Chaplaincy Reaching out to the Untouchables in India
A Church of God chaplain shares her testimony of ministering in India.
By Chaplain Flora Gootee
Ten years ago I went to India on a missions and chaplaincy training visit – the emphasis for this trip was to be on training pastors, visiting several missions, ministering to the street children and visiting and sharing with lepers in several colonies. The area of India I visited was a depressed region, with the majority of the people known as the “untouchables” – living in extreme poverty, with a high illiteracy rate, and a background of curious customs, values and beliefs. From the moment I crossed over into the world of the leper colony, my life was changed As I looked upon these desperate people, I knew that God had sent me there to bring them hope.
“Unclean!” The condemnation within that tragic cry echoed in my mind as the afflicted came to me for rice, soap, a helping hand and a kind word that would say, “I love you just as you are, and I care about every issue that affects you. To me, you are not untouchable.” That was the beginning of a new era in my life. I prayed with them, shared the Word of God with them, presented Bibles to those who could read, and most of all, expressed to them the love of Jesus Christ. This was my first close encounter with the lepers of India.
Chaplain Gotee in India
Unless you have a first-hand experience with leprosy, no one can explain such an overwhelming feeling of hopelessness. There were people with no faces, or faces distorted beyond any resemblance to human form. There were empty craters of pus where eyes had been. There were gaping cavities and disease-infested holes where noses and mouths should have been. Hands were without fingers and arms and legs were stumps. The sights were pitiful and heart-breaking – beyond description.
The living conditions were equally deplorable. We helped as much was we could with goods and supplies to assist them in their everyday existence. Yet the thought came to me that I had nothing for these lepers. I called upon the Lord and after a night of intense prayer, God revealed Himself, assuring me that I could bring them hope and that through me He would help the lepers find hope through Jesus Christ.
Exacerbating the whole tragedy of trying to help the lepers of India is the “social disease” aspect of leprosy. They are the “hidden people” of India, conveniently kept out-of-sight, and as a result, out-of-mind. There are 12 million lepers in the world – with 8 million in Asia alone. Of these, 60% are in India. Most see leprosy as hereditary or a curse from God. This belief is deeply rooted in the minds of people at all levels of society. The lepers are stigmatized as though their disease was a divine curse or some kind of terrible, supernatural judgment. Leprosy, with its “creeping death” manifestations, is assumed to be prima facie evidence of God’s condemnation. Trying to overcome the social injustice, public ostracism and superstition makes garnering help all the more difficult.
I continue to make as many trips as I can to help the lepers of India and to bring an awareness of their plight to as many as I can. Training and educating pastors is one of the most exciting and promising avenues of support and care for these desperate souls. Through God’s empowerment and growing numbers of leaders willing to help, the light of Jesus Christ is invading the spiritual darkness of the leper colonies and these “least of all our brethren” are receiving a new identity in Christ.
For more information on chaplaincy ministries, visit the Chaplains Commission website at: www.cogchaplains.com
