Gospel for Asia: Hope for Every Hurt, Even Through Disease, Leprosy and Rejection
Prina was a living a double-portion of a nightmare… After contracting leprosy, her husband was murdered in a land dispute, leaving Prina a quarantined widow. As the physical symptoms of Prina’s leprosy spread, so did the news of her disease among her relatives and other villagers. People, including her family, kept their distance and stopped interacting with her out of fear of contracting the disease. Although leprosy is one of the least infectious diseases, the lack of education about it in communities like Prina’s leads to fear and shunning — adding emotional distress to those already suffering.
Prina was banished to one room of her son’s house, where no one dared to enter. The only interaction she had with her family was when someone came to her door to deliver her daily meal.
Hope Visits
One day, while Prina lay outside, she met Soma, the wife of a local GFA-supported pastor who had a church in the village.
When Soma and some women from the local Women’s Fellowship saw Prina, they stopped to offer prayer and comfort. Soma’s heart went out to this mother who had been abandoned to the shame of leprosy. Soma tried to talk to Prina, but fear and disgust mingled in Prina’s eyes, and she refused to engage with Soma and the other ladies.
Being a devoted follower of her religion, Prina despised Christians, just as the villagers despised her. Compounding her aversion was fear of even more ostracization by the villagers if she talked with Christians.
As the ladies silently prayed for Prina and made a move to leave, something in Prina shifted.
“No one likes me because I am a leprosy patient,” mourned Prina.
“Even my own relatives and children hate me — they don’t come near to me. For whom should I live now? I do not want to live and want to end my life.”
Soma felt Prina’s desperate anguish as the hurting woman shared her experience of rejection. The pastor’s wife encouraged Prina from the Word of God.
“If no one loves you, there is one God, who loves you more than anyone, and He wants to heal you from your disease. Do you want to know who that person is? That is our Lord Jesus.”
Hope dawned in Prina’s heart. She wanted to know more about this Lord Jesus who loved her. The desire for love and acceptance opened doors to Prina’s heart that were previously fastened shut. Soma shared more with Prina and invited her to join them for worship services.
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