(Photo by Disciple Magazine)
India (MNN) — Odds are you don’t spend a lot of time worrying about leprosy.
Thanks to antibiotics, new cases of leprosy have decreased. However, many still suffer from the disease and its devastating physical, emotional, and social effects.
In India, the curse of leprosy still hangs over many. Leprosy patients and their families are cut off from employment, education, healthcare, and social services.
Just as Jesus showed His love and power in caring for society rejects, Christians in India are usually the only ones willing to reach out and touch those who suffer from this disease.
For decades, AMG India has led the way in showing the love and healing of Christ to leprosy patients in Andhra Pradesh. Arun Kumar Mohanty, AMG India’s director, shares the need and vision for this unique ministry: “Leprosy patients, who are deformed and unable to work, need Christ’s love and care. The incidence of leprosy has come down [in recent] years; however, many of the victims affected by this disease have to continue living. The social stigma has not reduced. Our support to them is a testimony that the living God cares for them and has not forsaken them.”
AMG’s leprosy ministry seeks to meet both physical and spiritual needs for God’s glory.
AMG national workers conduct Sunday schools, youth meetings, and church gatherings among leprosy patients; they distribute Bibles and go house-to-house in the colonies to share the Gospel with victims and their families.
They also provide mobile clinics to diagnose and treat new cases, they perform cataract surgeries at Kadyum Eye Hospital to restore sight, and they provide food, clothing, and medicines to those in Valley of Love and other colonies.
Arun explains how these pieces of the ministry fit together: “All our efforts at serving the leprosy victims is the result of God’s love and grace we have received and our desire to share Christ’s love and compassion with these marginalized and neglected people.”
As long as people suffer with leprosy, AMG is committed to caring for them. The love of Christ shown through this work is transforming lives. Families and their countries may not value them, but they carry the image of God just as we all do.
Without your help, AMG could not continue this outreach of love. It costs AMG India almost $9,000 each month to provide for those leprosy patients under their care. Will you consider financially supporting this work and joining with AMG in prayer that the Gospel will continue to go forth through these crucial ministries?
