Healing the Leper’s Heart

“Leprosy took away my job, my family, and my respect. I was cast aside by society. In the darkness of my pain, I even wanted to end my life.”

Koteswaramma lost everything when she was diagnosed with leprosy. An already devastating medical condition was made so much worse by the cultural stigma attached to it.

One day, one of World Challenge’s partners in India came to the leper colony where Koteswaramma lived and shared the stories of Jesus’s healing power and grace with outcasts. 

“As he spoke, it felt like he was talking about me,” she shared. “I realized that if Jesus could heal them, he could heal me too. That day, I asked Jesus to come into my life.”

While God did not dramatically heal Koteswaramma’s body, he did something miraculous in her heart. “The love and grace of Jesus have filled me with hope. I may have lost many things in this world, but I have gained something far greater: his peace and forgiveness.”

World Challenge’s partners offer job training courses, and she hopes to join one and learn some skills that will help her support herself a little more. The community and care fills her life with laughter and hope, things that she had once feared that she had lost.

“I want to tell others that even if society rejects us, God never will. His love is constant and unchanging. He always sees us, no matter how broken we may feel.”

Koteswaramma’s story is sadly familiar among many of the lepers with whom our partners work. The kindness of the team and the hope within the gospel story are touching many people within this community who have been abandoned by society. On the practical side, the team is looking at building a new home for many of them to live in, one that provides better shelter within the leper community.

“I am so grateful to World Challenge for their unwavering support," Koteswaramma told us. "Through their help, I am eating every month and getting encouragement in my faith. Please pray for me so that I can continue to grow in the Lord and that he will provide the daily food and medication for me.”

We join our voices with Koteswaramma, thanking God for the support and prayers of generous people like you! 

Without those two vital things, we could not continue the work that we are doing today. We believe that this is what living pure religion looks like, and we are eager to live out that calling God has given us.

Would you continue to join us in the new year, supporting widows, orphans, and those in desperate need? More than ever, you are needed!