have elephants pass you on the road and where we spent a day exploring the Taj Mahal - an amazing part of the experience. I remember feeling very subdued as we made our way to Delhi Airport. I'd had such an incredible time, seen and met many inspiring people and come away with a head full of unforgettable memories and I really wasn't ready to leave it all. I especially wasn't looking forward to leaving the team and the others like Arun and Shabeer who'd become part of the team also. We'd become almost like a family! I was lucky to experience God's work first hand and learned a lot from everything we did. I returned to Belfast a changed person, prepared for the stage of my life that God has waiting for me and even more willing to somehow make a difference. I can't wait until God sends me on my next team and would like to thank everyone in St. Mary's who supported me in my fundraising and preparation for India. Your prayers and thoughts were an unbelievable support while I was away and continue to support me now.

Dhanyavaad! and God Bless.

Rosie

“For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29 v 11