Monday

"The world is a great mirror. It reflects back to you what you are. If you are loving, if you are friendly, if you are helpful, the world will prove loving and friendly and helpful to you. The world is what you are."

-Thomas Drier

Today my group was assigned construction. We were working at the same colony working on the community center. When we first arrived we took a detour at the Bindu School of Art. This is an art school in the colony where leprosy affected people learn about art and create painings that are then sold. Each painting is about 40 dollars and the majority of the money from the sale goes back to the colony to help with the costs of things like the community center or the old folks home that was built a few years ago. It is a truly amazing place where you can really see the effects of microloans. It is practically impossible to see the difference between the different villages and this beautiful colony full of life that even has its own barbershop.

Another cool thing about this art school is that after you purchase a painting you get the opportunity to take a picture with the artist and his creation. Some have no fingers, others' eyesight or feet are crippled, but they paint these beautiful pieces of art. It's just a very meaningful souvenir, and when we arrived I was very excited to have the opportunity to look through them.

At first as I looked through the paintings, one truly began to stand out to me, in fact it basically smacked me in the face. In the center of the painting is an old man painted in black and white, he is painting a picture and has no fingers on either of his hands. He is skinny and has a very deep expression on his face. Around him, however, are beautiful patterns made up of brilliant colors and in front of him is a brightly colored painting he is working on. I wasn't sure if I should get it because it really was so different from anything else I had been looking at. I just felt so drawn to it. As soon as I pulled it out of the stack one of the artists who spoke fairly good english came and picked it up and began to explain it to me. He said that the man in the painting had been a painter at the art school and had passed away a year ago. He explained that one of his friends at the school had made the painting in his honor. The man in the painting would tie a paintbrush to his hand and use that to work with. Learning the background story and seeing how much love and respect they had for this man truly touched me and the painting gained even more significance. I ended up buying the painting and another that was painted by the man in my painting before her passed away (ahah sorry, that sentence is kind of confusing).

Afterwards we carried cement at the construction site. It was awesome to serve these people and help build their community.

I have one other absolutely amazing story I would like to share with you. This story is one that another volunteer, Kim, told me and has given me permission to post here.

There was a man last summer who had leprosy and was hit by a car. He had a horrible break in his hip and needed surgery but no hospital would take him in because he was a leprosy patient. Finally Dr. Kumar was able to get him into a hospital, and his colony, with the help of Rising Star, came up with the money to pay for his surgery. When it came time to take the money to the hospital, one of the coordinators that was going asked Kim if she would come with because she felt strongly that she needed to be there. When they arrived they found that he had been placed in a room at the end of a hallway and that any other patients along that hallway had been moved. He had a horrible infection and was covered in filth -- they had not washed him and he had laid like that in incredible pain. Kim said she just sat and held his hand and cried wishing there was some way she could communicate with him and let him know that she loved him and he meant something to her.

Later that day the coordinator came down to talk to Kim and told her that the hospital refused to do the surgery because he needed blood and they would not give it to him because he was "dirty". Kim immediately realized that she is O positive and offered her own blood, the hospital agreed and she was able to give her blood to this man. She found out a few weeks later that the man had passed away. The hospital refused to do the surgery because no one but other leprosy patients would be able to sit with him and help him during recovery. His infection grew too bad and so RSO took him home to his colony so he could pass away in peace surrounded by his friends.

Even though the man had passed away, Kim was grateful for the opportunity to show him and the hospital that she loved this man and that he was worthy of her sacrifice. The gesture was huge and the story truly touched me.

When I returned to the hostel with my painting Kim came into my room to see what I had gotten, she immediately said "Is that, is that Arumagam?" and when we realized the man from her story was the man in my painting we both burst into tears. This painting embodies everything we've been working for, and how important it is that we break through the stigma so that no more lives are lost unnecesarily.

It was amazing how a painting that I wasn't sure about at first, gained so much significance in my eyes. When I hang it up I know that no one will be able to walk by it with out asking about it and I am happy to tell the story. I know that each time I see that painting on my wall, all of the feelings will come back and I hope I can keep them close to me.

Afterwards we had playtime with the kids and I had a great time with the little boys digging up clay from the field making little balls and shapes.

Dinner was amazing and family time was so much fun. The boys are all so good and Ragu, one of the older boys, helps me get them all to bed early. He is so helpful and such a dedicated student.

withgreatlove,

Kenzie