And the Nerves Kick In...

Have you ever done something that terrifies you before you get there? You try to prepare your mind and tell yourself that it is going to be okay, but it is so frightening you aren't even excited anymore? Your stomach is twisting itself into knots and you feel like you're going to be sick and you just want to be at home and curl up into a ball and hide from the world? Well, that's what I felt like yesterday morning. I thought I had prepared myself to go to the leper colony, but when time came to depart, I was so nervous. It's not that I didn't want to go and I didn't want to be around them. It's the exact opposite. I was so excited to meet these people and with the knowledge that they have had such bad experiences with other human contact experiences that I didn't want to mess it up. I wondered if I would be kind enough, know what to say and how to act. I was scared that they would be in so much pain that I wouldn't be able to help them or comfort them. 

(On our way to the leper colony, me and Kaylee!)

I was SO grateful for the experience that I was able to have. It is interesting, some people just know how to make you feel comfortable. For the pain and sorrow that these people have been through, they were so willing to try to make us happy. The CUTEST man on the colony, one who had lost his fingers and toes due to the disease, was singing to us and dancing around as we waited for the medical van with supplies to arrive. He was having us clap as he sang and we all danced and had a blast. Why had I been nervous?! No idea! It was a ball! Once we got into the church and had all of the supplies, we had a sort of assembly line. First they would check in with the doctor to see whether they needed to have ulcers cleaned and removed or just get their medicine. Then if they had to be cleaned they would go through a line of checking blood pressure, bandage removal, ulcer cleaning, an oil "massage" around the ulcer, and then it being cut out and re-bandaged. I was able to clean their ulcers. To say it was crazy, amazing or remarkable experience just wouldn't be right. It was something more. Not to be a narcissist, but it showed me so much about myself. Going there, I didn't know if I would be able to clean it, if doing that would be gross or scary to me. It wasn't either of those things. It was beautiful. I just wanted to thank them for letting me have the experience. I was able to sit with this woman getting her ulcers cut out and put my arm around her and look her into her eyes and tell her that she was beautiful. I was able to talk to her about her family while she winced in pain and just show her love without asking her for anything.

Here is that cute man that was just so sweet about everything. I talked to him while I cleaned his feet and it was just such a fun time! 

This sweet lady was wincing in pain and told me about her two daughters and her life. (Me and Kaylee)

Me, Kaylee & Chenelle

Here's the washing station.

That man smiling is the one that was singing and dancing with us!

It was kind of hard to talk to them because of the huge language barrier. They don't really know very many words in English, and I speak no Tamil, except for nandri (thank you or good) and vanikam (good morning). There are a few symbols for I love you, beautiful, smile, and a couple of other things that we were able to communicate. They would speak in Tamil to me and I would smile and just be happy to hear them speak, even if I didn't exactly know what they were saying. They would be so attentive when I would speak to them even though I am sure that they got very little information from it.

What more can I say? I can't wait to go back on Tuesday to another colony! I am more than thrilled to be able to help people out. I pushed myself out of my comfort zone and was able to grow. I am not going to shrink back and stay away from a chance to serve those around me. I am going to let myself grow more and more in the next two weeks and learn things about myself and others that I will be able to keep for a lifetime.

This is their colony. Theirs even had a nice bathroom stall, they didn't just go in the sewer. 

There are little goats and chickens running around everywhere! So cute...but DON'T TOUCH!