Moot Leprosy Colony

On Friday we went to Moot Colony: a small leprosy colony with only seven people. When we first arrived, I think all of us volunteers were a little nervous - they don't speak English and we don't speak Tamil. One of the volunteers here is a dancer, and brought some Tamil music and speakers to play. One man, Krishnan, has no feet or hands and gets around on a small, wheeled platform. He couldn't hear the music because he's partially deaf so we cranked it up and held it up to his ear. He got the most beautiful, happy smile on his face and kept saying "Tamil, Tamil." He danced a little, moving his arms back and forth. It was so fun to see because I don't think he had heard music for awhile. Dr. Kumar, the doctor that Rising Star Outreach employs, brought Krishnan a new platform that is lighter and easier to maneuver. Watching Krishnan when he saw the new platform brought tears to my eyes. He was so happy and excited.

To have leprosy here, is to be the lowest of the low. Many people will try to hide it because if word gets out, they will be cast out of the town and their own family members won't even visit them or ever see them again. It's heartbreaking, considering it's a completely curable disease, but it's  I wish I spoke Tamil so I could speak with them and learn more about their lives. But since I don't, I had to be content just sitting with them and enjoying their sereneness.

There was one man, Jai-Raj, who was a real ham and hilarious. He speaks some English, and a whole lot of Tamil and never stops talking. He actually reminds me a little of my brother, Matt. He wanted a lot of pictures taken. For some reason, he likes to pose with his mouth open.
As we were leaving Krishnan motioned us to bend down and he blessed each and every one of us. It was so sweet.

This woman was so sweet. She would just sit and hold my hand and smile.

Me and Jai-Raj and his favorite photo pose.

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The small woman is such a gentle soul. She saves scraps of her food to feed the birds out her window. She barely has enough to eat herself, but always makes sure the birds eat.

Krishnan's leg. He has a wheeled platform to get around.

Getting blessed by Krishnan.

I wish I had a picture of this man by himself. He has the most beautiful face and gray hair.